Vitali Shkliarov was mesmerized by Barack Obama's Berlin speech in 2008, though he didn't speak English at the time. Shkliarov went on to work for Obama and then Bernie Sanders. Now he's an adviser in the Russian elections.
On April 26, 1986, the world suffered its worst peacetime nuclear disaster, when the Soviet reactor at Chernobyl went into meltdown. One survivor talks about how it affected her and her family.
If the mere mention of the word bagpipe causes your mind to wander off to the windswept Scottish Highlands, hang on! There's a group of passionate bagpipe campaigners on a quest to show there's more to the pipes than playing on the heath in a kilt.
World leaders might be talking about peace talks for Ukraine, but for civilians caught in the middle, the fighting is worse than ever. Stories from both sides of no-man’s land.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
Belarus is called the last dictatorship in Europe. The government censors the arts, so performance troupe Free Theatre Belarus performs secretly, in converted houses, to avoid arrest. American playwright Aaron Landsman went to visit the group in Minsk, and learned what theater is really all about. Produced by David Krasnow and Gretta Cohn.
In the protests that followed the most recent presidential elections in Belarus, members of the Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) were detained by the Belarusian KGB. BFT co-founder Natalia Kaliada talks with Studio 360.
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.
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Matzah.jpg
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.
EHU Media Hub.jpg
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.
SMITH-Elk-1.png
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.
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".
Kerry crop.jpg
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.
Global 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.
korea-unification-cropped.jpg
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.
Arts, Culture & Media
Free Theatre Belarus
Studio 360
October 10, 2008
Belarus is called the last dictatorship in Europe. The government censors the arts, so performance troupe Free Theatre Belarus performs secretly, in converted houses, to avoid arrest. American playwright Aaron Landsman went to visit the group in Minsk, and learned what theater is really all about. Produced by David Krasnow and Gretta Cohn.
Global Politics
Belarus Free Theatre
Studio 360
January 21, 2011
In the protests that followed the most recent presidential elections in Belarus, members of the Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) were detained by the Belarusian KGB. BFT co-founder Natalia Kaliada talks with Studio 360.
RTR43TO1.jpg
Conflict
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.