The World

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.

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 vote remains unclear...

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 field has gone largely unrecognized until the current novel coronavirus pandemic. 

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, has become a trend for people looking for ways to pass time under lockdown...

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 Asia, has been recently spotted in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, Canada...

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...

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 build a $500 billion futuristic city...

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 protest the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the coronavirus crisis.

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 the case for the CPBL, Taiwan’s professional baseball league.

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 lockdown with potentially deadly curfews...