Newsletter Archive

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Vacationing families rarely spare a glance for the migrants they pass on a sweltering day in Castel Volturno. A powerful Mafia syndicate had once had ambitious plans to transform this Italian municipality into a lavish resort to rival the French Riviera. But Castel Volturno is now a bedraggled, squalid coastal town full of decaying villas, jungles of vegetation that once were carefully nurtured gardens, and desperate migrants caught up in the ‘Death Triangle.’

The arrest a prominent exiled Uighur leader in Italy is raising concerns about growing Chinese political influence in Europe. Activist Dolkun Isa says he was stopped by Rome police who told him his name appeared on Interpol’s list of people wanted by police in any of the group’s member countries. Rights groups are questioning whether Isa’s arrest has anything to do with the fact that the international police organization is currently headed by China’s deputy minister of public security.

GRAPHIC: For decades, US immigration policy has distributed green cards based on family relationships rather than skills. By now, you’ve probably heard that President Trump wants to change that policy to focus more on a skills point system. Here’s what that means.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly seated a grand jury in relation to his probe into Russian interference in the election. What is a grand jury and what does it do? A former VOA reporter who sat on a panel for five weeks shares her experience.

His supporters call him a freedom fighter, but critics accuse Rwanda President Paul Kagame’s government of ruling by fear. International human rights groups have alleged there’ve been kidnappings and politically motivated jailing of dissidents. Yet Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, is widely expected to win a third term despite allegations of political repression.

This Kenya refugee camp was once billed as a community village, complete with a school, clinic, market and other nearby conveniences. Set up by the government and aid agencies, the Kalobeyei settlement houses about 36,000 refugees from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. The UN said Kalobeyei would be an ‘integrated community,’ where refugees and local residents could do business together, live in harmony and access services, but the reality turned out to be very different.

Sixty years after she first captured America’s heart, six-year-old Eloise is still making trouble at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The fictional central character in the beloved children’s book series caused a lot of mischief at the fabled hotel where she lived. And more than a half-century later, little girls still come to the Plaza looking for Eloise.