India sees record spike in coronavirus cases; Outrage in Turkey over femicide; Fugitive Chinese researcher hiding in consulate

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India, the country with the third-most cases worldwide of the coronavirus behind the US and Brazil, reported a record jump of more than 45,000 infections Wednesday. The spike comes after a new study from India’s National Center for Disease Control showed more than 1 in 5 people in the capital, Delhi, have been infected.

At the same time, the United States, which has the most confirmed cases globally, is setting new daily records. California overtook New York on Wednesday as the worst-hit state. Total cases in California, the most populous US state, rose by more than 12,000, marking the biggest single-day increase since the pandemic started. If California were a country, it would rank fifth in the world for total cases of the coronavirus.

And Brazil has its own unique challenges with the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro — who has tested positive for the coronavirus — doubling down on calls for the economy to be reopened despite rising cases. He has also praised the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, despite the World Health Organization’s guidance that it should no longer be prescribed to COVID-19 patients. Tests on hydroxychloroquine have shown it likely offers no benefit and could even increase the risk of death.

Podcast: How the coronavirus crisis has exposed entrenched health inequities

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The brutal murder of Pınar Gültekin, a 27-year-old woman by her former boyfriend, has sparked outrage and protests in Turkey, a country with a high femicide rate. Gültekin was reported missing last week and was found dead in the woods on Tuesday.

The FBI believes that a fugitive Chinese researcher, Juan Tang, has been hiding in the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco for a month. Tang, who worked at University of California, Davis, is accused of visa fraud for hiding her affiliation with the Chinese military.

From The World

Schiff warns Congress must be prepared for foreign interference in 2020 election

House Intelligence Committee chair, Rep. Adam Schiff, along with other Democratic lawmakers, wrote a letter this week demanding an FBI briefing for all members of Congress on a “foreign interference campaign” targeting the 2020 election. He spoke to The World’s host Marco Werman about how that interference could play out.

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