Number in The News: 1,000 — English mill resumes commercial production to provide local bakeries with flour
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 1,000. Seventy-nine-year-old Pete Loosmore is the supervisor of the Sturminster Newton Mill, normally a tourist attraction in Dorset, England. But now, due to flour shortages in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Loosmore has increased the mill's four production back to commercial levels to meet a spike in demand and sup...
3m Jun 05, 2020
3m
The parallels of police violence in the US and around the world
We continue to focus on the two biggest stories across the globe: Police violence against black people in the US and around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the killing of a 14-year-old boy during a botched police raid in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is forcing a reckoning in both countries. Also, how tes...
46m Jun 04, 2020
46m
The parallels of police violence in the US and around the world
We continue to focus on the two biggest stories across the globe: Police violence against black people in the US and around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the killing of a 14-year-old boy during a botched police raid in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is forcing a reckoning in both countries. Also, how testing and ...
46m Jun 04, 2020
46m
(Special) While we were sleeping
If the US can’t build better airports or trains than China — or even take care of itself in times of major crisis like the coronavirus pandemic or current civil strife — how exactly is it supposed to “beat” China in this global competition we’re in? A co-production of PRX and Inkstick Media, and in partnership with The World, Things That Go Boom host Laicie Heeley looks back to see how China’s ...
27m Jun 04, 2020
27m
Facing the threat of coronavirus and state violence
Black Americans are facing two existential threats: the coronavirus pandemic and state violence. And, a recent exchange of cyberattacks between Iran and Israel, which included an attack on critical civilian infrastructure, is threatening to change the unofficial, but implicit agreement on the rules of engagement between these regional rivals. Also, a new collection from music producer and DJ, T...
48m Jun 03, 2020
48m
The intersection of racism and health amid the corornavirus
Today, The World explores the intersection of racism and health in this critical moment around the globe. And, as protests against police brutality continue across the world, many people are using social media to monitor events in real time, raising concerns about misinformation, conspiracy theories and outright false stories. Also, when Italy was hit hard by COVID-19 in February, researchers s...
48m Jun 02, 2020
48m
What a global focus on US protests could mean
The United States is no stranger to police brutality and violence. But with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, has the world's attention changed the equation? And, from Iran to China to Russia, America's adversaries are using the protests as anti-US propaganda fodder. Also, hundreds of LGBTQ Pride events have been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Still, many people aroun...
46m Jun 01, 2020
46m
What a global focus on US protests could mean
The United States is no stranger to police brutality and violence. But with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, has the world's attention changed the equation? And, from Iran to China to Russia, America's adversaries are using the protests as anti-US propaganda fodder. Also, hundreds of LGBTQ Pride events have been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Still, many people around the wor...
47m Jun 01, 2020
47m
Gobal lens focused on Minneapolis protests
The news out of Minnesota has been intensifying with each passing day this week. The death of a black man named George Floyd while in police custody led to protests and violence in Minneapolis and captured the global news spotlight. Also, like many states in the US, Nevada was struggling to test residents when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Eventually, help arrived from an unlikely place: an art...
46m May 29, 2020
46m
The global lens focused on Minneapolis protests
The news out of Minnesota has been intensifying with each passing day this week. The death of a black man named George Floyd while in police custody led to protests and violence in Minneapolis and captured the global news spotlight. Also, like many states in the US, Nevada was struggling to test residents when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Eventually, help arrived from an unlikely place: an art...
46m May 29, 2020
46m
Coronavirus vaccine trial showing promise
Health experts say that a coronavirus vaccine trial out of University of Oxford in England, is showing promise. And, on-the-spot temperature checks at airports, football stadiums and retail stores may soon become the norm. But workers' unions and civil rights groups are worried. Also, one of the many sectors of the economy hurting during the pandemic is the auto industry. Despite the slump, ele...
47m May 28, 2020
47m
Coronavirus conversations: Stopping the spread of misinformation amid the coronavirus crisis
Amplified by social media, misinformation can undermine critical public health efforts and fuel conspiracy theories — which are particularly dangerous amid the coronavirus crisis. As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a conversation with K. “Vish” Viswanath, professor of health communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Publi...
37m May 28, 2020
37m
Governments work on recovery plans as societies open up following coronavirus lockdowns
Governments everywhere are trying to figure out how to put together a recovery plan to get past the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic. The European Union on Wednesday moved forward on its plan. And, US officials signaled that they’re preparing to remove Hong Kong’s special trade status, declaring that it is no longer autonomous from China. Also, the world is living through stressful t...
47m May 27, 2020
47m
The business of vaccines amid a global pandemic
The race is on to create a vaccine to protect people from the coronavirus. It’s a global emergency which means nearly the entire globe’s population of more than 7 billion needs a vaccine. That could mean lots of money for the company that creates it — or maybe not. And, for the past few weeks, the world has been getting a rare glimpse into a heated feud between Bashar al-Assad and his billionai...
46m May 26, 2020
46m
Number in The News: 1918 — the coronavirus could change the way homes are designed
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 1918. The 1918 influenza pandemic had a profound influence on how homes — and in particular, bathrooms — were designed. The coronavirus could have the same impact. Lloyd Alter, a design historian and professor at Ryerson University School of Interior Design in Toronto, explains what changes may be coming. Sinks in hallways,...
4m May 26, 2020
4m
Epicenter of pandemic shifts to South America
The World checks in with a leading epidemiologist, Caroline Buckee from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on the latest coronavirus news: where the virus is now spreading across the globe, the timeline on a vaccine, and how we are doing to slow the spread of disease. And, is the United States entering a new Cold War, this time with China? The two nations were already sparrin...
46m May 25, 2020
46m
Epicenter of pandemic shifts to South America
The World checks in with a leading epidemiologist, Caroline Buckee from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on the latest coronavirus news: where the virus is now spreading across the globe, the timeline on a vaccine, and how we are doing to slow the spread of disease. And, is the United States entering a new Cold War, this time with China? The two nations were already sparring over tr...
47m May 25, 2020
47m
Trump to withdraw US from Open Skies arms treaty
US President Donald Trump has decided to pull the US out of the Open Skies arms control treaty that allows nations to fly over one another's territory with surveillance equipment. Former State Department official Alex Bell tells host Marco Werman that the move is more evidence that the White House plans to exit the START Treaty, which limits deployed nuclear missiles. And that could herald a ne...
47m May 22, 2020
47m
Worrisome numbers for the coronavirus crisis
The weather’s getting nice, summer is around the corner and economies around the globe are starting to re-open after months of pandemic lockdown. All sounds pretty good, except for one thing: the COVID-19 numbers. They’re not good at all. And, in Canada, the western province of British Columbia was already battling a major health crisis when the coronavirus emerged: that of skyrocketing overdos...
46m May 21, 2020
46m
Coronavirus conversations: Lessons from the coronavirus pandemic to avert a future crisis
The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the critical role of public health in protecting people around the world. But the crisis has also exposed the need for more investment to help prevent a pandemic of this magnitude from happening again. As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Dr. Howard Koh of the Harvard T.H....
42m May 21, 2020
42m
(Featured) World War C
The US spends more than $700 billion on defense every year, more than healthcare, education and all the rest of our discretionary spending combined. And yet the coronavirus slipped silently and invisibly across our borders, and even onto our aircraft carriers. You could say we were preparing for World War III, when we got hammered by World War C. The Things That Go Boom podcast is back with a n...
23m May 21, 2020
23m
Trump administration is using the pandemic to halt young asylum-seekers
The pandemic has not stopped children and teenage migrants from showing up alone at the US border hoping to apply for asylum. But how they’re being treated by US authorities has changed dramatically and critics say the Trump administration is using the pandemic as a way to halt any entries across the border. Also, the historic theater district in London has been quiet since the coronavirus outb...
46m May 20, 2020
46m
WHO director-general vows to continue fighting the coronavirus
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus closed the WHO’s two-day annual assembly vowing to continue to lead the fight against the pandemic which "threatens to tear at the fabric of international cooperation.” And, a super cyclone is set to hit India and Bangladesh Wednesday. Millions of people are being evacuated all while the countries face the coronavirus crisis....
46m May 19, 2020
46m
World Health Assembly goes virtual
It’s an unprecedented time and situation. “A microscopic virus has brought us to our knees,” said United Nations Secretary General António Guterres at the start of today’s 73rd annual World Health Assembly. Leaders from around the world convened — for the first time virtually — for two days of meetings to address the world’s response to the global pandemic. Speakers included China’s Pr...
46m May 19, 2020
46m
World leaders convene to address coronavirus crisis response
It’s an unprecedented time and situation. “A microscopic virus has brought us to our knees,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the start of the 73rd annual World Health Assembly on Monday. Leaders from around the world convened, for the first time virtually, for two days of meetings to address the world's response to the global pandemic. And, Brazil, one of the world’s c...
46m May 18, 2020
46m
Reassessing the effects of the coronavirus on children
For awhile it seemed kids were largely spared by the impacts of the coronavirus. But doctors are beginning to reassess this. In very rare instances, the virus now appears to be associated with an extreme overreaction of the immune system in children, requiring intensive care. The World's host Marco Werman speaks to Dr. Lorenzo D’Antiga in Bergamo, Italy. Spain has been one of the European count...
46m May 15, 2020
46m
New COVID-19 cases in China prompt massive testing plan
A handful of newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in Wuhan, China, widely believed to be the original epicenter of the disease. The new cases have the Chinese government moving forward with a sweeping new plan of mass testing. And, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities to bioweapons all around the world. A record 1.1 billion people watched the FIFA Wo...
47m May 14, 2020
47m
Coronavirus conversations: How do we reopen workplaces safely amid the coronavirus crisis?
Governments around the world are looking to start reopening society. But there have been a variety of approaches, and many people want to know: When is it safe to go back to work? As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Joseph Allen from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health on how to make an office environmen...
36m May 14, 2020
36m
Feature: How do we reopen workplaces safely amid the coronavirus crisis?
Governments around the world are looking to start reopening society. But there have been a variety of approaches, and many people want to know: When is it safe to go back to work? As part of our weekly series taking your questions to the experts, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Joseph Allen from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health on how to make an office environmen...
36m May 14, 2020
36m
Scientists work to understand immunity from the coronavirus
We still don't know whether people who've been infected with the novel coronavirus are immune from infection, and if so, for how long. But scientists are starting to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Madagascar is marketing a new herbal drink as a potential treatment — if not a cure — for the coronavirus. While the World Health Organization has warned against the use of untested treatments...
46m May 13, 2020
46m
US-China tensions threaten the fight against the coronavirus
Renewed tensions between Beijing and Washington threaten cooperation on halting the spread of COVID-19 and make completion of a landmark trade deal between the two superpowers less likely. And, countries everywhere are weighing the decision of when and how to reopen. But, there's no easy answers and no blueprint to follow. Also, for those stuck at home, especially with children, Japanese anima...
46m May 12, 2020
46m
Confusion over the UK's plan for lifting coronavirus restrictions
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out his exit strategy for how the UK comes out of lockdown. But not everyone is backing it, including leading lawmakers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And, when the globe first learned about the new coronavirus emerging in China, we were basically told to watch out for two things: a fever or a persistent, dry cough. But, a lot has changed...
46m May 11, 2020
46m
Brazil emerging as a new epicenter for the coronavirus
Brazil has become one of the global epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic, recently passing China in the number of reported cases. And, black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die with coronavirus as white people in England and Wales according to government officials. Also, the Puerto Rican indie pop duo Buscabulla have released their debut album "Regresa."
46m May 08, 2020
46m
Number in The News: 6: Astronaut shares lessons on surviving social isolation
From The World and PRX, this is the Number in the News. Today’s number: 6. Astronaut Cady Coleman understands what isolation feels like. Coleman spent nearly six months living on the International Space Station. With much of the world under lockdown to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus, Coleman is sharing lessons on surviving social isolation to help people down on planet Earth.
4m May 08, 2020
4m
Why developing a vaccine for coronavirus is critical
One reliable path to economic recovery is getting a vaccine for the coronavirus. The World discusses the latest and explains the race to develop a vaccine. In Poland, the ruling conservative government was pushing for presidential elections this Sunday by mail. But some lawmakers rebelled, and the ruling Law and Justice party, or PiS, agreed to postpone things. When, and how exactly Poles will ...
46m May 07, 2020
46m
Are the US and China at a crossroads?
Relations between Beijing and Washington have long been rocky. But now many leaders in both capitals see a more serious rupture as inevitable or even desirable. And, across the US, various groups have mobilized to confront the sudden, intense crisis of starvation among immigrants and refugees. Also, Scottish virologist June Almeida identified the first coronavirus in 1964. But her work in the f...
46m May 06, 2020
46m
Has US leadership diminished over the coronavirus crisis?
The Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus crisis has been the butt of jokes and critical editorials the world over. How real is this loss of prestige, and does it matter? And, for months starting in October, Iraqis poured into the streets in several major cities demanding change in their government. Then, the coronavirus happened. Bread making, particularly sourdough bread making, ...
46m May 05, 2020
46m
Ecuador hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated some countries more than others. Ecuador is one place that's been overwhelmed by COVID-19. Also, in this time of social isolation, many people are finding themselves without much of an opportunity for human touch. The condition is called "skin hunger," and it's known to cause depression, anxiety and insomnia. And, a hornet species, native to southeast Asi...
46m May 04, 2020
46m
A global effort to fast-track a vaccine for the coronavirus
Most leaders and medical experts say life won’t get back to relative normal until we get a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. It could take a while, so some scientists and ethicists are proposing a controversial method of testing. Also, Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has tested positive for the coronavirus and is temporarily stepping down from his position as he recovers. Plus, the British...
47m May 01, 2020
47m
How social distancing is impacting global vaccination efforts
Social distancing measures have been effective at countering the coronavirus pandemic, but have paralyzed global vaccination efforts. Already millions of children have become vulnerable to polio, measles, yellow fever and other killers. And, the death of a tribesman in northwest Saudi Arabia has raised alarms about the government's plans to forcibly remove locals from their land in order to bui...
46m Apr 30, 2020
46m
Global disruption of supply chains impacts food security
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted supply chains, prompting incidents of price gouging along with higher prices for fruits and vegetables around the world. How are poorer countries absorbing the costs? And, Israel's Supreme Court has weighed in on the country’s controversial COVID-19 digital tracking program. Also, dozens of French dentists are stripping down naked in their offices to prote...
47m Apr 29, 2020
47m
Crisis-hit countries facing the potential of millions of deaths from coronavirus
The curve may be starting to flatten in Europe and in the US, but a new report suggests in many crisis-hit countries around the world, the worst may yet be ahead. And, Chile is rolling out a plan to issue people with "immunity passports" allowing them to return to work. Also, professional sports leagues in most countries around the world have been either postponed or canceled, but this is not t...
48m Apr 28, 2020
48m
As some countries ease lockdowns, UK's Boris Johnson asks Britons to be patient
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is back on the job and urging the public to be patient with the lockdown restrictions. Meanwhile, the British parliament is back up and running though, without the traditional rancor for which the body is known. And, different countries are enforcing rules on self-isolation and quarantine differently. In the Philippines, a large part of the country is on loc...
47m Apr 27, 2020
47m
Nursing homes hit hard by the coronavirus in Canada
North of the US border in Canada, long-term care facilities for the elderly have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus. And, two Harvard University medical students are leading an initiative to raise awareness about COVID-19 and to debunk myths that are spreading in communities in South Asia and the Middle East. Also, as the pandemic continues to upend the lives of people around the world...
48m Apr 24, 2020
48m
Number in The News: 21: Calgary students launch hotline to bring uplifting stories to seniors
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 21. In these challenging times, sometimes you just need a pick-me-up — and fast. Luckily, residents of Calgary in western Canada literally have joy on speed-dial. High school students launched a hotline called Joy4All. Dial it, and you can hear local students share jokes, short stories and acts of kindness. The project is d...
4m Apr 24, 2020
4m
Calls for tracking racial data amid coronavirus crisis
Health advocates say that by failing to track racial data of coronavirus patients, governments are missing a rare opportunity to track, pinpoint and find solutions for vast disparities. And, the coronavirus can only be tackled if wealthy nations work hand-in-hand with the developing world, says former UN Ambassador Samantha Power. Also, officials in Ghana are using drones to transport coronavir...
49m Apr 23, 2020
49m
Europe takes tentative first steps to reopen
In Europe, a number of countries are taking tentative steps to reopen amid the coronavirus crisis. The key concern is a relapse and no one at this point can be sure what will happen next. After almost a decade of civil war in Syria, two former Syrian government officials will go on trial in Germany. Also, from Afghanistan to the Philippines, Scotland, Serbia and more, environmentalists around t...
48m Apr 22, 2020
48m
Trump to further restrict immigration
Late Monday night, US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to announce an executive order that will "temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" On Tuesday, Trump seemed to back away from his controversial tweet, but is expected to announce plans for further restricting immigration to the US. And, Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel is one of the year’s most solemn of days. But i...
48m Apr 21, 2020
48m
Immigrants are likeliest to be frontline workers amid coronavirus pandemic
Hassan Akkad is a BAFTA award-winning documentary filmmaker who filmed his journey as a Syrian refugee traversing Europe. But when the coronavirus hit London, where he lives, he decided to take on a new role: hospital cleaner. And in Mexico, radio stations in Indigenous communities are trying to fill critical coronavirus information gaps. In New York, bodega workers say they face shortages of f...
49m Apr 20, 2020
49m
Guatemala suspends US deportation flights over coronavirus concerns
Guatemalan government officials say at least 44 Guatemalan migrants who were deported on a flight from the US this week have tested positive for COVID-19. And, Google and Apple are working together to improve the technology for contact tracing in an effort to help counter the coronavirus outbreak. Also, around the world, coronavirus restrictions are forcing people to get creative in their kitch...
48m Apr 17, 2020
48m