Philip Reeves

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 12:11:00 +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 22:24:00 +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 20:43:00 +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

In Britain, every year on Christmas Day, the Queen delivers a speech to her subjects. Recently in Cornwall, which is part of England, a new royal tradition has taken root based on an episode of The Simpsons.

With Leader's Visit, Hamas Celebrates Its Birth

Philip Reeves — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 11:47:00 +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.

Pakistan Fears Afghan Spillover Of Chaos, Refugees

Philip Reeves — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Burhan Khan can't remember exactly when he fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan. He thinks it was about 30 years ago.

"Because there was war.

Reporter's Notebook: Celebrating In Pakistan

Philip Reeves — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:18:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Muslims around the world are celebrating the holy festival of Eid this weekend. That includes almost all of the people of Pakistan. NPR's Philip Reeves is in that country, and sent us this postcard.

(SOUNDBITE OF TRAFFIC NOISES)

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: We're just outside Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. In the distance, the foothills of the Himalayas rise into a bright-blue, cloudless sky. An old, flatbed truck rattles up. Two men get out, and unload a couple of cows.

Malala Isn't Alone: Another Pakistani Girl's Dream

Philip Reeves — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:58:00 +0000

Stop someone in the street. Ask them about the case of Malala Yousafzai. They will likely know — after the worldwide publicity given to her story — that Malala is the Pakistani teenager who was shot for demanding the right of girls to go to school.

They will surely know, too, that the people who shot Malala in the head from close range were the Pakistani Taliban. They will probably view Malala as the heroine she clearly is. And the Taliban will be seen as the violent fanatics that they surely are.

That will likely be all that person in the street knows.

A Shooting Foreshadowed By Taliban Threats

Philip Reeves — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:58:00 +0000

A 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl remains in critical condition after being shot in the head for defying the Taliban and championing the right of girls to go to school. Malala Yousafzai rose to prominence during the recent war in Pakistan's Swat Valley by writing a blog under a pen name. NPR's Philip Reeves reported on that war — and twice met Malala's father. Reeves sent this account of the tough world in which Malala spent her childhood.

Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is sitting behind his desk in his small, rather tatty office.

Pakistani Girl Activist Wounded In Taliban Attack

Philip Reeves — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:50:00 +0000

In Pakistan, a 15-year-old girl is in the hospital with a bullet wound in her head. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting. Malala Yousefzai has spent several years criticizing violent Islamist militants who do not want girls to have an education.

Piecing Together 'The World's Largest Jigsaw Puzzle'

Philip Reeves — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:07:00 +0000

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, frantically tore up millions of files gathered during decades of spying on its own citizens.

More than two decades later, the vast array of secret papers collected by the Stasi is still in huge demand. So far this year, 70,000 people have applied for access to the Stasi archives.

A Stiletto, A Lamppost And The Soul Of Berlin

Philip Reeves — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:35:00 +0000

Something horrible has happened in Berlin.

You won't see it on TV or in the newspaper, but I know about it. So do my neighbors.

That's because there's a lamppost on our street, festooned with a note that reads, "A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT HAS HAPPENED." And naturally, once you see a note like that, you have to find out more.

As it turns out, the note was written by 29-year-old Maira Becke. But before I reveal her calamity, I must first explain the significance of lamp posts here in Berlin.

In this pulsating city, lampposts matter. They're virtual totem poles of information.

Winners And Losers From London's Summer Olympics, 'The Crying Games'

Philip Reeves — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:33:00 +0000

The London 2012 Olympics were billed as the Social Games, with Twitter, Facebook and other services making it an immersive experience. But it might be remembered as "The Crying Games," for the swelling of emotions many Britons experienced. We run down some of the Olympics' winners and losers:

The Losers

The Stiff Upper Lip

It helped the British tough out their more painful moments during centuries of empire and world wars, but the Stiff Upper Lip is now officially obsolete.

Olympics Sets Off British Tears

Philip Reeves — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Transcript

SUSAN STAMBERG, HOST:

You find out so much about a country, you know, when it's hosting the Olympics. It's almost as if the games lay bare a nation's soul. NPR's Philip Reeves says that is what's happening in Britain. He's finding the experience unnerving, as he explains, in this letter from the Olympics.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: Shortly before these Games began, I saw an unusual interview on TV. It was with a middle-aged Englishman, wrapped in a British Union flag. He was very excited.

Olympics Energize Britain's Patriots, Even (Perhaps) In Scotland

Philip Reeves — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:54:00 +0000

Any claim the British have to their fabled "stiff upper lip" is being destroyed by these Olympic Games. The Brits' lips are wobbling like jellies; their tears are flowing faster than the summer rain; their crowds are cheering themselves hoarse.

This uncharacteristic outburst of raw emotion is bound up with an extraordinary surge of patriotism.

Boris Gets Left Hanging, But The Joke's Rarely On London's Savvy Mayor

Philip Reeves — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:13:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxDwxNcURTU

Video Clip Of London 2012 Opening Ceremonies Is Released

Philip Reeves — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:29:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Jq6w1Vlls

'News Of The World' Editors Charged In Hacking

Philip Reeves — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We've been following some big developments today in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal in Britain. Prosecutors are charging eight people - including a former top aide to Prime Minister David Cameron - and a woman who was Rupert Murdoch's top lieutenant. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: Prosecutors have spent many long days plowing through a mountain of information garnered by one of the biggest investigations mounted by Scotland Yard.

Athletes, Visitors Flood London's Heathrow Airport

Philip Reeves — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:03:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.