The World

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 world are finding new ways to celebrate.

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 artificial intelligence company in the United Arab Emirates. Plus, an immersive Van Gogh installation in Toronto, Canada, is making a surprising pivot in the age of social distancing: They're letting visitors drive right through it.

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, electric vehicle sales are doing better than sales for gas and diesel-powered cars.

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 Public Health, who addressed the pitfalls of COVID-19 misinformation, as well as ways to find trustworthy information about the pandemic.

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 times and putting on a soothing song at the end of a long day can provide some relief. This is where acclaimed Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami stepped in and took to Tokyo radio waves to host a special show called "Music for a Brighter Tomorrow."

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 billionaire maternal cousin Rami Makhlouf. Also, Joanna Hausmann and Joe Wong are two immigrant comedians trying to figure out what’s funny, or not, in a US lockdown.

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, anyone?

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, technology, and territory in the Pacific, before a war of words and accusations erupted over the response to the pandemic. The World's Patrick Winn has more on the tense situation. Also, for the past few months, office workers across the globe have been working from home, upending the way meetings are conducted and employee interactions occur. Host Marco Werman speaks with Hayden Brown, president and CEO of Upwork, an online hiring platform for remote and independent professionals, about the future of working from home. Finally, the canals of Venice are clear for the first time in decades, but those legendary waterways that typically draw up to 30 million people a year to Venice may also be the city's downfall. Marco Werman speaks with Sara Moraca of InsideClimate News, about the future of the city that could be inundated by the end of the century.

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 new arms race. Also, slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s sons announced on Twitter that the family will forgive and pardon the killers of their father. Meanwhile, Khashoggi’s fiance, Hatice Cengiz, says she is not accepting any pardon. The World's Marco Werman speaks with Agnes Callamard, the UN official who led the investigation of Khashoggi's murder. Meanwhile, the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress, considered the most important political event of the year, kicked off today. Dominating the meeting so far were the country's economic plans in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and a controversial new Hong Kong national security law. And, usually, the center of life during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan is the mosque — but the coronavirus pandemic has changed how it's being celebrated. From Casablanca, Morocco, reporter Lauren Schenkman reports on how Ramadan this year is very different.

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 overdose deaths. Concerns mounted that these dueling emergencies, compounded, could fuel an even bigger problem. Also, a Dutch nursing home has constructed a glass cabin in their back garden so elderly residents can meet safely with friends and family, while separated by panes of glass.