Asian Lite News Archive

Category: USA News

  • Apple’s ‘News’ app gets journalists worried

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    Apple’s announcement of its latest News app has taken the media world by storm. The journalists are worried about the control on the distribution of news when an app is algorithmically compiling stories from the world’s biggest media organisations, CNN Money reported. They are worried about “huge tech companies owning the news distribution system”, as…

  • US planning new base in Iraq

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    The US is planning to set up a new base in Anbar province in Iraq and send more trainers and advisors to help Iraqi troops in the fight against militants of the Islamic State, media reported. However, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that published the information on Tuesday citing anonymous…

  • Obama seeks support on healthcare act

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    US President Barack Obama  called for efforts from supporters to protect the Affordable Care Act just weeks before the law could face its biggest legal challenge to date. During a half-hour speech to the Catholic Health Association, Obama expressed deep disappointment in the political attacks against the law, which he described as “ceaseless, endless partisan…

  • White House briefing room evacuated

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    The US Secret Service interrupted the daily press conference of White House spokesperson Josh Earnest in order to temporarily evacuate the briefing room and one of the gardens of the presidential residence because of a bomb threat phoned to police that later proved to be a false alarm…. reports Asian Lite News   Reporters covering…

  • Russia warns US over missile deployment

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    Russia considers possible missile deployment by the US in Europe and other regions as counterproductive, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said….reports Asian Lite News Moscow is studying the US statements on missile deployment, Lavrov said, stressing that militaristic rhetoric is “absolutely counter-productive and harmful”. He urged the US to discuss with Russia each other’s concerns,…

  • Nicola Gets Laughs On Daily Show

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    Appearing on America’s most popular satirical news show was not pressure enough, Scotland’s First Minister was mistakenly billed as a comedian on The Daily Show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zft24HOKCr4 Nicola Sturgeon did manage to provoke laughter from the audience after sitting down to be interviewed by Jon Stewart reports Sky News. She started by setting the record straight…

  • Free after 43 years in solitary confinement

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    A US judge has ordered release of a man who has spent 43 years in solitary confinement for a crime he denied committing, a media report said. US District Judge James J. Brady  ruled that Albert Woodfox, 68, should be released from prison and should not face a third trial due to “exceptional circumstances”, including…

  • Glass deposits show Mars had life

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    In a pioneering feat, researchers have discovered glass deposits on the Red Planet, providing a delicate window into the possibility of past life on the Red Planet…..reports Asian Lite News Using data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), the team from Brown University detected deposits of glass within impact craters on Mars formed in the…

  • NASA ‘flying saucer’ parachute fails

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    The parachute has failed during a NASA test of new technology for landing larger spacecraft and eventually astronauts on Mars. The test off the Hawaiian island of Kauai was investigating technology designed to slow down a large landing vehicle falling through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds reports BBC. But shortly after the test re-entry started, the…

  • Texas police officer attacks 14-year-old girl at pool party

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    A police officer in McKinney, Texas, has been placed on administrative leave after a video surfaced showing him wrestling a bikini-clad 14-year-old girl to the ground and aggressively confronting other teens at a pool party. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GyGTSJYNK8 A senior police official identified him as Eric Casebolt. He was being interviewed Monday by an internal police investigator reports…

  • NASA to build supersonic eco-friendly jets

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    The US space agency NASA said it is spending over $6 million to fund research into cheaper and greener supersonic travel, reports Asian Lite News. While modern fighter jets can fly faster than the speed of sound, the environmental impact is relatively small as not many fighter jets are in operation at a given time. However,…

  • Obama gives touching eulogy at Beau’s funeral

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    US President Barack Obama delivered a heartfelt eulogy at the deeply emotional funeral of Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, who died a week ago of brain cancer. He was 46. About 1,000 people gathered on Saturday at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, to pay their last respects to…

  • Putin tells West don’t fear Russia

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    Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there is no need for the West to fear his country as Moscow and Washington are allies in dealing with global issues. “There is no need to fear Russia,” Putin said in an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera prior to his visit to Italy next week,…

  • US to press more sanctions against Russia

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    US President Barack Obama is going to urge European Union (EU) leaders to continue sanctions against Russia at the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) meeting, officials said. “We are particularly concerned about the uptick in fighting that we’ve seen over the last 24 to 48 hours in Ukraine,” Charles Kupchan, the National Security Council’s senior…

  • NRI digital art explores police gunbattle deaths in US

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    An Indian-American digital artist and educator has produced an interactive multimedia installation to explore the problem of killings in police gunbattles in the US which result in at least two deaths every day according to a media estimate. The “Hands Up” digital exhibit is about “generating empathy”, said Roopa Vasudevan, who created it with fellow…

  • Indians at the centre of H-1B visa debate

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    Indian H-1B visa holders are at the centre of a raging debate over the usage of the temporary visas after 250 employees of Walt Disney were replaced by Indian immigrants as part of a reorganisation plan of the entertainment conglomerate, a US daily said. As many as 250 employees of Walt Disney World were notified…

  • Jeb Bush to formally announce presidential bid

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    Former Florida governor Jeb Bush said that he will officially announce his bid for the Republican Party’s US presidential nomination on June 15 in Miami, Efe news agency reported. In a Twitter post, Bush gave the date for his entry into a primary race that already includes more than a dozen Grand Old Party (GOP)…

  • India slams US panel for comments

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    India slammed the US’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Committee and said its raising the issue of alleged “violence” against religious minorities in the country was based on “lack of understanding of India”. External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, in a statement said the government had seen media reports about a briefing by the committee on…

  • India-US ink defence framework pact

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    India and the US signed a new framework agreement for closer cooperation in defence as visiting US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and conveyed India was an important strategic partner. The agreement was signed by India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Carter. Carter earlier…

  • Nobel laureate Irwin Rose passes away

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    American biochemist and Nobel laureate Irwin Rose has died at the age of 88, said the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where Rose had been a researcher. According to his family members, Rose passed away in his sleep on Tuesday in Deerfield , Massachusetts. Rose was the winner of the 2004 Noble Prize in Chemistry,…

  • Obama signs NSA surveillance reform bill

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      US President Barack Obama signed the reform bill of the National Security Agency (NSA) on surveillance, hours after the Senate’s approval, leading to the enactment of the measure, Efe news agency reported on . In a statement, the White House reported the instructions of Obama, who rushed to enact the USA Freedom Act, amending…

  • Qatar lauds US role in global peace

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      Qatari prime minister says common interests between Islamic World and US contribute to international peace  Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani said on Monday that common interests between Islamic World and the United States have contributed to achieving international peace, WAM reported. “Mutual interests and…

  • US requests Cuba to open its markets

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    The US Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Stefan Selig has invited Cuba to open its market and make reforms as part of the process of normalisation with the US at the inauguration of a conference on the island’s economic future. Selig said if Cuba opens its economy and begins the necessary reforms it will…

  • Kerry’s surgery successful

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry underwent a successful surgery to have a fracture in his right leg repaired, an official said. The surgery was done at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, State Department spokesman John Kirby said. Before the surgery, Kerry spoke over phone to a meeting of allies in Paris, discussing the…

  • US jet evacuated over bomb threat

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    An American Airlines passenger liner was evacuated in the US city of Philadelphia, media reported. A bomb squad from the Philadelphia Police Department investigated the airplane at Philadelphia International Airport, CBS reported. “A plane on the runway was searched by police and then cleared. It’s not currently known what circumstances caused the police response to…

  • US defence secretary arrives in India

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    India and the US are set to sign a high-level Defence Framework Agreement, as US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter arrived in India on a three-day visit. The 10-year agreement that will steer bilateral ties in the defence sector, which was renewed during the visit of US President Barack Obama in January, is set to…

  • Bruce Jenner debuts as Caitlyn Jenner

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    Transgender Olympic champion and reality TV star Bruce Jenner unveiled her new name Caitlyn Jenner in a Vanity Fair cover shoot. World famous photographer Annie Leibovitz shot the cover, which shows Jenner wearing a strapless corset, reports variety.com. “I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self,” the “Keeping Up…

  • Hillary heading to Hollywood for funds

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    US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be in Hollywood on June 19 for a fundraising swing. It will include a late-afternoon event at the home of HBO’s president of programming Michael Lombardo and husband Sonny Ward, and an evening event at the home of actor Tobey Maguire and his wife Jennifer Meyer. Clinton also will attend…

  • NASA set for ‘flying saucer’ test flight

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    NASA is all set to test its low-density supersonic decelerator (LDSD) – a flying saucer designed to check out landing technologies for future Mars missions – over Hawaii. If weather permits, the LDSD test vehicle will be carried aloft by a large weather balloon at 10 p.m. (Indian standard time) on Tuesday from the US…

  • US anti-terror spying legality expires

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    The legal authority for US spy agencies to bulk collect Americans’ phone data has expired after the Senate failed to reach a deal, media reported. Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul blocked a Patriot Act extension and it lapsed at midnight on Sunday, BBC reports. However, the Senate did vote to advance the White House-backed Freedom…

  • American Express president Ed Gilligan

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    American Express president Ed Gilligan died while flying from Tokyo to New York this weekend, media reports said. He was 55. Gilligan was returning home to New York  from a business trip to Japan when he became ill aboard a private plane which was also carrying other company executives, American Express spokeswoman Marina Norville said.…

  • Kerry hurt in a bike accident in France

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry will return to the US after fracturing his leg in a cycling accident in France earlier in the day, the State Department said. Kerry broke his right femur in the accident and, given the injury is near the site of his prior hip surgery, he will return to Boston…

  • US warns China on maritime expansion

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    As China rapidly builds new artificial islands in the South China Sea to expand its territorial claims there, Washington is adamantly refusing to recognise those claims. On Saturday, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter called on Beijing to stop amid fresh tensions, CNN reported. Last week, a US surveillance plane swooped over such artificial islands, triggering…

  • Biden’s son loses battle against cancer

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    Beau Biden, the 46-year-old son of US Vice President Joe Biden, has died of brain cancer, according to media reports. “Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known,” CNN quoted his father as saying in a statement. An Iraq war veteran, the eldest son of the US vice president…

  • 50 Years since the first US spacewalk

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    Famous Hollywood actor Jon Cryer has given his voice to a new NASA film celebrating 50th anniversary of the first spacewalk by a US astronaut. On June 3, 1965, NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space. NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the US’ first extravehicular activity (EVA) —…

  • US removes Cuba from terrorism list

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    Cuba was officially removed from the US government’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, the State Department said. “The 45-day congressional pre-notification period has expired, and the secretary of state has made the final decision to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, effective today, May 29, 2015,” State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke…

  • TV news may lead to racial bias

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    Regularly watching television news or reading crime articles in newspapers may lead to racial bias towards social groups, new research suggests. The study examined the effects of news coverage in two cultural contexts – in the US and in Austria. “The results of the studies suggest that in both these countries, regular exposure to stereotypical…

  • Jackson’s Neverland Ranch up for sale

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    Neverland Ranch, the former home of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, is up for sale. The 2,700-acre land, now known as Sycamore Valley Ranch, is priced at $100 million, and while Jackson’s zoo animals are long gone (except for a lone llama), the floral clock and train station he commissioned are still there,…

  • Indian students bring $3.3 billion to the US economy

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    Last year alone Indian students in the US contributed $3.3 billion to the US economy. US Ambassador Richard R. Verma said Indian students played an important role in helping build closer ties between the two countries. “You are doing this for maybe your individual career pursuits, but I also want to tell you how important…

  • India tells journalists to be neutral and impartial

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    Arul Louis writes in Asian Lite the largest Asian newspaper in Britain on India’s stand on journalism Journalists should “maintain strict neutrality and impartiality” when covering conflict situations so that the countries they operate in can ensure their safety and, for their part, governments should not put arbitrary restrictions on reporters, according to India. Speaking  at…

  • No plans to extend Iran n-talks: US

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    The US said that it is not considering an extension of Iran nuclear talks beyond the June 30 deadline. The P5+1 countries — the US, Britain, France, China, Russia, plus Germany — are making efforts to reach a final deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme by the deadline, State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in a regular…

  • Setback for Obama’s immigration programme

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    A US federal appeals court refused to allow President Barack Obama’s immigration programme to take effect immediately, putting his immigration policy legacy in jeopardy. The Obama administration has sought to expand a programme that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the US illegally as children. Five million undocumented immigrants could benefit…

  • Iran n-talks may go beyond deadline

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    Talks to seal a deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme are likely to be extended beyond the self-imposed June 30 deadline, Iran’s senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said in Vienna, state IRIB TV reported. “The talks will continue until June 30 and may even go beyond that,” Araqchi said after arriving at Vienna airport for a…

  • B.B. King was poisoned, daughters claim

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    Legendary blues guitarist B.B. King, who died aged 89, was poisoned, according to two of the music great’s heirs. King’s daughters, Patty King and Karen Williams, made the accusations in separate, but identically worded affidavits filed over the weekend, reports CNN. “I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administered foreign substances to…

  • US storm and flood toll touches 16

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     The toll has risen to 16 after three days of intense storms and floods in the US states of Texas and Oklahoma, Efe news agency reported. Authorities expect the figure to rise, as dozen other people are listed as missing. Authorities reported 10 people dead in Texas, four of them after flooding in Houston on…

  • Obama urges NATO to help stabilise Afghanistan

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    US President Barack Obama urged all NATO member countries to play a role in helping stabilise Afghanistan. Emerging from a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House, Obama on Tuesday said not only the US, but also all NATO members should offer training and other support to Afghan forces following the…

  • US media see challenges for Modi

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    Reflecting on the completion of one year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the US media on Monday underlined various challenges facing his government, saying he “must face the reality that much of his agenda is still only potential”. “After soaring through India’s political stratosphere on the economic promise ‘achche din aa gaye’ or ‘better…

  • Trial of US journalist opens in Iran

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    A Washington Post correspondent facing charges, including spying, appeared in an Iranian court on Tuesday, media reports said. Jason Rezaian appeared before Branch 15 of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Court, IRNA news agency reported. The US journalist was accompanied by his wife Yeganeh Salehi and a female press photographer. The charges levelled against Rezaian, a 39-year-old…

  • NRI scientist creates first single-molecule device

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    A team of Columbia Engineering researchers led by an Indian-American scientist Latha Venkataraman has created a single-molecule electronic device which has a potential of real-world technological applications for nanoscale devices. Under the direction of Venkataraman, researchers created a single-molecule diode which performs 50 times better than all prior designs. Constructing a device where the active…

  • Rover begins new journey on Mars

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    Unable to reach a comparable geological contact farther south on Red Planet, NASA’s Curiosity rover has now approached an alternative site for investigating a geological boundary. Such geological contacts can reveal clues about how environmental conditions that produced one type of rock were related to conditions that produced the other. Two weeks ago, Curiosity was…