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Moira Lavelle

The World

Moira Lavelle is an independent reporter based in based in Athens, Greece. She covers migration, borders, gender and language. 

A refugee woman is pictured at the Souda Refugee Camp in Chios island, Greece, June 10, 2017.

Refugees caught in the middle of Greek-Turkish political standoff

Displacement

Even before Turkey opened its borders for refugees and asylum-seekers to leave for Europe, the Greek island of Chios was an epicenter of tension over EU policies that made several Greek islands de facto holding sites for some 42,000 refugees and migrants. Erdoğan’s move only exacerbated those tensions. And refugees are caught in the middle. 

A man wears a blue shirt and glasses in an office

Greece’s new asylum law ‘poses continuous traps’ for refugees

Refugees
Marchers stand behind a large white banner as they move through a street

A year after an LGBTQ activist’s murder in Greece, his memory lives on in ‘our politics and our action,’ protesters say

Pokemon means opportunity for these businessmen

In ailing Greece, trying to turn Pokémon Go into profit

Business
Concerned Student 1950, led by University of Missouri graduate student Jonathan Butler, second from right, speaks following the announcement that University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe would resign.

Update: What do the students want?

Education
citrus

Why asking for a lime isn’t so easy in Spanish-speaking countries

Food

Almost every Spanish-speaking country has a different set of words for lemon and lime.

Women wave flags outside the AKP headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the outcome of a general election which swept his AKP back to a parliamentary majority on Sunday as a victory for democracy.

Update: Ruling AKP regains majority in Turkey. Here’s what that means.

Global Politics

“It’s like a powder keg. Turkey has never been so divided along two ideological cleavages.”

protest

Bahrain activist sentenced to year in prison for ripping up photo of the king

Justice

Zainab Al-Khawaja: “I believe tearing up pictures of a criminal dictator is a legitimate method of peaceful resistance.”

hurricane

8 hurricanes that almost packed the punch of Patricia

Environment

A look at powerful hurricanes that struck land in the eastern Pacific, western Atlantic and the US Gulf Coast.

library

Banned young adult novel finally back on shelves

Education

“The controversy I feel was very unfair from the beginning. Had the book not won the premier book award in New Zealand in its particular year I think it would have passed without mention.”