Headlines
25 years ago this month (June), a landmark U.S. medical trial began testing a drug that would prove to be the first effective treatment of HIV/AIDS. It spawned a generation of drugs that saved countless lives and is still helping to prevent the spread of the virus today. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti takes us back to a time when the AIDS epidemic raged unchecked, and introduces us to a man who would not be alive today without the advent of these drugs
Hundreds of people turned out for a rally outside the Serbian parliament on June 20, one day before a general election. The Belgrade protest was organized by right-wing independent lawmaker Srdjan Nogo, who claimed the polls were unlawful. Some of the demonstrators tried to enter the parliament building, but police stopped them and only Nogo was allowed in. Part of the Serbian opposition is boycotting the elections, saying coronavirus restrictions have hampered a fair campaign
Washington, D.C., is gradually easing out of its COVID lockdown as non-essential businesses start opening for locals and tourists. Keida Kostreci talked to D.C. residents and tourists to see how they feel about the cautious reopening
On this Father’s Day, a man from the Atlanta, Georgia, area is doing his part to empower black men and boys of all ages. He co-founded a group that is a space that aims to be an inter-generational transfer of knowledge
As Malaysia’s economy start to reopen analysts say the movement restrictions the country took to limit the spread of the coronavirus should also help it recover from the financial downturn it now faces
“Rose” is a refugee from Burundi. She’s lived in Hong Kong for nearly five years. Rose, a single mother who faced significant struggles raising her son in a new country, has started to turn her life around through two unanticipated pastimes: long-distance runs and hiking along the scenic trails of Hong Kong. With the help from a charity organization, Rose has found a new peace and rediscovered her confidence. She’s now ready to face a better future
It’s been eight years since Aung San Suu Kyi’s by-election win. Her victory raised hopes that refugees – who had been displaced by seven decades of fighting in southeast Myanmar’s Karen state – would be able to return home. But a majority remain without a permanent residence, as sporadic fighting continues into 2020. Steve Sandford talks to refugees and IDPs from Karen state about the ongoing conflict
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to make life even more difficult for thousands of refugees in Indonesia who have no access to formal work or school. Many are awaiting resettlement to another country, while relying on relatives in other countries who are also dealing with business shutdowns. VOA’s Rendy Wicaksana spoke to several Afghan refugees in an independent refugee community in the province of West Java, Indonesia
Tribal vigilantes in southeast Afghanistan have burned down the houses of four families whose male members they accused of killing seven members of a rival family. The incident on June 16 came two days after the killings, which local police said involved a land dispute
Little has changed over the past century for timber raftsmen in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, who still rely on the same working methods that their grandfathers used