Podcasts about Grand duchy

As MUDEC's first Luxembourgish Executive Director retires after 24 years, Raymond Manes shares the love story behind Miami University in Luxembourg. For almost six decades, a slice of American university life has been quietly thriving in the Grand Duchy. The Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center, known to most simply as MUDEC, has welcomed students from Ohio to Luxembourg since 1968. This month, its first Luxembourgish Executive Director, Raymond Manes, closes a 24 year chapter as he steps into retirement. He arrived at Miami in 2002, took the helm in 2020, and steered the centre through the pandemic when American students were able to continue their semester abroad while most universities on both sides of the Atlantic had gone fully online. "For me, it's a love story of 24 years. It has been really a wonderful time at Miami. But Miami is not in Florida." That last point is the one Raymond loves to correct. Miami University sits in Oxford, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton, and its name traces back to the Myaamia tribe, whose people were later moved to Oklahoma. The connection runs deep today: tribe members study at Miami with free tuition, and of around 150 who have graduated, 45 have come through Luxembourg. The university's Myaamia Center leads the revitalisation of the tribe's language through dictionaries, educational platforms and storytelling. Luxembourg students are also allowed to study at Miami University in Ohio, with scholarship and tuition waivers. The D in MUDEC belongs to one extraordinary man. John E. Dolibois, a Luxembourger born in 1918, who emigrated to the United States aged thirteen without speaking English, became an American citizen in 1941, and graduated from Miami University. As a US soldier he returned to Europe near the end of the war and became one of the interviewers of Nazi war criminals, first at Mondorf and later at the Nuremberg Trials. The moment that changed everything came on holiday in Venice, when a waiter relayed a phone call from "the President." "He thought it was the president of the university, his boss. He picked up the phone: 'Yes, this is John Dolibois.' 'Yes, sir, this is Ronald Reagan.'" Reagan appointed Dolibois US Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1982, the seed that grew into the centre bearing his name in 1988. Raymond knew him and his wife Winnie right up until his death in 2014, visiting John at his retirement home near Cincinnati, where a glass of Luxembourgish wine would loosen the stories, including the time he interviewed Hermann Göring in his cell. That bond between America and Luxembourg sits at the heart of the programme's founding philosophy, captured in three words: Study, Engage, Travel. The host family tradition was born of gratitude, with Luxembourg families opening their homes to young Americans as a way of saying thank you after the war, and out-of-class learning, from the military cemeteries to the museums of Diekirch and Ettelbruck, remains central. If there is a tension running through American higher education, it is that high tuition turns students, and their families, into clients. Raymond is candid about the pressure that creates, where nearly everyone expects an A, and about the parents who can make an educator's autonomy a daily negotiation. "We call them the helicopter parents, always watching, hovering; and the mowing parents, who try to clear every obstacle from their child's path." Across 24 years, the student has changed too. The year-long students who once crossed by boat, taking classes onboard during the week-long voyage, have vanished, replaced by shorter, faster, more individualised semesters. Cell phones keep students tethered to home, the humanities are quietly retreating, and AI is reshaping the classroom faster than anyone can plan for, a worry Raymond shares with University of Luxembourg Rector Jens Kreisel: nobody knows how to design a classroom for the next five years. What endures is the 13,000-strong alumni network that funds, mentors and champions the centre, and a successor, Stephanie, ready to carry it forward. Retirement, Lisa suggested, need not mean stopping, and Raymond half-promised a draft course on school administration by this time next year. After 24 years of planting a quiet flag for MUDEC, few would bet against him. Watch and listen: The Lisa Burke Show is available on RTL Today, RTL Play, RTL Today Radio (now on FM), Apple Podcasts and Spotify. MUDEC and Miami University Miami in Luxembourg overview: https://miamioh.edu/global-initiatives/miami-in-luxembourg/ Myaamia Center: https://miamioh.edu/centersinstitutes/myaamia-center Follow MUDEC Instagram / Facebook: @mudec_luxembourg TikTok: @miamioh.luxembourg LinkedIn: Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) in Luxembourg

A film about bureaucracy, jazz, and the story of how three cities:Strasbourg, Luxembourg & Brussels, became the unlikely home of a continent's big idea. It's the founding question nobody thought to ask. Six nations sat down after World War II, determined never to fight again, and forgot to decide where they'd actually meet. In the middle of the night on July 23rd, 1952, exhausted negotiators gave up trying to agree and said: let's just start in Luxembourg and see what happens. That glorious act of improvisation is the beating heart of Europe: Three Cities, One Roof, a new documentary by Luxembourgish director Donato Rotunno that lands just in time for Europe Day. And on this special Friday show, Lisa brings together three brilliant guests to dig into what Europe actually means right now, and what it should mean for the next generation. "We structured 70 years of European integration with a tone closer to a thriller and a crime drama than an institutional film." Donato Rotunno, director The film is extraordinary because it explains European institutions through the story of people who actually built them. Jean-Claude Juncker, Colette Flesch, Louis Michel, Catherine Trautmann: these are political titans, speaking freely now that the cameras of official duty have gone, mostly. What comes out is funny, candid, and unexpectedly moving. And the music? Pascal Schumacher locked himself and his musicians in a studio for three days before a single frame was shot. The jazz score came first: a deliberate choice, because jazz, like Europe, is built on improvisation, risk, and the hope that something beautiful emerges from the chaos. "For once, the music came before the images. Perhaps that is what creates this synergy - a process of trial and error, sometimes haphazard, spanning seventy years." Donato Rotunno On the show, Anne Calteux, Head of the Representation of the European Commission to Luxembourg, unpacks what the EU is actually doing right now, and why this year's Europe Day heads to Wiltz, in the rural north, as part of the campaign Hei & an Europa doheem! (Home here and in Europe). It's a bold, co-created initiative: five graffiti murals spread across the Grand Duchy, from Esch to Dudelange to Bissen, built on a simple truth: Europe isn't just a Brussels thing. It's everywhere, including in the places that rarely make the headlines. And Ellen Spencer brings a brilliant opportunity from the Rotary Club Luxembourg Hearts ( https://lu.linkedin.com/company/rcl-hearts). She coordinates Europe 4 Europe ( https://europe4europe.com): a remarkable EU Rotary youth initiative that brings 27 young people - one from every EU member state - on a shared journey through the founding EU countries. The programme fosters connection, intercultural awareness, and civic participation in ways that no policy document ever could. Rotary Club Luxembourg Hearts has been a quiet but powerful force behind this kind of grassroots European engagement for years, and Ellen's work is a perfect example of why. The friendships formed along the way, she says, are the most powerful outcome of all. "European identity isn't abstract, it's something young people experience very quickly when they meet, live, and travel together." Ellen Spencer, Europe 4 Europe coordinator, Rotary Club Luxembourg Hearts Meet the guests Donato Rotunno - Director & Producer, Tarantula Born in Luxembourg in 1966, Rotunno founded Tarantula Luxembourg ( https://www.tarantula.lu) in 1995 and has produced over 50 feature films. A politically engaged filmmaker, his work on immigration, identity and European politics has twice represented Luxembourg at the Oscars. Anne Calteux - Head of the Representation of the European Commission to Luxembourg One of Luxembourg's most authoritative voices on EU affairs, Anne leads the European Commission's Representation here in the Grand Duchy. This Europe Day she's taking the celebrations somewhere unexpected - to the countryside - to prove that Europe lives in every corner of the country, not just the capital. Ellen Spencer - Rotary Club Luxembourg Hearts · Europe 4 Europe A global citizen living in Luxembourg for nearly 20 years, Ellen coordinates Europe 4 Europe ( https://europe4europe.com) through the Rotary Club Luxembourg Hearts network — sending 27 young Europeans, one per member state, on a journey through the founding EU countries. Her mission: reach the young people who don't yet see themselves as part of the European conversation. This is Europe Day as it should be celebrated - a living question. What are we building? Who gets to be part of it? And why does it still matter? Tune in, follow along, and bring a friend who questions Europe. Listen & follow — The Lisa Burke Show RTL Play: https://www.rtlplay.lu RTL Today Website: https://today.rtl.lu Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/the-lisa-burke-show/id1598518705 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/the-lisa-burke-show RTL Today Radio: https://today.rtl.lu/radio

Radio International - The Ultimate Eurovision Experience is broadcast from Malta's Radio 105FM on Tuesday evenings from 2100 - 0059 hours CET. The show is broadcast live on Wednesday evenings from 1900 - 2300 hours CET on the Eurovision Radio International Mixcloud Channel as well as on the Facebook Page of Eurovision Radio International with an interactive chatroom.       AT A GLANCE - ON THE SHOW THIS WEEK  Interview with Bzikebi (Georgia 2026) done at Eurovision in Concert 2026, Amsterdam Interview with Eva Marija (Luxembourg 2026) done at Eurovision in Concert 2026, Amsterdam  Interview with Jonas Lovv (Norway 2026) done at LondonHagen 2026 in London   Interview with ESSYLA (Belgium 2026) done at the London Preview Event 2026, London Interview with Lelek (Croatia 2026) done at the London Preview Event 2026, London Interview with Vanilla Ninja (Estonia 2026) done at the London Preview Event 2026, London  Interview with Veronica Fusaro (Switzerland 2026) done at the London Preview Event 2026, London   Eurovision Spotlight: Eurovision 2026 in Geographical Regions:  North East Europe with Eurovision Lord Marcus Keppel Palmer (final in the current series) Eurovision News with Johannes Vitt courtesy of www.escXtra.com Eurovision Birthday File with David Mann Eurovision Cover Spot with David Mann Eurovision Calendar with Javier Leal  New Music Releases by Eurovision Artists  Your music requests    Meet the Stars of Eurovision 2026 (Part 4):  Besides of Eurovision in Concert 2026 which took place at the AFAS Live Concert Venue in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on Sat 11 Apr 2026 there was also the LondonHagen and London Preview Event 2026 on 17 - 19 Apr 2026 where the Stars of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 performed their songs to the Eurovision fans. Members of the Radio International Team were on location and conducted interview with some of the acts. Meet more Stars of Eurovision 2026 this week.   Bzikebi (Georgia 2026) with JP at Eurovision in Concert 2026 in Amsterdam   Interview with Bzikebi (Georgia 2026):  It was in 2008 when the seeds wee planted as group Bzikebi were created out of Georgi and two ladies both called Miriam as little wasps not only representing Georgia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 but also winning the contest with the song "Bzzzz". Now 18 years on the three members have grown and once again will represent Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song "On Replay".  Radio International's JP had the big pleasure meeting the three once again at the recent edition of the Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam. Listen to the interview on the show this week.  (Broadcast postponed till next week's show)     Eva Marija (Luxembourg 2026) at Eurovision in Concert 2026 in Amsterdam     Interview with Eva Marija (Luxembourg 2026):  Representing Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is Eva Marija who won the Luxembourg Eurovision Song Contest earlier on in January and will be representing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria on Thu 14 May 2026 at Number 4 with the song "Mother Nature".  Radio International's Salman met Eva Marija at the recent edition of Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam for an interview which you can hear on the show this week.      Jonas Lovv (Norway 2026) at LondonHagen 2026 in London, United Kingdom   Interview with Jonas Lovv (Norway 2026):  Representing Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is Jonas Lovv who performs the song "Ya Ya Ya" in Semi Final 2 at starting position Number 15. Jonas won this year's edition of Norsk Melodi Grand Prix and with that is Norway's Hopeful at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. He will perform on Thursday 14 May 2026 in der Wiener Stadthalle. Radio International's JP and Salman met the singer at the recent edition of LondonHagen 2026 on 17 Apr 2026 and conducted an in-depth interview with Jonas which will be broadcast on Radio International this week.    ESSYLA (Belgium 2026) at the London Preview Event 2026, London, United Kingdom   Interview with ESSYLA (Belgium 2026): The Musical Ambassador from Belgium in 2026 is ESSYLA who will be presenting the kingdom of Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria. ESSYLA will be opening up the Second Semi Final with the song  "Dancing on the ice". Radio International's JP and Salman met the young singer at the London Preview Event on Sunday 19 Apr 2026. Get to know ESSYLA in the interview which you can hear on Radio International this week.      Lelek (Croatia 2026) at the London Preview Event 2026, London, United Kingdom Interview with Lelek (Croatia 2026):  The Croation entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is the group Lelek which will be representing Croatia in Vienna, Austria with the song "Andromeda" which will be performed in Semi Final 1 at Song Number 3. Salman and JP met the group at the recent edition of the London Preview Party 2026 for an interview. Get to know Lelek during the show this week when Radio International will be broadcasting the interview.    Vanilla Ninja (Estonia 2026) at the London Preview Event 2026, London, United Kingdom Interview with Vanilla Ninja (Estonia 2026): Already in 2025 Vanilla Ninja went to the Eurovision Song Contest but as a group from Estonia actually represented Switzerland with the song "Cool Vibes" coming 8th in Kiev's Sports Palace. In 2026, with a slightly different composition of the group, Vanilla Ninja won the national Final in ESTONIA called Eesti Laul and will once again go to the Eurovision Song Contest but representing Estonia with the song "Too epic to be true" in Semi Final 1 Song Number 9. At the recent edition of the London Preview Party Salman and JP met Vanilla Ninja and conducted an interview that you can hear on the show this week.  Veronica Fusaro (Switzerland 2026) at the London Preview Event 2026, London, United Kingdom Interview with Monica Fusaro (Switzerland 2026):  The Eurovision Host National 2025 - Switzerland will be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 by Veronica Fusaro with the song "Alice" in Semi Final 2 Song Number 7. Radio International's JP and Salman met the singer at the London Preview Party and conducted a short interview with the singer to get to know her and her career. Enjoy this interview on the show this week.    The Eurovision Spotlight - The Eurovision 2026 Land in Geographical Regions:   Austria will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in the Wiener Stadthalle on 12 and 14 May 2026 for the two Semi Finals and the Grand Finale to take place on Saturday, 16 May 2026. And as a tradition the Radio International Eurovision Experts have split the Eurovision 2026 participating countries in geographical regions and over the next weeks you will hear all the 35 Eurovision 2026 entries on the show presented by the Radio International Team.  Closing out the current series of the Eurovision Spotlight this week Eurovision Lordship Marcus Keppel Palmer will be joining JP during the show to introduce the North Eastern region of the Eurovision Land 2026.   Eurovision News, New Song Releases, Birthday File, Coverspot, Eurovision Calendar: Also JP will be joined by David Mann for the Eurovision Birthday File and Eurovision Coverspot.  Javier stands in for Nick and will be presenting the Eurovision News courtesy of escXtra.com. There will be a lot of the great new releases of Eurovision artists on the show as well as great Eurovision Classics. Javier will be updating us on the upcoming Eurovision events in the Eurovision Calendar and lots more.   For full details of this week's Show Content and Play List - click here

Ambassadors unite to defend Ukraine & keep Europe's attention from drifting. How an Advocacy Coalition is turning solidarity into sustained action. In the studio this week: six female ambassadors plus a Ukrainian representative. Between them, decades of global diplomatic experience. We discuss how to keep a continent's consciousness alive when the news cycle is relentless and fatigue sets in. My guests: Ambassador Barbara Karpetová - Czech Republic Ambassador Carin Lobbezoo - Netherlands Ambassador Jean McDonald - Ireland Ambassador Nieves Blanco - Spain Ambassador Heike Peitsch - Germany Ambassador Joanne Oliver - UK Inna Yaremenko - Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg/Vice President at LUkraine These ladies have frontline diplomatic experience spanning Russia, Kosovo, the Balkans, the Middle East, and beyond. Several have lived in Russia, speak Russian and studied Russian history. Heike met Vladimir Putin; Barbara was in Washington D.C. on the day Crimea was invaded; Carin was studying Soviet history when the wall came down. "When a diplomat stops talking, you end up in a war. The talking needs to restart — and the circumstances for that have to be right." AMBASSADOR CARIN LOBBEZOO — NETHERLANDS The creation of the ‘Advocacy Coalition' was borne out of a desire to keep the support for Ukraine from eroding quietly in the background while other crises clamour for attention. Ambassador Joanne Oliver of the UK underlined the strength of a coalition in that one embassy putting is not putting its head above the parapet, but shows a unified front which is harder to ignore and harder to exhaust. "Ukraine is on the front line of Europe. We have to do it together.” The Advocacy Coalition - Defending Our Future Now launched in early 2026 by LUkraine asbl together with ten partner embassies and the support of the European Commission. It is a year-long programme of monthly public events, a digital advocacy platform of personal testimonies, and a photo exhibition: "How to Destroy a Country" co-hosted by the Czech Embassy. The founding embassies are Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom. Spain has since joined and the coalition is open both in Luxembourg and the idea is open to be replicated across more countries. "Each of us can do something. In Ukraine we say: if you do nothing, evil will prevail. This project is solidarity in action not just in slogans" INNA YAREMENKO — VICE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, LUXEMBOURG The path to peace is long and hard. Ambassador Peitsch, who served as Consul General in St. Petersburg and headed the German Embassy's Economic and Scientific Affairs Department in Moscow, described the slow architecture of mediation: how a trusted broker must talk to each side separately first, map the areas of potential compromise, set aside the intractable issues, and build a minimum of trust before parties can even share a room. Ambassador Lobbezoo, who studied Russian history at Leiden and Russian & Soviet Studies in London when the Berlin Wall still stood (then fell during her second masters), offered the historian's caveat: history doesn't repeat itself exactly, but long lines of behaviour do, and and many of those lines in Russia's current conduct trace back to patterns she began reading about in the 1980s. Ambassador Jean McDonald from Ireland spoke movingly about cultural diplomacy as public diplomacy: the harp on the Irish euro coin, the way a poem by Moya Cannon can open a space for dialogue that policy briefings cannot. Ambassador Karpetová, who grew up in Czechoslovakia during Soviet occupation and watched her country's invasion repeat its patterns in Ukraine, described how she asked herself what Pierre Werner, the Luxembourgish statesman whose family villa houses the Czech Embassy, would have done. The answer was action: look around, count the resources, multiply strength through communication. "Female diplomats tend to focus on getting things done. After 38 years in the German foreign service, that is my consistent experience." AMBASSADOR HEIKE PEITSCH — GERMANY The question of women in diplomacy ran through the conversation. All six ambassadors agreed, carefully, and without reducing it to a binary, that women's presence at peace tables is structural: as Jean McDonald noted, women are 50% of the population, and any peace settlement that excludes them is unlikely to be sustainable. Ambassador Lobbezoo watched women with excellent ideas locked out of the Kosovo-Serbia negotiations despite being ready and willing. Inna Yaremenko noted that there are currently no women at all in the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiation process, a gap flagged publicly by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, keynote speaker at the Coalition's opening event. The show ended with a clear call to listeners: exercise your consciousness like a muscle. Be curious. Seek to understand. And do not flinch. "Women need to be at the table, need to be part of the discussions, and need to be part of the solutions. That is a really fundamental point." AMBASSADOR JEAN MCDONALD — IRELAND Advocacy Coalition — Defending Our Future Now A year-long initiative by LUkraine asbl and partner embassies in Luxembourg, supported by the European Commission, featuring monthly public events, a live digital advocacy platform, and the "How to Destroy a Country" photo exhibition. The coalition is open to new members. To join, contribute a testimony, or attend upcoming events, contact inna.yaremenko@ukrainians.lu https://advocacy.lukraine.org/

Full Text of Readings Saturday in the Octave of Easter Lectionary: 266 The Saint of the day is Saint Stanislaus Saint Stanislaus' Story Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government. Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072. During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Saint Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands. Forced to flee to Hungary, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak. Reflection Saints John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Thomas More, and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus himself, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of his day. It is a risky business.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk and Deputy Minister Alona Shkrum join Lisa Burke to discuss the Advocacy Coalition and the cost of silence for Europe My Guests: - Her Excellency Ambassador Barbara Karpetová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - Inna Yaramenko, the Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Vice President at LUkraine - Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. - Alona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine. - Kristina Mikulova, Head of Regional Hub for Eastern Europe for the European Investment Bank In this powerful episode, the conversation shifts from the abstract concept of 'aid' to the urgent reality of strategic investment in European security. As Ukraine enters its fourth year of full-scale invasion, a new initiative has been developed by Ambassador Karpetová with the help of Inna Yaramenko. 'The Advocacy Coalition - Defending Our Future Now' has launched in Luxembourg to remind the continent that defending Ukraine is synonymous with defending the future of democracy itself. This year-long set of events will pass the baton between the founding embassies: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom, to stand united in the conviction that defending Ukraine means defending Europe's future. Beyond Charity: A Strategic Investment Supporting Ukraine in 2026 is now viewed as a strategic investment in the infrastructure of European security. Alona Shkrum, Ukraine's First Deputy Minister for Reconstruction, explained that waiting for hostilities to cease before rebuilding is not an option. "If we do not reconstruct water, utilities, energy supply, schools, and hospitals, then people will leave," she noted, emphasising that keeping the economy functioning allows Ukraine to fund its own defence and protect the eastern borders of the European Union. The scale of destruction is staggering: the road damage alone is equivalent to the distance from Luxembourg to Iran, and the amount of housing destroyed, over 3 million units, exceeds the total housing stock of Denmark. Humanising the Numbers Whilst the statistics are overwhelming, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk focuses on "humanising the numbers". She shared the harrowing story of 10-year-old Ilya from Mariupol, whose mother died in his arms in a frozen apartment after they were caught in Russian shelling. Matviichuk also recounted the experience of Professor Irak Kyvslovski, a philosopher who spent 700 days in captivity and gave lectures on philosophy to rats in his solitary cell just to hear a human voice. "Dignity is action," Matviichuk told the audience, asserting that the "accountability gap" in international law must be closed by establishing a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression. A Year of Intensive Advocacy The Advocacy Coalition, a partnership between LUkraine, the European Commission, and nine resident embassies in Luxembourg (but they're open for more partners), will host monthly events throughout 2026. These events will tackle critical themes such as countering disinformation, reconstruction, and the role of the Ukrainian diaspora. The first event will take place at the European Parliament in Luxembourg on March 23, featuring a keynote address by Matviichuk, focussing on the abducted children. Unity as the Strongest Weapon The message from my guests underlines that unity is the strongest weapon against authoritarianism. As Ambassador Barbara Karpetová noted, even a small nation like Luxembourg can provide "shared inspiration" by standing together, mirroring the visionary leadership of historical figures like Pierre Werner, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, whose home she now resides in. The Power of Ordinary People Matviichuk emphasises that "ordinary people can do extraordinary things". Inna cites the 700 Luxembourgish families who offered to host refugees within just three days after the invasion began. Digital Engagement: The Coalition is launching an Advocacy Platform, a digital ecosystem featuring authentic testimonies from diplomats, volunteers, and citizens to humanise the impact of solidarity.

From Graiguecullen to Luxembourg - a visit ahead of Ireland's EU Presidency, as Carlow is paired with the Grand Duchy. I never thought I'd be able to get Killeshin into an article - my home village in Ireland, where my father grew up, and where he is now buried. 
However, it turns out that Minister Jennifer Murnane O'Connor knew my dad, goes to Killeshin at least once a month and is also a first cousin of Ollie Hennessy - a brilliant musician (who also worked with my dad) whom I've had the pleasure of singing with. And I thought Luxembourg was small! Jennifer Murnane O'Connor is a Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow - Kilkenny and Minister of State at Ireland's Department of Health. Ireland will hold the EU Presidency from July to December 2026, during which time the 26 counties of Ireland will be paired with the other 26 countries of the European Union. Luxembourg will be paired with Carlow. This is not an accident. There is a deep historical connection between Luxembourg and Carlow. Carlow, Echternach and a centuries‑old bridge County Carlow and Echternach are rooted in centuries of history through St Willibrord. These historical, symbolic connections make it somehow easier to open up cultural conversations, generate tourism, deepen civic relationships and even spark new business and educational partnerships. Murnane O'Connor visited Echternach, the basilica and learned more about Saint Willibrord, whose pilgrimage binds Echternach to Carlow and nearby Leighlinbridge where a relic is held in the cathedral. County Pairing: Carlow meets Luxembourg Ireland's 2026 EU Presidency will include a new “County Pairing” initiative that links each of the 26 Irish counties with one of the 26 other EU member states. Under the programme, ambassadors and ministers will visit their counties for public events about Europe, with a strong emphasis on bringing Brussels beyond capitals and big cities. For TD Murnane O'Connor, success in December 2026 would mean visible, practical links: school and university exchanges, twin‑town projects between local councils, joint cultural festivals and sport. “Community groups, schools, sports clubs, businesses – they all need to be involved so that we build something that lasts.” A growing Irish community, and 'soft ambassadors' abroad Luxembourg is home to more than 2,500 Irish citizens, a number that surprised even the Minister. She met many of them at a reception hosted by Irish Ambassador Jean McDonald, whom she calls “an absolute lady, an excellent ambassador” along with GAA members, Darkness Into Light organisers and the Irish Young Professional Network. For Murnane O'Connor, Irish people abroad are 'soft ambassadors' whose pride in their identity quietly shapes how Ireland is seen in Europe. Her young Carlow intern, Amy, summed up the generational angle: when Irish students think of going abroad, they still imagine the USA, the UK or Australia, “but to think that there's so many people here working in EU institutions and in financial work in Luxembourg is fantastic.” And many of us never leave. “Most of the people I spoke to came for two or three years,” the Minister noted, “but if you go over three years, you never go home.” A like‑minded partnership in a turbulent world The timing of her visit underlined just how closely aligned Luxembourg and Ireland see themselves in Europe. On the same week, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Finance Minister Gilles Roth were in Dublin meeting the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, as both countries prepared for debates on competitiveness, the single market and financial services. Ireland and Luxembourg are frequently described as “like‑minded” on European competitiveness and financial services, and both host significant financial sectors. Yet they are also pushing back together against Franco‑German efforts to centralise EU financial supervision by expanding the powers of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) at the expense of national regulators. Luxembourg fears that turning ESMA into a centralised supervisor would “add complexity, bureaucracy and costs” without genuinely strengthening the single market, Finance Minister Gilles Roth argued in Brussels. Ireland's Finance Minister Simon Harris echoed that view, insisting that “centralising supervision is not necessary” even as he expressed determination to conclude negotiations by year‑end, with Ireland due to hold the rotating EU Presidency in the second half of the year. For Murnane O'Connor, this kind of alignment shows how small states can punch above their weight in EU debates when they work together. Ireland's EU Presidency: unity, security and everyday impact “Being in Europe is very important for us. It's about unity: working together to protect jobs, support agriculture, advance education and keep people secure.” Jennifer wants ordinary citizens to feel this Presidency on the ground: in town‑hall debates, farm meetings, cultural events and youth projects funded under the Communicating Europe Initiative. For Ireland, it is also an opportunity to showcase a country that has evolved from its agricultural roots into a global tech and finance hub without losing sight of the land and the farmers who work it. The average farmer in Europe is 54 years old, and younger people are increasingly reluctant to take over family farms. Climate change, volatile fuel and heating costs and the seven‑days‑a‑week nature of the job make it a tough sell. “Farmers are the lifeline of who we are. We need to support them, protect them, and make sure we mind the land.” Public health, wellbeing and a new drugs strategy Beyond Europe, the Minister's 'day job' is to work on public health, wellbeing and Ireland's national drugs strategy. In Luxembourg she visited ABRIGADO, a frontline facility that works with some of the most vulnerable people in society, and was struck by its almost 20 years of experience, multi‑disciplinary approach and the kindness of the staff. Back home, she has just launched a public consultation on Ireland's new national drugs strategy – the first major rethink in a decade, reflecting how drug use has spread beyond cities into rural communities and small towns. She is especially focused on awareness, prevention, family support and tackling stigma. The Minister is also moving fast on one of the most contentious youth‑health issues of the moment: vaping. She has brought legislation to the Dáil to ban disposable vapes and restrict the proliferation of sweet flavours and eye‑catching packaging that clearly target younger people, along with new rules on nicotine pouches and display bans similar to those already applied to cigarettes. “Vaping has become a huge challenge in Ireland. These are the changes you can make as a politician – and they matter to parents and to young people.” Her broader health and wellbeing brief includes everything from walking trails to men's sheds and emerging women's sheds, community spaces supported by small government grants where people, often retired or widowed, can meet, learn, volunteer and avoid isolation. There are more than 380 women's sheds in Ireland already, in addition to a larger network of men's sheds. “You don't want anyone feeling alone,” Murnane O'Connor said. “Being involved in your community is one of the best things you can do for your health.” A personal political journey Murnane O'Connor's political story is interwoven with that of her late father, who served for over 20 years on Carlow's town and county councils. When he fell ill, he asked her to stand so that “between us” they could continue serving; she became a councillor two and a half years before he died, and has been in politics ever since. “Politics is like a calling. You have to love it. It's seven days a week, and every election is a new battle, but the rewards are exceptional when you can change someone's life with something simple.” Happy St. Patrick's Day “I want to wish everyone a happy St Patrick's Day. I'm so proud - we're all so proud - to be Irish. It's a great day, and we're delighted to share it with Luxembourg.”

Nobel laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk and Deputy Minister Alona Shkrum join Lisa Burke to discuss the Advocacy Coalition and the cost of silence for Europe My Guests: - Her Excellency Ambassador Barbara Karpetová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - Inna Yaramenko, the Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Vice President at LUkraine - Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. - Alona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine. - Kristina Mikulova, Head of Regional Hub for Eastern Europe for the European Investment Bank In this powerful episode, the conversation shifts from the abstract concept of 'aid' to the urgent reality of strategic investment in European security. As Ukraine enters its fourth year of full-scale invasion, a new initiative has been developed by Ambassador Karpetová with the help of Inna Yaramenko. 'The Advocacy Coalition - Defending Our Future Now' has launched in Luxembourg to remind the continent that defending Ukraine is synonymous with defending the future of democracy itself. This year-long set of events will pass the baton between the founding embassies: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom, to stand united in the conviction that defending Ukraine means defending Europe's future. Beyond Charity: A Strategic Investment Supporting Ukraine in 2026 is now viewed as a strategic investment in the infrastructure of European security. Alona Shkrum, Ukraine's First Deputy Minister for Reconstruction, explained that waiting for hostilities to cease before rebuilding is not an option. "If we do not reconstruct water, utilities, energy supply, schools, and hospitals, then people will leave," she noted, emphasising that keeping the economy functioning allows Ukraine to fund its own defence and protect the eastern borders of the European Union. The scale of destruction is staggering: the road damage alone is equivalent to the distance from Luxembourg to Iran, and the amount of housing destroyed, over 3 million units, exceeds the total housing stock of Denmark. Humanising the Numbers Whilst the statistics are overwhelming, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk focuses on "humanising the numbers". She shared the harrowing story of 10-year-old Ilya from Mariupol, whose mother died in his arms in a frozen apartment after they were caught in Russian shelling. Matviichuk also recounted the experience of Professor Irak Kyvslovski, a philosopher who spent 700 days in captivity and gave lectures on philosophy to rats in his solitary cell just to hear a human voice. "Dignity is action," Matviichuk told the audience, asserting that the "accountability gap" in international law must be closed by establishing a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression. A Year of Intensive Advocacy The Advocacy Coalition, a partnership between LUkraine, the European Commission, and nine resident embassies in Luxembourg (but they're open for more partners), will host monthly events throughout 2026. These events will tackle critical themes such as countering disinformation, reconstruction, and the role of the Ukrainian diaspora. The first event will take place at the European Parliament in Luxembourg on March 23, featuring a keynote address by Matviichuk, focussing on the abducted children. Unity as the Strongest Weapon The message from my guests underlines that unity is the strongest weapon against authoritarianism. As Ambassador Barbara Karpetová noted, even a small nation like Luxembourg can provide "shared inspiration" by standing together, mirroring the visionary leadership of historical figures like Pierre Werner, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, whose home she now resides in. The Power of Ordinary People Matviichuk emphasises that "ordinary people can do extraordinary things". Inna cites the 700 Luxembourgish families who offered to host refugees within just three days after the invasion began. Digital Engagement: The Coalition is launching an Advocacy Platform, a digital ecosystem featuring authentic testimonies from diplomats, volunteers, and citizens to humanise the impact of solidarity.

US Govt Orders Citizens Out of Lebanon As Israel, Hezbollah New War Buildshttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/us-govt-orders-citizens-out-of-lebanon-as-israel-hezbollah-new-war-builds/#Saida #Israel #Lebanon #Syria #US United States, US Government under the leadership of President Donald Trump has ordered its citizens out of Lebanon with the non emergency citizens specially warned to avoid traveling to southern Lebanon, although the US Embassy in Beirut never mentioned Israel and Hezbollah possible new war in the Middle East as the reason for its action, but there are strong indications that the America government took the decision because of the possible military conflicts in the region, according to the US government, It do not want America citizens to travel to Lebanon due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, unexploded landmines, and the risk of armed conflict, stating that, some areas, especially near the borders, have increased risk, while information available on Monday indicated that Hezbollah is preparing to resume retaliatory strikes against Israel by rejecting US ceasefire deal as Israel Defense Forces, IDF continued airstrikes on Beirut, this, a joint press statement signed and made available on Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the French Republic, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Finland, the Republic of Iceland, the Republic of Indonesia, Ireland, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of Norway, the State of Palestine, the Portuguese Republic, the State of Qatar, the Republic of Slovenia, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Republic of Türkiye, and the Secretary Generals of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation described the current action of Israel in the middle east as expansionist agenda, and, also on Monday, the Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu appears before Israeli Lawmakers at the Knesset and said Israel don't know what the days might be, but they are prepared for any scenario, adding, if Iran attack Israel, Israel will respond with a force Iranian government will never imagined, also, Iran Observer news media in a tweet published on Monday, stated that oil companies around the world are currently advising their staff not to travel to Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar unless absolutely necessary. #OsazuwaAkonedoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/osazuwaakonedo--4980924/support.Kindly support us for more productivity and efficiency in news delivery.Visit our donation page: DonateYou can also use our Mobile app for more news in different formats: CLICK TO DOWNDLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE 

Rugby Club Luxembourg hosts Oxbridge this weekend in Stade Josy Barthel. This weekend on The Lisa Burke Show, rugby takes centre stage as Rugby Club Luxembourg (RCL) prepares to welcome a combined Oxford-Cambridge “Oxbridge” team to Stade Josy Barthel for what is believed to be their first ever visit to the Grand Duchy. Seniors player and schools rugby coordinator Matthew Dennis Soto explains that the fixture offers a perfect mid‑season test for RCL, while also reconnecting him with university teammates from his PGCE days at Oxford, in a match he jokes might even mark a “secret retirement” at 80 minutes. The game also plugs Luxembourg directly into one of the sport's oldest traditions: the varsity rugby culture that has produced generations of international players since the first iconic Oxbridge match in 1872. On the show, Matthew tells us how the Oxford and Cambridge system has historically functioned as an informal England trial, with selectors once taking 15 to 20 players from a single varsity match into national squads. Today, professional academies have taken over much of that role, but the commitment remains close to professional standards: double daily training sessions, gym and pitch work, video analysis and eight hours of study woven through the day. That intensity, he argues, leaves graduates ready for both professional rugby and demanding careers beyond sport, thanks to a culture where “buy‑in” is non‑negotiable and no one can simply skip training because they are tired. RCL's aim is to build that ethos, with more Luxembourgish now spoken at training than English or French, and a growing number of locally raised players feeding into the national team. Rugby Club Luxembourg: 500 members, 54 nationalities, one “tribe” Vice President Tony Whiteman sketches the remarkable growth of RCL, founded in 1973 and now boasting around 500 active members encompassing players, referees and coaches, making it one of Luxembourg's largest sporting organisations. The club currently represents 54 nationalities and competes in Germany's First Division, a notable achievement for a country of Luxembourg's size and a testament to decades of volunteer‑driven development. Tony's own story mirrors that journey: arriving from New Zealand “for 18 months” to play rugby, finding community in the legendary Irish pub The Black Stuff, and staying to build a life, a family and a career, helped along by a network of club members who even opened professional doors in finance. And he has done the same for so many more. Belonging, discipline and life skills on and off the pitch A recurring theme of the discussion is rugby's unique capacity to create belonging across ages, body types and backgrounds. Nathan Sneyd, now a familiar voice from “Let's Talk Sport” and a long‑standing squash coach in Luxembourg, describes rugby as a “jigsaw of athletes”, where fast and slow, tall and short, heavy and light all fit together in different positions toward a shared objective. That sense of purpose and identity, symbolised by a simple shirt colour, translates into powerful benefits for mental health and social integration, especially for newcomers who might otherwise dismiss Luxembourg as “quiet” if they never join a club or community. Tony highlights rugby's thread of decency: respect for referees, listening to coaches, learning discipline from adults outside the family, as a life school that employers value, noting that his own first job in Luxembourg came precisely because a manager trusted the work ethic of sportspeople. Women's rugby and infrastructure: the next frontier Looking ahead, the guests agree that women's rugby represents one of the biggest growth opportunities, both globally and at RCL. The club has established a women's section with regular training, and women's rugby is cited as one of the fastest‑growing areas of the sport, yet limited pitch space in Luxembourg City is now a hard constraint on how far that momentum can go. As Director of Rugby Antoine Alric (who could not join the recording) works across elite competition, 350‑plus youth players and an expanding women's programme, the club is lobbying for at least half a pitch more in the short term and, eventually, a second ground to match demand. For listeners inspired to get involved, Nathan underlines how approachable Luxembourg's sporting community is: from elite racer Dylan Pereira inviting Instagram messages from aspiring drivers to RCL's own open‑door culture, often the first step is as simple as showing up or sending a message, and letting the game, and the community around it, do the rest. https://rcl.lu/

Luxembourg depends on international talent and launched Work in Luxembourg this week to attract, integrate and retain global skills. Luxembourg is competing in a global race for talent. With the launch of Work in Luxembourg, a national portal and brand, the country is reshaping how international professionals discover, choose and settle in the Grand Duchy. Talent attraction, integration and retention is central to Luxembourg's economic future. This week, I was joined by Muriel Morbé, Director of Talents & Skills at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, to unpack what Luxembourg is doing differently to attract the best talent. Around 75% of Luxembourg's workforce is international, including residents and cross-border workers. At the same time, demographic shifts, digital transformation and accelerating retirements are reshaping the labour market. Despite unemployment figures, many sectors, from digital and finance to healthcare, engineering and technical trades, face acute skills shortages. The challenge is to both attract people and ensure they stay. Luxembourg is trying to attract about 335,000 new recruitments by 2040 to meet its workforce requirements, according to estimations from the General Inspectorate of Social Security (IGSS) and the Chamber of Commerce. The Work in Luxembourg portal is designed as a single national entry point for both international talent and companies of all sizes recruiting globally. It brings together job opportunities, practical guidance on living in Luxembourg, immigration pathways and relocation support all under one coherent national narrative. Alongside the digital portal, a new physical Talent Desk has been launched. This human touchpoint recognises that ‘talent' does not arrive alone. International professionals arrive with partners, children and real lives, and if families fail to integrate, talent leaves. The Talent Desk supports both individuals and employers with administrative guidance, integration pathways and access to the right networks. A standout element of the initiative is the forthcoming Spouse Programme, developed with partners including the Ministry of Family Affairs and the House of Training. It helps partners of international recruits understand Luxembourg's economy, explore career or volunteering opportunities, and build social and professional networks. “Integration is not a ‘nice to have', it's an economic imperative.” As work evolves through AI, automation and multigenerational workplaces, Luxembourg is also focusing on lifelong learning, re-skilling and talent development. Through initiatives such as the House of Training and the Chamber's Talents 4 Luxembourg recommendations, the emphasis is on preparing for today's jobs, and roles that don't yet exist. Luxembourg is no longer just competing for jobs is competing for people, for families, and for long-term commitment. The success of Work in Luxembourg will not be measured by whether people choose to build a life here and stay. Work in Luxembourg portal
 https://workinluxembourg.com/ Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce
 https://www.cc.lu Talent Desk (via Chamber of Commerce / House of Entrepreneurship)
 https://www.cc.lu/house-of-entrepreneurship/ Talents 4 Luxembourg https://www.cc.lu/toute-linformation/actualites/detail/34-recommandations-pour-renforcer-lattractivite-le-developpement-et-la-retention-des-talents-au-luxembourg

Get ready for a very special "Kaffiskränzchen" because Luxembourg's meme queen has finally knokk-ed on our door: "Not Claire in Luxembourg" will be dropping AND spilling the T in a new "Paus."! The future grand duchess talked to Gillian and the man with many fans about Luxembourg lore, possible lawsuits, famous followers and bisexual icons. In this multilingual episode your new favourite throuple chats about the "Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis", similarities between the Grand Duchy and Ireland, period shaming and the "Polvermillen" black hole. The ingredients of a good meme, the Luxembourgish word of the year and the difference between "expat" and "immigrant" are also on the agenda. Plus: the Mandela effect, "Guinness" insider knowledge, memin' and dreamin' in Delululand and possible future dating partners. Will Rosalía x "Philharmonie Lëtzebuerg" be happening? What's a gúna? And why do we hate Liechtenstein? LETZ figure it out!

When peace returned in 1809, the population of Finland found themselves to be the newest subjects of the Russian emperor. In the years that followed, they reshaped their political and economic lives, turning away from Sweden but at the same time resisting Russification.

CGIAR Seminar Series | Series/Special Event The EU Deforestation Regulation: Policy Implications and Research Frontiers Co-organized by IFPRI, CGIAR, and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) October 14, 2025 In June 2023, the European Union (EU) adopted its Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR)—a landmark policy designed to reduce global deforestation and forest degradation driven by EU consumption. Under the regulation, key commodities with the biggest impacts on deforestation—soy, cattle, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, wood, and natural rubber—cannot be placed on the EU market or exported unless they are free of deforestation and legally produced. The EUDR was scheduled for entry into force in December 2025 and in June 2026 for small and micro enterprises, but a one-year delay was proposed by the European Commission on 23 September, due to capacity concerns with the IT system set up for due diligence reporting by businesses. Join us for this virtual event convening policymakers, development practitioners, researchers, and industry representatives to examine how the EUDR is likely to reshape trade dynamics, sustainability standards, and development priorities across the globe. As countries and companies prepare for EUDR implementation, this seminar will examine how they can seize upon opportunities and mitigate risks associated with it. Leading voices from government, research, industry, and civil society will discuss how to ensure equitable and inclusive production aligned with EUDR requirements across diverse production systems, and how to address knowledge and technology gaps to support data-driven, smallholder-friendly solutions. Moderator Welcome Remarks Charlotte Hebebrand, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, IFPRI Session 1 Rationale and Scope of the EUDR: Lisa Kirfel-Rühle, Deputy Head of Division 122 Agriculture, Rural Development, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Global Deforestation Trends & Outlook, and Key Considerations Arising from EUDR Implementation: Beria Leimona, Theme Leader, Climate Change, Energy and Low-Carbon Development, The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) International Cooperation Framework: Simon Gmeiner, Policy Officer, European Commission Session 2 Engaging on the EUDR: H.E. Andri Hadi, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the European Union Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification: Mohd Hasbollah Suparyono, Chief Operating Officer, Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Considerations for Mercosur Countries: Valeria Piñeiro, Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), IFPRI China's Efforts to Source Zero Deforestation Soybeans from Brazil: Kevin Chen, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Session 3 Inclusive Pathways for Smallholders in Deforestation-Free Supply Chains: Izzana Salleh, Secretary General, Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) EUDR implications for coffee and cocoa smallholders in Africa: Vanessa Adams, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Level4International Identification of Production Origin and Public Verification for Deforestation – Free Agricultural Supply Chains in Colombia: Sandra Durango, Postdoctoral Fellow, Alliance Bioversity and CIAT More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/the-eu-deforestation-regulation-policy-implications-and-research-frontiers/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription

Lithuania sits along the Baltic Sea, sharing borders with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia's Kaliningrad region. Its strategic location made it a crossroads of cultures and empires for centuries. This geography also gave Lithuania access to trade routes that shaped its prosperity. Interestingly, it is the only Baltic nation with a history as a medieval empire.Vilnius, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its Baroque architecture and Old Town. Walking through its cobbled streets feels like stepping back in time. From Gothic churches to Renaissance courtyards, the city is a tapestry of styles. Fun trivia: Vilnius once competed with Florence for being called the “Jerusalem of the North.Lithuania is one of the oldest recorded states in Europe, officially mentioned in chronicles as early as 1009. That's more than a thousand years of history. Over time, it rose to become the heart of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Imagine one small nation commanding such vast lands!The Grand Duchy of Lithuania reached its height in the 14th century. It was one of the largest countries in Europe, covering parts of today's Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Russia. This powerful state balanced military might with religious tolerance. Did you know it was one of the last places in Europe to officially convert to Christianity—in 1387? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dundee United created history in Luxembourg – our man in the Grand Duchy, Alan Temple, is fresh off the plane to give us the lowdown on the 1-0 win over UNA Strassen. There's plenty to discuss including the awaiting Rapid Vienna, Kristijan Trapanovski's injury and why Falkirk on Sunday is as hard a season-opener as United could hope for. Plus plenty of Dundee FC chat as their Premiership opener against Hibs approaches on Sunday. Should Dees be worried and what's the latest on Simon Murray's injury? In the studio are George Cran and Graeme Finnan as Alan tunes in online. You can also see us on YouTube at youtube.com/@TheCourierUK/videos 

Giovanni Mariti (1736–1806) was an Italian traveler best known for his detailed accounts of the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly Cyprus, during the 18th century. Born in Florence, Mariti served as an official in the service of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and his travels provided him with firsthand insights into the social, political, and economic life of the regions he visited. He stayed in Cyprus for seven years and served as an official in the Tuscan consulate in Larnaca. His most notable work, Travels in the Island of Cyprus, written in the late 18th century, is a rich source of information on the customs, governance, and history of Cyprus under Ottoman rule -- particularly in the earliest excavations on the island. In this excerpt, we hear from Mariti as he discusses some interesting finds in and around Larnaca. This excerpt is a perfect springboard into my next month's guest, Luca Bombardieri (Director of the Erimi Archaeological Project) as we discuss early archaeology in his latest publication, "From Exploration to Exploitation: Giovanni Mariti, Domenico Sestini, Antonio Mondaini and the Early History of Cypriot Archaeology." 

Geoff Thompson's documentary, Luxembourg in America, shows the continued and important connections between American ancestors from the wave of Luxembourg immigrants to the U.S. Midwest After a round-up of the ever evolving and heavy news of our times, with Sasha Kehoe, my guest this week is Geoff Thompson. Geoff is known for many things in Luxembourg, but most recently has turned his hands and brain to documentary making. Mid-19th century exodus In the mid-19th century, due to Napoleonic law here in Luxembourg which meant equal sharing of inheritance, once sustainable farms became unsustainable when divided between large numbers of children. And so, some shares were sold to siblings and that money was used to pay for the voyage to the ‘free world'. Geoff Thompson's documentary Luxembourg in America visits their descendants in places like Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, and sees the heritage that is both celebrated and remaining. A Personal Exploration of Heritage Geoff Thompson, who is also President of the British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg, shared his motivation: “It started with a simple curiosity – how had these Luxembourg communities preserved so much of their identity? What I found was an entire parallel Luxembourg, alive and well in small towns across the Midwest.” From townships like Dacada and Belgium in Wisconsin to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society (LACS) housed in a traditional stone home, the film uncovers an "island of Luxembourgish culture" preserved across oceans and generations. Thompson brings the audience along to the annual “Luxembourg under the Stars” summer festival, where Bofferding beer flows, Träipen (blood sausage) contests are held, and Moselle wine is imported and enjoyed. Midwestern Roots, European Branches The importance of maintaining and exploring one's heritage is deeply evident in this documentary, underscoring our internal need to know where we come from. By deepening our roots on this earth, we seem to feel more connected to our time and place in history. This documentary shows the shared journeys of these Luxembourg-Americans back to Luxembourg for visits, and vice versa, where Luxembourg officials visit the American diaspora. Notably, it is when some of the American Luxembourgers find family connections still alive here in Luxembourg that the magic deepens. The roots grow stronger and that ancestral bond over time is secured today. For Luxembourg nationals and many of us who live in Luxembourg, coming from other countries, this film highlights our own movements and distance from our own roots. It provokes conversation and reflection on multiculturalism, belonging, and identity. Half of Luxembourg's current population is of foreign background. Yet, just like the Luxembourg-Americans abroad, the modern Grand Duchy is also navigating what it means to preserve culture in a globally connected society. We often think of emigration as loss, and indeed one third of the population of Luxembourg was lost at the time, but it grew in another part of the world, maintaining what culture there was. This cultural identity is most evident in food, the passing down of recipes, the religion and of course the language. You can watch the documentary here: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt33996768/

Full Text of ReadingsFriday of the Fifth Week of Lent Lectionary: 255The Saint of the day is Saint StanislausSaint Stanislaus' Story Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government. Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072. During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands. Forced to flee to Hungary, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak. Reflection Saints John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Thomas More, and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus himself, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of his day. It is a risky business. Saint Stanislaus is the Patron Saint of: Poland Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent Commemoration of St. Stanislaus of Krakow, 1030-1079; after ordination, he was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Krakow, and then became bishop of Krakow himself in 1072; during an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland; he attacked the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II; the king repented, but reverted to his old ways; Stansislaus resumed his criticisms despite threats of treason and death; finally, he excommunicated the king, who ordered soldiers to kill the bishop; they refused, so the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/11/25 Gospel: John 10:31-42

This week on the Eurovoix Podcast, we find the next competing song for Eurovision 2025 - and lose a country along the way.On this episode of Wrap-Up, we head to Luxembourg to see their national final live and in person. Neil Farren takes you to the Grand Duchy to capture the experience of the show, and meets their new Eurovision act Laura Thorn as she discusses her hopes for the contest.However, we also react to the shock withdrawal of Moldova from the competition after two decades, and Steven Heap takes a heartfelt look back at some of the highlights of one of the contest's most memorable nations. And that's not all - we're on top of all the major news from the contest this week. We'll be diving deep into Ireland's chances with Conor & Lou from Éirevision as they tell us what it's been like to meet the six artists competing at Eurosong 2025, bring you to Basel to see who the new Eurovision hosts are, and ask what mascot would be perfect for the world's biggest song contest.There's also an exciting announcement at the end of the show, so stick around to find out what we're up to next!Want to keep up with this crazy Eurovision season? Listen to Wrap-Up, the weekly news show from the Eurovoix Podcast, every Monday from 07:00 CET.CREDITSCreated and Produced by: James StephensonHost: James StephensonContributors: Alistair Brown, Davide Conte, Franciska van Waarden, Neil Farren, Steven Heap, Sem Anne van DijkEditor: James StephensonLuxembourg Song Contest Guests: Laura Thorn (Luxembourg 2025), Julien Salvia & Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal (songwriters, Luxembourg 2025)And from the world of Eurovision: Conor & Lou from ÉirevisionTHEME MUSIC: Steve Brian - 1986 (Edited by James Stephenson) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBBF_Y-ZFwWant to know more about Eurovision? Read all the latest news from the contest at Eurovoix.Follow Eurovoix on XFollow Eurovoix on InstagramFollow Eurovoix on Facebook

After Tali fought for Eurovision success in 2024, the Grand Duchy is back with another edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest. Michael, Io and Icelandic queen Hera Björk preview the... LEARN MORE The post Previewing Luxembourg Song Contest 2025: Let the Duchy decide appeared first on JOY Eurovision.

Ahead of this year’s edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest, Molly spoke to ZERO POINT FIVE, who are vying to represent Grand Duchy in Basel next year. Molly spoke to the band about their journey and what inspired them to participate in the national selection. What did you think of our interview with ZERO POINT […] The post TEP Interviews: ZERO POINT FIVE (Luxembourg Song Contest 2025) appeared first on That Eurovision Site.

Ahead of this year’s edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest, Molly spoke to Luzac, who is vying to represent the Grand Duchy in Basel next year. Molly spoke to Luzac about his journey and what inspired him to participate in the national selection, as well as what inspires him as a writer. What did you […] The post TEP Interviews: Luzac (Luxembourg Song Contest 2025) appeared first on That Eurovision Site.

The mystery of a kidnapped prince in Baden, Germany, has finally been solved after two centuries of speculation and intrigue. In 1812, young Prince Kaspar Hauser, who was around 16, appeared mysteriously in Nuremberg with no knowledge of his past, sparking rumors that he was a missing royal. Some believed he was the rightful heir to the Grand Duchy of Baden, stolen as a baby to secure another family's rule. Modern scientists recently re-examined the case using advanced DNA analysis. They compared Kaspar's genetic material to known descendants of the Baden family and concluded there was no match, proving he wasn't the lost prince. Credit: Grand Duchy of Baden: By Elevatorrailfan, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... , https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index... Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightside   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

British Ambassador Thomas opens up about her life - describing an unusual path towards a successful career in diplomacy, from early struggles with sexual harassment to her recent battle with thyroid cancer. Fleur Thomas was appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on 21 April 2021. Fleur Thomas's journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of diversity. Starting her career as a chartered surveyor, she faced sexual harassment from senior colleagues, forcing her to leave that path. This early experience, though traumatic, shaped her character and fueled her resolve. Instead of being defeated, Ambassador Thomas redirected her energy into academia, earning two master's degrees while working as British Airways cabin crew. The drive to succeed, rooted in a sense of not quite measuring up due to her less privileged background, propelled Fleur forward. This determination is a trait she shares with her grandmother, who, after being widowed with five children, fought for her family's survival by securing a council house after she lost the family tied house upon her husband's untimely death. “I think Diversity of thought is super important." Fleur's career in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) saw her rise to the role of Head of Exports, a position that underscored her ability to thrive in challenging, male-dominated environments. Her dedication to promoting gender balance and social mobility within the MoD, as well as her recognition of the importance of intersectional diversity, highlights her commitment to creating inclusive spaces. “The modern UK is very diverse and we represent the modern UK” Her role as Ambassador in Luxembourg brought unexpected challenges, including a cancer diagnosis. Ambassador Thomas experienced unusual fatigue for an extended period of time. After several rounds of tests, she was finally diagnosed with T2N0M0 papillary thyroid cancer. Despite the diagnosis, her diary was incredibly full in the weeks surrounding the biopsy, diagnosis and first surgery. Fleur organised and attended His Majesty the King's Coronation Event and His Majesty The Kings' official birthday party, hosted a ministerial visit from the UK and attended several receptions before her second surgery in mid-July and eventual return to work in August. Aside from such a heavy and constant workload, which Fleur seems to thrive on, she also finds time for many creative pursuits. Ambassador Thomas arrived in Luxembourg with about 200 cookbooks, enjoys foraging for recipes and also has needlepoint skills passed down by her mother. Alongside this, the residence contains models of fighter jets and a meteor air to air missile. Fleur Thomas's life example shows how a diverse background, one of thought and experience, can help create new communities within a changing face of civil servants.

British Ambassador Thomas opens up about her life experiences and the unusual path she forged in her career. Fleur Thomas was appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on 21 April 2021. Fleur Thomas's journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of diversity. Starting her career as a chartered surveyor, she faced sexual harassment from senior colleagues, forcing her to leave that path. This early experience, though traumatic, shaped her character and fueled her resolve. Instead of being defeated, Ambassador Thomas redirected her energy into academia, earning two master's degrees while working as British Airways cabin crew. The drive to succeed, rooted in a sense of not quite measuring up due to her less privileged background, propelled Fleur forward. This determination is a trait she shares with her grandmother, who, after being widowed with five children, fought for her family's survival by securing a council house after she lost the family tied house upon her husband's untimely death. “I think Diversity of thought is super important." Fleur's career in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) saw her rise to the role of Head of Exports, a position that underscored her ability to thrive in challenging, male-dominated environments. Her dedication to promoting gender balance and social mobility within the MoD, as well as her recognition of the importance of intersectional diversity, highlights her commitment to creating inclusive spaces. “The modern UK is very diverse and we represent the modern UK” Her role as Ambassador in Luxembourg brought unexpected challenges, including a cancer diagnosis. Ambassador Thomas experienced unusual fatigue for an extended period of time. After several rounds of tests, she was finally diagnosed with T2N0M0 papillary thyroid cancer. Despite the diagnosis, her diary was incredibly full in the weeks surrounding the biopsy, diagnosis and first surgery. Fleur organised and attended His Majesty the King's Coronation Event and His Majesty The Kings' official birthday party, hosted a ministerial visit from the UK and attended several receptions before her second surgery in mid-July and eventual return to work in August. Aside from such a heavy and constant workload, which Fleur seems to thrive on, she also finds time for many creative pursuits. Ambassador Thomas arrived in Luxembourg with about 200 cookbooks, enjoys foraging for recipes and also has needlepoint skills passed down by her mother. Alongside this, the residence contains models of fighter jets and a meteor air to air missile. Fleur Thomas's life example shows how a diverse background, one of thought and experience, can help create new communities within a changing face of civil servants.

Napoleon's eldest sister shared many of his more imperious personal qualities, but would prove to be surprisingly gifted at governance after her brother named her Princess of the Italian principalities of Piombino and Lucca. More territories would be added to the holdings she governed, eventually including the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, with Florence as its capital. Napoleon made Elisa its Grand Duchess, but also added new strings to her ability to govern independently. She was obligated to enforce Napoleon's decisions without modification, and the period of being a popular sovereign making well-received reforms and investments in her lands came to a close. As with the rest of her siblings, her fortunes fell as her brother's did, and died following an illness a few months before Napoleon himself. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Napoleon's eldest sister shared many of his more imperious personal qualities, but would prove to be surprisingly gifted at governance after her brother named her Princess of the Italian principalities of Piombino and Lucca. More territories would be added to the holdings she governed, eventually including the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, with Florence as its capital.Napoleon made Elisa its Grand Duchess, but also added new strings to her ability to govern independently. She was obligated to enforce Napoleon's decisions without modification, and the period of being a popular sovereign making well-received reforms and investments in her lands came to a close. As with the rest of her siblings, her fortunes fell as her brother's did, and died following an illness a few months before Napoleon himself.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Echternach Hopping Procession, on the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage list, celebrates the life of St. Willibrord. On today's show, Lisa is joined by guests from Ireland, the UK and Luxembourg — to discuss the life of St. Willibrord via his links with these three countries. The Echternach Hopping Procession, on the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage list, celebrates the life of St. Willibrord. On today's show, Lisa is joined by guests from Ireland, the UK and Luxembourg — to discuss the life of St. Willibrord via his links with these three countries. Despite the 'high humidity', as Raoul Scholtes put it, there was another exceptional turnout for this year's Sprangpressessioun (or 'Hopping Procession') in Echternach, which pays homage to Saint Willibrord. This Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk is revered as the founder of Echternach Abbey and every year is honoured for his gift of curing illness. Ambassador Jean McDonald, Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, hosted a delegation from County Carlow, celebrating the links between Saint Willibrord and Carlow. Councillor Andrea Dalton and Dermot Mulligan, Curator of the Carlow Museum, also joined in studio to discuss the deepening re-connections between Luxembourg and Carlow through their shared history with Saint Willibrord. HE Fleur Thomas, British Ambassador to Luxembourg, hosted HE Ambassador Christopher Trott, Britain's Ambassador to the Holy See, for their very first Sprangpressessioun experience. Providing a bit of background into St. Willibrord's ancestry — Ambassador Trott detailed the saint's Northumbrian origins, before his travels brought him to Ireland, the Netherlands and then Luxembourg. Ambassador Trott also talks about his work as a diplomat in the Vatican, and the immense 'intelligence network' the Vatican has globally through priests on the ground, often in places where diplomats cannot visit or live. Patrick Dondelinger, Head of Studies for Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, talks about the importance of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage label for the Hopping Procession, and what this means for one who experiences the 'rite'. Raoul Scholtes — a member of the procession's organisational committee and Vice-president of the Willibrodusbauveräin (Willibrod building society) organisation responsible for the procession — ends with a call for more volunteers! Help is always welcome, and indeed it would also be valuable to make a couple of positions professional (i.e. paid). Read here for even more details on the history of Luxembourg's Echternach Hopping Procession.

The Echternach Hopping Procession, on the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage list, celebrates the life of St. Willibrord. The Echternach Hopping Procession, on the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage list, celebrates the life of St. Willibrord. On today's show, Lisa is joined by guests from Ireland, the UK and Luxembourg — to discuss the life of St. Willibrord via his links with these three countries. Despite the 'high humidity', as Raoul Scholtes put it, there was another exceptional turnout for this year's Sprangpressessioun (or 'Hopping Procession') in Echternach, which pays homage to Saint Willibrord. This Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk is revered as the founder of Echternach Abbey and every year is honoured for his gift of curing illness. Ambassador Jean McDonald, Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, hosted a delegation from County Carlow, celebrating the links between Saint Willibrord and Carlow. Councillor Andrea Dalton and Dermot Mulligan, Curator of the Carlow Museum, also joined in studio to discuss the deepening re-connections between Luxembourg and Carlow through their shared history with Saint Willibrord. HE Fleur Thomas, British Ambassador to Luxembourg, hosted HE Ambassador Christopher Trott, Britain's Ambassador to the Holy See, for their very first Sprangpressessioun experience. Providing a bit of background into St. Willibrord's ancestry — Ambassador Trott detailed the saint's Northumbrian origins, before his travels brought him to Ireland, the Netherlands and then Luxembourg. Ambassador Trott also talks about his work as a diplomat in the Vatican, and the immense 'intelligence network' the Vatican has globally through priests on the ground, often in places where diplomats cannot visit or live. Patrick Dondelinger, Head of Studies for Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, talks about the importance of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage label for the Hopping Procession, and what this means for one who experiences the 'rite'. Raoul Scholtes — a member of the procession's organisational committee and Vice-president of the Willibrodusbauveräin (Willibrod building society) organisation responsible for the procession — ends with a call for more volunteers! Help is always welcome, and indeed it would also be valuable to make a couple of positions professional (i.e. paid). Read here for even more details on the history of Luxembourg's Echternach Hopping Procession.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Finnish epic poem that first appeared in print in 1835 in what was then the Grand Duchy of Finland, part of the Russian Empire and until recently part of Sweden. The compiler of this epic was a doctor, Elias Lönnrot (1802-1884), who had travelled the land to hear traditional poems about mythical heroes being sung in Finnish, the language of the peasantry, and writing them down in his own order to create this landmark work. In creating The Kalevala, Lönnrot helped the Finns realise they were a distinct people apart from Sweden and Russia, who deserved their own nation state and who came to demand independence, which they won in 1917. With Riitta Valijärvi Associate Professor in Finnish and Minority Languages at University College LondonThomas Dubois The Halls-Bascom Professor of Scandinavian Folklore and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-MadisonAnd Daniel Abondolo Formerly Reader in Hungarian at University College LondonProducer: Simon TillotsonReading list:Nigel Fabb, What is Poetry? Language and Memory in the Poems of the World (Cambridge University Press, 2015)Frog, Satu Grünthal, Kati Kallio and Jarkko Niemi (eds), Versification: Metrics in Practice (Finnish Literature Society, 2021)Riho Grünthal et al., ‘Drastic demographic events triggered the Uralic spread' (Diachronica, Volume 39, Issue 4, Aug 2022)Lauri Honko (ed.), The Kalevala and the World's Traditional Epics (Finnish Literature Society, 2002)The Kalevala Heritage: Archive Recordings of Ancient Finnish Songs. Online Catalogue no. ODE8492.Mauri Kunnas, The Canine Kalevala (Otava Publishing, 1992)Kuusi, Matti, et al. (eds.), Finnish Folk Poetry: Epic (Finnish Literature Society, 1977)Elias Lönnrot (trans. John Martin Crawford), Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland (first published 1887; CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017)Elias Lönnrot (trans. W. F. Kirby), Kalevala: The Land of the Heroes (first published by J.M. Dent & Sons, 1907, 2 vols.; ‎ Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd, 2000) Elias Lönnrot (trans. Francis Peabody Magoun Jr.), The Kalevala, or Poems of the Kaleva District (Harvard University Press, 1963)Elias Lönnrot (trans. Eino Friberg), The Kalevala: Epic of the Finnish People (Otava Publishing, 1988)Elias Lönnrot (trans. Keith Bosley), The Kalevala: An Epic Poem after Oral Tradition (Oxford University Press, 1989)Kirsti Mäkinen, Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin, Kaarina Brooks, An Illustrated Kalevala: Myths and Legends from Finland (Floris Books, 2020)Sami Makkonen, Kalevala: The Graphic Novel (Ablaze, 2024)Juha Y. Pentikäinen (trans. Ritva Poom), Kalevala Mythology, (Indiana University Press, 1999)Tina K. Ramnarine, Ilmatar's Inspirations: Nationalism, Globalization and the Changing Soundscapes of Finnish Folk Music (University of Chicago Press, 2003) Jonathan Roper (ed.), Alliteration in Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), especially chapter 12 ‘Alliteration in (Balto-) Finnic Languages' by Frog and Eila StepanovaKarl Spracklen, Metal Music and the Re-imagining of Masculinity, Place, Race and Nation (Emerald Publishing, 2020), especially the chapter ‘Finnish Folk Metal: Raising Drinking Horns in Mainstream Metal'Leea Virtanen and Thomas A. DuBois, Finnish Folklore: Studia Fennica Folkloristica 9 (Finnish Literature Society, 2000)

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Finnish epic poem that first appeared in print in 1835 in what was then the Grand Duchy of Finland, part of the Russian Empire and until recently part of Sweden. The compiler of this epic was a doctor, Elias Lönnrot (1802-1884), who had travelled the land to hear traditional poems about mythical heroes being sung in Finnish, the language of the peasantry, and writing them down in his own order to create this landmark work. In creating The Kalevala, Lönnrot helped the Finns realise they were a distinct people apart from Sweden and Russia, who deserved their own nation state and who came to demand independence, which they won in 1917. With Riitta Valijärvi Associate Professor in Finnish and Minority Languages at University College LondonThomas Dubois The Halls-Bascom Professor of Scandinavian Folklore and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-MadisonAnd Daniel Abondolo Formerly Reader in Hungarian at University College LondonProducer: Simon TillotsonReading list:Nigel Fabb, What is Poetry? Language and Memory in the Poems of the World (Cambridge University Press, 2015)Frog, Satu Grünthal, Kati Kallio and Jarkko Niemi (eds), Versification: Metrics in Practice (Finnish Literature Society, 2021)Riho Grünthal et al., ‘Drastic demographic events triggered the Uralic spread' (Diachronica, Volume 39, Issue 4, Aug 2022)Lauri Honko (ed.), The Kalevala and the World's Traditional Epics (Finnish Literature Society, 2002)The Kalevala Heritage: Archive Recordings of Ancient Finnish Songs. Online Catalogue no. ODE8492.Mauri Kunnas, The Canine Kalevala (Otava Publishing, 1992)Kuusi, Matti, et al. (eds.), Finnish Folk Poetry: Epic (Finnish Literature Society, 1977)Elias Lönnrot (trans. John Martin Crawford), Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland (first published 1887; CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017)Elias Lönnrot (trans. W. F. Kirby), Kalevala: The Land of the Heroes (first published by J.M. Dent & Sons, 1907, 2 vols.; ‎ Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd, 2000) Elias Lönnrot (trans. Francis Peabody Magoun Jr.), The Kalevala, or Poems of the Kaleva District (Harvard University Press, 1963)Elias Lönnrot (trans. Eino Friberg), The Kalevala: Epic of the Finnish People (Otava Publishing, 1988)Elias Lönnrot (trans. Keith Bosley), The Kalevala: An Epic Poem after Oral Tradition (Oxford University Press, 1989)Kirsti Mäkinen, Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin, Kaarina Brooks, An Illustrated Kalevala: Myths and Legends from Finland (Floris Books, 2020)Sami Makkonen, Kalevala: The Graphic Novel (Ablaze, 2024)Juha Y. Pentikäinen (trans. Ritva Poom), Kalevala Mythology, (Indiana University Press, 1999)Tina K. Ramnarine, Ilmatar's Inspirations: Nationalism, Globalization and the Changing Soundscapes of Finnish Folk Music (University of Chicago Press, 2003) Jonathan Roper (ed.), Alliteration in Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), especially chapter 12 ‘Alliteration in (Balto-) Finnic Languages' by Frog and Eila StepanovaKarl Spracklen, Metal Music and the Re-imagining of Masculinity, Place, Race and Nation (Emerald Publishing, 2020), especially the chapter ‘Finnish Folk Metal: Raising Drinking Horns in Mainstream Metal'Leea Virtanen and Thomas A. DuBois, Finnish Folklore: Studia Fennica Folkloristica 9 (Finnish Literature Society, 2000)

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr Lectionary: 270The Saint of the day is Saint StanislausSaint Stanislaus' Story Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government. Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072. During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands. Forced to flee to Hungary, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak. Reflection Saints John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Thomas More, and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus himself, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of his day. It is a risky business. Saint Stanislaus is the Patron Saint of: Poland Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

We last saw them perform on the Eurovision stage in 1993, and they've been sorely missed. Finally, Luxembourg is back and they're delivering quite the national final. Michael and Io... LEARN MORE The post

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fisher's treatment of the history of Finland, in the context of its relations with Russia, was released in 1899—at the start of the first attempted wave of Russification. At this time, it seems, many Finns regarded it as a misunderstanding. A mistake. Not a contrivance of Nicholas II, but a villainy emanating instead, fen-sucked, from the sinister Russian state machinery—the fief of a myopic and obdurate cadre of supremacists and absolutists. Men like the rabid anti-semite Konstantin Pobedonostsev who, by the camera's harsh testimony, seems to have died long before he stopped coming in to work, and like Ivan Goremykin who in an ironic twist of fate would not so very much later – after 1906 – have to stretch his mind to try to contend with the obscenity of constitutional monarchy at home. Men who all nursed a bitter grudge at the perceived slight to their omnipotence called Finland. The long-standing arrangements and understandings between Finland and the Tsars had up to this time, for the better part of a century, served both parties very well. And would undoubtedly have stood Russia in good stead into the twentieth century. Every Tsar reaffirmed a solemn pledge to maintain the Fundamental Laws underpinning the constitutional order, to uphold Alexander I's promise to respect "their religion, their laws, their liberties and their rights." Every Tsar honored it—until Nicholas II. In return, Finland turned its back on Sweden to stand at Russia's side bringing with it a domain which was loyal, orderly and industrious and soon enough became highly educated and prosperous too. Regardless of the shocks and reversals the Empire encountered, the Grand Duchy was unwavering so far as imperial internal security went, producing never "...a conspirator or an agitator against Russia. It provided instead generals for her armies and admirals for her fleet." Subversion and coercion efforts against the Finnish state would be abruptly halted in the immediate aftermath of the bitter defeat meted out by Japan in 1905; Saint Petersburg had unrest aplenty across its vast and ethnically diverse extent without manufacturing more. These efforts would resume. Finland would be driven to, at the first opportunity, declare independence in 1917. The events of the twentieth century would be profoundly influenced by the collapse of Russo-Finnish cooperation, by the Winter War and by Finland's politics and diplomatic efforts during the Cold War. While the impact of some of these developments may be seen as broadly beneficial to Europe, much of it was to the critical detriment of the prevailing political orders in Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode we look at the Grand Duchy of Geoff.

The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854. Brahms himself declared that the symphony, from sketches to finishing touches, took 21 years, from 1855 to 1876. The premiere of this symphony, conducted by the composer's friend Felix Otto Dessoff, occurred on 4 November 1876, in Karlsruhe, then in the Grand Duchy of Baden. A typical performance lasts between 45 and 50 minutes.

Mikhail Shishkin is one of the most celebrated living Russian novelists and the only author to have won all three major Russian literary prizes. All his books have been adapted for the stage in Russia and they have been translated into 30 languages. In conversation with historian Victor Sebastyen Shishkin traces the roots of Russia's problems, from Kievan Rus via the Grand Duchy of Moscow, empire, revolution and the Cold War to the now thirty-year-old Russian Federation. He explores the uneasy relationship between the Russian state and its citizens, and set out his view that there are really two Russian peoples: the disillusioned and disaffected, who suffer from what he calls a slave mentality, and those who embrace so-called European values and try to stand up to oppression. And he addresses the most vital question of all: Will Russia continue its vicious circle of upheaval and autocracy, or will its people find a way out of history? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Full Text of ReadingsTuesday in the Octave of Easter Lectionary: 262The Saint of the day is Saint StanislausSaint Stanislaus' Story Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government. Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072. During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands. Forced to flee to Hungary, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak. Reflection Saints John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Thomas More, and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus himself, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of his day. It is a risky business. Saint Stanislaus is the Patron Saint of: Poland Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, Iran, Niger, Bhutan and Lithuania. Russian troops captured Irpin, north-west of Kyiv, early on in the invasion. When the satellite town was liberated, the atrocities of Russian soldiers were laid bare. Nick Redmayne spoke to the residents who returned home about how they are trying to rebuild their lives. Following the protests which began in mid-September, after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, news of the first public execution of a protestor in Iran drew international condemnation this week - though protests show no sign of abating. Azadeh Moaveni was in Tehran when the protests began and found the desire for change runs deep in Iranian society. Michela Wrong visits a safe house in Niamey, Niger, where eight elderly Rwandan men are being detained, having been prosecuted for their role in the Rwandan genocide. Four have now been acquitted, and four have served their prison sentences. She hears what happened to them since their trial- and the challenges posed by their rehabilitation. Last year, Bhutan decriminalised homosexuality. Michelle Jana Chan speaks to gay activists, including Miss Universe Bhutan, about how far the population in the Himalayan Kingdom, is keeping step with political change. Lithuania was once the heart of a large empire in the Middle Ages, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Hundreds of years ago, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania invited members of the Karaim community from Crimea to serve as guards and soldiers of an empire. Simon Broughton attended a festival celebrating their culture in Trakai.

Class 6 continues the foundations of the Kyiv state at a time when Lithuania was much larger than most people think. Timothy Snyder is the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. He speaks five and reads ten European languages. Ukraine … Read More Read More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the republic that emerged from the union of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th Century. At first this was a personal union, similar to that of James I and VI in Britain, but this was formalised in 1569 into a vast republic, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Kings and princes from across Europe would compete for parliament to elect them King and Grand Duke, and the greatest power lay with the parliaments. When the system worked well, the Commonwealth was a powerhouse, and it was their leader Jan Sobieski who relieved the siege of Vienna in 1683, defeating the Ottomans. Its neighbours exploited its parliament's need for unanimity, though, and this contributed to its downfall. Austria, Russia and Prussia divided its territory between them from 1772, before the new, smaller states only emerged in the 20th Century. The image above is Jan III Sobieski (1629-1696), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, at the Battle of Vienna 1683, by Marcello Bacciarelli (1731-1818) With Robert Frost The Burnett Fletcher Chair of History at the University of Aberdeen Katarzyna Kosior Lecturer in Early Modern History at Northumbria University And Norman Davies Professor Emeritus in History and Honorary Fellow of St Antony's College, University of Oxford Producer: Simon Tillotson