Web Producer
Michael Rass was a web producer at PRI's The World.
Michael Rass left PRI's The World in 2014.
Ukraine has dramatically changed in just one week and Moscow is upset about the "armed mutiny."
As the Syrian war continues, hope is waning in the refugee camps in neighboring countries. Some Syrians who fled to Turkey are now heading into Bulgaria to start new lives. And Bulgarians are growing weary and wary of welcoming them.
Luge racing is odd enough, as athletes fly down an icy tunnel on their backs on a tiny sled. Now, line up three sleds and a touchpad at the finish line and you get the luge relay, debuting at this winter Olympics.
After a deadly turn earlier in the week, opposition leaders have brokered a temporary truce with President Viktor Yanukovych. But the protest movement has move beyond Independence Square.
The once peaceful protests in Kiev are no more. Riot police are firing on protesters and protesters are throwing gasoline bombs. Some says it could get worse.
Gulnara Karimova is the daughter of the leader of Uzbekistan, a pop-star, a businesswoman and even a diplomat. But now she, it seems, is locked in a power struggle. And the drama is playing out on Twitter.
President Vladimir Putin is in a gracious mood this holiday season. And why not? He snubbed the US by taking in Edward Snowden, he kept the US and its allies out of Syria, and prevented Ukraine from drifting westward. Maybe that's why he's pardoning so many high-profile opponents.
India has ordered a series of reprisals against the United States after it accused the US of harshly arresting and strip-searching of one of its diplomats in New York.
In China, Mandela's legacy is still often associated with a particular local pop song - 'Glorious Days' by the Hong Kong band Beyond.
Over the years, many people met with the late Nelson Mandela, who often sported a colorful African shirt for the occasion.
Popular film director Zhang Yimou has confirmed he has three children with his wife, in violation of China's strict one-child policy.