The U.S. and NATO formally began withdrawing their last troops from Afghanistan Saturday, according to White House and military officials, bringing America’s longest war closer to an end.  
 
U.S. President Joe Biden set May 1 as the official date on which the remaining troops would begin pulling out, although the military has been flying equipment out of the country in recent weeks.  
 
There are between 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops and about 7,000 NATO troops remaining in Afghanistan, the last of whom will leave by the end of the summer.
 
Afghan security forces are on high alert for possible attacks on the troops by an emboldened Taliban as they complete the withdrawal, ushering in a new era of uncertainty in the country.
 
The U.S. and NATO allies entered the South Asian country on October 7, 2001, to find al-Qaida perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, terrorists attack on the U.S. who being were protected by Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders.
 
Two months later, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his fighters were on the run. He was located and killed in 2011 by U.S. Navy SEALS in neighboring Pakistan.
 
More than 47,240 Afghan civilians have been killed in the 20-year war, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University. Between 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan troops have been killed.
 
Some 2,442 U.S. troops have been killed, according to the U.S. Defense Department, along with an estimated 3,800 U.S. private security contractors.  
 
More than 1,140 troops from NATO countries have been killed.
 
The U.S. is estimated to have spent more than $2 trillion in Afghanistan during the course of the war, according to the Costs of War project. 
…

India’s daily COVID count of new cases has, for the first time, surpassed the 400,000 mark. The new infections count for the previous 24-hour period was a record 401,993 cases, India’s health ministry said Saturday. Public health officials believe the actual count may be at least five times higher.
 
“This virus has shown us that if left to its own devices, it will explode in society,” top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Indian Express newspaper. “If you don’t respect its ability to cause serious damage, you are going to get into trouble.”
 
Fauci recommended a lockdown for India. “Literally, lock down so that you wind up having less spread. No one likes to lock down the country … But if you do it just for a few weeks, you could have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak.”
 
Eighteen people were killed early Saturday when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India.  
 
Authorities say 30 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.  
 
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, officials said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter that he was “Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire” at the hospital. “Condolences to the bereaved families,” he added.Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. Condolences to the bereaved families.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) A charred hospital bed is seen at a ward of the Welfare Hospital after a fire broke out overnight, in Bharuch, some 190 kms from Ahmedabad, India, May 1, 2021.India expanded its vaccine eligibility Saturday to anyone 18 and older, but many locations are saying that they just do not have any vaccines.  
 
Only 2% of India’s 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated.
 
In contrast, the White House says 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly double the 55 million vaccinated a month ago.  
 
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaimed the number a “major milestone” at a briefing Friday.  
 
Every American older than 16 is now eligible for the vaccine, and President Joe Biden has promised there will be enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May.  
 
Aid from the U.S. and other countries arrived in India Friday. U.S. assistance includes oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine-manufacturing materials.  
 
The second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed India’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.  
 
Gayle Smith, U.S. State Department coordinator for global COVID-19 response, said during a Friday briefing that the crisis in India “has not peaked yet.”
 
She added that the pandemic in the country was “going to need urgent and persistent attention for some time.”
 
Smith said most of the requests India has made to the U.S. for oxygen, personal protective equipment, and vaccine production materials “have been met,” and she called the U.S. response “pretty prompt.”
 
India has 19,164,969 coronavirus infections, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said Saturday. The U.S. is the only place that has more infections than India with more than 32 million cases, according to Hopkins. There are more than 151 million global infections.
 
In other virus developments, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that all French adults will be eligible to be vaccinated starting June 15. Currently, only those with chronic illnesses are eligible.  
 
…

At least 12 patients were killed early Saturday when a fire erupted in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in western India.Authorities say 50 patients were rescued from the ground floor fire at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, in Gujarat state.It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, according to officials.Meanwhile the White House says 100 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly double the 55 million vaccinated a month ago.White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaimed the number a “major milestone” at a briefing Friday.”That’s a hundred million Americans with a sense of relief and peace of mind, knowing that after a long and hard year, they’re protected from the virus,” Zients said.Every American older than 16 is now eligible for the vaccine, and President Joe Biden has promised there will be enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May.The situation in the U.S. stands in stark contrast to India, where the coronavirus is raging out of control. According to India’s health ministry, only 2% of the country’s population was fully vaccinated as of Thursday. On Friday, the health ministry reported 386,452 new infections.The official count of new cases has exceeded 300,000 for nine consecutive days. Indian media reports say some public health experts think the tally of new infections may be at least five times higher.Aid from the U.S. and other countries arrived in India Friday. U.S. assistance includes oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine-manufacturing materials.The second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed India’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.Gayle Smith, U.S. State Department coordinator for global COVID-19 response, said during a Friday briefing that the crisis in India “has not peaked yet.” She added that the pandemic in the country was “going to need urgent and persistent attention for some time.”Smith said most of the requests India has made to the U.S. for oxygen, personal protective equipment and vaccine production materials “have been met,” and she called the U.S. response “pretty prompt.”Indian public health experts have blamed the spread on more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year.Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s European regional director, warned Thursday that “it is very important to realize that the situation in India can happen anywhere … when personal protection measures are being relaxed, when there are mass gatherings, when there are more contagious variants, and the vaccination coverage is still low. This can basically create a perfect storm in any country.”Only the U.S. has more COVID cases than India. The U.S. has more than 32 million infections, while India has 18.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.In other virus developments, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that all French adults will be eligible to be vaccinated starting June 15. Currently, only those with chronic illnesses are eligible.More than a quarter of British health care workers say they are wary of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for their reluctance included several conspiracy theories and the lack of people of color in vaccine trials.Vaccine maker Pfizer has begun exporting doses manufactured at one of its U.S. plants, according to a report from Reuters. The report said the vaccines were sent to Mexico.Meanwhile, the head of Australia’s drug regulatory agency said Thursday there is no evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for the deaths of two people shortly after their inoculations.In New South Wales state in southeast Australia, two men, including one in his 70s, died within days after receiving the vaccine.The AstraZeneca vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, with many nations suspending its use after reports first surfaced of rare blood clots following inoculation that resulted in a handful of deaths.
…

After 20 years, the final U.S. drawdown of troops from Afghanistan has begun, marking a watershed moment for both countries.  VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.
…

After 20 years, the final U.S. drawdown of troops from Afghanistan has begun, marking a watershed moment for both countries.  VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.
…

The United States is imposing new travel restrictions on India starting Tuesday because of the devastating wave of COVID-19 cases across the Asian nation.President Joe Biden’s administration made the determination on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.”The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India,” Psaki said Friday.The restrictions will bar most non-U.S. citizens in India from entering the United States, according to the Reuters news agency.The United States already has similar travel bans in place for most non-U.S. citizens who have been in other coronavirus hot spots within the past 14 days, including South Africa, Brazil, Britain, Ireland, the European Union, China and Iran.U.S. citizens in India will be allowed to fly home, but like all international travelers flying into the United States, they will be required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test or recovery from COVID-19.The CDC also recommends that all international travelers get a COVID-19 test three to five days after arriving in the United States and quarantine themselves at home for at least seven days, even if they test negative for the virus.Other countries, including Britain, Germany and Singapore, have imposed similar travel restrictions on India.On Friday, India reported 386,452 new coronavirus cases, the ninth day in a row that the country has exceeded 300,000 new cases. Indian media reports said some public health experts believe the actual tally of new infections may be at least five times higher.India on Friday also reported 3,498 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s official death total to 208,330.Aid from the United States and other countries arrived Friday in India. U.S. assistance included oxygen supplies, rapid diagnostic tests and vaccine manufacturing materials.The second wave of the coronavirus in India has overwhelmed the country’s health care system, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation. Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night.
…

The first emergency aid of critical medical supplies arrived in India from the United States on Friday, as the country grapples with a humanitarian crisis after being hit with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
With the death toll soaring past 200,000, the race to save lives is getting more frantic with India’s health care system virtually crushed under the relentlessly rising numbers.
 
A U.S. Super Galaxy military transporter brought more than 400 oxygen cylinders and other hospital equipment as well as rapid coronavirus tests to New Delhi.
 
U.S. officials said that special flights which will also bring equipment donated by companies and individuals, will continue into next week.
 
President Joe Biden has pledged to support India in its fight against the coronavirus. On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar “to reaffirm the strength of the U.S.-India partnership in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a statement from State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“Expressing his appreciation for Indian assistance in America’s time of need, Secretary Blinken reviewed comprehensive ongoing U.S. government efforts in support of the Indian government’s COVID-19 response operations,” said Price. “He also noted the outpouring of support from U.S. industries, non-governmental institutions, and private citizens for COVID-19 relief efforts in India.”
Some 40 countries including major powers Russia, Britain, France, Germany and Japan, and smaller countries such as Thailand and Taiwan, have promised to send medical supplies as part of an international aid effort to address the shortage of critical oxygen and medicine. China, with whom India’s ties are strained, has also offered to send aid.
 
“We are facing an unprecedented second wave of the pandemic,” Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday.
For ordinary citizens that “unprecedented” situation means waging a desperate battle to save loved ones. The anguished appeals for oxygen, hospital beds, intensive care units, medicines and even wood to cremate the dead continue to dominate social media. At its overburdened crematoriums, grieving people wait into the night to perform the last rites for their family members.
 
While the Indian capital is one of the worst hit by the second wave, the virus is also wreaking havoc in other parts of the country.COVID-19 relief supplies from the U.S. are being unloaded from a U.S. Air Force aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s cargo terminal in New Delhi, India, April 30, 2021.Adding to India’s woes, vaccines are in short supply — several Indian states said they will be unable to expand the vaccination program to people over the age of 18 beginning Saturday, as planned, because they do not have stock. So far, the vaccination drive was restricted to those above 45 years of age.
 
With hospitals overwhelmed, the Indian army has opened several of its hospitals to civilians and is helping in setting up medical facilities in several cities.
 
Amid the outcry from citizens, the Indian government has defended itself. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said this week that the country’s fatality rate per million was the lowest in the world and that the oxygen supplies were “adequate.”
 
India reported 386,452 news cases in the past 24 hours, while deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,498, according to health ministry data. For more than a week, the country has set a daily global record reporting over 300,000 infections.
 
But many experts say India’s official death count and total count of 18.8 million cases is an underestimate. There is also criticism that India did not pay sufficient attention to a new variant of the coronavirus that is infecting people.
 
About 350 scientists and medical researchers in an online appeal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow them access to government data such as sequencing of virus variants, testing and recovered patients that could help study, predict and curb the spread of the coronavirus. The data is not available to non-government experts.
 
“While new pandemics can have unpredictable features, our inability to adequately manage the spread of infections has, to a large extent, resulted from epidemiological data not being systematically collected and released in a timely manner to the scientific community,” the appeal stated.
 
Public health experts say India’s health facilities are failing under the exponential rise in numbers because health officials neglected to ramp up health infrastructure during the six months when cases dipped amid complacency that the worst of the pandemic was over.
 
“We were clearly underprepared for the second wave. A lot of temporary facilities set up and staff were let go after the first wave,” said Anant Bhan, a public health expert. “So, when the cases increased, we were found wanting. The second issue is we took things too lightly too soon. There was not much adherence to public health measures such as masking, and large religious and political events were held, which aided the spread of the infection. Also, the spread of new variants which are more infectious in nature have led to this situation.” 
…

The United States, which has sent emergency aid to India, wants to quickly help the country increase its oxygen capacity to treat patients suffering from COVID-19, a U.S. official said Thursday.A first military plane loaded with equipment, including nearly 1 million rapid screening tests and 100,000 N95 masks, arrived early Friday in New Delhi. The shipment is part of a more than $100 million support plan, according to the White House.The priority “is to try to meet some of their immediate needs to deal with the serious challenges they face in their hospitals,” said Jeremy Konyndyk of the U.S. Agency for International Development.”We also need to help them address some of the underlying challenges, on the volume of oxygen the country can produce,” he told AFP.The United States is discussing with India how to develop its oxygen supply chain, including using technologies to convert industrial-grade oxygen into medical oxygen and improving its transport.Washington has also promised to help India by providing it with vaccines. But according to Konyndyk, for a country of more than a billion people facing skyrocketing cases, that is more of a medium-term measure.”Right now, there just aren’t enough vaccines in the world and not the ability to deliver them quickly enough to control this kind of outbreak,” he said.The United States announced Monday that it will provide other countries with 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not authorized for use in the U.S.Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said it is sending equipment to India to produce more than 20 million doses of Covishield, a cheaper version of the AstraZeneca vaccine developed in India.Biden has been criticized by those who believe he should have shared vaccine doses with the rest of the world more quickly. 
…

Troops and equipment are leaving Afghanistan, days ahead of the official start of the U.S. withdrawal, the White House said Thursday, marking the beginning of the end of America’s longest war.“A drawdown is under way,” White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, as President Joe Biden headed to Georgia Thursday for a rally.“It will be deliberate and conducted in a safe and responsible manner that ensures the protection of our forces,” she said. “Potential adversaries, should they attack us, our withdrawal, we will defend ourselves, our partners, with all the tools at our disposal.”Also Thursday, a NATO official confirmed to VOA that some of the 7,000 troops sent to Afghanistan as part of the multinational Operation Resolute Support had also left the country.Afghan National Army soldiers search men at a road checkpoint on the outskirts of Kabul on April 29, 2021.“We plan to have our withdrawal completed within a few months,” the official said.Confirmation of the pullout came just a day after Biden defended the decision in a speech to a joint session of Congress.Biden said the war in Afghanistan, launched after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, “were never meant to be multigenerational undertakings.”“We went to Afghanistan to get terrorists, the terrorists who attacked us,” Biden said, adding that justice was served. “After 20 years of valiant valor and sacrifice, it’s time to bring those troops home.”But the White House also confirmed Thursday that the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan would soon be going up, as additional safety measures are put in place.”Elements of an Army Ranger task force will temporarily deploy to Afghanistan to assist with force protection,” Jean-Pierre said.The U.S. has also sent four B-52 long-range bombers to Qatar to provide air cover for the withdrawal, while the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group is also staying in the region until July to provide additional capabilities.All for one and one for all. ⚔️ The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group – guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner and USS Laboon, and aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower – sails in the Arabian Sea supporting naval ops for maritime security in the 5th Fleet. pic.twitter.com/XSbTDvErZM— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) April 27, 2021 The commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, told reporters in Kabul that elements of the withdrawal had begun and that U.S. troops were in the process of turning facilities and equipment over to the Afghan security forces.US #Afghanistan withdrawal – “I now have a set of orders” the commander of @ResoluteSupport, Gen Austin “Scott” Miller, to reporters in #Kabul Sunday”We’ve already begun…”— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) April 25, 2021But the departure of the first of the 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan came as Afghan officials said their forces were engaged in heavy fighting against insurgent Taliban fighters across the country.Ministry of Defense spokesman Fawad Aman, in an interview with VOA’s Afghan Service, described it as a widespread campaign by the Taliban to challenge Afghan security forces on multiple fronts.In the meantime, #Afghan officials indicate heavy fighting between gvt forces & the #Talibanvia @VOADariAfghan, Afghan Defense Ministry spox Fawad Aman has said security forces killed 118 #Taliban today (Thursday) & 135 on Tuesday— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) April 29, 2021 Top U.S. military officials, while defending the drawdown, have voiced concern about the escalating violence and the ability of Afghan forces to withstand the mounting pressure.“It will be a difficult time for the Afghan military,” General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told Alhurra Television on Thursday.”We will still continue to support from what we call ‘over the horizon,’ and we’re working out the details of that right now,” he said. “But now is the time when they’re going to actually have to do it.”Steve Herman and the VOA Afghan Service contributed to this report.
…

The United States’ decision to start withdrawing its remaining forces from Afghanistan on Saturday to end Washington’s longest-running war has some officials warning of a possible ripple effect that could see the entire region, not just Afghanistan itself, grappling with instability. The U.S. officials, speaking publicly, point to the security void that will be left by the departing American and coalition forces, admitting it has been hard to get a read on whether countries in the region will accept more responsibility for security and about how they will navigate the seemingly stalled negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.   Just as worrisome, they say, is how regional governments will react if talks fail and Afghanistan finds itself consumed by a new wave of fighting.  FILE – Zalmay Khalilzad, special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 27, 2021.Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, said one reason for the lack of answers, and the concern, is that these are questions Kabul’s neighbors have not had to face — head-on at least — for nearly two decades. “While we have been there, they have all looked to us to solve their problem,” Khalilzad said during a hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill.  Now, he said, Afghanistan’s neighbors will have no choice but to take on more responsibility while bearing the consequences, without being able to use the presence of U.S. forces for cover. “The region needs to rise to the occasion, because sometimes Afghanistan’s war has been a proxy war of different neighbors supporting different elements,” he said. “They have their own moment of big decision, of choice.” Stepping up to ensure stability Khalilzad and other U.S. officials have said there are good reasons for Afghanistan’s neighbors to step up to the challenge. For starters, they believe most countries in the region have determined they have little to gain from an unstable Afghanistan. Military officials say more fighting could create a new wave of refugees flooding Pakistan, while also putting pressure on Afghanistan’s northern neighbors, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Countries to the north of FILE – Afghan security forces take part in an ongoing operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in the Achin district of Nangarhar province, Nov. 25, 2019.A stable Afghanistan, in contrast, could open up possibilities for more trade and access to raw materials that could boost the regional economy. Yet U.S. officials say some officials in the region remain skeptical that the economic payoff is worth the price of working to ensure a smooth transition, especially if they can instead just keep problems and the resulting instability contained inside Afghanistan’s borders.  “We’re working very closely with those that we can,” Khalilzad told lawmakers when asked about the regional fallout of the withdrawal. “We obviously, as you point out, we don’t have the best of relations with some of them.” That mistrust, though, has not stopped the U.S. from reaching out. US regional outreach On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with Pakistani General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of the army staff, emphasizing the importance of regional stability following the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan. JUST IN: US FILE – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press briefing in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2021.Just last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the peace process in Afghanistan with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan during a virtual meeting of the so-called C5+1. But some analysts caution none of that can make up for the lack of U.S. boots on the ground. “It opens up Afghanistan to the natural predation,” said Colin Clarke, director of policy and research at the Soufan Group, an intelligence and security consultancy. “I think the Iranians, the Pakistanis, the Russians, the Chinese in some ways look at Afghanistan as a carcass to be picked over, and they’re going to move in,” he said. “They’re going to sponsor their respective kind of proxies, if you will, or patronage groups on the ground. And things are going to get messy.” Opening for terror groups? Clarke said in a worst-case scenario in which the Taliban successfully use force to gain nominal control, Afghanistan could look like it did in 2001, when the al-Qaida terror group’s leadership used the country to plot its attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Former officials also see reason to worry. “Without U.S. and NATO troops, Afghanistan becomes a more attractive location for terrorist groups to try to operate from. Period,” said Scott Worden, former senior policy adviser at the U.S. Agency for International Development.  Already, United Nations counterterrorism officials estimate that as of last year, there were about 8,000 to 10,000 foreign fighters, including 6,500 from Pakistan alone, “in search of a purpose and livelihood in Afghanistan.” FILE – Fighters with IS-Khorasan, the affiliate in Afghanistan, vow allegiance to new Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, in this photo issued Nov. 5, 2019, by SITE Intelligence Group.While the terror group has seen its numbers dwindle, and it no longer holds territory, there are indications that it has used social media to grow its following across South and Central Asia. According to a recent Pentagon report, Central Asian countries especially worry a chaotic Afghanistan could give the IS affiliate the chance to expand its reach even further, “creating the potential for destabilization in states bordering Afghanistan.” “There are significant risks,” Philippa Brown, a British-based conflict expert and mediator, told VOA’s Afghan Service. “I think violent extremist groups will be able to make the most of a worsening security situation in Afghanistan.” 
…

India set new records again Thursday in COVID-19 deaths and infections as its new vaccination registration program stumbled while millions of voters nonetheless turned out for an election in the state of West Bengal.Under the weight of a disastrous second surge of the disease, India’s efforts to begin registering its 1.4 billion people for inoculations stumbled Wednesday when the government launched a website for all Indians 18 and older to sign up for a vaccination drive that is set to begin Saturday.Many people flooded social media with complaints, however, that either the website had crashed or they were unable to make an appointment.The problems with the website come as the health ministry reported a record 379,257 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, including 3,645 fatalities, marking yet another one-day record for fatalities. The new figures have pushed India’s coronavirus casualty numbers well over 18.3 million total confirmed cases and 204,832 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.Manika Goel, sits next to her husband who is suffering from the COVID-19 inside the emergency ward at Holy Family hospital in New Delhi, India, April 29, 2021.The second wave of the coronavirus has pushed India’s health care system to the brink of collapse, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation.  Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night to burn dead bodies.Public health experts have blamed the spread on more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year.West Bengal votingDespite the worsening crisis and soaring temperatures, many of the more than 8 million eligible voters in West Bengal state formed long lines at some of the more 11,800 polling stations Thursday to vote in the eighth and final phase of state elections.Indian women voters wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus wait outside a polling station to cast their votes during the last phase of West Bengal state elections in Kolkata, April 29, 2021.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party were criticized over the last few weeks for holding massive election rallies in West Bengal. Health experts have suggested the rallies may have contributed to a record surge in the state, which recorded more than 17,000 new cases over the last day, its highest since the pandemic began.Other political parties also held rallies in the state.India’s vaccination drive has dragged at a slow pace since it was launched in January, with only 1.7% of the population fully vaccinated. The country has a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as it struggles with a lack of raw materials needed to manufacture doses.The international community has responded by shipping critical supplies to India, including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, drug treatments and the raw materials necessary to develop vaccines.This photograph released by Indian External Affairs Ministry shows a shipment of oxygen concentrators, ventilators and other medical supplies arrived from Russia to India, April 29, 2021.The White House says an initial shipment of medical supplies worth $100 million will begin arriving in India on Thursday, including 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 15 million N95 face masks and 1 million rapid diagnostic tests, along with the raw materials that will allow India to manufacture 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca two-dose vaccine.The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory Wednesday urging Americans not to travel to India, becoming the latest country to impose a warning or outright prohibition on visiting the country.Meanwhile, the head of Australia’s drug regulatory agency said Thursday there is no evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for the deaths of two people shortly after their inoculations.Two men in North South Wales state, including one in his 70s, died within days after receiving the vaccine.John Skerritt, the head of the government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, told reporters the men’s deaths are being investigated, but said “the current evidence does not suggest a likely association” between the deaths and the vaccination.The AstraZeneca vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, with many nations suspending its use after reports first surfaced of a severe side effect that combines blood clots with low platelet counts following inoculation, including a handful of deaths. 
…

India’s efforts to begin registering its 1.4 billion people for COVID-19 inoculations stumbled Wednesday as the country struggles under the weight of a disastrous second surge of the disease.  The government launched a website for all Indians 18 and older to sign up for a vaccination drive that is set to begin Saturday.  However, many people flooded social media with complaints that either the website had crashed or they were unable to make an appointment.   The problems with the website come as the health ministry reported 379,257 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, including 3,645 fatalities, marking yet another one-day record for fatalities. The new figures have pushed India’s coronavirus casualty numbers well over 18.3 million total confirmed cases and 204,832 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.The second wave of the coronavirus has pushed India’s health care system to the brink of collapse, with hospitals at full capacity and an acute shortage of oxygen aggravating an already desperate situation.  Beds are seen in an indoor stadium converted into a COVID-19 care facility amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Srinagar, Apr. 29, 2021.Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night to burn dead bodies.  Public health experts have blamed the spread on more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year. Despite the worsening crisis, more than 8 million residents in West Bengal state are expected to show up at polling stations Thursday to vote in the eighth and final phase of state elections. India’s vaccination drive has dragged at a slow pace since it was launched in January, with only 1.7% of the population fully vaccinated.  The country has a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as it struggles with a lack of raw materials needed to manufacture doses.  Assistance from international communityThe international community has responded by shipping critical supplies to India, including ventilators, oxygen concentrators, drug treatments and the raw materials necessary to develop vaccines.   The White House says an initial shipment of medical supplies worth $100 million will begin arriving in India on Thursday, including 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 15 million N95 face masks and 1 million rapid diagnostic tests, along with the raw materials that will allow India to manufacture 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca two-dose vaccine. The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory Wednesday urging Americans not to travel to India, becoming the latest country to impose a warning or outright prohibition on visiting the country.  Syringes and a vial of AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 sit on a general practitioners’ table during a vaccination campaign in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)AstraZeneca vaccineMeanwhile, the head of Australia’s drug regulatory agency said Thursday there is no evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine was responsible for the deaths of two people shortly after their inoculations.   Two men in North South Wales state, including one in his 70s, died within days after receiving the vaccine.   John Skerritt, the head of the government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, told reporters the men’s deaths are being investigated, but said “the current evidence does not suggest a likely association” between the deaths and the vaccination. The AstraZeneca vaccine has had a troubled rollout across the world, with many nations suspending its use after reports first surfaced of a severe side effect that combines blood clots with low platelet counts following inoculation, including a handful of deaths.  
…

The U.N. General Assembly encouraged all countries Wednesday to take action to prevent drownings, which have caused over 2.5 million deaths in the past decade, over 90% of them in low-income and middle-income countries.The resolution, co-sponsored by Bangladesh and Ireland and adopted by consensus by the 193-member world body, is the first to focus on drowning. It establishes July 25 as “World Drowning Prevention Day.”The assembly stresses that drowning “is preventable” using “low-cost interventions” and calls on countries to consider introducing water safety, swimming and first aid lessons as part of school curricula. It encourages nations to appoint “a national focal point for drowning prevention,” develop countrywide prevention programs, and enact and enforce water safety laws.Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they do reflect global opinion.According to the United Nations, the world’s highest drowning rates are in Africa while the highest number of drowning deaths are in Asia.”Drowning is a social equity issue that disproportionately affects children and adolescents in rural areas, with many countries reporting drowning as the leading cause of childhood mortality and drowning being among the 10 leading causes of death globally for 5- to 14-year-olds,” the resolution says.It notes “with concern” that the official global estimate of 235,000 annual deaths from drowning excludes drownings attributed to flood-related climate events and water transport incidents. This has resulted “in the underrepresentation of drowning deaths by up to 50 percent in some countries,” it says.The assembly says that “water-related disasters increasingly affect millions of people globally,” in part due to the escalating impact of climate change, “and that flooding affects more people than any other natural hazard, with drowning being the main cause of death during floods.”Bangladeshi Ambassador Rabab Fatima told the assembly after the resolution’s adoption: “The imperative to act on drowning is not simply moral or political. The economic cost is equally untenable.”
He said drowning is a leading cause of child mortality in Bangladesh and in the South Asia region, and the resolution’s call for preventive action is urgent.Ireland’s U.N. ambassador, Geraldine Byrne Nason, called the resolution and designation of July 25 as a day for the world to focus on preventing drowning a moment “to highlight the immediate need for strategic and significant international action to save lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths.”Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the World Health Organization’s global ambassador for noncommunicable diseases and injuries, said: “Encouraging governments to adopt effective measures to prevent drowning will save thousands of lives and call attention to this urgent public health issue.””We have the tools to prevent these deaths – and need to act on them now,” he said in a statement.
…

A California man pleaded guilty Tuesday in a scheme to bilk the Afghanistan government out of more than $100 million with a phony bid to build an electric grid, authorities said.Saed Ismail Amiri, 38, of Granite Bay, entered a plea in Los Angeles federal court to one count of wire fraud, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. He could face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in August.The scheme involved Amiri’s Afghan company, Assist Consultants Incorporated, federal prosecutors said.In 2015 and 2016, Amiri and others tried to win a U.S.-funded contract to build five electric power substations in Afghanistan by submitting a false work history and phony supporting documents indicating the firm met requirements for the contract, prosecutors said.ACI’s bid stated that it had been a subcontractor on substations for a cement factory in Uganda and a textile company in Nigeria. In fact, ACI had never worked on a substation in Africa, and the two companies it mentioned didn’t exist, prosecutors said.After the national power utility of Afghanistan requested more documents to verify ACI’s work history, Amiri sent more false or altered documents, including photographs, false bank records and a purported letter from a Ugandan government official, authorities said.Amiri later withdrew the ACI bid after meeting with law enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, authorities said.
…

India’s coronavirus death toll has topped the 200,000 mark as it continues to be mired in a catastrophic surge of the disease.  The Health Ministry reported 3,293 deaths Wednesday, a new single-day record for fatalities, pushing India’s total death toll to 201,187.  The South Asian nation also set a new single-day record for new confirmed infections with 360,960, taking its overall cases to nearly 18 million.   Indian Capital’s Grim Battle with 2nd Virus Wave Wreaks Havoc Across City Sick family members are desperately seeking medical help for those more severely ill at home or are frantically racing to locate scarce drugs and oxygen cylindersThe second wave of the coronavirus has pushed India’s health care system to the brink of collapse, with hospitals crammed with so many coronavirus patients that authorities have been forced to convert train cars into COVID-19 isolation wards, while an acute shortage of oxygen continues to aggravate the already desperate situation.  Many parks and parking lots have been converted into makeshift crematories that are working day and night to burn dead bodies.  The international community has begun shipping critical medical supplies to India, including personal protective equipment, ventilators and oxygen concentrators, which collect atmospheric air and convert it into pure oxygen, along with treatments, diagnostic tests and raw materials needed to manufacture vaccine. The latest global COVID-19 figures from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center show 148.7 million confirmed infections, including 3.1 million deaths. The U.S. leads the world in both categories with 32.1 million total confirmed cases and 573,381 deaths. In other developments, a preliminary study in Britain shows that a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine can reduce the risk of transmitting the virus by nearly half. Researchers at Public Health England found that people who were infected at least three weeks after being inoculated with a single dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines were between 38 and 49 percent less likely to spread it to people in their households.   British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the study “further reinforces that vaccines are the best way out of this pandemic as they protect you and they may prevent you from unknowingly infecting someone in your household.” Albert Bourla, the chief executive officer of Pfizer, said Tuesday that an oral antiviral drug to treat COVID-19 could be available for public use by the end of 2021.  During an interview on cable television channel CNBC, Bourla said the U.S.-based drugmaker has begun a clinical trial of a drug that will be given to patients at the onset of the illness, with the aim of keeping them from being hospitalized. 
…

Amid criticism that the U.S.’s response to India’s COVID-19 crisis has been slow, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is sending a whole range of critical assistance to India, which is overwhelmed with a deadly second wave of the coronavirus. VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.
…

U.S. lawmakers worried about the impending withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan got a dose of cautious optimism from the diplomat who helped negotiate last year’s deal with the Taliban that paved the way for the upcoming pullout.Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States’ special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, telling members that while the Taliban have not quite lived up to all aspects of their agreement, the country’s future is far from lost.”I do not believe that the government is going to collapse, that the Taliban is going to take over,” Khalilzad said. “I don’t personally believe that there will be an imminent collapse.””It would be a mistake in my judgment to dismiss the Afghan security forces as not being a credible force that could perform well, although they will face more difficult circumstances,” he added.Doubts about withdrawalCritics of the withdrawal have voiced concern about the future of Afghanistan since U.S. President Joe Biden announced earlier this month that he was pulling the 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops out of the country beginning May 1.Lawmakers said Tuesday that they worry about the safety of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces over the past two decades and about what will happen to women’s rights as the Taliban likely gain more power.Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., questions Zalmay Khalilzad, special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 27, 2021.”I’m concerned about public executions and other forms of brutality that will just be so incredibly offensive,” Republican Senator Ron Johnson said Tuesday.”Are we going to sit back and just watch?” he asked. “Wring our hands and mourn the fact that we had made so much progress?”U.S. military officials and a U.S. government watchdog have likewise expressed some reservations about the withdrawal, worrying that the Afghan military cannot stand up to the Taliban without the help of U.S. and coalition troops and thousands of civilian contractors critical to maintenance and logistics efforts.But Khalilzad said Tuesday that while such concerns should not be dismissed, there is little for the U.S. to gain by keeping troops in Afghanistan any longer.”The agreement we struck with the Taliban was the best possible under the circumstances,” he told lawmakers.”If we did stay another year or two or indefinitely, we would be back at war,” Khalilzad said, adding that the number of U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan might not have been enough to withstand a Taliban onslaught.“There could have been potentially demand for more forces to be able to maintain the status quo, not to lose significant ground,” he said, warning that even before the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed, “the military balance was changing territorially, negatively for the past several years.””As the #Taliban seek to end their chapter of animosity w/the United States, they must know to move forward they cannot continue to hold an American hostage” per @US4AfghanPeace”I have repeatedly demanded the Taliban release of #MarkFrerichs”— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) April 27, 2021 Khalilzad also said that the Taliban have been warned about the consequences of failing to adhere to all aspects of their agreement with the U.S., and of rejecting talks with the current Afghan government.”If they obstruct a negotiated settlement and instead pursue a military takeover, they will be opposed not only by the Afghan Republic, but by the United States, our allies and partners,” he said. “They will face isolation, regional opposition, sanctions and international opprobrium.””The #Taliban have taken several positive steps” when it comes to terrorism, per @US4AfghanPeace “But we are pressing for more”— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) April 27, 2021 U.S. diplomats sent homeGiving critics more cause for concern, however, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday ordered some employees at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to head home, citing a rise in violence.Embassy staff defended the move, saying it would not affect its critical duties.”By minimizing the (number) of employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere, personnel who are urgently needed to address issues related to the drawdown of U.S. forces and the vital work we are doing in support of the Afghan people will be able to remain in place,” Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson wrote. “We do not anticipate any changes to our operations.”(1/4) In light of increasing violence & threat reports in Kabul, the @StateDept has approved Ordered Departure status affecting a relatively small number of employees at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul effective immediately. We do not anticipate any changes to our operations. https://t.co/hHZdr1uxVO— Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson (@USAmbKabul) April 27, 2021 For now, though, U.S. military planners are bracing for the possibility that the Taliban, or another group, will target American and NATO troops as they try to leave Afghanistan.Officials have sent four U.S. B-52 bombers to al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar to help provide air cover for the approximately 10,000 U.S. and NATO forces still in Afghanistan.New: Two B-52 bombers arrive at #AlUdeid Air Base in #Qatar ” to protect US & coalition forces as they conduct drawdown operations from #Afghanistan” per @USAFCENTThis is in addition to the 2 B-52s sent to the region last week… pic.twitter.com/8p3RUX8Tf1— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) April 26, 2021 The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier has also been ordered to remain in the region for the start of the drawdown. And officials have said ground forces, for protection and logistics, could also be sent to aid with the pullout.“We’ve actually got a very good backbone of a plan,” U.S. Central Command’s General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told a virtual forum Tuesday.NEW: “We’ve actually got a very good backbone of a plan” for May 1, @CENTCOM Commander Gen Kenneth McKenzie tells @AEISays US military presence to be minimal, to protect @USEmbassyKabul— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) April 27, 2021″I think we have a plan that will allow for us to get out in a protected manner,that will bring our partners out,” he said.  
…

Conflict-wary villagers have resumed economic and social activities in the scenic Battal valley in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, about three kilometers from Indian army posts set up on ridges directly overlooking a population of about 30,000.
 
It has been more than two months since the guns have fallen silent after the reinstitution of an 18-year-old cease-fire between India and Pakistan on their de facto Kashmir frontier.  Pakistani soldier stands guard on a forward posts near the Kashmir Line of Control as nascent ceasefire holds between India and Pakistan. (Ayaz Gul/VOA)Known as the Line of Control or LoC, the 740-kilometer military line splits the disputed Himalayan region between the nuclear-armed neighbors, with both claiming all of it.  
 
The surprise late-February truce has effectively halted years of frequent exchanges of artillery, mortars and small arms between Indian and Pakistani militaries, badly fraying civilian lives on both sides in the last three years.
 
“Life before the cease-fire was extremely miserable, particularly for elderly people like us,” lamented Khurshid Bibi, a 69-year-old woman.
 
The frequent exchange of fire would erupt early in the morning and at times would continue relentlessly for 10 to 12 hours, she said. “We would run for safety, often having no food until the violence would subside. We feel relieved now and wish this stability is permanently sustained.”Keep Your Distance, Kashmir Police Tell Media Police in India-controlled Kashmir cite safety and national security concerns as they tell journalists to stop live coverage of clashes with militants  Villagers told VOA the violence would inflict casualties, including on their valuable livestock, cause damage to property and crops, or prevent their timely harvesting and cultivation.
 
Residents said they are now holding rituals and social activities free of any fear of coming under fire. Health facilities have reopened but education activities remain suspended in the whole of Pakistani-ruled Kashmir like the rest of Pakistan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.  
 
Pakistani military officers said that a “peaceful environment” had ensued the cease-fire, having “a very positive psychological” effect on the people and providing “a sense of security for not losing their own or their loved ones’ lives and limbs.”  
 
Kashmir has sparked two of the three wars between nuclear armed India and Pakistan since both the countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. The territorial dispute remains at the heart of bilateral political and military tensions.
 
Major-General Wajid Aziz, the top regional Pakistani military commander, told reporters on an army-arranged visit to the Battal sector there had been “no significant” cease-fire violations since the truce went into effect two months ago.  
 
“We are hopeful this current cease-fire continues, sustains and paves the way for further negotiations,” Aziz said. Residents in the Salohi village near the line of control in Kashmir say the India-Pakistan ceasefire allowed them to timely cultivate their land. (Ayaz Gul/VOA)Villager Afzal Ahmed, 30, while pointing to the Indian posts on hilltops near his home said while he and his family have survived the shelling, they lost their livestock, a crucial source of livelihood for people in the area.  
 
“As soon as the cease-fire was announced, I bought these two buffalos so I could resume selling dairy products,” Ahmed said, standing in a small ready-to-harvest wheat field adjacent to his house.
 
Bilateral tensions dangerously escalated after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked the semiautonomous status of Indian-administered majority-Muslim Kashmir and declared it a union territory in August 2019.
 
Pakistan denounced the action and downgraded all ties with India, saying it would do so until the neighbor reversed its Kashmir-related actions.  
 
Islamabad said the Indian actions violated a longstanding United Nations resolution, which recognizes the region as a disputed territory.
 
New Delhi rejected the objection as an interference in its internal affairs but the ensuing months witnessed intense clashes between the Indian and Pakistani militaries along the Kashmir LoC, causing hundreds of civilian and combat casualties on both sides.  
 
India stepped up long-running allegations that Pakistan was sending infiltrators across the frontier, while Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan relentlessly slammed in domestic and international speeches his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi for stoking Hindu nationalist sentiment against Muslims in India. A girls school near the Kashmir frontier sustained damages in clashes between Indian and Pakistani armies prior to the late February ceasefire deal. (Ayaz Gul/VOA) 
Gen. Aziz said about 1.5 million people live along the frontier on the Pakistani side and nearly 30,000 families are directly vulnerable to the Indian fire.  
 
The escalation in the conflict in recent years, he said, prompted the army to help build more than 3,000 family-specific and community bunkers to enable the vulnerable population to seek shelter. But the cease-fire has rendered those bunkers unneeded for now, say villagers.  
 
Mutual tensions have gradually eased since the February truce.
 
Highly-placed official sources in Islamabad tell VOA the reinstatement of the 2003 cease-fire and recent exchanges of goodwill gestures between Pakistani and Indian leaders stemmed from months of ongoing backchannel peace negotiations.  
 
The sources asserted New Delhi proposed the wide-ranging dialogue between intelligence officials of the two countries a year ago to ease tensions and discuss outstanding disputes, including Kashmir, and Islamabad responded positively.
 
Last week Pakistan offered to provide essential medical relief supplies to India, which is in the grips of a devastating coronavirus surge and struggling to meet critical hospital needs, including medical oxygen. Indian officials have not yet responded to the offer.
 
However, critics and residents of Pakistani-ruled Kashmir remain skeptical whether the fledgling cease-fire would hold for long and whether it would lead to a formal, wider peace, citing past experiences and deeply-rooted enmity between the two rival countries.  
 
“It has brought a partial relief to the lives of our people here. But we remain fearful that hostilities could erupt at any time, as we have witnessed in the past,” said Wasim Ahmed Khan, an information technology specialist.
 
Khan, 42, said he works in Saudi Arabia but came back home on leave after the cease-fire announcement to help his family and parents in the rebuilding process.
 
“We urge them [Pakistan and India] to use this temporary positive step to find a permeant solution to this problem in line with the wishes of Kashmiri people on both sides,” Khan insisted. 
…

Despair and anguish have gripped India as the desperate search for oxygen, hospital beds and medicine continues unabated, with the country’s health-care system buckling under the deadly second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.In the capital New Delhi, where a more transmissible coronavirus variant has infected entire families, sick family members are desperately seeking medical help for those more severely ill at home or are frantically racing to locate scarce drugs and oxygen cylinders for which a thriving black market has emerged.It’s a city that now depends on family, friends and social media to navigate through its worst-ever health crisis. People are scared to even open windows and doors for fear of catching the virus, and lonely funerals are being held at crematoriums that are working into the night as the death toll climbs relentlessly.49-year-old Leena Roy, her husband, son and elderly parents all tested positive for COVID-19 last week. As her mother’s condition worsened, they joined the desperate search for a hospital bed. Her doctor finally located one in a small nursing home in a Delhi suburb whose owner he knew.Patients breathe with the help of oxygen masks inside a banquet hall temporarily converted into a Covid-19 coronavirus ward in New Delhi, India, April 27, 2021.After being unable for two days to contact doctors treating her mother, Roy dragged herself there despite running a high fever. She could not meet with any doctor, though, because they all were too busy. Her mother later told her the hospital is so overwhelmed that doctors and nurses have no time to make regular rounds of patients.After the experience, Roy decided to treat her 85-year-old father at home. She then began another difficult hunt — locating a nurse who could administer an intravenous drip and hunting for a home oxygen supply. “I made 40 calls yesterday to try and locate an attendant for her. But nobody could provide me one,” says her friend, Suhasini Sood. “She has paid nearly $ 1,000 for an oxygen concentrator but is not sure when it will arrive. The dealer who was supposed to deliver it asked if he could give it to someone who needed it more critically.”As reports of patients dying at two hospitals that ran out of oxygen panicked the city, oxygen concentrators, which can make oxygen at home, have become the most sought-after devices for those who can afford them.People with breathing problems due to the COVID-19 wait to receive oxygen support for free at a Gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Ghaziabad, India, April 27, 2021.Hospitals overstretched and labs overwhelmedIn overstretched hospitals, everything from ambulances to nursing staff are running short. Patients sick with the virus are ferrying family members who turn critical to the hospital. And overwhelmed laboratories are unable to cater to the huge demand for tests for the virus or for chest scans and blood tests needed to determine the severity of the infection, leaving people unsure of what treatment they need.Crematoriums and cemeteries are buckling under the pressure as numbers climb relentlessly of those falling victim to the virus. In New Delhi, city crematoriums are building additional makeshift platforms in parking lots and surrounding parks to cremate the dead.In this aerial picture burning pyres of victims who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 coronavirus are seen at a cremation ground in New Delhi, India, April 26, 2021.Role of social mediaAmid mounting despair, social media has become one of the city’s most sought-after helplines as thousands of volunteers and groups post information on Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp regarding the availability of beds, oxygen cylinders, medical attendants or even food deliveries for the sick to help those putting out desperate pleas.One among the countless messages in Twitter calling for help in the face of the pandemic in India, April 26, 2021.Among them is Network Capital, a business networking group of young professionals that has come together on three WhatsApp groups and a platform called Discord to help in the hour of crisis.“Wherever we hear of availability of beds or oxygen cylinders, it is immediately verified and posted,” says Deepika Khurana, one of the about 1,000 volunteers. “Every lead that works out for someone has been the result of thousands of strangers down the chain diligently linking other people with resources.”Exhausted workers, who bring dead bodies for cremation, sit on the rear step of an ambulance inside a crematorium, in New Delhi, India, April 24, 2021.Volunteers work into the night to gather information. People attending to their family members in hospitals contribute updates. It is not easy. “Even if you update a sheet at 10.30 a.m. on bed availability, it may not be valid by 10.40 a.m.,” according to Khurana. “The unfortunate reality of getting a hospital bed in Delhi today is that you have to land up in a hospital and demand attention.”Experts blame India’s dire situation on a decades-long lack of sufficient attention and spending on public health, and they say the belief the country would not face a second wave made it complacent about variants of the virus. “We missed the variants that began circulating in India in December and lacked the perception of the havoc they could wreck,” says Jacob John, a virologist and public health expert.“Now we are fighting a war without a war room,” he says. “All patients who are not seriously ill should be treated at home and only the critically ill should be in hospitals to alleviate the crisis of shortage of beds. But that is not happening.” 
…

The first shipment of critical medical supplies arrived in India Tuesday as the country continues to struggle with a catastrophic second wave of COVID-19 infections, a situation described as “beyond heartbreaking” by the head of the World Health Organization.A plane from Britain filled with 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, which collects atmospheric air and converts it into pure oxygen, landed at the airport in Delhi before dawn. The British high commission in India says a total of nine transport planes will deliver nearly 500 oxygen concentrators and 140 ventilators to the South Asian nation this week.Other nations have also pledged to ship badly needed medical supplies to India.  France has promised to send ventilators, oxygen generators and containers of liquid medical oxygen by next week, with Germany, Israel and Pakistan, India’s neighbor and longtime arch-enemy, sending personal protective gear, treatments and diagnostic tests along with ventilators and oxygen.US to Send Oxygen to India Biden administration also plans to send 60 million vaccines doses abroad amid latest wave of coronavirus infections   WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva Monday the global health agency “is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies, including thousands of oxygen concentrators, prefabricated mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies.”He noted the WHO has already announced 2,600 extra WHO staff members will go to India to help with efforts to fight the disease.The international assistance comes as India reported another 323,144 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, marking the sixth consecutive day of more than 300,000 infections.  The country’s health care system is nearing complete collapse, with hospitals crammed with so many coronavirus patients that authorities have been forced to convert train carriages into COVID isolation wards.India also posted another 2,771 COVID-related deaths Tuesday, as crematories have been busy night and day burning people’s remains.  The capital, New Delhi, remains under a lockdown that was extended Monday for another week.India Posts Fifth Consecutive Day of 300,000-Plus New COVID-19 Infections as World Sends Badly Needed AidUS and Britain begin sending ventilators, protective gear, oxygen equipment and testing supplies to beleaguered South Asian nation This second wave has been blamed on the spread of more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year.The situation has prompted many nations to suspend all passenger air travel to and from India.  Australia on Tuesday suspended direct passenger flights from India until May 15, leaving thousands of Australians stranded there, including several cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League.India has administered more than 142 million doses of the vaccine, but only 1.6% of its estimated 1.4 billion people are fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.The country is facing a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as it struggles with a shortage of raw materials needed to manufacture doses.Having already pledged to send raw materials to India to produce vaccines, the Biden administration announced Monday it will share its stockpile of 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries, with India likely to be a major recipient.  The two-dose vaccine, which has not been approved for use in the United States, will be shipped overseas once they pass a federal safety check.The doses were manufactured at a Baltimore manufacturing plant that ruined 15 million doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the ingredients were accidentally mixed with the ingredients that make the AstraZeneca vaccine. The plant was recently shut down by federal regulators over safety concerns.Meanwhile, the executive committee of the European Union has filed a lawsuit against AstraZeneca for failing to fulfill its contract to deliver millions of doses to its 27-member nations.The British-Swedish drugmaker had initially promised to deliver more than 300 million doses by the end of June, but has since cut that number down to just 100 million doses. The company issued a statement saying it “regrets” the European Commission’s action, calling the lawsuit “without merit.”The lawsuit is the latest blow to AstraZeneca’s efforts to produce a COVID-19 vaccine that can be stored at regular temperatures, making it easier to use and cheaper for many of the world’s poorer nations.  The vaccine has been plagued by a host of problems, including reports of possible blood clots that prompted many nations to halt their initial rollouts of the vaccine.
…

U.S. military planners have a growing number of options should the Taliban, or any other group, decide to target American and NATO troops as they prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan. Two U.S. B-52 bombers arrived at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, charged with providing air cover for the approximately 10,000 U.S. and NATO forces set to depart Afghanistan over the coming months. New: Two B-52 bombers arrive at In this picture taken on Nov. 21, 2016, a U.S. Navy fighter jet takes off from the deck of the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier.Despite such efforts, top military officials and various government watchdogs have warned that the Afghan forces lack the capacity to withstand a military challenge from the Taliban if peace negotiations collapse. “My concern is the ability of the Afghan military to hold the ground that they’re on now without the support they’ve been used to for many years,” U.S. Central Command’s General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told U.S. lawmakers last week. Some details of the U.S. withdrawal are still being worked out. Pentagon officials expect the finalized plan to be presented this coming Friday, but they have been looking at ways to continue supporting Afghan forces from afar. Such solutions could even include virtual calls to help Afghanistan’s air force keep its planes in the air. “We’re looking at how we can continue to support in a responsible way some of their contractual requirements for things like aviation maintenance,” the Pentagon’s Kirby said Monday, emphasizing that the U.S. is committed to ending all in-country assistance. “Our support to the Afghan forces will be primarily financially based,” he said. Despite the planned pullout, Taliban officials have repeatedly threatened to target U.S. and coalition forces if they fail to leave Afghanistan by the start of May — the deadline under an agreement signed between the Taliban and the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.  
…

The United States is pledging to send oxygen to India as soon as possible and tens of millions of vaccine doses abroad in stages, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and intense pressure on America for significant help.  “We want to work in partnership with India,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday. “We are committed to getting the assistance they need, whether that’s oxygen, PPE, therapeutics, tests or raw materials for vaccines.”  A “strike team” of U.S. public health experts will be dispatched to India, a senior administration official said.  Up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, could go to other countries in stages once it clears federal safety reviews, according to the White House.  A man receives a dose of COVISHIELD, a coronavirus vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, as others wait for their turn at a vaccination center in Mumbai, India, April 26, 2021.”Right now, we have zero doses of available of AstraZeneca,” said Psaki, who explained the release of vaccines for other countries is still weeks away and would likely initially total 10 million doses.  “We will consider a range of options from our partner countries, and of course, much of that will be through direct relationships,” she said. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in what a senior administration official described as “a warm and positive call.”  On Twitter, Modi said he “underscored the importance of smooth and efficient supply chains of vaccine raw materials and medicines,” adding that the partnership between the two countries “can address the global challenge of COVID-19.”Had a fruitful conversation with Health workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry wood to prepare a funeral pyre for a coronavirus victim during a mass cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, April 26, 2021.India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has an official tally of 17.3 million infections and nearly 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, according to Health Ministry data. Some health experts say the true number of total cases could be as much as 10 times higher, due to a lack of testing. India’s situation is “beyond heartbreaking,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.  Ideally, the United States should send “35 million to 40 million AstraZeneca vaccines that it has in storage but will not be using to India or Brazil or any other country that really needed them right now. But I don’t think India has a shortage of vaccines as much as a shortage of other supplies,” said Aparna Pande, director of the Hudson Institute’s Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia. India is the world’s leading vaccine manufacturer and earlier this year was engaged in a diplomatic push to export doses. But now, domestic demand for vaccines in the country exceeds the supply.  Soaring infections  India’s coronavirus caseload had been under control last year due in part to lockdowns.  But according to Pande, the government failed to bolster its underfunded health care infrastructure and “to convince the majority of Indians that the pandemic was still in their midst and they needed to remain vigilant. The result is before all of us.” Oxygen tankers are seen on a special “Oxygen Express” train upon their arrival at a goods yard amid the coronavirus pandemic in Navi Mumbai, April 26, 2021.”Support from the U.S. is welcome, and the PPEs, oxygen, ventilators, medications and support from the CDC will help,” Pande said. “However, unless and until the case numbers come down, there is little anyone can do. The case numbers are overwhelming India’s weak health care system. India also needs to vaccinate a majority of its population, but as of now, the numbers vaccinated is extremely low.” The crisis India faces will have geopolitical ramifications, Pande told VOA. “All the soft power India gained from its vaccine diplomacy and pandemic-related support to its neighbors and allies is of little use if the country does not have the capability to take care of its own citizens,” she said.  China and Russia are now among those offering oxygen and medicines to India and its neighbors, which will have an impact on the effort by India and like-minded countries to contain Chinese influence in the region, according to Pande.  “India’s desire to be a leading global player will only be achievable if the country invests in its domestic capabilities,” Pande said. “What we see before us is an inability by the Indian governmental apparatus to plan and strategize in advance, but rather to leave things till the end with the hope that it will resolve itself or others will come in and help. This is not how a wannabe global power behaves.”  Meanwhile, India’s government has ordered Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to take down some social media posts that are critical of its delayed and flawed response to the pandemic. “That certainly wouldn’t be in line with our view of freedom of speech around the world,”  Psaki replied when asked Monday about the censorship.  Modi has also come under fire for holding election rallies in several states that attracted thousands of people to stadiums amid the pandemic. 
 
…

The head of the World Health Organization said India’s situation is “beyond heartbreaking” as the country reported nearly 353,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the fifth consecutive day of more than 300,000 coronavirus infections.”WHO is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies, including thousands of oxygen concentrators, prefabricated mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies,” WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus told a briefing from Geneva.He noted the WHO has already announced 2,600 extra WHO staff members will go to India to help with efforts to fight the disease.India’s health care system is malfunctioning amid a catastrophic second wave of the virus, with hospitals filled beyond capacity and unable to care for any new patients and a shortage of oxygen canisters so dire that some COVID patients are literally gasping for air.   Municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19, in Gauhati, India, Apr. 25, 2021.India also posted 2,812 COVID-related deaths Monday, another one-day record, as crematories have been busy night and day burning people’s remains.  The capital New Delhi has extended a lockdown that was set to expire on Monday for another week.   This second wave has been blamed on the spread of more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has come under fire for holding packed political rallies and allowing an annual Hindu religious festival that attracted millions of pilgrims, urged all Indians to get vaccinated in his monthly radio address Sunday and not be swayed by what he called “any rumor about the vaccine.” India has administered almost 138 million doses of the vaccine, but only 1.6% of its estimated 1.4 billion people are fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. People wearing protective face masks wait to receive a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Mumbai, India, Apr. 26, 2021.World sends badly needed aid U.S. President Joe Biden announced Sunday that the United States will send raw materials to India to produce vaccines, plus ventilators, rapid diagnostic testing kits and personal protective equipment.  From his Twitter account, he said, “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.” Several transport planes left Britain Monday for India, carrying hundreds of items including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, which collects atmospheric air and converts it into pure oxygen.  Other countries, including France and Germany, have said they will also help, along with India’s neighbor and sometimes foe, Pakistan. India now has more than 17.3 million total cases — just second behind the United States —  including 195,123 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.  India’s death toll is fourth behind the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. Thailand, which has banned travelers from India, is undergoing its own surge of new coronavirus cases.  The government ordered the closure of movie theaters, gyms and parks beginning Monday and lasting until May 9, as it posted 2,048 new cases, bringing its overall casualty rate to 57,508 infections, including 148 coronavirus-related fatalities.   The Philippines announced Monday that its total coronavirus case count since the pandemic began has topped one million. The country is facing a surge of infections in the capital, Manila, and surrounding regions.EU Will Let Vaccinated Americans Visit This Summer, Top Official SaysIt’s not clear exactly when travel will resumeMeanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told The New York Times Sunday that American tourists who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to visit the European Union this summer.  Von Der Leyen said the rapid pace of vaccinations in the United States, along with advanced talks between officials in the U.S. and the E.U. over the issue of official vaccine certificates as proof of immunity, will enable the 27-member bloc’s executive body to restore trans-Atlantic travel.   And Hong Kong and Singapore announced Monday they would launch a two-way “travel bubble” beginning May 26 that would do away with mandatory quarantine periods for visitors to either destination.  The bubble was initially set to begin last November, but was postponed due to a surge of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong.
…

India reported 352,991 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the fifth consecutive day of more than 300,000 coronavirus infections in the South Asian nation as it deals with a catastrophic second wave of the pandemic.   The country’s health care system has collapsed in the wave, with hospitals filled beyond capacity and unable to care for any new patients and a shortage of oxygen canisters so dire that some COVID patients are literally gasping for air.   Municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19, in Gauhati, India, Apr. 25, 2021.India also posted 2,812 deaths Monday, another record one-day number, as crematories have been busy night and day setting fire to the dead.  The capital New Delhi has extended a lockdown that was set to expire on Monday for another week.  The second wave has been blamed on the spread of more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has come under fire for holding packed political rallies and allowing an annual Hindu religious festival that attracted millions of pilgrims,   urged all Indians to get vaccinated in his monthly radio address Sunday and not be swayed by what he called “any rumor about the vaccine.” India has administered almost 138 million doses of the vaccine, but only 1.6% of its estimated 1.4 billion people are fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. People wearing protective face masks wait to receive a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Mumbai, India, Apr. 26, 2021.World sends badly needed aid The crisis has prompted members of the international community to rush critically needed medical supplies to India.  U.S. President Joe Biden announced Sunday that the United States will send raw materials to produce vaccines, plus ventilators, rapid diagnostic testing kits and personal protective equipment.  From his Twitter account, he said, “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.” But the administration is also under growing pressure to release its warehoused stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines to India, including the two-shot AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not been approved for use in the U.S. On ABC’s Sunday morning public affairs show “This Week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s top medical adviser, said that a proposal for the U.S. to send more than 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine “is up for active consideration.” Several transport planes left Britain Monday for India, carrying hundreds of items including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, which collects atmospheric air and converts it into pure oxygen.  Other countries, including France and Germany have said they will also help, along with India’s longtime arch-foe Pakistan. India now has more than 17.3 million total cases — just second behind the United States —  including 195,123 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.  India’s death toll is fourth behind the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. Thailand, which has banned travelers from India, is undergoing its own surge of new coronavirus cases.  The government ordered the closure of movie theaters, gyms and parks beginning Monday and lasting until May 9, as it posted 2,048 new cases, bringing its overall casualty rate to 57,508 infections, including 148 coronavirus-related fatalities.EU to allow vaccinated US touristsMeanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told The New York Times Sunday that American tourists who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to visit the European Union this summer.  Greece to Lift Quarantine Rule for More Inbound Visitors Restrictions on coronavirus-free visitors from more countries including Australia and Russia from MondayVon Der Leyen said the rapid pace of vaccinations in the United States, along with advanced talks between officials in the U.S. and the EU. over the issue of official vaccine certificates as proof of immunity, will enable the 27-member bloc’s executive body to restore trans-Atlantic travel.   And Hong Kong and Singapore announced Monday they would launch a two-way “travel bubble” beginning May 26 that would do away with mandatory quarantine periods for visitors to either destination.  The bubble was initially set to begin last November, but was postponed due to a surge of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong.
…