Eric Niiler
Wife of American Held in Cuba Hoping for Papal Help
The wife of an American man convicted of espionage in Cuba is hoping that the Pope’s visit there can help bring her husband, Alan Gross home.
Solar Power Decathlon in DC
International students compete to try to build the most cost-efficient solar-powered homes.
‘Tar Sands’ Protesters Target Obama
Environmentalists say if the Obama administration approves the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, it could be game over for the global climate.
Foreign Teachers Used to Fill Shortages in the US Now Face Victimization
Despite their importance, some foreign teachers have been victimized by the recruiters and by school districts.
Drilling down in an Antarctic glacier
Eric Niiler reports on the search for ancient air trapped in the ice of an Antarctic glacier. It could provide a window into the climate of the past and clues to the warmer climate of the future.
Doomed South Pole expedition remembered
Reporter Eric Niiler examines the doomed South Pole expedition of British explorer Robert Scott, which took place nearly one hundred years ago.
Warming climate alters Antarctic ecosystems
Eric Niiler reports from McMurdo Sound in Antarctica on how rapid changes in the climate are affecting some of the continent’s species and changing its ecosystems.
US Army studies malaria vaccine
Malaria is a disease of the developing world, but some Americans are being infected with malaria intentionally to help medical research. Reporter Eric Niiler profiles volunteers in a US Army study of an experimental malaria vaccine.
Khodorkovsky and the rule of law in Russia
Russian president Dmitri Medvedev asserted himself this week by firing Moscow’s powerful mayor. Now he faces another test — what to do about Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He’s the one-time billionaire oligarch who ran afoul of Vladimir Putin and is now in prison. Reporter Eric Niiler speaks with Khodorkovsky’s lawyers.
Mexico celebrates bicentennial
Mexico is celebrating the bicentennial of its independence with parties across the country. However, security is high in many regions, with some towns and cities canceling or cutting back festivities amid fears of drug cartel violence. The celebrations mark the 1810 uprising that paved the way for the end of Spanish rule in 1821. Eric Niiler reports from Mexico. (Photo: Eric Niiler)
Mexico’s Punk Rockers Hamac Caziim
Across the globe, many groups are trying to preserve their culture in the face of globalism. Usually that might involve keeping old musical traditions alive. But for one indigenous group in Mexico, it involves rock music. (Photo: Eric Niiler)
BP suspected of profiting from release of Lockerbie bomber
Already facing criticism over the Gulf oil spill, BP now faces more problems of international scope. A group of US senators charge that BP pressured the British government to release a Libyan man convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing case. They say the release was part of a deal to allow BP drilling rights in Libya and want a new investigation of what happened. Meanwhile, victims’ families are angry that the accused bomber man has now recovered from the illness that set him free, and plans to write a book. Eric Niiler reports from Washington.
Climate meeting in Washington
Eric Niiler reports from Washington on tomorrow’s White House meeting on climate and energy legislation. President Obama has invited key Democrat and Republican senators in hopes of breaking a logjam on Capitol Hill. The meeting follows the president’s renewed call last week for new clean-energy legislation in response to the Gulf oil disaster.
New treaty for whaling industry
The International Whaling Commission meets in Morocco this month to rewrite the international treaty on whaling. As Eric Niiler reports, getting all the parties to agree won’t be easy.
Editor’s note: The description of a high-seas incident in this report was incorrect. Our reporter stated that “Earlier this year, radical environmentalists rammed a Japanese whaling ship.” Video of the incident appears to show that it was the Japanese ship that struck the anti-whaling activists. However each side blames the other for the incident, and videos do not decisively support either claim.
Additional funding for PRI's The World is provided by:
