Economy

The superstorm Amphan is expected to passes through Kolkata with winds off up to 120 kph.
Natural disasters

Cyclone forces mass evacuation from India and Bangladesh coasts

First superstorm in 20 years adds to challenges amid COVID-19 pandemic

20 May 2020
Employees work on a smartphone production line in Wuhan. In advanced electronics, companies have barely shifted out of China at all, despite cajoling from Trump.
Opinion

US-China decoupling is much harder than Donald Trump thinks

Despite threats and incentives, companies like Chinese manufacturing

20 May 2020
Staff at INHS Asvini, an Indian navy hospital in Mumbai, attended a ceremony in early May to honor frontline health care workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 
International relations

India sends hydroxychloroquine to Africa in war on coronavirus

Aid initiative to fill pandemic leadership failings of China and the US

18 May 2020
Migrant workers from other states trying to return to their homes stand in queue as they wait for transportation to a train station in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, May 17, 2020. 
Coronavirus

India extends coronavirus lockdown for third time

Lengthy shutdown squeezes economy in Asia's largest hot spot

18 May 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's news conference on the coronavirus emergency is displayed on a large screen in Tokyo on May 14.
Coronavirus

Asia and world seek different paths to exit coronavirus crisis

Singapore, India, and US look to strike balance between public and economic health

16 May 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is encouraging easing of labor laws across India to jump-start an economy battered by the pandemic. (Nikkei Montage/Reuters)
Economy

Indian states waive labor laws under cover of coronavirus crisis

Workers in areas controlled by Modi's party likely to see 12-hour days

15 May 2020
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an economic package worth almost 10% of the nation's gross domestic product.
Economy

India's Modi declares $265bn in economic relief to fight pandemic

Push for self-reliance and local products draws cheers from business groups

13 May 2020
A man attempts to fend-off a swarm of desert locusts in Kenya on Feb. 21: it is the worst outbreak to strike the country in 70 years.
Opinion

World must protect India and Pakistan from threat of locust swarms

Insects wipe out crops and pastures, damaging food supply and livelihoods

13 May 2020
Kashmiri journalists protests demanding restoration of internet service in Srinagar in November 2019.
Opinion

India must restore internet access to Kashmir to fight coronavirus

Communications blackout has been depriving residents of vital information

12 May 2020
A floating system of solar power panels in Da Mi, Vietnam: The Southeast Asian country is hitting its solar targets six years ahead of schedule.
Opinion

COVID-19 will not slow Southeast Asia's shift from coal to renewables

Japan, China and South Korea must support move to cleaner energy

11 May 2020
An Air India Boeing 777-300ER plane seen at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The carrier has been losing money for more than a decade due to tougher competition from low-cost carriers, a weakening rupee and high debt-servicing costs. 
Companies

India's ambitious privatization drive hits coronavirus roadblock

Loss-making Air India's sale hangs in balance as bid deadline extended

11 May 2020
India's migrant workers have been hit especially hard during the lockdown, with many forced to return to villages far from workplaces in the cities.
Economy

India's unemployment at record high amid tough COVID-19 lockdown

Overseas returnees face bleak job market as layoffs devastate workforce

8 May 2020
Members of the Tablighi Jamaat cluster in quarantine during lockdown in New Delhi on Apr. 16.
Opinion

Indians must stop spreading anti-Muslim fake news on WhatsApp

Misleading images and videos are suggesting coronavirus conspiracy

8 May 2020
A doctor tests a patient for the coronavirus in Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, at the outset of India's nationwide lockdown, which has failed to conquer the novel coronavirus.
Coronavirus

India and Pakistan's 'red zones' keep COVID-19 trajectory on rise

New Delhi modifies strategy as stringent lockdown fails to flatten curve

7 May 2020
Workers carry solar panels at the Gujarat solar park, pictured in April 2012 during construction: growth of renewable electricity will be hampered by the dampening of demand.
Opinion

Coronavirus crisis should not stop India's move to green energy

Government must support renewables sector even as problems pile up

7 May 2020
Girls walk along the shore in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar islands, in September 2007: Advocates for the islands' indigenous people warn they are at risk from the coronavirus.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus threatens first residents of India's Andaman Islands

Indigenous groups with 'no concept of social distancing' at risk from outsiders

5 May 2020
Governor Shaktikanta Das at a news conference in Mumbai, pictured on Feb. 6: in return for handing its wallet to Team Modi, the RBI should extract reform pledges.
Opinion

World watches as India's central bank prepares to fund government

Direct financing of fiscal deficits is looking attractive despite inflation risks

4 May 2020
Migrant workers sit in a bus as they wait to leave for their home town, after being stranded in the central state of Madhya Pradesh due to the lockdown in India, on May 1.
Coronavirus

India extends world's largest lockdown for second time

New guidelines permit some businesses to resume work in low-risk areas

2 May 2020
In Dharavi, people who do not have surgical masks make do with handkerchiefs or shirtsleeves tied around the mouth.
Coronavirus

In India's slums, social distancing is a luxury that can't be afforded

Poverty and religious gatherings elevate risk of infections

29 April 2020
People in New Delhi wait to receive free food amid India's nation-wide lockdown on April 23. 
Economy

India reopens some stores after a month in lockdown

Sale of liquor and non-essential items continues to be banned

26 April 2020
A supermarket in Singapore in mid-March: The city-state's government has repeatedly assured consumers that food will not run out, but that does not mean supplies are immune to disruption.
Coronavirus

Fragile ASEAN food supply chains creak under strain of pandemic

Lockdowns and export curbs lead to scrawny chickens and shortage fears

24 April 2020
India's government has partially relaxed its nationwide lockdown, especially in rural areas, but farmers find themselves with no workers and severed from supply chains. (Photo by Harshita Rathore)
Economy

Indian farmers fear for survival despite lockdown's relaxation

World's largest rural population must now piece supply chains back together

20 April 2020
A man enters a hospital where a special ward has been set up for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai.
18 April 2020
The Reserve Bank of India announces one trillion-rupee infusion into the country's financial system as the coronavirus pandemic continues to shake the nation of 1.3 billion people.
Economy

India's central bank cuts deposit rates to ease coronavirus impact

$13bn rupees injected to help shadow banks, agriculture and small businesses

17 April 2020
A drilling site in the Eagle Ford Shale area in Texas: shale producers are slashing spending and production targets.
Opinion

OPEC's efforts to mop up global oil oversupply are good for Asia

Industry's growth is crucial for long-term energy security

17 April 2020