Trying to escape the life of a gangmember is tough, but an 18-month training program in Los Angeles is helping some men and women make a clean break. Arturo Martinez profiles one woman trying to make the journey toward rehabilitation
When revolutions erupted against communist regimes across Eastern Europe in 1989, Western journalists struggled to keep up. Three veteran reporters describe the chaotic days they will never forget
Transracially adopted children may exhibit more behavioral issues in the classroom, according to researchers. The white adoptive mother of several African-American children talks about how her eyes were opened to systemic racism present in her school system
Every year, American families bring home tens of thousands of children through domestic and foreign adoptions. What do adoptees think about immersion in homes, schools and communities with little racial diversity?
In Russia’s remote Altai region, people are heading to the mountains in thick snow to gather riches that literally grow on trees: pine nuts. Russia is the world’s largest supplier of pine nuts. For locals, it’s a rare chance to make money — but the work is hard, cold, and dangerous
On Saturday, Germany celebrates the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Built in 1961 by the Communist government of East Germany, the wall was meant to stop the flood of its citizens fleeing to the West. Almost three decades later, on Nov. 9, 1989, tens of thousands of people breached the wall and tore it down
Authorities in New Delhi declared a public health emergency this month as air pollution levels hit hazardous levels — a problem the Indian capital wrestles with in winter when stagnant winds and cooler temperatures hold the toxic air over the city. Doctors say the dirty air is taking a serious toll on the health of the city’s 20 million residents
After falling in love with flying her drone, a young videographer searched for a community of other female drone flyers—but couldn’t find one….South Africa is home to one of the world’s top rugby’s teams, the Springboks. It’s also home to Africa’s only national league of wheelchair rugby, the only full-contact Paralympic sport
Afghan children must have IDs to go to school. And each family must have a permanent residence in order to get their IDs. Many members of the Jogi minority, a formerly nomadic people, have neither, and are unable to vote, own land, or attend school
Every October, for the past 48 years, hot air balloons have been filling the skies over Albuquerque, New Mexico, giving spectators both on and off the ground a visual feast of rare beauty. VOA’s Julie Taboh visited the southwestern state’s largest city to see how a modest launch of 13 balloons almost five decades ago has evolved into the largest ballooning event in the world