Newsletter Archive

Increasing demand for long-haul truckers in the United States is drawing more African immigrants onto America’s roads. The hours are long but the money is good for these immigrants who navigate their way through a new country on their own terms. VOA hitches a ride with African truckers who find the route to success can be found on the open road.

‘We are always afraid of being bombed,’ says a 12-year-old Syrian boy whose family fled to a Turkish border town last year to avoid airstrikes and Islamic State militants. The rockets crashing into their new neighborhood come from Afrin, Syria, where Turkish forces are battling Kurdish forces. VOA goes to Reyhanli, Turkey, where a new wave of conflict within Syria has families fearing they’ll never be free of the violence.

What to do when there’s a humanitarian crisis in hard-to-reach places? How about using a lightweight drone that can deliver up to 20 kilograms of food, medicine or other essential supplies  in need in areas that traditional shipping and delivery companies cannot reach. And there’s no need to worry about the drone making its way back home because it’s disposable.

School is in a shipping container under a busy overpass for homeless students near Mumbai, India. Since the street children won’t go to regular schools, people who run the Signal School made the unconventional move to bring the lessons to where the children are. VOA spends a day at the school in the town of Thane, where students are not only catching up on their education, but are also learning how to imagine a better future for themselves.

North Korea’s Olympics charm offensive included a joint North Korean orchestra performance with a popular singer from a South Korean pop group. Together, they performed a Korean song about unification. More than 150,000 people requested tickets to the two North Korean performances in Seoul. The following day South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the North Korean Olympic delegation visit has succeeded in opening the door to further cooperation.

One of the top five private photo collections in the world is the basis for ‘The Beauty of Lines’ exhibit in Switzerland. It showcases 160 photographs from the collection of husband and wife team Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla. The occasion marks the first time pictures belonging to the New York-based couple have made it to Europe, where they’re being hailed as ‘photographic masterpieces.’