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Ajay Singh Yadav only managed a final video call with Raj Karan before his close friend became the latest of an alarming number of young Indians, including children, falling victim to the new coronavirus wave sweeping the country. Some doctors say the reason that under-45s are now vulnerable is that they go to work and eat out more, but no there is no definitive proof. They could also be more prone to a new "double mutant" variant found in 60 percent of samples in Maharashtra, the hardest-hit state. Karan, 38, was campaigning in village elections when he fell ill. Yadav rushed him to a hospital, but he too tested positive and was put into isolation. "I am devastated... I could only see him via a video call," Yadav, 39, told AFP in the northern city of Lucknow. The nation of 1.3 billion people has been hit by a new wave that has caused one million positive tests in a week, and authorities are rattled. At the start of the year, India thought it had beaten the pandemic and had kicked off a mass vaccination drive. Face masks and social distancing were cast aside and huge crowds flocked to religious festivals and election rallies. But in hospitals, doctors started warning of a rise in cases, including a new phenomenon -- younger patients -- for a disease usually viewed as riskier for older adults. - Children in hospital - In a country where around 65 percent of the population is under 35, there is growing concern about the impact on the young. New Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said 65 percent of new patients are below 45. India's medical research agency does not have a demographic breakdown of cases, but doctors in major cities confirmed that more young patients are coming to hospitals. "We are also seeing children under the ages of 12 and 15 being admitted with symptoms in the second wave. Last year there were practically no children," said Khusrav Bajan, a consultant at Mumbai's P.D. Hinduja National Hospital and a member of …

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After a sudden downpour on April 4, Nguyen Tien Dung, 40, and his colleagues at the state-owned Ho Chi Minh City Urban Environment Co., Ltd (Citenco) had to spend two hectic days removing dead fish from the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal, which flows through Districts 1, 3, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, and Tan Binh. They collected 14 tons of fish from a three-kilometer section of the 8.5-km (5.28 miles) canal, making it one of the most serious such incidents in almost a decade since Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe was cleaned. Dung and 20 others had rushed to the scene at 3:30 in the morning after being informed that dead fish were floating all over the canal. He said: "Even the previous evening I had noticed a lot of dead fish in the water and its change of color. Though I’d come prepared, I was still shocked to see so many fish belly up all over the canal." Since 2012, after taking over the job of cleaning the canal, he has been taking out dead fish almost every year soon after the rains arrive, but what he saw that morning left him dismayed: the fish covered almost the entire water surface visible between garbage and water hyacinth plants. Dung and his team had to work as fast as possible since the huge volume of dead fish posed a serious threat to the water environment. The city Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s fisheries division provided a clear explanation for the mass death. It said the sudden heavy rains flushed out a large volume of wastewater lying in the drains, which then covered the canal surface and significantly reduced the oxygen in the water. The sudden rush of wastewater also stirred the layer of sludge at the bottom, which usually contains toxic gases. The gases were released and they rose up and dissolved in the water. "The dual impact from below and above led to a sudden change in the fish’s living environment and killed them," the division said. Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe was once arguably the most polluted water body in the city. A …

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Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, lead the ceremonial funeral procession of Prince Philip to St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, followed by more royal family members. AFP Photo WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM - Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday led Britain in a one-minute's silence in memory of her late husband, Prince Philip, as she bid him a final farewell at a funeral restricted by coronavirus rules but reflecting his long life of military and public service. The 94-year-old monarch, dressed in mourning black and a black face mask, sat inside St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, as the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin arrived on a bespoke Land Rover which he designed himself. A military gun was fired to signal the start of the solemn tribute, which was observed in shops, railway stations and at sporting events across the country. The ceremony with just 30 mourners took place entirely behind the castle's stately walls, with the public urged to stay away because of the pandemic. Military Band marches into position at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London, ahead of the funeral of Prince Philip. AFP Photo But small crowds still gathered in Windsor town centre, and on the sweeping Long Walk to the castle gates, behind barriers patrolled by uniformed police. Ieuan Jones, 37, travelled to the town from his home in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, and called Philip "a strong man, a true hero (who) did so much for this country and the royal family". "It's really a shame that because of the pandemic we can't pay a wider tribute to the exceptional man he was," he told AFP. At Buckingham Palace, the Queen's central London home, Cardiff-born chef Santosh Singh laid purple tulips to mark the end of an era. "I love the royals. I think they're amazing... It's sad because in time, all this will change," the 57-year-old said. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives in the Royal Bentley at the funeral for her husband, …

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