Voice Of Russia: Recent Episodes
Voice Of Russia
Speech programming on current affairs, culture and the arts from The Voice of Russia - the world’s oldest international broadcaster.
The London-based production team bring listeners a Russian perspective on our two countries."
Dr Alasdair Pinkerton, lecturer in Geography and Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London
Nadim Shehadi, Associate Fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House
The Children’s Rights Alliance for England says disciplining young children with a smack is a breach of a UN treaty which outlaws any form of violence against children.
Professor Mike Lean, one of the world’s leading nutritionists and Head of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow
As a child, Polina Bogacheva acted in Nord-Ost, the musical playing at the Dubrovka theatre whose cast and audience were taken hostage by Chechen terrorists in 2002.
Sam Gerrans gives us his take on materialism and our delusions of ownership in both England and Russia.
What do Russians think about English humour - apparently it's all about Benny Hill and Mr Bean.
VoR’s Tom Spender discusses this with Major Judith Webb, a former senior army officer who in 1982 became the first woman to command an all-male field squadron; Richard Norton-Taylor, Defence and security editor at the Guardian; and Alison Baskerville, a former RAF sergeant and now a photojournalist who has documented life for British Female Engagement Officers in Afghanistan.
That's what blogger and marketer Konstantin Pinaev says, but he means it in a totally positive way. Captivated by the city's vibrancy back in 2005, he told his girlfriend - now wife - that Plan A of moving to the US was off, and London was very much on.
Music and Soviet Power is a new book by Russian music experts Marina Frolova-Walker and Jonathan Walker, which shines a light on the turbulent period of 1917-1932.
Tony Benn is a retired British Labour Party politician who was an MP for 50 years, serving under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
The plan to legally allow same sex couples to get married has divided politicians, campaigners and religious groups.
Other religious organisations like The Quakers of Britain will be able to opt into holding ceremonies.
VoR Juliet Spare discusses this with Terence Weldon, author and blogger for queeringthechurch.com; Andrew Marsh, Campaigns Director for Christian Concern; Joseph Musgrave, Political Director at Out4Marriage and Dr Sharon James, Coalition for Marriage campaign group.
The UK census has shown that the number of people calling themselves Christian has fallen from 72% a decade ago to 59% today. It also found the number of people who say they have no religion at all has doubled. What does this say about society and the state of faith in the UK?
VOR’s Brendan Cole discusses this with Lynda Rose, an Anglican priest and director for Voice for Justice UK; Fiyaz Mughal, Founder and Director at Faith Matters; and David Pollock, trustee of the British Humanist Association.
VOR's Brendan Cole discusses #Leveson aftermath with Des Freedman, lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London and founder of campaign group Media Reform; Lis Howell, director of broadcasting at City University, London; Rob Lyons, deputy editor of Spiked; James Alan Ansow, academic researching tabloid journalism at University of Essex and former Sun and News of the World journalist.
The Home Office say the measures are aimed at changing the behaviour of problem drinkers and irresponsible shops. But critics, including the British Retail Consortium, say that the controls are unfair and penalise the majority, who are responsible drinkers.
VoR’s Daniel Dinna discusses this with his guests: Campbell Evans, Director of Government & Consumer Affairs at the Scotch Whisky Association; Andrew Langford, the Chief-Executive of the British Liver Trust; Chris Snowdon, Fellow from the Adam Smith Institute and co-author of a report on minimal alcohol pricing; and Dr John Middleton, Vice-president for Policy at the UK Faculty of Public Health.
VoR’s Juliet Spare discusses the dangers of pro-anorexia websites with Dr Emma Bond, author of a new report; Natasha Devon from Body Gossip; Dominic Knight, a human behavior specialist; Catherine Morran, co-director of The Only Way is Up foundation and Andrew Macaulay, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Cardinal Clinic in Windsor.
Over the past six seasons Chelsea has had no less than eight managers and Di Matteo was arguably the most successful of them all. So does that make Mr. #Abramovich a good club owner or a bad one?
The Voice of Russia’s Tim Walklate discusses this with Michael Jarman, Chief Equity Strategist at H20 Markets and a former professional footballer; Mihir Bose, an award-winning sports journalist and author; Tim Rolls, a blogger who writes for the #Chelsea fanzine #CFCUK; and Kevin Roberts, Editorial Director at Sport Business.
VoR’s Tom Spender discusses the threat posed by artificial intelligence with his guests: Dr Mark Bishop, Professor of Cognitive Computing at Goldsmiths College in London; Wendy Grossman, technology writer and founder of The #Skeptic magazine; Noel Sharkey, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and #Robotics at the University of Sheffield; and Nick Bostrom, Director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University.
VoR's Daniel Cina discusses civilian use of drones with is Steven Harris, Senior Reporter for the Engineer magazine; Harry Rogers, a local peace activist from Wales and Robert Dewar - Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at New York University and President of AdaCore – who provide software for commercial aviation and defence companies.
Emeritus #AdaCore
The British Government wants to introduce Closed Material Procedures or 'secret courts' for civil cases involving sensitive information about national security. In the controversial procedures, the defendant won't know what evidence is brought against them and neither will their lawyer. The Voice of #Russia's Vivienne Nunis discusses the conflict between open justice and national security with the QC Lord Edward #Faulks, a member of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights; Keith Best, a former Conservative MP and the Chief Executive of Freedom from Torture; and Stephen Tall, the co-editor of the Liberal Democrat Voice.
The death of 17 week pregnant Savita Halappanavar has led to protests all over the world calling for a review of the abortion laws in Ireland.
Savita’s husband Praveen said that the hospital told them the foetus was not viable, but they could not perform an abortion, because Ireland was a Catholic country and the foetal heart was still beating.
Joining Juliet Spare to discuss abortion laws in Ireland and Savita’s death is Anne Scanlan, education and media officer at LIFE charity; Kate Smurthwaite vice chair of Abortion Rights UK; Dr Roselle Ward who is a family doctor and member of the Christian Medical Fellowship and Mara Clarke, founder and director of the Abortion Support Network.
VOR #Savita #abortion
VoR's Tim Ecott speaks to the award winning historian and author Douglas Smith. His latest book is called 'Former People: The Last Days of the #Russian #Aristocracy' - a detailed account of what happened to the so-called 'noble class' during and after the #Revolution.
Liz Bagot is from Kansas, USA, now in Moscow studying for her Masters in International Business and working as a business translator. She describes how she turned her initial dislike of Russia into to a great love.
VOR #Russia #Bagot #Gerrans
Starbucks, Amazon and Google accused of tax avoidance. VoR's Hywel Davies discusses this with Abhijit Pandya, blogger for Daily Mail and director of the Center for Democratic Studies; Miles Dean, Founder of Milestone International Tax Consultants; John O’Connell, research Director at TaxPayers’ Alliance, and Professor Philip Booth, editorial and programme director at the Institute of Economic Affairs
VOR’s Tim Ecott speaks to Andrew Faris, founder of the charity Rhythms of Life International. The charity works with the homeless in some of London’s poorest areas. Government statistics have shown that over the past three years the number of British households needing emergency accommodation has risen by around 25%.
For charities working with the homeless the stark reality of life on the street is all too evident.
Alice Lagnado talks to Dr Andrei Rogachevsky of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Glasgow about Russian writing and moving from Novosibirsk to Glasgow.
Rogachevsky
Parents can put money on new children's debit cards via an online website. It’s believed to be the first prepaid debit card developed for 8-16s. Parents preload the card with cash for their children, who in turn can use the card in a limited range of shops, and for withdrawing cash from banks. But should children have access to plastic money at such a young age?
Juliet Spare discusses the digitisation of pocket money with chief executive of PKTMNY (Pocket Money), the organisation behind the new debit card, Mark Timbrell; Becky Goddard-Hill, blogger and mother of two children; Stephen Hopwood, head of the children’s department at the Stowe Family Law firm; and Professor Agnes Nairn, a consultant on ethics and children and co-author of UNICEF’s September 2011 report on children’s well-being.
David Makhateli,the Georgian-born ballet star, winner of the Diaghilev prize, who left the Royal Ballet as principal dancer earlier this year, talks to the Voice of Russia’s Alice Lagnado.
In his eight years at the Royal Ballet he partnered Darcey Bussell, Tamara Rojo, Alina Cojocaru, Lauren Cuthbertson, and many more. Now he has embarked on an independent career promoting young dancers in productions at the world's top ballet theatres.
Makhateli #Arts #Ballet
Russian artist Sergei Pavlenko has made a success by painting some of the most notable figures in British society. A graduate from the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts now lives in London. Pavlenko's portrait of the Queen made in 2000, is said to be one of her personal favourites. He has painted her subsequently in the company of her grandsons - the princes William and Harry.
pavlenko #art #russia
At last the fuss over the US elections can fade into the background for another four years, and not a moment too soon for some. In this week's Inside Out, Sam Gerrans describes his impression of attitudes towards elections in Russia, and contrasts Russian realism with the American enthusiasm for voting.
RUVR #US #ELECTION#OBAMA
Trenton Oldfield was jailed for six months after he swam across the River Thames and brought the Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race to a halt. The 37 year old Australian said that he wanted to protest at inequality and elitism in British society. He was charged with 'public nuisance'.
His wife, Deepa Naik is the cofounder of the urban activist group 'This is Not a Gateway', and she claims that his sentence was increased due to poltical pressure.
The Boat Race is an historic feature of the British social calendar and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.
Tim Ecott asked Deepa Naik if she understood why people were annoyed at her husband's protest action.
Photographs of millions of people are being put on a national police database to try to stop criminals escaping detection simply by moving around the country. From March next year detectives will be able to compare images of suspects with around 16 million photos. The new photo system is an extension of the police national database. The database was established in 2011 following the murder of two schoolgirls – Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Cambridgeshire.
Their killer, Ian Huntley, was able to get a job working in a school even though he had a criminal record.
Currently the national database holds information on millions of people who have been convicted, cautioned or arrested, as well as others not suspected or convicted of crimes.
Detectives say the new photographic technology is a ‘game changer’.
But civil liberties groups are concerned about what data should be held on the database.
VoR’s Daniel Cinna discusses this with Nick Pickles, the director of the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch; Ken Lodge, the director of the security firm SIP Services International Limited; Rob Hastings, a freelance journalist, and Annie Machon, a Former Intelligence Officer for MI5.
More than 3.8 million children in Britain are growing up without a father. According to a top judge, the country is facing an epidemic of family breakdown. When it comes to divorce or separation cases, either member of the couple can be forced to pay maintenance to their partner, if their partner has depended on them for money. However in practice, more children are likely to live with their mums after separation than their dads.
The children’s minister is now proposing new legislation to ensure judges give fathers a legal right to spend time with their children after a divorce or separation. But campaign group Fathers 4 Justice says the ‘legislation won’t be worth the paper it’s written on’. The laws are expected to come into effect next year.
VoR’s Juliet Spare discusses the rights of fathers, mothers and children, as well as the Government’s new proposals with Ken Sanderson, Chief Executive from Families Need Fathers; Nadine O’Connor, Campaign Director at Fathers for Justice; Family Lawyer Robert Hush; and Nick Woodall from the Centre for Separated Families.
Divorce #Russia #FamilesNeedFathers
Syria’s opposition have agreed to form a coalition to oppose president Bashar al-Assad but how effective and how representative will it be? VoR’s Brendan Cole discusses the latest from the conflict in Syria with Kristyan Benedict, campaign manager from Amnesty International UK ; Harry Phibbs, journalist with the Conservative Home website ; Fr Nadim Nassar, Syria's only Anglican priest and director of the Awareness Foundation; and Sami Haddad, activist for the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
VOR #RUSSIA #SYRIA #RUVR
In recent years, basketball, rugby and cricket have all seen high-profile stars come out as homosexuals. But the world’s most popular sport, football, currently does not have a single top flight professional who is openly gay. Anton Hysen, who plays in the Swedish 3rd Division comes closest. In Britain, the former Norwich City and Nottingham Forest footballer - Justin Fashanu – revealed that he was gay in 1990. But Fashanu suffered years of discrimination and ended up committing suicide in 1998, after a 17 year-old American boy alleged that the football star had sexually assaulted him.
Meanwhile, a recent National Union of Students survey has revealed that less than 40% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students who play organised sport at university are open about their sexuality with their teammates.
So is progress being made in combating homophobia in sport, or is an issue that is simply not being addressed?
The Voice of Russia’s Tim Walklate discusses this with Andrew Warshaw, Chief Football Reporter for Inside World Football; Chris Basiurski, Chair of the Gay Football Supporters’ Network and Tony Fenwick, Co-Chair of Schools Out and LGBT History Month.
RUVR #RUSSIA #SPORT #GAY
In the latest of our interviews with Russians living in London, Alice Lagnado talks to digital marketer Sophie Benzina, who came to the capital two years ago. Sophie left a great job, friends and boyfriend and a home near the picturesque Novodevich monastery in central Moscow to make her way in London – and she doesn’t regret it.
culture #russia #voiceofrussia #vor #ruvr #Benzina
In this week's Curtain Up, Alice Lagnado talks to Mikhail Segal, director of an acclaimed new Russian film, Short Stories, which recently had its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and at the Academia Rossica film festival in London. Short Stories is a witty and stylish film which tells the tales of different people living in Russia today - from a young couple about to get married to a university lecturer forced to take bribes to pay for an operation for his sick mother.
Also this week, Julian Gallant, the director of Pushkin House, interviews Michael Boyd, the outgoing artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, about his new production of Pushkin's Boris Godunov and his long connection with Russia.
The play tells the story of Tsar Boris Godunov, a complex and tragic man who ruled Russia in the 16th century.
ruvr #voiceofrussia #vor #curtainup #MikhailSegal #culture
Beijing is a city on high alert - with thousands of extra police officers deployed and vehicle checkpoints set up across the capital. It’s all because China is about to see momentous change. More than two thousand two hundred delegates from all the country have gathering for a Communist Party Congress that will see a new leader anointed. The Congress itself will play little part in deciding on who that will be. But Xi Jinping, the son of a former comrade of Mao Tse-tung, is universally expected to replace President Hu Jintao at the top of the ruling Communist party. His accession to the post has been decided upon by the party elite, while he’s expected to assume the Presidency in March next year. So who is Xi Jinping – and will he take China in a new direction? VoR’s Hywel Davies discusses this with Joseph Cheng, Professor of Political Science at the City University of Hong Kong; Zhengxu Wang, Associate Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies and Politics; Merlene Emerson Chair of the Chinese Liberal Democrats; and Rod Wye, Associate Fellow at the think-tank Chatham House.
If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then one sure way to cheer up the women in your life is to give them flowers. So why don't we give more of them? In this week's Inside Out, Sam Gerrans discusses the giving of flowers in England and Russia.
RUSSIA #INSIDEOUT #RUVR
David Cameron has reiterated his pledge to increase overseas aid to developing countries to 0.7 per cent of the UK's annual income. But given cuts elsewhere at home, should the UK continue to give as much to poorer countries? VOR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Alex Scrivener, policy officer for the World Development Movement; Laura Taylor, head of public policy at the relief agency Tearfund; Robert Oxley, campaign manager at Taxpayers' Alliance and Lord Lipsey from the House of Lords' economic affairs committee.
VOR #RUSSIA #CAMERON
A new report has revealed that nearly five million people in Britain don’t earn enough to maintain a decent standard of living. Their incomes fall below the level set as the UK living wage by the prominent think tank, the Centre for Research in Social Policy. It says £7.20 per hour is the minimum needed for those in work to support themselves. The figure is higher for London, standing at £8.30 per hour. But can the country afford it?
VOR’s Daniel Cinna discusses this with Michael Kelly, the author of the living wage report and the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for KPMG; Stephanie Lis, a Communications Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs; John Page, the National Organiser at the TSSA union, which represents people working in transport and travel, and Pete Spence, a Programmes Officer at the Adam Smith Institute.
russia #britain #ruvr #KPMG
The political commentator and author Peter Hitchens says that government drug policy in the UK is flawed. In his new book ‘The War We Never Fought’, published by Continuum, he claims that a liberal elite which includes both Conservatives, Labour and Liberals has been unwilling to truly promote a legal war against drugs – especially cannabis. Tim Ecott talks to him at length about why he chose to write the book now.
RUVR #Russia #VOR#Hitchens #PeterHitchens
Marja Pylkäs is from Finland. She did well at school and went on to study Russian Language and Culture at university where she also dedicated a year to Spanish. After university she worked for the Finnish embassy in St. Petersburg and since then has moved to Moscow. Here she teaches English to children and is pursuing her interest in theatre.
Daniel Medvedev was born in Moscow but moved to the United States when his parents left the country when he was three. He grew up mainly in Southern California. He began a university with a major in music, before deciding to come to the land of his birth to study drama. He studied at both MHAT and at the Shukinsky Institute before meeting his mentor, Evgeny Ponasenkov, an actor, director and historian who gave his life new direction and purpose.
moscow #Danielmedvedev #ponasenkov
Tim Bobak is from Wimbledon, London. After preparatory school, he went to Winchester College where he was exposed to Russian at an early age, and made his first solo trip to Russia at sixteen. He studied Russian and History at university at UCL spending five months in Moscow and a further five months in St. Petersburg. While a student he did an internship for a foreign company in Moscow. He has been back here four months since completing his studies and is working as an analyst for a Russian company.
Bobak #Russia #RUVR #VoiceOfRussia
In this week's Inside Out, Sam Gerrans looks at the status of elderly people in England and Russia.
VOR#VoiceOfRussia#InsideOut#Gerrans
Time is a commodity, but its worth varies depending on who you are, where you are and what you want to get done. In this week's Inside Out, Sam Gerrans explores attitudes to time in England and Russia.
Alice Lagnado talks to Ignaty Dyakov, an educational entrepreneur, about finding out how London today is not the city of Sherlock Holmes, teaching foreigners to love the Russian language, and backing a charity that brings fresh drinking water to Ethiopians. Alice began their conversation by asking what brought Ignaty to London four years ago.
IgnatyDyakov#Dyakov#VOR#RUVR#Russia
The British Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith wants to cap child benefits for mothers after their second child, saying the welfare system encourages poorer families to have more children rather than get a job.
But would this measure work?
VOR's Juliet Spare discusses this with Tina Boyd from #ProjectPrevention, a US group which pays addicts to use birth control, Tina chose to be sterilised. Jad Adams, chairman of London homeless charity #Nightwatch; #KirstieDouse, head of legal services at drug legal service release and Anthony #Ozimic from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
RUVR#VOICEOFRUSSIA#IDS#VOR
London's leading entertainment Time Out is the latest magazine to go free. It began life in 1968, peeked in the late 1990s but has seen numbers dwindling since changes in magazine consumption trends. So what is the impact of free titles and will free publications overtake paid-fors?
VoR's Breandan Cole discusses this with his guests Greg Miall, project director at Time Out;Robert Picard,director of research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University; Lisa O'Carroll, journalist for The Guardian newspaper and Scott Rodgers, lecturer in Media Theory at London’s Birkbeck University
ruvr#voiceofrussia#russia#miall#timeout
In the latest edition of Curtain Up VOR’s Alice Lagnado and Pushkin House director Julian Gallant talk to Professor John Milner of the Courtauld Institute in London. Professor Milner is part of the team behind Russian Culture in Exile 1921-1953, a conference at the Courtauld Institute on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 November.
ruvr#voiceofrussia#vor#curtainup#johnmilner#milner#courtauld
The ‘Square Mile’, officially known as the City of London, is the centre of global finance.It holds around 9.4 trillion pounds in banking assets from global institutes. But unlike anywhere else in the UK, the City has exclusive powers and privileges dating back to mediaeval times.
VoR’ Daniel Cinna discusses this with Dr Lee Salter, the senior lecturer in journalism at the University of the West of England and co-producer of the Secret City film; David Wickenden, an investment banking business analyst; Professor Tony Travers from the Department of Government at the London School of Economics; and Tim Groves from Occupy London.
In this week's edition of Curtain Up, Alice Lagnado and Julian Gallant talked to Svetlana Adjoubei, director of Academia Rossica, the cultural organisation set up in 2000 to promote and strengthen cultural and intellectual ties between Russia and the English-speaking world. This Sunday, 16 September, Academia Rossica presents the Russian Wave festival, a celebration of contemporary Russian culture - film, literature, art and food. And this autumn, AR will bring Londoners its 6th Russian Film Festival.
russia #culture #svetlanaadjoubei
The challenge facing the world from climate change has been described by Professor Stephen Hawking as ‘the greatest ever threat to humanity’. The Government's Department of Energy and Climate Change says average temperatures may rise by up to 6C by the end of this century - and yet many people are sceptical that climate change is real. VoR’s Tim Ecott discusses this with his guests; Christopher Monckton, British politician and public speaker (UK Independence Party); Bob Ward from the London School of Economics; and Joan Whally MP, Chair of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee.
ruvr #climate #voiceofrussia #russia #monckton
Police have begun a criminal inquiry after allegations that the former TV presenter sexually abused many people, including young girls, for over four decades. Officers are looking into 400 lines of inquiry. We wanted to take a look at the effect this abuse by a well-known celebrity had on his many victims. Joining Juliet Spare on the Voice of Russia are Dr Jon Bird, operations manager at the National Association of People Abused in Childhood; Abbie Wightwick, a journalist in Wales who interviewed Savile at the beginning of her career; Ian Dunt, political editor of the website www.politics.co.uk, and Alan Collins, lawyer and partner at Pannone.
ruvr #voiceofrussia #russia #jimmysavile #debate #vordebate #vor
If you live abroad long enough, your connection with your country of origin will weaken because while you were busy creating a life in a new country, everyone back home was moving on. In this episode of Inside Out, Sam Gerrans looks at what it is to lose touch with your homeland.
SamGerrans#InsideAndOut#Russia#VOR#RUVR#VoiceOfRussia
In this edition VOR’s Tim Ecott speaks to the author and documentary film-maker Leslie Woodhead. He was one of the first journalists to work with The Beatles in their early days and he’s also been intimately connected to Russia. He’s written a new book – to be published in the early spring – and entitled ‘How the Beatles rocked the Kremlin’. In it he analyses the effect of popular music during the 1960s on Russia, and more widely its cultural power for people listening to western pop music, when much of it was officially banned.
arts #culture #russia #ruvr #vor #voiceofrussia #ecott #woodhead #thebeatles #beatles
In the latest edition of our weekly arts programme, Curtain Up, Alice Lagnado talks to her co-presenter, Julian Gallant, about his stint as the director of Pushkin House, the mecca for Russians and Russophiles in London. After six years, Julian Gallant is stepping down as director to pursue his career as a conductor, pianist, broadcaster and teacher.
arts #culture #russia #pushkin #vor #voiceofrussia
So is sport getting on top of the trade in banned substances – or will some athletes always seek an advantage? And is doping necessarily a bad thing?
VOR's Hywel Davies discusses this with Andy Parkinson, Chief Executive of UK Anti-Doping – the main agency fighting drugs in sport here in Britain; Tim Rolls, sports blogger at plainsofalmeria.co.uk; Dan Travis, sports coach and writer, and Julian Savulescu, Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, who's on the line from Oxford.
news #debate #russia #sport #vor #voiceofrussia #ruvr #Uehiro
In this edition of Curtain Up, Alice Lagnado and Pushkin House director Julian Gallant talk to one of the world's most charismatic viola players, Maxim Rysanov, who lives in London. Maxim is a recent recipient of the Classic FM Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award and a member of the BBC New Generation programme.
arts #culture #russia #pushkin #vor #voiceofrussia #ruvr#Maxim #Rysanov
Historian David Priestland is the author of the book entitled Merchant, Soldier, Sage: A New History of Power. Dr Priestland’s thesis is that we live in an age ruled by merchants – but that history has been defined by a succession of power struggles between different classes – which he redefines as ‘castes’. VOR’s Tim Ecott asked David Priestland how he defines these castes
arts #culture #russia #ruvr #vor #voiceofrussia #ecott #priestland
Queues: no one likes them, but we all have to deal with them. How we manage them says a lot about who we are both as individuals and as a nation. And in this week's Inside Out, Sam Gerrans looks at the phenomenon of queueing in England and in Russia.
culture #russia #voiceofrussia #vor #ruvr
The Scottish referendum on independence will be open to those aged 16 and 17- years-old. Could this one day lead to under-18s voting in British elections?
VOR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Marc Kidson, a trustee from the British Youth Council; Sylvia Kritzinger, head of the department in social sciences at the University of Vienna; Dr Jay Giedd, chief of the unit on brain imaging at the Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Maryland, USA and Darren Hughes, director of campaigns and research at the Electoral Reform Society.
news #debate #russia #election #vor #voiceofrussia #ruvr
Tim Ecott hosts this occasional series of in-depth interviews. Authors, politicians, adventurers and extraordinary individuals with a story to tell explain their motivations, their inspirations and their views.
Alexander Talbot Rice studied at the Florence Academy of Art and is an Honorary Professor at St. Petersburg’s prestigious Repin Academy. Recently returned from an assignment as a war artist in Afghanistan he is now spending a year at Stowe school in Buckinghamshire as the Artist in Residence. He has painted portraits of many famous subjects including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Pope
arts #russia #vor #voiceofrussia #ruvr#queen #pope #Alexander #Talbot #Rice
In this week's edition of our weekly arts programme, Curtain Up, Alice Lagnado and Pushkin House director Julian Gallant talk to curator Dr Thierry Morel, who is the driving force behind a fantastic upcoming exhibition of Baroque masterpieces from St Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum.