Taiwan faces worst COVID outbreak since start of pandemic

Taiwan reported more than 11,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Taiwan faces worst COVID outbreak since start of pandemic [People take off their masks to chat and smoke in Taipei, Taiwan, April 28, 2022.] Credit: Chiang Ying-ying/AP Taiwan Taiwan is facing its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic. It’s been mostly spared from the coronavirus, but reported more than 11,000 new cases on Thursday, and at least two deaths. New infections have been on the rise since late March. The health minister also said that 99.7% of the current cases had either [mild or no symptoms](. Daily cases are [projected to increase]( by May. Because Taiwan was able to avoid the virus over the past two years, its medical facilities and workers are also less experienced with serious outbreaks. Most of the island’s nearly 1,000 deaths occurred in the summer of 2021. Turkey-Saudi Arabia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is [traveling to Saudi Arabia for talks]( on Thursday. Relations have begun to warm between the two nations. This is Erdogan's first visit to the kingdom since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Efforts at rapprochement between the two countries also resulted in Khashoggi’s trial being [transferred to Saudi Arabia](. Erdogan told reporters before his departure that Ankara and Riyadh hope to increase cooperation on health, energy, food security, defense and finance. The meeting also comes as Turkey faces an economic crisis. India, Pakistan An extreme heat wave has gripped India and Pakistan for weeks, even before the official start of summer. And it’s [expected to intensify]( over the weekend. It also poses health and logistical challenges for different types of workers, including manual laborers, farmers and firefighters, especially where access to air-conditioning is limited. Climate scientists say that such heat waves around the world are increasing in frequency and lasting longer. Forecasters in India have said that March was the [hottest month in over a century]( with temperatures in some states recorded as 10 degrees Fahrenheit or more above normal. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Three months after ISIS attacked a prison in northeast Syria, the fate of at least 100 child detainees remains unclear]( [Soldiers with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces check a house in Hassakeh, Syria, Jan. 25, 2022.]( Credit: Orhan Qereman/AP Human rights groups say they are deeply concerned about the well-being of the children who [remain injured or unaccounted for]( after an ISIS attack on a prison in northeast Syria. Many of the children's home countries refuse to them them back. [‘Home is home’: Ukrainians in Poland consider options as Russia’s war enters new phase]( [Ukrainian Nicolai, 41, says goodbye to his daughter Elina, 4, and his wife Lolita, on a train bound for Poland fleeing from the war at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine, April 15, 2022.]( Credit: Emilio Morenatti/AP Many of the 3 million Ukrainians who found safe harbor in Poland amid war at home now [find themselves at a crossroads](: Build a new life in Poland or return to Ukraine? --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot During the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from consuming food or drink during daylight hours. So, professional soccer club Liverpool found a way to [support their Muslim players]( — by shifting training sessions from the afternoon to the morning. Liverpool have multiple senior Muslim players, including Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita. Their club captain Jordan Henderson spoke to the manager on their behalf to make the adjustment. [Screenshot of The Quint 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](.