On The World 🌍 today: Rebecca Rosman: French election, a Macron - Le Pen runoff Rebecca Kanthor: Shanghai #COVID19 lockdown Madiha Afzal of Brookings Foreign Policy: Pakistan has a new prime minister Levi Bridges: Stalin's legacy in Georgia Tune in 📻

This is a former bathhouse in the town of Tskaltubo, Georgia, where workers once traveled from throughout the Soviet Union to bathe in the town's healing mineral waters. Credit: Levi Bridges for The World

Tonight at 10PM on KQED: Ray Suarez & Levi Bridges take on #cryptocurrency w/Maveric.Group co-founder Denis Rusinovich, author Joanna Lillis, Chainalysis CSO Jonathan Levin, Bartolini founder & Blockchain Association of Ukraine president @ChobanianMike & software engineer Molly White.

I don’t get to do many U.S. stories, but I squeezed in this report about how the China trade war is still affecting Maine’s lobster industry for The World on my recent trip back theworld.org/stories/2022-1…

"In a number of regions, vaccinations have now been suspended mostly because of shelling and rocket assaults.” For The World, I reported on how war is affecting Ukraine's health system theworld.org/stories/2022-1…

Earlier this year, I helped two talented Zambian journalists (who sadly aren’t on Twitter) produce an episode about tribalism in Africa for the fabulous 🎙️On Spec Podcast🗞️ podcast. The episode shows how commonality and love are possible in a polarized society podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-…

The war in Ukraine has made it next to impossible for U.S. and European scientists to continue their research on Russia’s thawing permafrost, a significant contributor to global warming. My latest for The World theworld.org/stories/2022-1…

When Russia started drafting men to fight in Ukraine last fall, thousands fled to neighboring countries in Central Asia. The draft has been paused and some are returning home. But less so for members of the LGBTQ community. By Levi Bridges theworld.org/stories/2023-0…

A great job going for someone

The #UkraineWar has led to a mass migration that’s received far less attention: Russians fleeing the war. Taking refuge in many post-Soviet nations, some face a cultural reckoning in their new homes. On this episode, Levi Bridges brings us their stories: bit.ly/3ECsQRg

Many fear the proposed "foreign agent" bill would push Georgia further from its Western allies, and impede the country's aspirations for membership in the EU. Thousands took to the streets of Tbilisi in protest. LISTEN to the story by Levi Bridges 🔗 bit.ly/3ZyNgDc

For decades, Armenians have immigrated to LA. Now some of their kids are reverse migrating in the other direction. For KCRW’s show Greater LA, I traveled to Yerevan to meet them kcrw.com/news/shows/gre…

The Biden administration’s plan to forcibly stop migration through the Darién Gap will almost certainly push more migrants to travel north by sea the same way the Southern Border Plan did in Mexico theguardian.com/global-develop…

A novel about a summer romance between two men became a bestseller in Russia. But the backlash that followed was so intense the authors fled the country. I talked to them for The World theworld.org/stories/2023-0…

As authoritarianism rises, elected politicians from countries like Venezuela and Belarus have fled abroad. But in Georgia, politicians from parts of the country occupied by Russia setup a government in exile — inside the country. My latest for The World theworld.org/stories/2023-0…

If there was a way to cut tape and blast cumbia at the same time the world would just be perfect

Here’s a screenshot of the Air Quality Index in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where I live, from last winter when the air was regularly more than twice as bad as it is rn on the East Coast. It can get so much worse

For the last six months, the one road into Nagorno-Karabakh has been under blockade by Azerbaijan. I talked to Armenian students and teachers for pritheworld about how the blockade is affecting their education 📚🎧 theworld.org/media/2023-06-…

Last week was definitely a new personal radio record: I had three pieces on The World filed from three different countries (Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan) and a podcast I made for World Affairs dropped. This week I’m gonna take it down a notch and go hiking

The war in Ukraine has caused problems for Georgia’s beloved mineral water Borjomi. For The World, I traveled to the town of Borjomi to get a taste of what happened. Spoiler: the water is a great hangover cure theworld.org/stories/2023-0…