eastern Europe

The serial number 14810 inside the last piano that Frederic Chopin played and composed on, and that after his death in 1849 in Paris came to his family in Warsaw. 

How an American pianist revived Chopin in Warsaw

In 2006, finding a live Fréderic Chopin concert in Warsaw was harder than expected. American pianist Pamela Howland made it her life’s mission to revive Chopin in Warsaw, Poland, the composer’s hometown.

How an American pianist revived Chopin in Warsaw
A forest burns in the mountains after shelling by Azerbaijan's artillery during a military conflict outside Stepanakert, the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict stifles critical transport development in the region, analyst says

Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict stifles critical transport development in the region, analyst says
A single protestor holds up an old Belarusian national flag standing in front of a wall of officers holding large riot shields.

Belarus, explained: How Europe's last dictator could fall

Belarus, explained: How Europe's last dictator could fall
Wearing a beige and black sweater, Belarusian opposition figure Veronika Tsepkalo stands on a roof deck in Moscow while in exile from her country.

Opposition figure calls for 'new, democratic, open country called Belarus'

Opposition figure calls for 'new, democratic, open country called Belarus'
Two white men in suits stand at podiums in front of the US and Polish flags

As Poland’s Duda seeks election ‘Trump bump,’ Putin looks to revise history

As Poland’s Duda seeks election ‘Trump bump,’ Putin looks to revise history
Writer Olga Tokarczuk appears at a book fair.

Olga Tokarczuk destined to win Nobel Prize, says Jennifer Croft, her translator

Olga Tokarczuk, 57, won the Nobel Prize for "a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life," according to the Swedish Academy, which chooses the literature laureate.

Olga Tokarczuk destined to win Nobel Prize, says Jennifer Croft, her translator
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy listens to a translator as he and US President Donald Trump hold a bilateral meeting

Trump scandal threatens to derail Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts

Ukrainians are accustomed to powerful forces meddling in their judicial system, Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and expert on central and Eastern Europe, tells The World's host, Marco Werman. But even as they find corruption foisted on them by their most important ally in Washington, DC, Ukrainians have remained determined to root out unethical practices in their own country.

Trump scandal threatens to derail Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts
A black and white photo of people going through immigration queues

Cuccinelli’s ‘bootstraps’ line reflects historical amnesia of ‘public charge’

The "likely to become a public charge" clause originally targeted southern and eastern European immigrants. It has since become a tool to exclude "undesirable" immigrants du jour.

Cuccinelli’s ‘bootstraps’ line reflects historical amnesia of ‘public charge’
Angkor Wat is shown by a pond at sunrise.

'World Heritage' site selection is Eurocentric – and that shapes which historic places get love and money

Among the 845 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a surprisingly high number are located in just a few European countries, and even more are based off European influence. This has serious implications about the cultural preservation for the history of much of the rest of the world's people.

'World Heritage' site selection is Eurocentric – and that shapes which historic places get love and money
A man in a crowd wearing a white T-shirt holds up a sign saying 'Russia get out of Georgia."

NATO agreed Georgia would join. Why hasn’t it happened?

The Republic of Georgia has been waiting to join NATO for more than a decade. Why hasn't it happened?

NATO agreed Georgia would join. Why hasn’t it happened?
Close up of a woman wearing a head scarf in a church near a gold cross.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church gains independence from Moscow: ‘We have been waiting for this’

Ukrainians celebrate church independence, but the blessing from Istanbul deepens the tension and conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church gains independence from Moscow: ‘We have been waiting for this’
A sunset with the silhouette of a mosque and man approaching

How 16 Americans found family, faith and their immigrant roots — generations after their parents left their homelands

Through war and Islamophobia, a generation thought they might have lost their histories and faith in Eastern Europe. But, unexpectedly, they found it again.

How 16 Americans found family, faith and their immigrant roots — generations after their parents left their homelands
Kalman Aron began sketching when he was 3 years old. He's now 93, and says if he didn't still paint and draw every day he would "die of boredom."

For over 90 years, this Holocaust survivor's art has kept him alive

At 93, Kalman Aron still paints everyday in his apartment in Beverly Hills. If he didn't paint, he says he would "die of boredom."

For over 90 years, this Holocaust survivor's art has kept him alive
Polish protestors demonstrate their opposition to new restrictions for media in front of the parliament building in Warsaw, Poland.

Poland's government fines a US-owned TV broadcaster

Poland's media regulator hit TVN24, a private, US-owned news station, with a $400,000 fine Monday over its coverage of an anti-government protest last year.

Poland's government fines a US-owned TV broadcaster
An Albanian state police officer holds a piece of freshly cut cannabis near the town of Kruja. Most of the pot produced in Albania is grown outdoors, on public land. Growers take advantage of the country’s Mediterranean climate and mountainous terrain.

Riding along with Albania's pot police

On the front lines of the war on marijuana cultivation, Albanian police face a tenacious crop and an unwelcoming population.

Riding along with Albania's pot police