Today is International Women’s Day — an annual celebration meant to inspire women and celebrate their achievements.  Some countries mark it as a national holiday.  Here in Afghanistan, government institutions, civil societies, embassies and international organizations honor this event anywhere between March 1-10.

While women have made a modest comeback in Afghanistan regarding education and political participation, the country’s acting Public Health Minister Suraya Dalil told me Afghan women still are lagging in one key area: medical care.

In keeping with the spirit of International Women’s Day, I made a point to …

“Everybody off and get on the bus alongside me!”
 
The bus driver was serious. Our bus between Vancouver and Whistler had stopped just outside of Squamish.  The mountains loomed off to my left, just the other side of a port where piles of logs laid near the water and a huge sign read “log homes for sale – anywhere in the world.” But we were not going anywhere.
 
Getting off the bus was a relief. The driver had the heat going so high that I was sweating. Not the kind of sweat …

Pakistanis have told me that the images coming from the relief effort in Haiti remind them of their own country’s massive earthquake five years ago.  The effects of that disaster still are visible.  But despite Pakistan’s current hardships, some people, such as Abdul Sattar Edhi, are working to send aid to the small Caribbean nation.  Watch the story below:

My interview with Edhi — who is known in some quarters for his humanitarian works as Pakistan’s “Father Teresa” — occurred a few weeks after the earthquake struck Haiti.  I spoke to …

Washington got hit with a rare major snowstorm Saturday.  Different areas around the capital city got different amounts of snow, but in my home near Manassas, Virginia, we got almost 25 centimeters.  That’s a lot for a community that has snow perhaps three times a year.
There were reports of power outages in different regions and the local authorities were encouraging everyone to stay home if possible.  The roads were impassable.  The road crews are doing everything they can to clear the major highways, but secondary roads, like the ones leading …

The Winter Olympic Games get underway February 12 in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada.  I will be part of the VOA team in Vancouver and plan to blog from the Games. I hope to bring you all a side of the Games that you won’t get anywhere else.  be even havea I also plan to post photos from Vancouver and maybe even get up close and personal with a few medal winners. Look for my posts here.