It’s relatively easy to get by in Finland's capital, Helsinki, without speaking Finnish. But meeting an American opera singer and a refugee from Iraq here taught reporter Kavita Pillay to embrace the vulnerability of learning a new language.
"I don't think you'd find an older person in Poland who’s not going to church, but I think that younger generation is rather like me. I'm not going to church. I don't believe in God. I consider myself an atheist."
Finland has one of the most successful public education systems in the world. And Finnish school children, on average, get more than an hour of recess a day. Is playtime the secret to their success?
Many of Europe's churches are struggling to stay open. A new movement called "extended use" is trying to save the old buildings. The plan includes using some church buildings for circus schools and Starbucks shops.
A vast network of tunnels is being constructed beneath the Nordic countryside in Finland. It's intended to safely store nuclear waste for up to a thousand centuries. Eventually, officials say, there will be no surface trace of the tunnels below.
The Asian city-state of Singapore is known for its strict social laws, including a ban on chewing gum. It's not known for its sense of humor but as Kavita Pillay reports, Singapore's government want people there to loosen up.
Two Indian men experimented with life at the poverty line. Their blogs and media appearances seem to have spurred a movement among middle class Indians to better the lives of some 80 percent of the population.
The south Indian state of Kerala is home to one of the oldest synagogues in the world and its Jewish community dates back to ancient times. But over the past several decades, most of Kochi's Jews have gone to Israel.
For fans of hip-hop artist Yassin Alsalman, the Narcicyst tells the reality of being Arab, Muslim and Western in a post-September 11 world.
The arrival of summer is marked with great fanfare in Finland.