Officials in India have confirmed the country's first 7 cases of human metapneumovirus, which is reportedly surging in neighboring China.

Two children, aged seven and 13, tested positive for HMPV virus at a private hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra in India.

A 70-year-old farmer leader in India has been on hunger strike for more than 40 days in a bid to push the federal government to accept demands of protesting farmers. Doctors say that Jagjit Singh Dallewal's health has deteriorated and that he is "unable to speak", but he and his supporters have refused medical aid so far.

The health of farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for 41 days, deteriorated significantly in the 24 hours after his address at a mahapanchayat at the Khanauri protest site on the Punjab-Haryana border on Saturday (January 4).

The U.S. government is in the process of removing restrictions on Indian nuclear entities, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday, in a bid to forge deeper energy ties with New Delhi and bolster a 20-year old landmark nuclear deal.

The US is finalizing steps to remove longstanding barriers to civil nuclear cooperation with India as the two countries look to bolster relations further.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited New Delhi and described the India-U.S. collaboration as “crucial” for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell asks what lies ahead for the countries.