COVID surge in Afghanistan puts more pressure on devastated health care system

Many hospitals have had to shut down over a shortage of doctors, medicine and fuel for heating. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following COVID surge in Afghanistan puts more pressure on devastated health care system [An Afghan patient infected with COVID-19 sits on a bed in the intensive care unit of the Afghan Japan Communicable Disease Hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 7, 2022] Credit: Hussein Malla/AP Afghanistan A new COVID-19 surge is devastating an [already faltering health care system]( in Afghanistan. Only five hospitals are still offering treatment for the coronavirus, with 33 others being forced to shut down over a lack of doctors, medicine and heating due to a shortage of fuel. The Ministry of Public Health had published detailed daily charts of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths prior to the Taliban takeover in August. But now, without sufficient funding, it’s [struggling to keep proper records](. The country’s economy has been suffering after nearly $10 billion in assets were frozen and most international aid was withheld from the Taliban government. Australia US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Melbourne, Australia, for three days, meeting with foreign ministers of the “Quad” — an informal group consisting of the US, Japan, India and Australia. Washington is hoping to counter China’s growing influence in the region by assuring Indo-Pacific nations of US support. It’s also hoping to [shore up partnerships]( in the region amid tensions in Ukraine as Russia maintains a massive troop presence along the border. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue emerged in 2007 with the start of [joint US-India-Japan naval exercises]( in the Indian Ocean, called the Malabar Exercises. Blinken also plans to head to Fiji to meet with Pacific island leaders who are also being courted by Beijing. Iran Iranian state TV announced that Tehran has unveiled a new long-range missile with a reach of more than 900 miles. It comes just a day Tehran [resumed indirect talks]( with Washington to revive the stalled nuclear deal from 2015 — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — that was abandoned by the Trump administration. Reports have emerged that the talks have entered a [critical phase](, but there are a number of issues that still remain unresolved, including sanctions relief for Iran. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World ['She had an aura': The world mourns late Indian songstress Lata Mangeshkar]( [People pay tribute in front of a portrait of Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary singer placed on a decorated podium in Kolkata, India, Feb. 7, 2022.]( Credit: Bikas Das/AP India has been in mourning the death of Lata Mangeshkar, known as the "Nightingale of India" and "the Queen of Melody," who died on Sunday at the age of 92 after a [seven-decadeslong musical career](. Mangeshkar was cremated with full state honors in Mumbai on Sunday, a funeral attended by film and music luminaries as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. [A ‘deepening chill’ among historians over Holocaust revisionism in Poland]( [Jewish and Christian clergy stand together for prayers for the souls of some 60 Jews murdered by the occupying Nazi German forces during a ceremony marking a memorial to the victims in Wojslawice, Poland, Oct. 14, 2021.]( Credit: Czarek Sokolowski/AP A growing number of Holocaust historians worry that Poland’s ruling far-right government is trying to cover up the [darker side of the country’s past](. It comes amid debates over the degree to which some Poles helped Jews, acted as bystanders or facilitated the Nazis in carrying out their mission during World War II. --------------------------------------------------------------- Double take A parrot managed to temporarily steal a GoPro camera from a group of hikers in New Zealand. 🦜 The Verheul family was visiting the national park when the feathered felon flew away with its new prize. The entire incident took place whle the camera was still rolling, so the family was able to get its own bird's-eye view of the debacle. [Screenshot of CNN tweet]( [Credit: Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [In case you missed it from The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.