Monday, June 7, 2021

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India cautiously starts to open up as virus cases decline

Posted: 06 Jun 2021 11:27 PM PDT

Businesses in two of India's largest cities were reopening Monday as part of a phased easing of lockdown measures in several states now that the number of new coronavirus infections in the country is on a steady decline.

India's capital allowed businesses and shops to reopen with limited hours and the Delhi Metro, which serves New Delhi and adjoining areas, also resumed operations at 50% capacity. Last week, authorities in the capital allowed some manufacturing and construction activity to resume.

"Now the corona situation is under control. The economy must be brought back on track," New Delhi's chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, told reporters on Sunday.

The strict lockdown measures had been in place since April at the start of a devastating surge in infections that lasted well into May and overwhelmed health care facilities in many parts of the country.

Some health experts fear the restrictions are being eased too soon and there are concerns that the virus is still spreading unchecked through India's villages where testing and medical care are limited.

Kejriwal warned that any new surge in infections could be more severe and said the administration will build new oxygen-production facilities and expand the capacity of intensive-care units.

In the coastal state of Maharashtra, home to the financial hub of Mumbai, and one of the worse hit states, malls, movie theaters, restaurants and offices reopened in districts where the positivity rate has fallen below 5%. The state's huge rail network will, however, remain closed for the public.

Other Indian cities also started to gradually lift the lockdown rules.

After registering a peak of more than 400,000 new cases a day in May, new infections and deaths have declined and the government hopes the reopening could resuscitate an economy that grew at only a 1.6% annual rate in the January-March quarter

On Monday, new infections fell to their lowest point in two months.

The 100,636 cases added in the past 24 hours pushed India's total to nearly 29 million, second only behind the United States. The Health Ministry said 2,427 more people died in the past 24 hours, driving the overall toll to 349,186. Both figures are believed to be vast undercounts.

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to speed up vaccinations. India has administered just over 222 million jabs so far and less than 5% of the country has been fully vaccinated. (AP)

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Officials: 2 trains collide in southern Pakistan, killing 35

Posted: 06 Jun 2021 08:58 PM PDT

MULTAN, Pakistan — Two express trains collided in southern Pakistan early on Monday, killing at least 35 passengers, authorities said, as rescuers and villagers worked to pull injured people and more bodies from the wreckage.

Between 15 to 20 passengers are still trapped in the wreckage of the Millat Express train and authorities were trying to arrange heavy machinery to rescue those people who are crying for help, said Umar Tufail, a police chief in Ghotki district in Sindh province, where the collision occurred before dawn.

The Millat Express derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterward, said Usman Abdullah, a deputy commissioner in Ghotki. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the derailment and the subsequent collision.

"Right now the challenge for us is to quickly rescue those passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage," he said.

Azam Swati, minister for railways, told The Associated Press that so far 35 people had died and dozens of others were injured. "I am on my way to the Ghotki district where the tragic train accident happened today," he said. Swati said engineers and experts were trying to determine what caused the collision.

He said all aspects will be examined, including the possibility of sabotage. "We are not sure about the cause of the train accident at this stage," he said.

According to railway officials, about 1,100 passengers were on board the two trains, and arrangements were being made to assist the survivors.

According to a military statement, troops were also participating in the relief and rescue at the scene. It said military doctors and ambulances were also dispatched from a nearby city and a team of military engineers was sent to Ghotki by helicopter.

According to local media, some of the passengers were traveling by the Millat Express train to attend a wedding party but it was unclear whether they were among the dead or injured.

TV footage showed ambulances transporting injured passengers to hospitals. According to Pakistani TV stations, heavy machinery had not reached the scene about four hours after the crash.

Pakistan's prime minister expressed his deep sorrow over the tragedy. Imran Khan said on Twitter that he had asked the railway minister to supervise the rescue work and also ordered a probe into the crash.

Officials at Pakistan railways said they had ordered an investigation and rescue work was still in progress. Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of the train that collided with the derailed train told Pakistan's Geo News TV that on seeing the derailed train cars, he tried his best to avoid the accident by braking but failed. He did not explain how he survived.

Officials said at least 50 passengers had been transported to the hospital, where some of the passengers were listed in critical condition. Malik Aslam, a local villager, told Pakistan's Geo News TV that about 100 people were injured and he counted at least 30 bodies of passengers during the rescue and recovery work.

Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where successive governments have paid little attention to improving the poorly maintained signal system and aging tracks.

In 1990, a packed passenger plowed into a standing freight train in southern Pakistan, killing 210 people in the worst rail disaster in Pakistan's history. (AP)

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Home sweet home: Clippers beat Mavs 126-111 to win series

Posted: 06 Jun 2021 08:04 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES — No chest-thumping, shouting or theatrics. With very little change of expression, Kawhi Leonard altered the Los Angeles Clippers' playoff fortunes.

Leonard narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, to help the Clippers finish off the Dallas Mavericks 126-111 on Sunday in Game 7 of the first-round series.

"It's all about the moment," Leonard said. "You got to be aggressive all night and don't try to make the game be perfect."

Playing in front of a noisy mix of 7,342 masked fans and cardboard cutouts, the Clippers did what neither team had been able to pull off in the first six games — win at home. It was the first time in NBA history the road team won the first six games of a playoff series.

"We saw everything in this series," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Clippers became the fifth team in league history to lose the first two games at home and come back to win a playoff series.

"It was a great win for us," said Tyronn Lue, who improved to 4-0 in Game 7s of his coaching career. "It showed a lot about our team."

The fourth-seeded Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the second straight year. They'll play the top-seeded Utah Jazz starting Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

"We showed great resilience," said Paul George, who scored 22 points. "They pushed us. They definitely got us war-ready. We hung in there, we played for one another, we played hard."

Luka Doncic had 46 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds to lead the fifth-seeded Mavs, who have yet to win a playoff series since capturing the NBA championship in 2011. He finished the series with 250 points, 55 rebounds and 72 assists.

"Game seven is the toughest game. You've got to give it everything," Doncic said. "We've been in the playoffs twice since I've been there, lost both times. You get paid to win."

George added 10 assists and six rebounds for the Clippers. Their backups outscored Dallas' reserves, 27-6, getting crucial contributions from Terance Mann (13 points) and Luke Kennard (11 points). Kennard had played just four minutes earlier in the series.

"They trusted me," Kennard said. "We trusted each other."

The Clippers were the league's top 3-point shooting team during the regular season, but struggled at times in the series. They regained their touch in Game 7, making 20 3s, led by Morris' seven. The Mavs hit 10, with Doncic having five.

Trailing by eight at halftime, the Mavs outscored the Clippers 19-6 to open the third and take an 81-76 lead. Doncic had just two points in the run, with Dorian Finney-Smith hitting two 3-pointers and Tim Hardaway Jr. adding another. Finney-Smith finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mavs won the first two games at Staples Center before the Clippers tied it up with two wins in Dallas. The Mavs won Game 5 in LA and Leonard powered the Clippers to a road win in Game 6 with a huge fourth quarter.

"We all feel like we should have won the series," Finney-Smith said. "If anybody come in and say they don't feel like we should have won, they're crazy. We just couldn't win at home."

The Clippers took control with a 24-4 spurt — including 12 in a row — to lead 100-85 going into the fourth. Morris made three 3-pointers and Kennard hit a pair. Leonard scored seven points, highlighted by a dunk off George's pass. Defensively, Leonard came up with a big block and Mann helped contain Doncic, who had the Mavs' only points over the end of the third.

"Kawhi came with the mentality that he's going to take this game," said Reggie Jackson, who added 15 points. "He wasn't going to be shy about his play at all. Once he got going early, defenses had to change."

Dallas cut its 19-point deficit early in the fourth to seven points on Doncic's fifth 3-pointer of the game with just under 3 minutes remaining. But the Clippers' own long-range prowess carried them, with Jackson and Morris connecting on back-to-back 3s for a 120-107 lead.

Doncic matched his points total from Game 6 with 29 points in the first half on 10 of 14 shooting.

LEONARD'S NUMBERS

Leonard is the fourth player in postseason history to have at least 200 total points while shooting at least 60% from the floor in a single series. The last player to do so was Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers in the 2000 NBA Finals.

JERSEY EXCHANGE

Doncic said he and George exchanged jerseys in the locker room afterward. The Mavs lost to the Clippers in six games of the first round in last year's bubble in Florida. "It's tough, when it's the same rival you obviously don't want to lose again," Doncic said.

HE SAID IT

"You just don't get the max deals if you don't work as hard as they do." — Morris on Leonard and George's work ethic.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis had 16 points and 10 of his 11 rebounds on the defensive glass. ... Hardaway received a Flagrant-1 foul for knocking George to the floor on a drive with 37 seconds left. ... Carlisle dropped to 2-2 in Game 7s of his coaching career.

Clippers: Lue has won his first four Game 7s as a coach. Boston's Red Auerbach won his first eight. ... They had one rebound in the first quarter. ... Markieff Morris of the Lakers chatted up his twin brother Marcus at halftime. "He's telling me to slow down and little things he sees during the game," Marcus said. "We've been doing that since we were kids." ... Six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen and Chiney Ogwumike of the Sparks attended. (AP)

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