Full story - January 22, 2021
Kim Ju-won (left) and Park Sun-min (right) say same-sex couples are excluded from incentives to start families. 

South Korea’s baby boost for married couples excludes nontraditional families

South Korea wants more couples to have babies — but not all families are equal. Same-sex marriage is banned, and there are no laws that protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination. Single mothers also face stigma.
Full story - January 22, 2021
The sun sets on Kamoka Pearl Farm, located on the Ahe Atoll, about 300 miles away from French Polynesia's main island, Tahiti. Owner Josh Humbert says that being environmentally has always been important at this small, family-run pearl production operatio

French Polynesia’s pearl farmers combat climate change with sustainable practices

Some pearl producers in French Polynesia are implementing innovative sustainable farming practices that help ensure the oceans they work in stay healthy and thriving.
Full story - January 22, 2021
A rocket is shown launching with the fire from boosters and smoke shown at the bottom with trees in the distance.

Biden seeks to extend US-Russia arms deal; Controversial tweet from Iran's supreme leader; Honduras set for permanent abortion ban

President Joe Biden seeks a five-year extension with Russia on the New START treaty — the only deal left that limits the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals — with just weeks before it expires on Feb. 5.
Full episode - January 21, 2021
The the front window of jewelry store is shown framed by an arc of red balloons.

A year later after the coronavirus lockdown in Wuhan

A year after the first lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, there are two different narratives: one of heroism and teamwork, and another about loss and pain. And, after four years of the US reneging on international agreements and rolling back domestic environmental regulations, what does the Biden-Harris administration have to do to regain trust and lead the world on climate action — as Biden has promised to do? Also, starting this year, the Spanish government is now paying for 16 weeks of paternity leave for new fathers.
Full story - January 21, 2021
Erika Oliva, left, and her husband Benjamin Lopez's family gather inside their apartment in the southern neighborhood of Vallecas, in Madrid, Spain, Oct. 15, 2020. 

Can Spain’s new paternity leave law address entrenched gender roles?

Starting this year, fathers in Spain have four months of federal mandated paid leave — the same amount of time mothers have had for years. While that puts Spain ahead of many European countries, some critics say the law won't do much to change gender norms and roles.
Full story - January 21, 2021
The COVID-19 Exhibition in Wuhan, China, pays tribute to soldiers. 

Revisiting Wuhan a year after the coronavirus hit the city 

More than 3,000 people died of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. But there hasn’t been a case there since last spring.
Full episode - January 21, 2021
A group of young students are shown wearing face masks and back packs as they wait in liine.

Coronavirus Conversations: Schools disrupted amid the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has forced school systems around the world to piece together patchworks of in-person, remote and hybrid learning programs. What’s the latest science on children and COVID-19? As part of The World's regular series of conversations on the pandemic with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and as a special in our podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Harvard education expert Meira Levinson and epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch.
Full story - January 21, 2021
US President Joe Biden is shown seated at a wooden desk with a tall stack of embossed folders next to him.

Biden tackles the coronavirus; Twin suicide bombings in Baghdad; Migrant shipwreck off Libyan coast

Newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden will sign 10 key executive orders to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, as cases surge and troubling new variants appear around the world. Biden is asking all Americans to mask up during travel as a federal mandate, radically shifting the culture of mask-wearing in the US.
Full story - January 20, 2021
Lady Gaga performs the national anthem during the 59th presidential inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021.

Biden supporters across the political spectrum unified by outrage, heartbreak and hope

People want to cheer on Biden and make him be bold, Leah Greenberg, a co-founder of the nonprofit Indivisible, told The World. 
Full story - January 20, 2021
Izcan Ordaz says Texas conservatism has influenced his politics.

After 2020 election, first-time Latino voter worries about a divided US

Nineteen-year-old Izcan Ordaz has two asks of the new Biden administration: issue additional stimulus checks and help bring the country together.

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