2021 begins - 29th December 2021

2021 started with Covid-19 news. In Brazil, nurses gave people Covid vaccines. The vaccines saved many lives. And London had Covid-safe art. The river Thames became an augmented reality art gallery.

Daniel Birbaum: "One of the, you know, ideas has been to democratise art - to, to, to, in a way, make art visible in places where normally it's not visible."

Then problems arrived: some Americans tried to end US democracy. They broke into the US Capitol, but soldiers stopped them. A big event welcomed the new president. We listened to a message of hope for the future.

Amanda Gorman: "For there is always light if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it."

People wanted a good life. Indian farmers needed help and people were angry with the Russian government. People didn't like the Myanmar army taking power.

2021 started with good changes too. Pope Francis met Grand Ayatollah Sistani. Singapore got energy from the sun. And in Dubai, a very tall ride broke a world record!

Milton D'Souza: "Standing at 460 feet tall, Bollywood Skyflyer is the tallest swing ride. So right now, this is as tall as the Pyramid of Giza."

But big problems continued. Cities and offices were empty. Many people died from Covid-19, and we remembered them. Lebanon's problems got worse. Its doctors couldn't live with the situation.

Nour al-Jalbout: "I mean, we're known for our resilience, it's kind of, of a double-edged sword. Like, the Lebanese resilience, I'm like fed up of being resilient. I don't want to live this life anymore, you know."

In Japan, people remembered the deadly tsunami 10 years ago. In South Africa, the Zulu king died. Zulu people remembered him at special events.

Gugulethu Chonco: "It is important to me 'cause that is where I found my, my identity as a Zulu woman. This is where I've learned about my culture."

There were environmental problems. In Turkey, farmers used too much underground water. This made holes in the ground. Kenyan avocado farms are taking land from elephants. And people saved bees in Malaysia.

In China, people with wheelchairs wanted change. Pakistan's Hazara learned to be safe. 100 years ago, US police killed many Black Americans. President Biden was very sorry.

President Biden: "This was not a riot. This was a massacre."

We looked for ways to help with problems. Salt air helped people with long-Covid. And women money changers worked in Djibouti. They helped people do business.

Medina: "When you sit here, you have a cash flow. You don't need to beg from anyone working on your own."

Boats used driverless technology and green energy. And people used technology to grow coral. They taught children about coral too.

Louis Hadjioannou: "Our aim is to primarily educate children, they are the future. They are the ones who are going to become the future conservationists."