Max Rodenbeck, the South Asia bureau chief based in Delhi, sheds light on India’s alarming surge in COVID-19 cases, revealing how government inaction and healthcare inadequacies have fueled the crisis. He discusses tragic incidents like patient deaths due to oxygen shortages and critiques the flawed vaccine rollout amid mass gatherings. Additionally, the conversation touches on the political fallout from Chad's president's recent assassination and the broader implications for regional security.
Mass gatherings and in-person voting continue, even as new case numbers smash records and fatalities spiral in public view. We ask how a seeming pandemic success has turned so suddenly tragic. Chad’s president of three decades has been killed; that has implications for regional violence far beyond the country’s borders. And a deep dive on the international sea-cucumber trade.