Newsletter Archive

A dry spell in Malawi has sparked accusations of witchcraft and triggered bouts of mob violence. More than 700,000 farmers are expected to lose 40 percent of their harvests this year because of low rainfall. VOA visited the ruined houses of eight villagers who were targeted on a single day after being blamed for using magic to stop the rain from falling.

Never before has a president gone as far as Donald Trump in tearing down the Department of Justice, which prides itself in being an independent, non-partisan law enforcement body. This tradition of independence dates back to Watergate, the 1970s political scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. A series of reforms designed to insulate law enforcement activities from political meddling came about after the infamous Saturday Night Massacre.

Beijing is upgrading phone service on islands in the disputed South China Sea. China is the most militarily powerful country in a six-way sovereignty dispute over the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea. What’s in it for China to help the tiny populations on the islands, adding incentives for them to stay put at their isolated posts?

Inter-Korean Olympics cooperation is walking a fine line when it comes to avoiding violating international sanctions against Pyongyang. The restrictions are intended to tighten the flow of cash into North Korea and pressure it to renounce nuclear weapons and missiles programs. But North Korean participation in the upcoming winter Olympics raises concerns among some US experts. Even recent joint Korean ski training exercises might be in violation of the sanctions.

Islamic State might be gone but the worries aren’t over for minority groups in Syria. As Turkey continues to pound Afrin, a city under the control of Syrian Kurds, minorities in the region fear that the conflict could make them a target of hostile militant groups in the region. Turkey says it’s targeting Kurds associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which the US and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organization, but minorities in Afrin worry they’ll be the ones to pay the heaviest price.