Orla Barry is the Europe correspondent for The World. She has been a producer with the BBC World Service for six years, working on Outside Source, World Have Your Say and Newsday. Orla has been a national broadcaster on the Irish radio station Newstalk, where she presented the daily morning show and a weekend arts and culture show.Orla has produced a series of documentaries from East Africa, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. She also presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary on the Irish women who built Britain. She previously worked as an independent producer for NBC and Arte. Orla has been a columnist with two Irish national newspapers, the Irish Examiner and the Irish Independent. She has a Master’s degree in politics and development studies.
The Italy-Albania migrant deal seems set for failure. One Albanian town still wants it to succeed.
A year after Italy signed a controversial migration deal with Albania, the detention facility built to house asylum-seekers in Albania stands empty as human rights groups call the migration deal cruel. But a remote village in northwestern Albania is still hopeful the plan will come to fruition.
This club in the Netherlands offers a much-needed break from technology
Most people are at least a little addicted to their phones. In the Netherlands, three young Dutchmen came up with an idea to counteract that. It’s called the Offline Club, where attendees pay for the opportunity to spend an evening phone-free.
As Dutch residents struggle to find housing, some are trying new initiatives
The Netherlands is experiencing one of the worst housing crises in all of Europe. The new coalition government led by the far-right Freedom party has promised “large scale” housing construction over the next few years but many say it will not be enough to resolve the issue. One group of young Dutch citizens has come up with their own solution.
20 years after France’s hijab ban, the issue remains divisive
Two decades ago, France introduced a law banning the hijab and other religious symbols in public schools. Today, with French athletes prohibited from wearing any religious items while competing at the summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, the issue is more divisive than ever.
