Sport

Kohli: Winning Dhoni’s trust is the key to getting India captaincy

Jim Stein May 31, 2020

NEW DELHI (Sports) – India captain Virat Kohli believes he landed the job largely because his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni was impressed with his reading of situations in matches. Kohli, 31, replaced Dhoni as test captain in 2014-15 and took over the limited-overs reins in early 2017,

Asia

Modi urges Indians to remain alert as coronavirus lockdown eases

Nia N May 31, 2020

NEW DELHI (India) – India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the country on Sunday to remain vigilant against the spread of coronavirus as the country prepares a phased re-opening of activities even as daily cases rise to record highs. India, with the world’s longest lockdown, is set to largely lift containment measures in June, except […]

Asia

India posts record jump in COVID-19 cases, Modi says ‘long battle’ ahead

Jim Stein May 30, 2020

NEW DELHI (Asia) – India reported a record daily jump of 7,964 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, with a recent surge in cases as lockdown restrictions start to ease raising the possibility that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could extend curbs beyond May 31. In an open letter marking one year into his second term, Modi […]

Asia

Move over James Bond; India returns alleged bird spy to Pakistan

Jim Stein May 30, 2020

SRINAGAR, India (Asia) – Indian police have released a pigeon belonging to a Pakistani fisherman after a probe found that the bird, which had flown across the contentious border between the nuclear-armed nations, was not a spy, two officials said on Friday. “The pigeon was set free yesterday (May 28) after nothing suspicious was found,” […]

Asia

India among 10 worst-hit COVID-19 nations with jump in case numbers; air travel resumes

Nia N May 25, 2020

MUMBAI (Asia) – India on Monday posted its biggest single-day jump in cases of COVID-19, overtaking Iran to become one of the 10 worst-hit nations, even as the government allowed domestic air travel to restart. India reported another 6,977 cases, taking its total ot 138,845, according to government data, despite the world’s longest lockdown imposed […]

Asia

Mumbai faces surge in coronavirus cases; more patients than bed in hospitals

Nia N May 25, 2020

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Asia) – When Manit Parikh’s mother tested positive for the new coronavirus, she was rushed by ambulance to Mumbai’s private Lilavati Hospital, but officials told the family no critical-care beds were available. Five hours and dozens of phone calls later the family found a bed for her at the private Bombay Hospital. A […]

Sport

Indian government will decide IPL’s fate, not cricket board

Nia N May 24, 2020

MUMBAI (Sports) – India’s sports minister on Sunday said any decision to allow the Indian Premier League to go ahead this year would be taken by the government, not the Indian cricket board, and would be based on how well the country has contained the novel coronavirus. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said the IPL would […]

Tech

Reliance launches JioMart online grocery service in India

Jim Stein May 24, 2020

NEW DELHI (Technology) – Reliance Industries Ltd has launched an online grocery service, JioMart, the head of its grocery retail business said, in a move aimed at rivalling Amazon.com’s local unit and Walmart Inc’s Flipkart in the huge Indian market. JioMart will deliver groceries in more than 200 towns across the country, Damodar Mall, chief […]

Business

Amazon to hire 50,000 temp workers in India as lockdown boosts demand

Nia N May 22, 2020

BENGALURU (Business) – Amazon.com Inc’s India unit said it would hire 50,000 temporary workers to meet a surge in online shopping in the country, where customers have been stuck indoors for two months in a lockdown to fight the coronavirus outbreak. E-commerce firms faced massive disruption in the initial days of the lockdown in India, […]

Asia

Indian PM visits cyclone stricken Kolkata promising help, Bangladesh counts cost

Nia N May 22, 2020

KOLKATA/DHAKA (Asia) – Peering down from his aircraft, Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw on Friday the devastation and flooding caused by the most powerful cyclone to strike India and Bangladesh in more than a decade, before landing in the stricken city of Kolkata. At least 96 people died in the two countries when cyclone Amphan […]