Category: International

More than 400,000 Ukrainian refugees have poured across the border into the small country of Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe. Wedged between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is a little bigger than Maryland, but it has received the most refugees per capita of any country in this crisis. Now Moldova is providing assistance and support to those who are choosing to stay in the country.

Even as they open their doors to Ukrainian refugees, many in the small country fear they may be next in line for invasion by Russian forces. Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union shortly after its fall in 1991, but since then there have been Russian troops stationed in a separatist region of the country called Transnistria. Moldova fears it would not be able to fend off a Russian offensive.

NPR’s Frank Langfitt explains why Moldova is in such a perilous position, and we talk to aid workers about how they are supporting Ukranians fleeing war.

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Michelle Yeoh has been a star for decades. American audiences will know her as a warrior in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or an icy matriarch in Crazy Rich Asians. Now, in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she’s playing Chinese immigrant Evelyn Wang who is both a failure and possibly the key to saving the multiverse from a great chaos-spreading evil.

Michelle Yeoh talks with NPR’s Ailsa Chang about her journey through the multiverse, with all its wackiness, wonder and wisdom.

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Reports of civilians being tortured and killed — and the accompanying images that have surfaced this week in the city of Bucha — have raised questions about potential war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. The Biden administration is assisting international investigators in looking into potential war crimes. And some experts say the evidence of such crimes is clear in this highly-documented conflict.

But history shows that drawing a straight line between war crimes and heads of state is challenging.

NPR’s Scott Detrow spoke with senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, Yulia Gorbunova, about her reporting of alleged human rights violations in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine.

NPR’s Julie McCarthy examines what constitutes war crimes and the prospects of Russian President Vladimir Putin being held to account.

In participating regions, you’ll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what’s going on in your community. Email us at [email protected].

Many Americans haven’t gotten an initial COVID-19 booster. A second one is authorized for some. Others are waiting to see if they can get one soon. Will everyone need them eventually? An FDA advisory committee met Wednesday to discuss what’s next in America’s booster strategy.

Dr. Anthony Fauci tells NPR the path forward is paved with uncertainties — about whether more variants will arise, how long booster protection lasts, and what kind of funding will be available for research. Fauci spoke to NPR’s Rob Stein, who explains what’s likely for booster guidance later this fall.

Whatever the future of the pandemic holds, public health officials are hoping to get early glimpses of it by monitoring waste water treatment plants. John Daley reports.

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Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade, was signed into law at the end of March by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Critics have dubbed this it the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.

A lawsuit has been filed against Gov. DeSantis by several LGBTQ rights advocates in an effort to block the law.

NPR’s Melissa Block spoke with a number of teachers across the state of Florida who are worried about the chilling effect this law may have on not just what they teach and speak about in the classroom, but how it affects their students’ well-being.

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Thousands of people who claim Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused them to develop cancer cannot sue the company, which used a controversial legal maneuver in bankruptcy court to freeze lawsuits against it.

NPR’s Brian Mann explains. More from his reporting here.

Additional reporting this episode from NPR’s Scott Horsley.

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Roger Latimer says he was beaten by guards in a security camera blind spot at Western Illinois Correctional Center. He complained at the prison. He complained to local officials. He asked medical staff to take pictures. Nothing happened. Then another prisoner, Larry Earvin, died after an altercation with guards in the same blind spot.

In this episode of WBEZ Chicago’s Motive podcast, host Shannon Heffernan tracks the pattern of beatings in that blind spot, surfacing nine additional cases, sometimes involving the same guards, using very similar behavior in the same location. We ask the question of why this pattern persisted, even as prisoners like Latimer tried to stop it.

Season 4 of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried.

Listen to Motive on Apple podcasts and Spotify.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been intense focus on Russian oligarchs – elites with enormous wealth and close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States and international allies have imposed travel bans and economic sanctions on the billionaires, freezing accounts and impounding yachts and private jets. The goal is to disrupt the covert money funneled to Putin and his regime and to make the oligarch’s lives difficult enough that they might pressure Putin to loosen his grip on Ukraine.

Now President Biden’s KleptoCapture task force faces the difficult and time consuming task of tracking down assets hidden in intricate webs of financial secrecy – many created by US regulations – that allow the oligarchy to hide their money and maintain power.

We speak with Paul Massaro, a congressional foreign policy adviser who specializes in sanctions and illicit finance.

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Binge watching a show you love is enjoyable, but not always productive. But artists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear turned their binge into a Grammy nomination.

They were inspired by Season 1 of Netflix’s series Bridgerton, and used that inspiration to write a full musical theater album. They didn’t intend to write a full album, but as they workshopped the songs on social media, fans everywhere watched as Barlow & Bear wrote the songs live — offering followers a front row seat to the music making process.

This weekend at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow will be in the audience waiting to hear if their album, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, wins in the category of Best Musical Theater Album.

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Researchers say the intersection between far-right movements and environmentalism is bigger than many people realize — and it’s growing. Blair Taylor, researcher at the Institute for Social Ecology, explains.

Alex Amend, who researches eco-fascism, says climate change will only fuel the link between the far-right and environmentalism. Dorceta Taylor of Yale University traces the rise of the American conversation movement, which was partly motivated by a backlash against the racial mixing of American cities. Hop Hopkins of the Sierra Club opens up about racism in the organization’s past.

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