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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 trade...

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 President Xi J...

While US President Donald Trump clashed with state governors over plans to reopen the economy, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that France will remain under lockdown for four more weeks. And, earlier this month, top cybersecurity officials in the US and the UK issued a warning about COVID-19-related scams and phishing attempts. Also, in Calgary, Canada, high school students laun...

The US is now the center of the global pandemic. With more than a half a million confirmed cases and 22,000 deaths from COVID-19 and a surge still on the way for many parts of the country, is it premature to talk about opening things up again? And, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus in the country, but that's not the only thing that's making it hard for...

The coronavirus has fundamentally changed how we live our lives — but perhaps most heartbreaking is how it's changed how we deal with death. And, every year, thousands of Catholic worshipers travel to the east side of Mexico City to watch a live reenactment of the stations of the cross. This year, as Mexico and much of the world is implementing social isolation measures to slow the spread of the c...

US President Donald Trump is threatening to pull funding from the World Health Organization, accusing it of being too "China-centric." The WHO has cautioned against politicizing the coronavirus crisis. And, health care professional burnout has been a long-standing and overlooked issue in hospitals around the world, even before the coronavirus. Also, triathlete Mirinda Carfrae was in second place i...

The central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic, began allowing people to leave on Wednesday for the first time after being locked down for 76 days. And, the pandemic has brought all sorts of things to a standstill, including elections. Many officials are looking to make online voting available to more people — that makes election security experts particularly ne...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is spending his second night in intensive care in a London hospital after contracting COVID-19. And, the Trump administration is pushing forward with a new plan for a power-sharing government in Venezuela, as the South American nation struggles with a collapsed economy and the looming threat of the coronavirus pandemic. Also, with much of the world cooped up in...

Spain is the country with the second most reported cases of COVID-19 in the world. However, there seems to be some good news of late: Spanish officials are reporting the growth rate of the virus shows signs of slowing. And, Lebanon's Hezbollah, which recently invited reporters to tour some of its medical facilities, says it's ready for the battle against coronavirus. Also, New Zealand Prime Minist...

The US is rolling out its largest economic stimulus package in history. Other countries are also spending big to stop losses caused by the coronavirus crisis, but there are some differences in how they do it and who benefits. And, Iran is one of the countries worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more than a month, health authorities have struggled to contain the outbreak. Also, after much early...

From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 71. Swedish audio streaming site Spotify surveyed 5,000 pet owners from Britain, Australia, Spain, Italy and the United States and found that 71% of pet owners play music for their pets when they leave the house. Your pup might be getting extra attention as the world hunkers down amid the pandemic. But if you need some pet-fre...

Governments around the world are using digital tracking tools to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In Europe, where privacy and data protections are among the strongest in the world, there’s an effort to come up with effective digital tracking tools that are also privacy-friendly. And, the US armed forces are juggling contradictory goals — troop readiness and troop protection. Tensions around th...