blog

  • Brazil’s Monsters Come Out During Carnival

    Millions fill the streets of Rio de Janeiro every February to dance the smooth samba rhythms and watch the giant floats and brightly-costumed performers celebrate the nation’s strengths and mock its shortcomings.

    Beja Flor’s winning flaot. Rat pulling the Petrobras HQ; Photo AFPBeija-Flor's winning float: a rat pulling the Petrobras HQ (Photo: AFP)

  • The Ups and Downs of a Russian Anti-Doping Whistleblower

    Dressed in gray coats with white scarves, Russian athletes marched into South Korea’s Pyeongchang Stadium carrying the Olympic flag instead of their own.

    Russian athletes enter the stadium at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, 9 February 2018. (Photo (c): Daniel Karmann / Picture-Alliance / DPA / AP Images.)Russian athletes enter the stadium at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, 9 February 2018. (Photo (c): Daniel Karmann / Picture-Alliance / DPA / AP Images.)

  • Awards for Sale

    Three years after I investigated bogus international awards sold for thousands of euros, I got invited to pick up mine -- for a small fee of just €4,750.

    A screenshot of the Otherways web site. A screenshot of the Otherways web site.

  • The Spy Who Overthrew Macedonia’s Government

    For long-serving spy Gjorgi Lazarevski, a 2010 raid on one of Macedonia’s few remaining independent TV stations was the last straw.

    Gjorgi Lazarevski, a former Macedonian intelligence officer who helped expose a massive wiretapping scheme that brought down the government. (Credit: Nova TV)Gjorgi Lazarevski, a former Macedonian intelligence officer who helped expose a massive wiretapping scheme that brought down the government. (Credit: Nova TV)