With several vaccines approved, health authorities around the world are racing to inoculate populations before new, potentially more dangerous, variants of the coronavirus spread. What are the implications of the COVID-19 variants? As part of The World's regular series of conversations on the pandemic, and as a special in our podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina.

Find more of our Coronavirus Conversations series here: https://www.theworld.org/coronavirus-conversations

Coronavirus Conversations: The latest on COVID-19 variants and rapid testing

Host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories that remind us just how small our planet really is.

News

At its height, ISIS recruited and trained children to fight for its cause. Some participated in atrocities and appeared in propaganda videos. Others were brought to the so-called caliphate by their parents or they were born there. We hear about one young man from Trinidad who has been stuck there for 5 1/2 years. And, European police have busted a criminal ring that over a period of two years stole rare books by famous Russian authors from libraries across Europe. Europol says it has arrested four Georgian nationals in Georgia and Lithuania who are thought to have collaborated in the plot. Also, global average sea-surface temperatures have set records for more than a year straight. It's incredibly anomalous, and worrying for everything from marine life to hurricane season. Plus, a Venice tourist tax. Listen to today's Music Heard on Air.

The children of ISIS who remain in Syria

Thousands of people with perceived connections to ISIS remain locked away in detention camps across northeastern Syria. Some of the prisoners are children. We visited several sites in what's been called "Guantanamo on an epic scale." Plus, in Kenya, health care workers at public hospitals are on strike over insufficient pay. The strike has already had an impact, with some public hospitals no longer providing services. And, a look inside the European Union's struggle to keep economically and culturally significant plant species, like olive trees used to make olive oil in Italy, safe from imported pathogens and pests. Also, check out The World's Music Heard on Air playlist on Spotify.

In Syria, 'Guantanamo on an epic scale'

Britain’s Parliament has passed contentious legislation aimed at deterring asylum-seekers from heading to the UK. People arriving via small boats or any other “irregular means” will be deported to Rwanda where their asylum cases will be heard. Also, a new report by the Swiss investigative organization Public Eye says that several popular Nestle products sold in lower-income countries contain added sugar, often at high levels, while the same products, when sold in Switzerland, do not. And, a family in the West Bank village of Burin tells the story of their eldest son who was the victim of recent violence by the Israeli army and settlers against Palestinians. Plus, The Little Shop of Kindness, run by volunteers, offers clothes, toiletries and humanity to migrants in New York City.Music heard on air
Ta Nye
Sal Al Malecon
Flowing and Bending
Bbye

UK passes legislation aimed at deterring asylum-seekers

The head of military intelligence for Israel, Aharon Haliva, has resigned, saying his directorate failed to alert the military and nation in time to prevent Hamas's Oct. 7 attack. Also, the US House of Representatives passes another spending package worth $61 billion for Ukraine. And, a German bank has frozen the account of Judische Stimme (Jewish Voice). It comes amid a string of confrontations between the German government and Jewish artists and intellectuals who criticize the war in Gaza and Germany’s unwavering support for Israel. Plus, the Chinatown that has no Asian grocery store.Music heard on air
Makhafi 
Modul 22
Gedima
Shade 

Israel’s military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva resigns

Voting has begun in India in what's being called the largest election in recorded history. Nearly 1 billion people are eligible to vote in the election, which will happen over the next six weeks. Also, US and Iranian officials confirm an Israeli attack on the Iranian city of Isfahan, which is home to several key military sites. And, there’s a growing social media campaign to boycott Canada's biggest grocery store chain, Loblaws, as prices rise across the market. Plus, the UN describes the current state of government and society in Haiti as "cataclysmic," with armed gangs seizing control of much of the country.Music heard on air
My Soul Thirsts
Moonshine Part 1
All Winter
Nature

Coronavirus Conversations: The latest on COVID-19 variants and rapid testing

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