Philip Reeves

Violence Defies Pakistanis' Efforts To Define Their Nation

Philip Reeves — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:56:00 +0000

There is no more graphic example of the daunting challenges facing Pakistan's new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, than the bloody events playing out in the west of his nation.

Just over a week after Sharif was sworn in for a third term, at least 24 people were killed in a day of violence that underscored the threat presented by violent militancy to the fabric of the Pakistani state.

More than half the dead were female students, killed by a bomb. The toll also included nurses at a hospital that was the scene of a five-hour siege.

Istanbul Reservoir Cools Pakistanis

Philip Reeves — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Most people look forward to summer, but perhaps not in Pakistan. NPR's Philip Reeves has been out and about in its capitol city and sent us this letter from Islamabad.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: I often wonder how Pakistanis manage to keep up their spirits. Every day brings fresh reports of militant attacks, murders or kidnappings. And even after the monsoon rains roll in, as they are now, it can be unbearably hot. This year's worse than ever thanks to constant power outages.

Murder Case Appears To Buck Trend Of Pakistani Corruption

Philip Reeves — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 19:47:00 +0000

"There are times when one's faith is restored in the judicial system here, in Pakistan," writes a gentleman called Sajjid Khan, in an unusually optimistic letter published by one of his nation's leading newspapers The Daily Times.

Pakistanis generally take a bleak view of their system of law and order, which tends to be dysfunctional and corrupt. Khan was inspired to put pen to paper by a criminal case that seems to buck that trend.

It concerns the killing of a policeman's son named Shahzeb Khan.

Riots In Sweden. That's Right. Sweden

Philip Reeves — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:48:00 +0000

Sweden is one of the wealthiest, most stable and smoothly running countries in the world.

Which would explain why the country's 9.5 million residents may be shocked by the events of the past few days.

For the past three nights, hundreds of youths have been rampaging through parts of the capital, Stockholm, torching cars, setting fires, and throwing rocks at police and fire trucks.

The trouble began over the weekend, after the police shot dead a 69-year-old man in the city's Husby neighborhood, where many residents originate from the Middle East and Africa.

Alex Ferguson: A Legendary Manager For An Iconic Franchise

Philip Reeves — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:33:00 +0000

The resignation of veteran Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is an event causing ripples that go way beyond the island where the Scotsman spent his long and illustrious career.

Walk into a bar pretty much anywhere from Buenos Aires to Bangkok, mention Ferguson or his star-studded team of Red Devils, and you can be sure of a lively conversation — and perhaps a heated argument.

Ferguson's name is not always greeted with warmth, especially by supporters

For Some Britons, Thatcher's Death Provokes Celebrations

Philip Reeves — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:14:00 +0000

A young man is parading the streets of the city of Glasgow with a slogan daubed onto the back of his black leather jacket in big, freshly painted white letters. "We're havin' a party," it declares. "Thatcher's dead."

In what was the coal belt of northern England, a burly former miner lights up an enormous cigar and takes a satisfied puff.

Margaret Thatcher's Life And Legacy In Britain

Philip Reeves — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:03:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

On a Monday, it is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

Britain and the world are reflecting this morning on the life of Margaret Thatcher. The former British prime minister has died at the age of 87. Britain's current Prime Minister David Cameron remembered her this way.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON: As our first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds. And the real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country. She saved our country.

Exiled Russian Oligarch's Death Launches Probe

Philip Reeves — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:47:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And police in Britain are piecing together the final days in the life of a Russian oligarch named Boris Berezovsky. They hope this may shed light on his sudden death this last weekend. Berezovsky used to be one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Russia. Then he fell out with the Kremlin and sought asylum in Britain. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: No history book about the collapse of the Soviet Union is complete without the name of Boris Berezovsky.

Britain Goes After Pot Growers With 'Scratch And Sniff' Cards

Philip Reeves — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:35:00 +0000

For many years, across the world, the extraordinarily powerful noses of dogs have been successfully used to help detect crime.

Now, in Britain, moves are under way to recruit humans to perform the same subtle work.

Police are encouraging the British to step out of their homes, raise their nostrils aloft, and see if they catch the whiff of wrongdoing wafting from the next-door neighbors.

Visitors to these crowded islands are often charmed by the small redbrick terraced houses that are in every town and city.

But law enforcement agencies here say the attics and backrooms of some of these

A Rough Guide To The Papal Conclave

Philip Reeves — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:01:00 +0000

The stage is now set for the opening act of one of the more spectacular and intriguing theatrical dramas on the planet: the election of a pope.

In Rome, TV camera crews have set up their positions on big platforms overlooking St.

The Hermit Pope Who Set The Precedent For Benedict XVI

Philip Reeves — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:24:00 +0000

Beneath a glass coffin, wearing a pontiff's miter and faded vestments of gold and purple, there lies a tiny man with a wax head.

This represents an Italian priest who, until this month, was the only pope in history to voluntarily resign.

His name is Celestine V.

Celestine became pope at 84, some seven centuries ago, after a long and self-punishing career as a hermit.

Though a celebrated spiritual leader, and founder of a new branch of the Benedictine order, his papacy lasted just over five months.

British Outrage Grows As Horsemeat Pops Up In More Foods

Philip Reeves — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:47:00 +0000

They like riding them. They like racing them.

Nightmare Details Emerge After Siege In Algeria

Philip Reeves — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 08:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

President Obama took the oath for a second term yesterday, on January 20th, as the Constitution requires. The public ceremony takes place today at the Capitol, and we'll have live coverage all day long.

MONTAGNE: We're learning more about the siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara Desert. Militants in Algeria took many hostages - hundreds. Algerian forces quickly retook the plant.

A Dash Of Olive Oil May Preserve Decaying British Cathedral

Philip Reeves — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:19:00 +0000

The British have some stunning cathedrals, and York Minster, in the north of England, is one of the most magnificent of all.

Construction on it began 800 years ago, and a mere 2 1/2 centuries later, work was complete.

The result was one of Europe's largest Gothic cathedrals and one that's had a rough ride through history: It's been pillaged and looted, and damaged by devastating fires and lightning strikes.

Today, there's another threat: acid rain. As a result, the cathedral's stones are decaying.

British scientists and archaeologists have teamed up to try to find a solution.

On Multiple Fronts, Russian Jews Reshape Israel

Philip Reeves — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Many signs are in the Cyrillic alphabet. The men and women sitting in the cafes are speaking Russian. The shops sell vodka, black bread, pickled herring and Russian-brewed Baltika beer. You have to pinch yourself to remember where you are.

This scene, with all its echoes of the former Soviet Union, is not in St. Petersburg or Vladivostok, or anywhere else in that vast sweep of bleak northern lands.

In Cornall, Lisa Simpson Rivals Queen Elizabeth

Philip Reeves — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now, while our politicians are consumed with the deficit deadline, many leaders around the world are taking a step back, putting quill to paper and carefully composing their Christmas messages. In Britain, particular attention will be paid to Queen Elizabeth's message, because this year she's celebrating 60 years on the throne.

NPR's Philip Reeves sent this letter, musing about what it meant to be British as 2012 comes to a close.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: It's been a pretty good year for the queen. Her Diamond Jubilee has gone well.

With Leader's Visit, Hamas Celebrates Its Birth

Philip Reeves — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 11:54:00 +0000

Tens of thousands of people turned out for a mass rally in the Gaza Strip on Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hamas, which governs Gaza. The guest of honor was the leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal.

This is Meshaal's first-ever trip to Gaza, and it's been seen as a political milestone in Hamas' attempt to gain wider acceptance in the region.

Gaza is a small, very crowded strip of land that is full of young people.

Israeli Settlement Plan

Philip Reeves — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:57:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

For years the United States has urged the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a peace accord based on a two-state solution. Well, there are growing concerns within the international community that the chances of that ever happening are dimming.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Palestinians angered Israel last week by securing a symbolically important vote at the United Nations General Assembly, upgrading their status from a non-member entity to a non-member state.

Israelis, Palestinians React To U.N. Vote

Philip Reeves — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:04:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And a very different emotion on the West Bank, where Palestinians are reveling today in their new status as a non-member observer state in the United Nations. What that change means depends on who's talking. NPR's Philip Reeves was in the West Bank city of Ramallah, as the vote was announced.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC, CROWD CHATTER)

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: A small crowd of Palestinians gathered in the city center to watch the vote. It was beamed live from New York onto a big screen.

Palestinians' Abbas Goes To U.N. Seeking New Status

Philip Reeves — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:33:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Good morning.

The United States is strongly against it. So even more strongly is Israel, but this will not deter the Palestinians from going to the United Nations today to secure a vote formally upgrading Palestine's U.N. status.