Global Scan
November 21, 2014
Russia is proud of being out in front of other countries. But on one measure, it might not be quite so proud. It has more police per citizen than any other country tracked by the UN. Meanwhile, the Loch Ness monster is back in the news after 18 months without a peep. And a 100-year-old woman has a long-held dream come true and it gives her shivers. All that and more in today's Global Scan.
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Lifestyle & Belief
When Jews lived in the Soviet Union, they had to hide their matzah in suitcases
PRI's The World
April 16, 2014
In the years after World War II, it became illegal to make Passover matzah in Soviet synagogues. So local Jews instead started baking matzah at home, in secret.
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Development & Education
When Belarus closed its last liberal arts school, the university went into exile
PRI's The World
July 14, 2015
The European Humanities University is a Belarussian liberal arts school. But it's now operating in Lithuania.
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Science, Tech & Environment
Wildlife in Chernobyl is thriving 30 years after the nuclear accident
Living on Earth
May 16, 2016
In the absence of a human population, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has become a de facto nature reserve.
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Politics
Here's a rare glimpse of JFK's assassin, from his co-workers in Minsk, Belarus
PRI's The World
November 20, 2013
Updated
The man who shot JFK in Dallas — Lee Harvey Oswald — first defected to the former Soviet Union and worked in a factory in Minsk. He married there and was under the watchful eye of Soviet intelligence, before he decided to return to the US. His former co-workers remember him fondly and refuse to believe he shot President Kennedy.
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Politics
Ukraine finds it hard to disentangle from its deep Russian ties
PRI's The World
December 02, 2013
Ukraine, a former Soviet Bloc country, is torn between its deep economic and cultural ties with Russia and its desire to modernize by becoming part of the European Union. When its president chose to draw closer to Russia over the EU, some Ukrainians applauded, while others took to the streets.
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Global Scan
US Secretary of State Kerry stops for a selfie on his climate change tour
February 18, 2014
Secretary of State John Kerry charmed Indonesian students in Jakarta over the weekend as he delivered strongly-worded messages on climate change to Asia's leading emitters of greenhouse gases. Italy works to form its third government in three years, without a new election. And German politicians sleep in their offices to save on rent, all in today's Global Scan.
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Global Scan
After decades apart, reunions bring Koreans together again
March 19, 2014
At a recent organized reunion, some North and South Koreans found family members they had not seen since the Korean War. A Reuter's photographer was there. Parliamentarians in Ukraine struck blows — literally — against a free press, when they attacked a news manager over coverage. And Spain gets ready to release a bumper crop of wine, all in today's Global Scan.
Science, Tech & Environment
Governments block internet
PRI's The World
March 19, 2008
The World's Clark Boyd reports on governments that have found various ways to block citizens' access to internet sites; this web filtering is described in a new book, "Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering".
Politics
Belarus election
PRI's The World
September 26, 2008
Belarus holds elections this weekend that the authorities promise will be free and fair. The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse reports on the slow pace of change in the former Soviet republic.
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Conflict & Justice
As peace talks start, Ukraine and Russia are still pressing for battlefield advantage
The Takeaway
August 26, 2014
The presidents of Russia and Ukraine sat down for peace talks on Tuesday, even as their respective armies continued to fight along the Russian-Ukrainian border. Ukraine believes that it's close to military victory over pro-Russian separatists, but an influx of Russian soldiers may change that.