World

Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, tells DW that India is at a very fragile and difficult stage in the pandemic. The WHO is concerned as the number of cases is rising significantly.   

As India reels under a calamitous second wave of coronavirus infections, authorities are insisting on rapid antigen testing, instead of adopting new technologies.    

As patients struggle to find available hospital beds, life-saving drugs and medical oxygen, a flourishing black market is fleecing hapless people across the country.    

The catastrophic health situation in India has shaken the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has relied heavily on public relations and perception management since he came to power.   

Amid a devastating second COVID wave, India's high courts have stepped in to address the government's handling of the crisis. Multiple courts have issued orders in the face of a shortage of oxygen and vital medication.   

As India's health care system buckles under the weight of COVID, people are being left to fend for themselves. DW asked the daughter of a COVID patient about her experience trying to help her sick father.    

Experts say containing the coronavirus in the short term will be hard, but emphasize that much can still be done. They point to improved government messaging and streamlined medical distribution as possible solutions.    

Cyclone Tauktae is expected to make landfall in Gujarat state in the early hours of Tuesday. The first major storm of the season comes as India battles a second wave of the coronavirus.    

Tornadoes hit the Chinese city of Wuhan and the town of Shengze, killing several people and injuring more than 400.   

Police have said a dozen people were killed and 15 more were injured in the blast that likely targeted the mosque's imam.   

With Nepal's second wave pushing deaths and infections to a record high, critics say Nepal's top leadership has largely ignored the health crisis, and has instead placed its primary focus on reforming the government.   

Efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus have left many Cambodians without access to food, essential medicines and other necessities for weeks.   

Experts have said that negative publicity combined with a shortage of vaccines are keeping people from getting inoculated. The country has vaccinated just 0.8% of its total population.