The News You Missed in 2021, From Every Country in the World (Part 1) | Wendover Productions

0:00This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online makes sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up require compatibility and availability varies 18 plus. Your vehicle doesn't just get you from here to there. It's a bridge to the people and places that matter most. It's how you show up for your family, your community, and everyone else that depends on you. That's why for 125 years, Firestone has been building tires with one thing in mind, to deliver products that are as reliable as you are. Firestone, always dependable since 1900. I see. Avatar Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney Plus.

1:01It's the film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. A true epic and completely jaw-dropping. This is the only pure thing in this world. Return to Pandora on Disney Plus. There will be an adventure for the whole fam and watch the Oscar-winning phenomenon at home. This is sick. Avatar Fire and Ash now streaming on Disney Plus, rated PG 13. 2021 was not a fresh start. A sampling of newspapers' front pages, a stroll through single-digit cable channels, a scroll through your trusted news sites, all advance the same sentiment. A new year doesn't mean a new world. A fresh fourth digit doesn't refresh the headlines. Rather, 2021 was a year of new stories evolving of headlines maturing. Pandemic stories went from panic and uncertainty over the virus to panic and uncertainty over the vaccine and its rollout. Stories on paper product shortages turned into headlines outlining outright supply chain chaos. Coverage of police violence, racial injustice, and subsequent protests moved from the streets

2:03and into the courtroom. The strongest point of continuity from last year to this year, however, was that a host of stories burned so bright that they left little oxygen for smaller ones to breathe. So we did it again. We assembled a list of news stories, one for each country that you likely missed in 2021. Some rules are the same from last year. We're not covering the big stories. You won't hear about America ending its longest war, the traffic jam in the Suez Canal, and you certainly won't hear me utter the all-consuming seaworth. In its absence, you'll notice that two other seaworths came to dominate our headlines, climate change, and coup d'etat. These themes point to the change in this year's video. Rather than focusing on finding stories distant from the seaworth, this edition's headlines reflect the experience of each country's general populists. Stories that often revolve around responses to a rapidly changing world and unnervingly unstable governments. The stories aren't all dark though. 2021 was tough, but it was one filled with the heartening, and of course, the quirky. Not only does this people first focus and form the stories we chose, but also how we organize the stories themselves.

3:04Rather than going from most populists to leased like last year, we're using the human development index or HDI. HDI is a metric aimed to quantify standard of living, ranking each country between zero and one based on three dimensions, along in happy life, accumulation of education, and earnings. The United Nations compiles this list using an algorithm that includes indicators such as life expectancy at birth, gross national income per capita, and mean years of schooling for adults 25 and over. HDI was created to, as the UN states, quote, emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country not economic growth alone. But simply, HDI is the best metric available to frame this trip around the globe from the perspective of everyday people. But not all of the 196 UN recognized countries and territories we cover have an HDI score. Missing statistics in per capita income, life expectancy, or years of education means that seven countries didn't have a score, but they did make news, so we'll start there and then go from lowest HDI to highest. We've spent a lot of time explaining,

4:05but you're here for the headlines. So let's get started with the first 98. We start this year in the country that the HDI calculators probably know the least about, North Korea. The Hermit Kingdom countered its natural disposition when it decided to reopen lines of communication with South Korea via the hotline that directly connects Seoul and Pyongyang. The hotlines existed in one former another since the 1970s, but has been severed twice in the past two years on account of the failed Trump Summit with the North and joined military exercises between the US and the South. From nations we'd like to know more about, to continents that spark curiosity, Venturi, an innovative auto company and formerly E-Team from Monaco announced its plan to launch its electric polar exploration vehicle in Antarctica. While the world's been sending vehicles down there for decades, Venturi's will be the first that spews zero admissions as it transport scientists across the continent to conduct important climate change research. While it's been tested on French ski resorts, the sole focus has been getting the vehicle ready for the southern continents, a mission laid bare by the vehicle's name, Antarctica. The news out of Nauru suggested that 2021 wasn't one to critically rethink its international agreements,

5:07but its chance to double down. At least that was the case when the country renewed its deal with Australia to serve as an offshore processing location for asylum seekers looking to enter the popular migration destination. While the extension keeps the island nation in the good graces of regional power broker Australia, it keeps the island connected to and complicit in an asylum system that many, including the UN, has decried as cruel and inhuman with its delays, decrepit living conditions, and reports of abuse. 2021 was an Olympics year, and one of the smallest countries in the world took two podiums. San Marino, a 23 square mile, 60 square kilometer on-claves surrounded by Italy, earned its first Olympic medal. Women's trap shooter, Alessandro Perelli, took home a bronze during the summer games, but it wasn't just her award. Now the country, with 33,000 people, came in first for being the least populated territory in the world to earn an Olympic medal surpassing Bermuda's 70,000. Somalia got its first taste of the silver screen in 30 years when the National Theater of Somalia reopened for screening featuring two short films by a home ground director. The theater closed in 1991 at the start

6:08of the country's Civil War has been used frequently by warlords as their headquarters, and was then bombed by anti-intertainment geodesics. Its reopening, though tenuous and under heavy security, marked a flicker of hope for civilians, especially the flick-loving ones. And we're not even into the list, but we're re at climate change. Two-values foreign minister went viral for addressing the COP26 climate summit knee deep in water, a strong image that demonstrates the peril facing the island nation, which only rises to 15 feet or four and a half meters above sea level. He's asking that if the nation goes underwater, it can retain ownership to its maritime zones and rights as a state, even if residents have to relocate. Accessential questions for a very non-existential crisis. In a less systemic and more personal response to climbing temperatures, the Vatican's most famous resident donated 15,000 ice creams to local prisoners during an unpleasant hot snap in a summer that set heat records across the Italian peninsula. While the gesture was admittedly minor, it signaled the Vatican's dedication to aid the local population down on its luck. The Vatican's charity office has also provided free testing

7:08and vaccines during the pandemic, and has taken locals experiencing homelessness out for pizza. In what's been a tough year for a myriad of reasons, Niger made history with its first ever peaceful democratic transition of power. When President Mahamadu Isofu relinquished the position after two terms, the limit outlined. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up require compatibility and availability very 16 plus. Real value shows up in reliability. You don't have to second guess. Like a set of Firestone All Season Tires, they're designed to deliver confidence inspiring wet weather traction and a quieter ride, no matter the road, season after season.

8:09Firestone All Season Tires for durability, you can count on. Just like people count on you. Firestone, always dependable since 1900. I see. Avatar Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney Plus. It's the film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. Go, go, go, go. A true epic and completely jaw-dropping. This is the only pure thing in this world. Return to Pandora on Disney Plus. So we'll be an adventure for the whole fam. And watch the Oscar winning phenomenon at home. This is sick. Avatar Fire and Ash, now streaming on Disney Plus, rated PG 13. Under the country's constitution, Niger elected and placed its new president, Mohammed Basoum. Well claims a fraud, protest, outright violence and a Steinmeade coop nearly derailed it. 2021's successful transition of power was the country's first since it gained independence in 1960.

9:09Just as Niger elected its new leader, the Central African Republic lost one of their own. heavily criticized for the government's inability to foster peace among ethnic groups. It's worrying ties with Russia and its bungled relationship with France who have now pulled their military aid out of the country. Ferman Nierbada announced that he and his government had handed over their resignation on Twitter. Just north, in Chad, 2021 saw both the suspension and reinstatement of the Judean football organization by the hands of FIFA. Signing government interference in Chad's effort to seize the association's authority and training grounds, an unsurprising overstep under the ruling military council, soccer's ruling body banned the country from international tournaments. While restrictions were ultimately lifted, Chad was disqualified from the all-important 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The world's youngest country, South Sudan, rang in its 10th anniversary with a first as the mobile provider, Digitel, launched in the capital city of Juba. Digitel is the first South Sudanese owned and operated mobile network, and its stated goal is to roll out 4G and Juba

10:12at competitive rates and provide mobile service for remote areas, a meaningful step in the country's development. Important infrastructure developments might be afloat in Nierbada, as well. In July, the heads of state from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed cooperative agreements aimed to foster trade, stamp out rebels, and literally bridge the Ruzizi River sized gap between the neighboring countries. Expanding rail lines and electrification along the borderlands are also key components of the agreements. These deals signal on paper when its leaders claim have always connected the two countries, in their words a historic brotherhood. Non-uploots is the crossword-worthy term that reached household-level parlance across Mali in 2021. Backed by nationwide well wishes, 21-year-old Halima Cise was sent to a specialist in Morocco in late March to deliver seven babies, or so she thought. To her doctor-surprise, Cise Harbor 9, all of which were born in good health. Cise's non-uploots now mark the record for the most babies born at once.

11:15At the World Warms, cities are getting hot. Sometimes, deadly hot. This is the case in Free Town, the capital city of Sierra Leone. In the face of deadly heat waves, the city has appointed an extreme heat official to draft a comprehensive heat strategy, raise general awareness, and create ways to protect the city's most exposed. Free Town's extreme heat official is not just the first in Africa, but only the third such official in the world, joining those recently appointed in Miami at Athens. Inspiration takes many forms. For Bikina Faso Nationals, it took the form of the massive smiling iron bibby, who set a new world record in loglifting. While Western media might have overlooked his 504-pound over-the-head lift in Glasgow, Scotland, his triumph was big news in Burkina Faso, as residents welcomed him back at the airport in droves. The moment wasn't lost on iron bibby, who dedicated his trophy to his home country, as, quote, a message of hope. On the other side of Africa, in Mozambique,

12:15researchers have found that elephants have begun ditching their tusks in the name of survival. Once rare, Tuskless African elephants have become increasingly common over the past 50 years, largely on account of poachers. With 90% of the country's elephants killed for their ivory during Mozambique Civil War, Tuskless elephants benefited from an increased opportunity to pass down their tuskless genes. With poaching down and conservation up in recent decades, though, it's expected that tusks will come back in vogue. If you're looking for a reminder that the past is very much part of the present, look no further than Eritrea. Over 300 Eritreans born during Italy's rule have demanded Italian citizenship. In the seven-odd decades since colonial rule, Eritrea claims to Italian citizenship based on paternal bloodlines have fallen on deaf ears. Racial rules during the fascist period, current Italian immigration policy, lack of documentation, and limited mobility under Eritrea's dictatorial rule have kept an estimated thousands of Eritreans from accessing Italian citizenship.

13:16The latest push for recognition, though, shows these claims aren't fading quietly. Elegant, meticulously groomed and arranged trees and bushes aren't likely what one would expect along the war-torn streets of Yemen. But that's what you'll run into when passing through the city of Mareb, where trees sculpted into shapes, figures, and animals line roadways. In a region of critical strategic importance, representing one of the government's last surviving strongholds, this city beautification project, beginning 2016, has offered a welcome respite from the country's dragging civil war. Dranking also describes the legacy of the West African Ebola outbreak as the repercussions of the epidemic that ended in 2016 may still be taking shape. Researchers suspect that this year's Ebola outbreak of 20-plus probable cases in Guinea was triggered by a survivor of the earlier outbreak. While scientists knew that in the rarest of cases, the virus could shed and transmit up to 500 days after infection, the finding that a body harbored the virus for a full five years was a surprising

14:16and frightening development. $50,000 still goes a long way. In Liberia, $50,000 in doing the right thing with it will earn you a chance to meet the president. That was the case for a manual Tulo, a teenage motorcycle taxi driver who found a plastic bag on the side of the road, stuffed with 50 grand in cash, and returned it in full to the business woman who had lost it. His good deed was praised by Liberians and earned him the chance to meet the president with whom he wanted to discuss getting himself and fellow youngsters back in school. For the first time, male green sea turtles off the coast of Guinea-Bisao are getting GPS. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up require compatibility and availability varies 18 plus.

15:20Real value shows up in reliability. You don't have to second guess. Like a set of firestone all season tires. They're designed to deliver confidence inspiring wet weather traction and a quieter ride, no matter the road, season after season. Firestone all season tires. For durability, you can count on. Just like people count on you. Firestone, always dependable since 1900. I see. Avatar Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney Plus. It's the film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. Go, go, go, go! A true epic and completely jaw-dropping. This is the only pure thing in this world. Return to Pandora on Disney Plus. It will be an adventure for the whole fam and watch the Oscar winning phenomenon at home. This is sick! Avatar Fire and Ash now streaming on Disney Plus, rated PG-13. Best tags to better understand

16:20the endangered species travel and feeding patterns. Not only is the attention a boon for the introubled turtles, it signals the growing trust between outside researchers and notoriously protective island residents with successfully defended and worshiped this sacred environment for centuries. Researchers have tread lightly and, in turn, benefited mightily from shared local knowledge and expertise to catch and tag the ranging reptiles. Finding a middle ground built on trust and respect has also shaped an important development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as calls for the repatriation of artifacts by activists and officials made headway in 2021. In the wake of the global Black Lives Matter movement, the Belgian government released their plan to return all illegitimately procured African artifacts, most of which were stolen from the Congo. This plan marks the first systematic government-led effort to return objects stolen during the country's violent colonization on the continent. Across several Malawi and cities, protesters took to the street, bonded by the same plight. Data prices are too darn high.

17:22It seems a fair frustration as one gigabyte costs nearly $28, making it the third most expensive rate of all UN-recognized countries. Malawi regulators have expressed their concern over exorbitant rates as the prices threaten to slow social economic development. The stories of two prominent headlinemakers collided this year when Tedros Adhanam, Director General of the World Health Organization, spoke on the dire situation in North Ethiopia. In November, the director general said that the Tigray region of Ethiopia was under a, quote, systematic blockade, and that people were dying because of the lack of supplies. He also noted that Tigrayans were being arrested on mass. From Tigray himself, Adhanam never directly assigned blame as he's worked diligently to maintain a neutral position on the civil war that has consumed his home country. As part of their seemingly odd and certainly confusing court case against Myanmar, the Gambia won an important ruling this year. On behalf of the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group persecuted in Myanmar, the tiny Gambia with the backing of the organization

18:24of Islamic cooperation, a group of 57 nation states, filed a lawsuit against Myanmar in 2019. In September of this year, a judge ordered Facebook to disclose account records pertaining to the persecution in Myanmar. A big win for the Gambia as it's widely understood that social media played a key role in the 2017 genocide. Today's progress towards democratic rule can a major speed bump this October when the military seized power. Since the ousting of Omar Al-Bashir in 2019, Sudan has been trending in the democratic direction. That is, until this most recent coup. In response to the backslide, thousands of protesters hit the streets in Cartoum, while the US suspended a $700 million aid package meant to aid in the transition towards civilian governance. The story is still developing though, as the US and UN are pressuring the military to release in prison politicians and return a civilian government to power. Democracy is in trouble in Haiti too. After a deadly earthquake, a presidential assassination, and bout after bout of gang violence,

19:24chaos and uncertainty are primed to carry into 2022, as general elections have been postponed for the fourth time. This postponement comes after the Prime Minister decided to dissolve the council responsible for organizing elections. The PM has said he plans on naming a new council but is not committed to a timeline. A move that leaves the spiraling state, well, spiraling. 130 young female footballers and their families from Afghanistan can finally take a deep breath. Four months after fleeing Kabul as the Taliban closed in, and after stops in Portugal and Pakistan, the Afghan athletes arrived in London via chartered flight. Their escape was made possible by a litany of NGOs and philanthropists, one of which was the chairman of Leeds United. The club with the girls will join the youth team ranks. In 2021, was a big year for African astronomy, especially for the Senegalese scientist, Maram Carey, as the international astronomical union retitled the less than personable asteroid 35462 to Maram Carey, no spaces.

20:25Not only making the asteroid hurling between Mars and Jupiter more approachable, the renaming serves as a recognition of the life's work of the director of Africa space and founding member of the African Astronomical Society while also shining a light on the nation's science ambitions. Senegal doesn't hold a monopoly on Western African ambition, though. Bureaucrats in Togo took the difficult task of distributing pandemic-related relief funds head on this year by developing a remarkably efficient digital payout platform. With only spotty census data and flawed tax records, officials creatively leveraged voter registration to verify applicants before paying out the aid over SMS. A program that makes the US's look antiquated by comparison. The violence that's gripped Ethiopia for the past year has done no favors for East African neighbors either. See the tiny coastal nation of Djibouti. In July, protesters responding to his state-led attack blocked the rail line that connects the landlocked Ethiopia to the ocean. Djibouti's port, through which a whopping 90% of all Ethiopian goods pass, is the country's key economic driver,

21:28and while the rail lines closure wasn't permanent, instability in Ethiopia has hampered the reliant Djibouti economy to the tune of an estimated $1.7 billion in lost commerce. It's been a tough few years for the ski industry, and the Soutu's Afroski Mountain Resort proved that while unique in terms of its status as one of two resorts in southern Africa, it wasn't an exception to the struggles. Rather than go under when South African border closures led to a 90% drop in visitors, the resort adapted. This year offering incentives and reduced rates to get locals on the hill. Some of the very first time, while also finding creative renovation projects to keep its local staff employed. Camelians, by their very nature, are hard to spot. A Camelian measuring just 29 millimeters from tip to tail, nearly impossible. And yet, a group of scientists in North America Gascar discovered a pair of these nano-camelians. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle

22:29from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online makes sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up require compatibility and availability, very 16-plus. Real value shows up in reliability. You don't have to second guess. Like a set of Firestone All-Season Tires, they're designed to deliver confidence-inspiring wet weather traction and a quieter ride, no matter the road, season after season. Firestone All-Season Tires for durability, you can count on. Just like people count on you. Firestone Always Dependable Since 1900. I see. Avatar Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney Plus. It's the film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. Go, go, go, go. A true epic and completely jaw-dropping. This is the only pure thing in this world.

23:30Return to Pandora on Disney Plus. There will be an adventure for the whole fam. And watch the Oscar winning phenomenon at home. This is sick. Avatar Fire and Ash, now streaming on Disney Plus, rated PG 13. Aliens who are now in the record books is the smallest of the planet's 11,500 reptiles. Like so much in Madagascar though, the future of the little lizard is up in the air as habitat loss has conservationists scrambling to protect the new finding. From new findings to expensive and rare findings, Petra Diamonds, the British producer of Pink Diamonds dawned by the Queen herself, has settled to pay 4.3 million pounds to 71 Tanzanian claimants who've accused the mining company of, among other things, beating, stabbing, and detaining them during their time as miners. While the settlement makes, quote, no admission of liability, Petra has vowed to fund community projects and prevent future incidents. In the Ivory Coast, stamping out a legal cocoa grow operations has proved next to impossible. But that could change with the adoption

24:30of the most recent European commissions plan to curb global deforestation. If implemented, this plan would require companies importing cocoa products into the EU to provide GPS data on the products origin to ensure it wasn't illegally harvested. For the Ivory Coast, spreading the responsibility of halting illegal cocoa production will help protect the meager 15% of its biodeverse forest still standing. It's been 15 years since Shell's Nigerian subsidiaries pipelines poisoned the farmlands of the villages of Goy and Aruma, and 13 years since the case went to court. But this year, a Dutch court finally ruled that Royal Dutch Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary must compensate the villages for a still undecided amount and install warning systems along its pipelines to curb the next disaster. In Rwanda, the crackdown on dissidents under President Paul Kagame's government has extended to YouTube creators. Dudon and Yonsenga, whose channel Ishma TV covers topics such as human rights abuses and has over 15 million views, was sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of forgery, humiliation of state officials, and two other charges.

25:32He was the second to wand in YouTube critic to be arrested in a country where freedom of expression is becoming increasingly costly. Expressing dissent with Uganda's 900 mile, 1500 kilometer oil pipeline project is becoming costly too. Sighting lack of compensation for land and a host of environmental dangers, local activists and international NGOs are raising concerns over the project that begins in Merchysign National Park and borders Lake Victoria. It seems they're fighting an uphill battle against the project, which is backed by Tanzania, Uganda, and companies from France and China as Uganda has arrested six protesters, a move some see as a scare tactic. Elsewhere on the continent, people's voices are getting through. In Benin, a law passed that drastically expands access to abortion and largely puts the decision in women's hands. What used to be legal only in cases of life-threatening pregnancies, rape, and incestuous relationships is now allowed on account of a wide range of reasons within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Globally, this move has been hailed by women's rights activists, and recently, this makes Benin

26:32the most progressive country on the issue in West Africa. In a country that's 90% Sahara with only one permanent river, water's hard to come by. Facing shortages and inconsistent supply, Mauritania recently launched a fundraising effort to secure $317 million for a project that will provide water to half a million in the south of the arid country. Counting on several financiers from across the Arab world, the project will pipe water to urban and rural users in a bid to minimize the gap between the two and help to realize the region's agricultural potential. From a country with limited water, to one with little land, it's been a momentous year for sports fans on the island of Camoros, as the nation of Under a Million was ground zero for a history-making run by the national soccer team. Minos on the continental level, Camoros held World Cup qualifiers Egypt to a draw and went unbeaten during the African Cup League of Nations qualifying stage, a Cinderella run that will see the nation make the Cup tournament for the first time, not bad for a team that didn't even exist until 2006. As team seizures,

27:33we don't condone tossing trash into the ocean, but sometimes such a littering lends itself to a story. Picking up plastic along the beaches of a Papua New Guinea in Ireland, Steven Amos stumbled across a message in the bottle that had traveled 1,500 miles or 2,400 kilometers after being tossed overboard by an American sailor two years prior. In a nation struggling with major plastic pollution, perhaps Amos smiled not only at the friendly note, but also at the fact that it was contained in a nice reusable glass bottle. How young is too young to charge someone with a crime? Pakistan faced down this very question when they charged an eight-year-old of blasphemy when the Hindu child peed in an Islamic school library. In the incidence wake, police charged the boy, while in reaction to the perceived disrespect, a mob vandalized a Hindu temple. Eventually though, the state stepped in and punished the cops who arrested the child, dropped all charges and organized payment for the temple's repairs. Chargers that are sticking, however, relayed against two transgender women who were simply having dinner in Cameroon when they were arrested for alleged homosexuality. Later, they were sentenced to five years in jail,

28:35which some say is a death sentence in the male-dominated prison system. The arrest and high-profile nature of the case, as one of the women is an activist for trans rights, exemplifies the anti-LGBTQ sentiments and laws that are still common in African countries with at least 30 of them criminalizing homosexuality. Technology seems to be a storyline, and this is clearly the case for ISIS-affiliated women held at the All-Haw refugee camp in Syria, where they are marrying men they meet online in order to receive income and the slim chance of eventual repatriation. The camp, which is home to nearly 60,000 women and children, is teaming with squalor and extremist ideas. Yet, Jihadist men reportedly see it as a badge of honor to care for the women there through these virtual marriages, even though they rarely move beyond anything but digital. For something much more tangible, a Solomon Islands man digging in his backyard to install a septic system struck something hard, but this was the opposite of treasurer. Instead, he discovered more than 100 unexploded World War II bombs, which came as a real surprise and a tragic reminder of the devastation

29:36the Pacific Island suffered during that era when thousands of bombs were dropped in munition stores like this one were common. The ordinances were successfully and thankfully. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Jim and I in Chrome? That's new. You can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Jim and I in Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up require compatibility and availability varies 18 plus. Real value shows up in reliability. You don't have to second guess. Like a set of firestone all season tires. They're designed to deliver confidence inspiring wet weather traction and a quieter ride, no matter the road, season after season. Firestone all season tires for durability you can count on. Just like people count on you. Firestone always dependable since 1900.

30:41I see. Avatar Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney Plus. It's the film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. Go, go, go, go. A true epic and completely jaw-dropping. This is the only pure thing in this world. Return to Pandora on Disney Plus. It will be an adventure for the whole fam and watch the Oscar winning phenomenon at home. This is sick. Avatar Fire and Ash now streaming on Disney Plus, ready to be either team. We removed by a specialist team. In the opposite of underground, Zimbabwe plans to launch its first satellite, the ZimSat1, in February. It will be used to help organizations and officials collect data that relates to ground cover and drought as well as transmit signals for amateur radio stations. Zimbabwe space program has grown quickly in just three years since being established and follows on the heels of other African countries extending upward as well. Though many countries focus on the pressing humanitarian needs first, the continent's satellite fleet now stands at 44

31:42as they increasingly recognize the importance of strategic space investment. Break out those dancing shoes because the Rumba may officially be a part of worldwide intangible cultural heritage. The Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo apply to UNESCO for the official designation, which would protect the dance's history and cement its importance. The Rumba was born in 19th century Cuba, combining the drumming of enslaved Africans with the melodies of Spanish colonizers. But it's not just of historical importance because the Rumba has modern day relevance too, including the 1960s independence cha-cha, a version of the Rumba that celebrated the freedom of Belgian Congo. In the same region, downstream effects from an Angolan diamond mine were catastrophically felt in a toxic spill that sickened more than 1 million people, killed 12 and decimated fish and wildlife. Waste from the largest diamond mine in Angola leaked into the Caesai River, which eventually reached the Congo River where large amounts of heavy metal were detected. The mine, which is partially owned by a rushing company, acknowledged there had been a leak

32:43but said that it was just sand and mud, and of course, they claimed no responsibility for the disaster. There's no accountability in this story either, but there is a bit of good news from a country that's increasingly cracking down on the freedom of the press. Myanmar released American journalist Danny Fenster from prison just days after he was sentenced to 11 years for charges that included incitement of violence and visa violations. The military in Myanmar has clamped down on the media since seizing power in February, stripping publications of their licenses and banning outlets from broadcasting. Fenster, however, was the first foreign journalist to be convicted for charges he says were without warrant and thanks to negotiations by a former US ambassador to the UN, now he'll go free. In prisonment in an authoritarian country is one person's nightmare, while 10 million fruit bats descending on a condensed swamp area might sound like another's. But for conservationists in Zambia, it's essential. The bats are key to African ecology because they eat fruits and berries and distribute the seeds during their continental migration. Now these environmentalists are fighting a proposal

33:44for a 17 and a half thousand acre or 7,000 hectare wheat, soy and corn farm that would be built on the national parks borders and threaten the bats habitat and existence altogether. In another story about West African instability, Guinea-Hunta leader Mamadi Dumbuya was sworn in after a successful September coup marking the fourth coup in the region in the past year. Dumbuya's party overthrew former president Alfa Kanday for what they said was continued corruption, but political upheaval continues to mire the area and now regional economic council has placed economic sanctions and travel restrictions on the Kanday and Hunta. Sometimes government overreach isn't always so unpleasant as is the case with a defanged and declawed lion named Himma. He was reunited with his owner after the Cambodian Prime Minister got involved. Initially, Himma was seized after ticked off videos of him living casually in a high-end Phenom pen neighborhood, something the government deemed inappropriate when viral. But additional posts showed a clear bond between the two after their separation and following public calls for reunification, the Prime Minister

34:44announced the two would be rejoined. Speaking of lions, Kenya is known as a wildlife wonderland, but just how many creatures crawl there was an unknown number until the country completed its first wildlife census this year. Using plain, strong helicopters, boats and four-by-fours, researchers tally the populations of more than 30 species across nearly 60% of the country to establish a baseline for one of the world's most unique ecological places. Using estimates from the past, the numbers of elephants, some 36,280, seem to be going up, but black rhinos, just 897, have fallen to critically endangered levels. Kenya counts wildlife, and Nepal counts how many people reach the top of Mount Everest. Now they're unhappy with three Indian climbers who allegedly falsified their summit of the world's highest peak in 2016. This year, the Nepalese government penalized them by banning them for six years, essentially preventing them from actually trying to get to the top another time. The Nepalese ministry verifies climbs through photographic evidence, and while these three have the photos,

35:46presumably photoshopped, they reportedly didn't have enough oxygen to have feasibly completed the trip. Back at sea level, impoverished east to more is at an interesting economic crossroads exploring ecotourism, offshore drilling, and now carbon capture storage as a way to boost the country's revenue. Australia has proposed capturing its own carbon waste and paying to store it in east to more is nearly depleted by you wound an oil field, which is expected to run out in the next couple of years. Proponents see this as a creative environmental solution, and critics say it's simply shifting climate change responsibility from a rich country to a poor one. Nearby Vanuatu is a remote Pacific island which is 300,000 residents. So why did some 2000 politicians, business owners, and criminals get citizenship there recently? Because for $130,000, they can. The citizenship by investment program is legal and gives these new residents a visa free access to the UK and European Union. But some worry the increased interest in this island where the passport program accounted for nearly 42%

36:48of government revenue in 2020 might be fertile ground for money laundering and international mischief. It a move that signals the increasing geopolitical importance of Africa, Twitter hired its first employees on the continent in the country of Ghana, where freedom of speech protections and online freedoms made it an ideal location. The social media company announced it would fill 11 positions with plans to officially open an office there when pandemic restrictions and work from home orders are relaxed. For more than 30 years, East Watini's King Muswati III has ruled as an absolute monarch and flaunted a lavish, luxurious lifestyle. The problem? 60% of the country's 1.1 million residents live in poverty and they're over his opulence. For months, residents have participated in pro-democracy protests that have left scores dead and many more wounded. Neighboring African countries, including South Africa, upon which East Watini heavily relies, are stepping in to help navigate the movement, which many say won't be going away until there's a brighter future for this developing nation.

37:48A plot to smuggle 55 million methamphetamine tablets and more than 1.5 tons of crystal meth, disguised in beer crates was thwarted by police in Laos, resulting in the largest single drug seizure in Asia. They were discovered in a truck in an area called the Golden Trangle. The meeting point of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, which is notorious as a hotspot for drug production and smuggling. With recent unrest in Myanmar's Sean region and Chinese crackdown on the trade, smugglers have looked to alternate routes, in this case, without much success. In another superlative, Pacific Islander Nikolai Mase became the first citizen of the federated states of Micronesia to reach Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, which lies within the territorial waters of the country. Her completion of the 10-hour journey, was took her to 36,000 feet or 11,000 meters below the ocean surface, also makes her only the third woman and at 29, the second youngest, to ever do it. She's a PhD student studying climate changes effects on microalgae and going to the world's most remote places for research is all in a day's work for her.

38:50On the topic of climate change, in an effort to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, cell toming and princepe made an innovative announcement involving deep water platforms, but not the oil kind. Instead, they're engaging in a public private partnership to debut ocean thermal energy conversion technology, the first commercial endeavor of its kind. The floating platforms use the difference between cold, deep ocean water and warm surface temperatures to create green energy out of the blue. Another island nation concerned for its future is Kiribas, where six years ago, the government starred in its own version of house hunters and purchased some 8.5-square miles or 22 square kilometers of land on Fiji to make sure its potentially displaced residents had somewhere to go as sea levels rise. To use that land in the meantime, Kiribas enlisted the help of omnipresent China to build farms that would provide fresh produce and meat to the island nation, which currently imports all of its food. Some say this is another land grab by China, while others see it as a sustainability measure for Kiribas. Both of these takes miss what might be the most interesting part of this story,

39:51an actual overseas climate refuge in the first place. Government workers in Bangladesh are more protected after an agreement was signed by some 200 international fashion companies that includes legally binding safety commitments, independent inspections at the factories and contributions for safety training and factory improvements. The accord replaces one that was created after a devastating factory fire that killed 1100 people in 2013 and was set to expire. Human rights workers praise the move, which means protections will continue into the future and keep Bangladesh as one of the top government producers in the world. That pandemic coffee habit may be helping boost Honduras's economy according to recent economic reports. GDP growth for 2021 was expected to be between two and five percent, but new projections show almost double that with the country's economy predicted to grow by almost 9%. This is things to increase activity in retail and manufacturing and because of supply chain issues, higher prices for coffee, which is one of the country's primary experts. If two is a party and three is a crowd, then India is taking note. Some states, including the country's most populous,

40:53Uttar Pradesh, which has 240 million people and would be the world's fifth most populous country by itself, introduced a China-like two-child policy and sterilization measures to control population growth. Though it still has to be adopted, the proposal would deny state benefit, subsidies, and jobs to anyone who is more than two children and dangles the carrots of incentives for anyone who gets sterilized. 12 states have already adopted similar measures, all in an effort to limit growth in a country that's already the second most populous in the world. In early 1900s, Nimmibia was known as German Southwest Africa and Germany is still dealing with its dark history there, which included troops that killed, tortured, and forced tens of thousands of native peoples into the desert to starve. This year, then Chancellor Angela Merkel reached a deal that would distribute 1.1 billion euros over 30 years to benefit eight programs in the African country. But she stopped short of calling the funding reparations and instead said it was reconciliation money that would help attempt to quote, heal the wounds of the past. China continues to expand its presence around the globe and in Bhutan, this hasn't been subtle.

41:54In the past year, satellite imagery shows that multiple new villages has sprung up in a 60 square mile or 150 square kilometer bootenies area that's been a disputed site before when India and China went ahead about road construction there a handful of years ago. Because of aligned interests when it comes to Chinese overreach, India has supported Bhutan's claims to the contested territory. Across the world, the situation in Nicaragua right now is unequivocally bad and it wasn't much better in early 2021 when President Daniel Ortega opted to shoot for the moon even though the nation is mired in social and economic misery. That's when he established the national ministry for extraterrestrial space affairs, the moon and other celestial bodies, which people are calling a vanity project. Its goal is to develop a space agency that will reach the farthest points in the universe but quite literally hasn't gotten off the ground. When one thinks of palm oil plantations, Malaysia and Indonesia usually come to mind. But Guatemala's emerging market makes it the world's six largest producer of palm oil. However, that success, of course, comes at a cost. More production has led to companies

42:55grabbing indigenous lands at an alarming rate. In response, some of Guatemala's indigenous population, almost 40% of the country's 17 million residents are resisting by forcefully moving back onto the lands. Native baby sea turtle numbers on the 10 island nation of Cape Verine are booming in a rabbit-like way. The good news is that nest numbers last year were up to 200,000, which is 20 times the estimates from 2015. The bad news is that sea turtles' gender is determined by the temperature of the sand where the eggs are laid. And, well, the globally warmed beach means that about 84% of baby sea turtle hatchlings are now female, which unfortunately still keep that species on the endangered list. When it comes to finding fodder for Central Asian geopolitical cocktail talk, here's a fun fact, to Giki stands primary export is migrant labor. By September 2021, more than 1.6 million to Giki's left the country to work in Russia. These migrant workers then send billions of dollars in remittances back home. In 2019, actually, this figure accounted for more than one quarter of Tachiki stands GDP,

43:56making the ex-soviet country still very dependent on Russia. Anyone who invested early in Bitcoin should head straight to El Salvador where they can make it crypto-rain now that the country became the first in the world to adopt the currency as legal tender. Though some, including major lender the International Monetary Fund are skeptical because the volatile and risky nature of cryptocurrencies, others are optimistic, such as Salvadorians who can dip into their Chiva wallet app and find $30 of Bitcoin waiting for them. In the ongoing fight against ISIS, officials in Iraq declared a moderate victory with the capture of these Islamic states finance minister Sami Jassim al-Avjus. The rest could provide Iraq and international allies with a treasure trove of intelligence about the terrorist organization that, although has retreated from daily headlines in recent years, maintains quite active and sleeper sales throughout the Middle East. Two residents in Guiana are not staying quiet about protecting the planet, something they argue is a fundamental right to humanity's sustainability. The pair is suing their country for having approved oil exploration licenses, saying it violates the government's legal duty to protect the right of future generations

44:57to a healthy environment. This David versus Glyath fight pissed them against Exxon Mobile, which is dying a potential 8 billion gallons of oil in offshore drilling, which would make it the company's largest extraction site in the world. There's nothing like the discovery of 1.3 million year old stone tools to make this point in time seem, well, short. Archaeologists in Morocco recently discovered the artifacts in a site associated with human ancestor, Homer O'Rectus, almost doubling the previous start date for the dawn of the stone tool era in North Africa. What's mind-boggling is that these tools aren't even close to the oldest traces of human ancestors which date all the way back to more than four million years ago. In Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia's only democracy, just over one third of the population turned out in a snap election that put populist politician and convicted kidnapper, Sadier Jepperov, into power. The former Soviet country sits between China, which is invested in its infrastructure and Russia, to which it still has significant loyalties, including from its newly elected president, who has vowed to remain allied with both neighbors, something that will be tough to balance amid his own country's partially self-inflicted political

45:59turmoil. There's some positive news about elephants coming out of Gabon where new research shows the population of forest elephants, a cousin to the Savannah dwelling pack of germs, seem to be doing better than expected. Previous estimates reported they were about 50,000 left in the Central African country, but a recent study shows that number to be closer to 95,000 thanks to strict anti-poaching regulations and land conservation measures. Athletes who are wearing latte-drinking urbanites might need an extra downward dog and a shot of espresso to deal with their supply chain woes this year, especially with products like Lulelemon and coffee coming from Vietnam, where a combination of lockdowns and factory conditions has prompted millions of workers to leave cities and return to their countryside homes. Manufacturers are having a tough time luring them back, and that was a bad news for supply chain already in crisis. An Arizona man who conducted a years long human trafficking ring selling babies from the Marshall Islands to American parents was sentenced to six years in prison and forced to pay hundreds of thousands in restitution charges. The man would pay around $10,000 for pregnant Marshallese women to come to the United States and then arrange for their newborns to be adopted by couples

47:00for $40,000. Officials estimate some 70 adoptions to place this way, taking advantage of the compact of free association, which allowed them to travel or move to the US without restriction. On the subject of pregnancy, Polish researchers discovered a first, an Egyptian mummy with child. Originally, they thought the mummy mummy was a male priest, but further investigation uncovered a small femur bone thought to belong to a fetus about 25 to 30 weeks old. Scientists call the find unique and important to Egyptology in which little research has been done on females. In not-so-sweet news, Ben and Jerry's announced it would stop selling its ice cream and occupy Palestinian territories, making a very public corporate statement against the Israeli settlements there, which are not recognized by international law. Israeli officials called the decision a quote, capitulation to anti-semitism. The brand, however, will still be available throughout the internationally recognized territory of Israel, which sort of makes this ban half-baked. It's banned for poachers to remove succulents from the desert in South Africa, but that hasn't stopped it from being an explosive problem in a country that's home to one third

48:02of the world's succulent species. Specifically, people are harvesting konofitum, which is a genus of flowering plants that consists of over 100 species, many of which are on the endangered list. They're then sold to hot markets, including Korea and China, where the plants that were once considered low class have become popular for being low maintenance. Across the pond, Venezuelans have been fleeing their country in one of the world's largest human migrations, and one third of them head to neighboring Colombia. Recently, Colombia announced its decision to provide temporary legal status to more than 1.7 million migrants who had fled there in recent years. That means the migrants can work legally for up to 10 years. A clapsed economy has created a humanitarian crisis and refugees in search of a better life may find that with Colombia's legal acceptance of them. Last year, the president of Turkmenistan erected a gilded statue of a beloved breed of dog, the alipay. This year, he took it a step further and announced a national holiday honoring the large shepherd like canine. This holiday included a contest for the country's best dog and a medal given to its top border guard dog.

49:03Alibi now shares the special day with another of Turkmenistan celebrated, the Occultechi horse breed. Both are considered important parts of the national heritage where hurting is a traditional pastime. Traditionally, the transfer of power is supposed to be peaceful and seamless. In Samaula, it wasn't. Fiyama and Naomi Mataafa finally became the country's prime minister in July, following several months of constitutional crisis during which her predecessor, Twalepa Sallayle Malayle Guayue, refused to acknowledge her victory. The former leader had led the country for more than two decades and would not step down. After a series of legal battles and appeals, Mataafa finally assumed control and is making history doing it as Samaula's first female prime minister. In Belize, officials are both making and saving history, ecologically that is. This year, a coalition of conservation organizations banded together to save one of the world's last pristine rainforests, preserving 367 square miles or 950 square kilometers of land from deforestation. This area is part of the larger Belize Maya forest,

50:03which crosses Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. It means a biodiversity hotspot roughly the size of Florida will be saved in perpetuity. Something that's not going to last forever is Filipino president Rodrigo de Tearte who is constitutionally barred from seeking another six year term. Head of the male elections, those looking to replace him include a popery of people, including his daughter, Sarah de Tearte, son and namesake of the country's former dictator, Ferdinand Bong Bong Marcos, former actor and manila mayor Francisco Doma Goso, and newly retired boxing star, Manipackia. With candidates expected to perform on stage with the public judging them on their singing and dancing abilities, the pool is certainly high on the entertainment factor. To the south, the Indonesian island of Biak is becoming an unexpected player in Elon Musk's world. That's because Indonesian president Joko Widodo as part of his goal to modernize the nation, personally pitched the tech giant on launching spacecraft from the island that sits 70 miles or 110 kilometers south of the equator. Facing displacement, the indigenous population isn't supportive of the proposal.

51:03Musk has also stayed mum on the issue, but we all know his pensioned for explosive announcements. Atmospheric conditions also made headlines in Bolivia, where UV radiation levels in La Paz hit 21, and that's on a scale that typically tops out at 20. The Bolivian capital sits at 11,800 feet or 3600 meters above sea level, and low levels of clouds caused by climate change combined with a heat wave skyrocketed numbers on the UV index. The World Health Organization calls an index of 11 extreme and 10 minutes exposed at these levels start to burn the skin. At 21, people just stay inside. More than doubling the age of most of her competitors, a 46-year-old gymnast representing Uzbekistan took her final bow at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer. It was Oksana Tuzovotina's eighth Olympics. She won the Silver Medal for Vault in 2008 and capped off with 11 medals won at 17 World Championships. Up next, spending more time with her Olympic wrestling husband and her son, who at 22, is older than most Olympic gymnasts. In Libya, there's some frightening news on the artificial intelligence front.

52:04A report commissioned by the United Nations found that a military drone strike used in the country's civil war may have been carried out autonomously. Allegedly, militia fighters were hunted down and attacked by a quote, weapon system that did not require data connectivity. Though it's implied, the report doesn't go as far as to say the drone acted autonomously. Vignis here is Dürger, as the report also doesn't say whether anyone was injured or killed. The island nation of Tonga managed to largely avoid the global pandemic, but it's dealing with its own epidemic now as methamphetamine use has become pervasive and very problematic in the country of 100,000. It's so bad that the king made a plea to Tonga in Parliament asking for help with the crisis, which is accounting for 60% of admissions to Tonga's mental health wards and filling up local prisons. Tonga has a long-minute stop on the drug route from Asia to New Zealand and Australia. This just means that the drugs are increasingly stopping instead of passing through. Something else that's stopping is the Piranha River. South America's second largest river, Straddle's Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, and sadly, it's the lowest it's been in more than 70 years.

53:05Scientists say deforestation in the Amazon is to blame as rainfall, much of which emanates from the forest itself, has significantly decreased. As a result, the river is 10 1.5 feet or three meters lower than normal and threatening the lives and businesses of people who populate more than 60 towns along its shores. Also threatening was two men's plot to unseat Jordan's King Abdullah, a crime for which they were sentenced to 15 years in prison. They were aides to the King's half brother who was removed from the line of succession in 2004. But not to be deterred, his plan using these proxies included rallying civilian support to oust Abdullah. The twist, some say all three may have been unknowingly backed by the Trump administration who saw Abdullah as an obstacle in securing an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty. The King, however, will remain in power and these two will go to jail. When an immigrant commits a crime in the United Kingdom, they get deported, often by airplane. Lately, however, the loads have been light with just four people sent back to Jamaica on a recent 350 passenger Airbus A350 900 flight. That evens out to about $66,000 or 50,000 pounds per person.

54:09These costs, happy, wondering about the viability of such an expensive program, while others, a, it's critical to get convicted criminals out of the country. Finds that will happily be sent overseas includes two of the world's largest diamonds under this year in Botswana, a 1,174-carat and 1,098-carat diamond were both discovered weeks apart in the country's mines, which are some of the top-producing in the world. Each diamond is about the size of someone's hand and they come at an important time for the market, which is trying to rebound after the pandemic, bright news for the country and the soon to be betrothed. Another unearthing took place in Mongolia, where archeologists were able to use a new technology to look below ground and map the ancient city of Kara Karun, the capital of the Mongolian empire established by Genghis Khan into 1200s. Using magnetic fields to determine the footprints layout and structural composition, the researchers determined, among other things, that the city was only at about 40% capacity, likely home to laborers and craftspeople when the majority lived a more nomadic lifestyle. And that brings us to halfway. We'll plow through the remaining 98 entries on Friday

55:11when part two is released, but you don't have to wait until then or sit through ads for that matter if you sign up for Nebula today. The streaming platform was made by creators like me and my friends from real science, midlife crisis, real life lore, and more. We all wanted to focus on content and not stress about demonization and algorithms, so we made our own streaming site. On Nebula, you can watch dozens of your favorite educational creators' normal videos early and ad-free, occasional extended cuts and companion videos, and big budget Nebula originals. Of course, we still want you all to be able to watch our stuff easily, so we're partnering with CuriosityStream, which has thousands of nonfiction chosen documentary streaming at your fingertips, and is a big fan of what we do at Nebula. So when you sign up for CuriosityStream, at curiositystream.com slash Wendover, you get Nebula included for free. Even better news is that CuriosityStream is offering 26% off its annual plan and you benefit. CuriosityStream plus Nebula all for less than $15 a year. I think we all need some good news after some of the stories in the year and roundup, so how about you try watching CuriosityStream's original documentary about how the groundbreaking newly launched James Webb Telescope was designed and built.

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