The Heat

Is the Modi government to blame for India’s second COVID surge?

A second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is battering India with nearly 20 million people infected and close to 220,000 dead — although unofficial figures are believed to be much higher. Overwhelmed hospitals are dealing with a shortage of vaccines, ventilators and oxygen as thousands of bodies are being burned every day in makeshift crematoriums across the country. Critics have blamed the surge on the federal government for allowing religious gathering and rallies. The international community is rushing aid to India — but experts warn it could be months before cases and fatalities subside in the country. https://youtu.be/JQtWB5t0VgM Anand Naidoo spoke with journalist Asad Ashraf who’s on the ground covering the pandemic in India.

Oliver Stone on the history of U.S. intervention

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. Planned by the CIA, it was a plot to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The mission ended in a humiliating defeat for a group of U.S.-trained Cuban exiles who invaded the island’s southern shore. As Cubans mark that anniversary, Anand Naidoo had an indepth discussion with acclaimed film-maker Oliver Stone on U.S. foreign policy over the past 60 years.

How California is fighting climate change

Chinese President Xi Jinping joined his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden and other world leaders to pledge drastic action against climate change. Speaking at a virtual Earth Day summit, President Xi said China will aim to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. President Biden promised to drastically cut U.S. emissions in the next nine years. One American state that’s reeling from the impact of climate change in California. It’s the largest economy in the United States and home to some of the world’s biggest healthcare, construction and technology companies. Jared Blumenfeld, California’s Secretary of Environmental Protection, told Anand Naidoo about his state’s efforts to deal with the climate crisis.

Ukraine-Russia tensions

Tensions are running high in Eastern Europe with tens of thousands of Russian soldiers gathering near the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin says it’s responding to increased violence in Ukraine’s Donbass region where pro-Russians separatists are fighting Ukranian forces. This conflict began in April 2014 and has escalated in recent weeks after months of low-intensity combat. Russia says NATO is escalating the crisis in the region while western powers accuse Moscow of trying to annex more parts of Ukraine after it seized Crimea seven years ago. Will the latest spike in violence plunge the region into another crisis? Mike Walter spoke with Volodymyr Yelchenko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States — and Anton Fedyashin, professor of history at American University who specializes in Eurasian politics.

IMF chief lays out priorities and challenges ahead

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are about to hold their major Spring meetings. In a major speech ahead of the gathering, the IMF’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva laid out her expectations for the global economy in 2021-2022. She spoke to Anand Naidoo about a range of issues including the IMF’s projections for the world’s economic recovery, its plans to help the world’s poorest nations and China’s role in mitigating debt.