Europe

The World’s host Marco Werman speaks with author and investigative journalist Michael Isikoff about the implications of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s case.

For young people still in school, there are few sweeter words than “summer vacation.” But for students in Ukraine, these are challenging times. The school year for public school kids just wrapped up last week, and their whole educational experience — for Ukrainian students and their teachers — has fundamentally changed. The World’s Daniel Ofman reports from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Midsummer, or the summer solstice, is a day of great celebration in many countries throughout the globe. For many people in northern Europe – in the Scandinavian countries, and the Baltics – midsummer is one of the most beloved holidays. The World’s Daniel Ofman reports from Riga, the Latvian capital, about how people there are celebrating the longest day of the year.

June 19 commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. But the legacy of African enslavement continues to reverberate in much of the world. Howard French, the author of “Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War,” speaks with host Marco Werman about the persistent damage in West Africa and beyond.

The Celtics are in the NBA finals, and one of the team’s most impactful players is Latvian center Kristaps Porziņģis. Fans in Latvia are rooting for him to become the first Latvian NBA champion. The World’s Daniel Ofman reports from Riga, Latvia.