Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Asia News

  • UN discusses Afghan security

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    The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Jan Kubis Monday met with top Pakistani advisers in Islamabad and discussed the recent developments in Afghanistan and in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, officials said. Pakistani leaders assured full “support for the United Nations in dealing with issues post-2014” as most of the foreign troops are on their exit from…

  • Pakistan’s ‘Million March’ flops in london

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    Pakistan’s efforts to stage a march against Indian human rights violations, with a million people on the streets of London proved to be a monumental failure. Far from a seven figure, the march’s attendance did not even reach five figures. One of the organisers claimed the march was “to protest against human rights violations by…

  • Lama Takes Campaign To Canada

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    Dalai Lama meets Canadian MPs, discusses Tibet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama met 10 members of the Canadian parliament and discussed the issue of Tibet, a statement said Saturday. “They (the MPs) briefed His Holiness about their recent activities, including developments in the process of resettling 1,000 Tibetans from Arunachal Pradesh in Canada, of…

  • Why China delays border deal with India?

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    Ranjit Singh Kalha, a former Secretary, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, who has dealt with border negotiations with China and authored the recently published book, “India-China Boundary Issues: Quest for Settlement,” looks into the Indo-China border issues Recent transgressions by Chinese troops in the northern border areas of India and the protest note by the Chinese…

  • Aquatic life improves in Ganga

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    The Ganga cleanliness drive is helping improve the river’s aquatic life. Researchers who studied the condition of the river before and after the latest mass cleanliness drive say there have been visible positive results. The study covered Har Ki Pauri, one of the most popular and crowded ghats of the largest river basin in the…

  • India ready for nuclear no-first-use

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      Reiterating its traditional policy of not using nuclear weapons first and not targeting non-nuclear weapons nations, India has offered to enter into agreements incorporating the two principles while ruling out joining the non-proliferation treaty. “As a responsible nuclear power India has a policy of credible minimum deterrence based on a No First Use posture…

  • Lankan presidential poll in January

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      The Sri Lankan government confirmed that the presidential elections will take place in January next year but the date is yet to be decided. “The presidential election will be held in January. The date cannot be said right now. I know the date but since it is yet to be confirmed I cannot say…

  • Iran warns Pakistan against terrorism

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    Iran will step in to contain terrorists if Pakistan fails to secure its borders and prevent terrorists from slipping into the country, media reported. “Iran will step in to contain terrorists if Pakistan fails to secure border,” FARS news agency quoted Brigadier General Hossein Salami of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps as saying Thursday. “Terrorists, wherever…

  • Rajnath talks tough with China

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    No one can give a warning to India, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said , a day after China objected to India building road along the border. “No one can give a warning to India. India is a powerful nation now,” the home minister said on the sidelines of the 30th Raising Day ceremony of the…

  • NATO violate Pakistani airspace

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    NATO gunship helicopters violated Pakistani airspace by entering territory near its border with Afghanistan, media reported Wednesday. According to officials, at least five helicopters were seen flying near the border and two of them entered Pakistani territory in Torkham and Pasidkhel, Dawn online reported. The helicopters remained in Pakistani airspace for 10 minutes and returned…

  • Modi assures Afghan president of India’s support

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi y assured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani of New Delhi’s support in Kabul’s efforts to build a strong and prosperous nation and said India will stand as a friend and partner in the endeavour. Modi spoke  with Ghani over phone and congratulated him on his election as president of Afghanistan, a statement…

  • EU to ban fish from Sri Lanka

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    The European Union (EU) has decided to ban the import of fisheries products caught by vessels flagged in Sri Lanka from entering the EU market after three months time from now, the EU office said here in a statement. The European Commission had in November 2012 sent a warning to Sri Lanka saying, they were…

  • Bangla school moved and rebuilt in 48 hours

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    VILLAGERS in a remote Bangladeshi community dismantled and rebuilt a school in just 48 hours to stop it being washed away in devastating floods, reports children’s charity Plan International.  The primary school in Daowabari Union, Lalmonirhat, was about to be wiped out as the nearby river rose during flooding that affected a million people in…

  • Happy to share Nobel prize with an Indian: Malala

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      Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai  said she is “really happy” on sharing the Nobel Peace Prize with a person from India and both have decided to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for the award ceremony in Oslo. The Pakistani teenager, shot in the head by Taliban militants in…

  • Halt firing for durable peace: Sharif

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    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  called for honouring the sanctity of the border with India and a halt to the intermittent firing that has been taking place since Oct 3. Sharif, who chaired a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, said that Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be misunderstood, Dawn Online reported. He also deplored the…

  • UN chief calls for India-Pak dialogue

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     UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the escalation of violence along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and called for “dialogue” between India and Pakistan to resolve their differences. The statement by Ban stressed the bilateral aspect in asking New Delhi and Islamabad “to resolve all differences through dialogue”. Ban’s…

  • Sharif makes maiden visit to North Waziristan

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    Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif became the country’s first elected prime minister to visit the war-torn North Waziristan region as he arrived in its headquarters Miranshah to boost the morale of security forces fighting against terrorists. Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif accompanied Sharif to the region, Dawn online reported. Upon arrival, the premier was given…

  • Pakistan will find attacks ‘unaffordable’: Jaitley

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      Pakistan will find its firing and shelling along the Jammu and Kashmir border “unaffordable”, Defence Minister Arun Jailtey warned . Insisting that Pakistan was the aggressor, the minister told the media: “If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable.” He said Pakistan had made a series…

  • Pakistan continue shelling in J&K

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    At least five people were injured in overnight shelling by Pakistan Rangers on the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, police said Thursday. A senior police officer said in winter capital Jammu that Pakistan Rangers continued mortar shelling and automatic weapons firing in Akhnoor, Ramgarh, Arnia and Kanachak sectors along the international border during the night.…

  • 20 injured in Pakistani firing in J&K

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    Twenty people, including 15 civilians, were injured in overnight Pakistani firing at the border in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan Rangers again started firing at Indian positions in Hira Nagar sector of the international border in Kathua district. “Four army soldiers were injured in Pakistan firing on the LoC in Poonch district, one BSF trooper and…

  • Pakistan raises Kashmir in UN

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      Raising the Kashmir issue yet again at the UN, Pakistan dragged the UN Military Observer Group (UNMOGIP) into the current situation along the Line of Control where cross-border shelling has flared up. “UNMOGIP must be enabled to play its role in monitoring the ceasefire,” Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Masood Khan told the General Assembly Tuesday.…

  • India hits Pakistan with heavy power

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    Indian and Pakistani troops clashed again along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking fear at the border and forcing thousands to flee to safer places. Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta said that the Pakistan Army used small arms to fire at Indian positions in Balnoi sector in Poonch district. “The firing…

  • Firing continues in J&K

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      Three people were injured as firing continued between the Indian and Pakistani troopers in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 20,000 villagers have fled their homes in three districts along the international border, police said . “Three civilians have been injured Monday night in Arnia town as the Pakistan Rangers continued the firing and mortar shelling,”…

  • India responds to Pak provocations

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    Five civilians, including a young girl, were killed and 29 others injured Monday in unprovoked firing by Pakistan across the international border in Jammu district, in one of the worst instances of ceasefire violations. The Indian government said its forces were responding to the “provocations” and the firing was not conducive to normalising relations between…

  • Not afraid of political conspiracies: Hasina

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    Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina  said her government has the capability to face any challenge and she is not afraid of any conspiracy against her. “I don’t see any reason to be afraid of. Had I been afraid of such conspiracies, I wouldn’t have come to politics,” the Daily Star quoted her as saying, as…

  • Border firing shows Pakistan’s frustration: Omar

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    Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Pakistan’s indiscriminate cross-border firing, which left five people dead , only shows the neighbouring country’s frustration over its failure to rake up the Kashmir issue. The chief minister rushed here from Srinagar despite the Eid-ul-Adha festival to attend the cremation of five civilians killed in mortar shelling…

  • Search begins for Malaysian naval vessel

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    The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA)  assigned two vessels and a plane to assist in the search operation for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) combat vessel CB204, which went missing Sunday. CB204 lost contact with its base at 11.15 a.m. while cruising to islands off Sabah waters, The Malaysian Star reported. The vessel’s last known…

  • Defused explosive found aboard Modi’s stand-by Air India aircraft

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     Indian security agencies have launched an investigation into the discovery of a defused explosive on board an Air India VVIP special aircraft at Jeddah Airport early Saturday. Confirming the development, Air India officials guardedly said here Saturday that “a probe is under way” to unravel how, where and when the major security breach occurred. According…

  • US mum on joint military ops inside Pakistan

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    The US would not say whether India-US cooperation against Pakistan-based terrorist groups could involve coordination on drone strikes, but was open to talk with all its partners how they could help Washington’s own efforts. “Those are not conversations that I’m going to get into here,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha…

  • Global coalition to stem organ trafficking

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    Asian Lite News looks into the organ trafficking menace, especially in the Asian countries   Organ trafficking could be more widespread than currently reported and a concerted international effort is required to confront the problem, says a study. “If countries do nothing about this problem, the consequences for both donors and recipients can be terrible, as…

  • Pak voting to go electronic

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    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to introduce electronic voting machines and use them in the 2018 polls, media reported Tuesday. ECP secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said the commission would call for an immediate amendment to the Constitution to remove legal barriers in the way of introducing the technology, after which the pilot…

  • Obama hails security deal with Afghanistan

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    US President Barack Obama hailed it as “a historic day” as the US and Afghanistan signed a bilateral security agreement that allows the residual American troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014. “Today we mark a historic day in the US-Afghan partnership that will help advance our shared interests and the long-term security of Afghanistan,”…

  • Afghan-US Security Agreement signed

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      Afghanistan and the US  signed the long-awaited Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) to allow a limited number of troops to remain in Afghanistan after the drawdown later this year of the NATO-led troops in the country. Afghan Presidential Advisor on National Security Mohammad Hanif Atmar and US Ambassador to Afghanistan James B. Cunningham signed the…

  • Indian Muslims will fail Al Qaeda: Modi

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    Terrorism has been exported to India and it is not home-grown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here Monday, adding that the Indian Muslims will fail the Al Qaeda. Answering a query at the Council of Foreign Relations here, Modi said India has the second largest Muslim population in the world. He said India’s basic philosophy…

  • Living with values and hope @79

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    Revered by the Tibetans as a ‘living god’ and idolised in both the Orient and the West, the Dalai Lama, known for his simplicity and typical jovial style, transcends all barriers of religion, language and even distances. He stepped back from an adminstrative role almost three years back but is active like never before in…

  • Modi meets the Clinton’s

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi met former US president Bill Clinton and his wife and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was also present during the meeting. Hillary Clinton and Sushma Swaraj shared a hug, according to pictures of their meeting tweeted by the external affairs ministry. Hillary Clinton,…

  • C’Wealth Unveils Post-2015 Agenda

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    Forum aims to tackle the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality’….reports Asian Lite News Commonwealth Heads of Government have endorsed a Commonwealth Statement on the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda at a meeting in New York, which took place in the wings of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly. In it, Commonwealth leaders…

  • Ahmadzai sworn in as Afghan president

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    Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in Monday as the new president of Afghanistan in a ceremony at the presidential palace here. The former finance minister was inaugurated, marking Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Al Jazeera reported. Ghani succeeds Hamid Karzai after a three-month standoff over disputed…

  • Modi overshadowed Sharif at UN

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      Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the UN was everything his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif’s was not, said a Pakistani daily . An editorial “Modi at the UN” in the Daily Times said: “Modi continued his charm offensive in the west with a speech to the UN General Assembly that was everything Nawaz…

  • Afghan govt to ink Security Agreement

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    Afghan presidential advisor on national security Rangin Dadfar Spanta Saturday said that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Kabul and Washington would be signed Tuesday. “I am in favour of inking bilateral security agreement with US and NATO,” Spanta said at a security conference opened in Herat city. The presidential inauguration ceremony is scheduled for…

  • India rejects Sharif’s Kashmir remarks

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    India has strongly rebutted as “untenable” the remarks on Kashmir by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the UN General Assembly. India exercised its right of reply on the floor of the UNGA to rebut Pakistan’s statement. “I would like to bring to the notice of this august House that the people of Jammu and…

  • Afghan leaders urged to act on rights

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    Afghanistan’s new president Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah should focus efforts on tackling the country’s persistent human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said Friday. In a letter to the new unity government, the US-based group made specific recommendations to strengthen accountability for security forces, advance women’s rights, protect the media, revitalize the Afghanistan…

  • Pakistan spoilt dialogue by talking to Hurriyat: Sushma

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    Pakistan “spoilt” the Indo-Pak dialogue by talking to Hurriyat leaders just four days ahead of the scheduled foreign secretary level talks, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Friday. “There was an initiative from our side. The prime minister called Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif at the swearing in,” Sushma Swaraj told the media here. She said…

  • Pakistan tight lipped on Karzai allegations

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    The Pakistan Foreign Office has declined to react to allegations levelled by the outgoing Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai over a peace settlement with the Taliban, media reported Friday. “There will be a new government in Afghanistan shortly and we look forward to working with them closely,” spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at weekly Foreign Office news…

  • Why Asians have increased risk of heart disease

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    A genetic mutation that occurs predominantly among people of East Asian descent disables a common metabolic protein called ALDH2, encoded in the gene, and leads to an increased risk of heart disease and poorer outcomes after a heart attack, says a study. “It is the first time ALDH2 has been shown to play a role…

  • Rajapaksa under pressure for probe

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      Under pressure to allow an international probe, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Wednesday that “human rights are used as a tool to implement motivated agendas” and criticised what he characterised as double standards in enforcing them. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Rajapaksa said: “Human rights should be recognised by all as a…

  • Modi and the nation on cloud nine

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    The success of India’s Mars mission is “a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation” and we have gone beyond boundaries of human enterprise and imagination, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi here Wednesday. India became the first country in the world whose spacecraft entered the Red Planet’s orbit on its maiden…

  • No Modi-Sharif meeting in New York

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    India  virtually ruled out a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, saying there are “no plans for a meeting”. External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin at a briefing here also said in answer to a question that India has conveyed to…

  • Karzai’s formula for Afghan peace

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    Outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai Tuesday said that returning durable peace to his conflict-ridden country depends on the cooperation from the US and Pakistan. “Peace in Afghanistan depends on America and Pakistan. If they want, peace will return to Afghanistan; otherwise not,” Karzai said in his farewell address to the nation. He said the reason…

  • Pakistan appoints new ISI chief

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      Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar was Monday appointed the new chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence in commander-level promotions announced Monday in the country’s powerful army. The announcement was made on Twitter by Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, director general of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Dawn online reported. In other promotions, Maj Gen Hilal Hussain has…