Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Asia News

  • Special Report – Thailand Coup

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    Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian ambassador to Thailand and  former secretary in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs looks in to Thailand’s regressive journey against march of history. Asian Lite, the best newspaper for NRIs and Asian diaspora, will report on the developments in Thailand. Keep reading     Thailand’s army generals know how to effect coups…

  • Sartaj Aziz to accompany Sharif

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    Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be accompanied by Sartaj Aziz, adviser on national security and foreign affairs, as well as Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry on his India visit to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi. In a statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office said that Prime Minister Sharif, who has accepted the…

  • India’s Muslims welcome Modi’s gesture

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    India’s Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi’s gesture of inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony has raised hopes of a long-lasting peace between the arch rivals among Muslims of this country. In direct contrast to his election pitch – where he spoke of a toughened stand against Pakistan – Narendra Modi, by this…

  • Karzai promise to protect Indian missions

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    Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday spoke to Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi and assured him that Kabul “will do all to protect Indian missions there”. The external affairs ministry said Modi thanked Karzai for the “efforts of Afghan forces in thwarting (the) attack on India’s consulate in Herat”. Modi earlier telephoned the Indian ambassador in…

  • Indian consulate in Afghanistan attacked

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    The Indian consulate in Herat in Afghanistan was attacked Friday by four heavily armed gunmen who tried to enter the complex. All four attackers were killed, officials said, adding that the consulate staff was safe.The attack began at 3.15 a.m. when the four gunmen tried to break into the consulate, located 600 km from Kabul.…

  • Chinese tycoons get death verdict

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    Liu Han and his brother Liu We,  owners of Sichuan Hanlong Group, have  been sentenced to death. A Hubei court has found Liu Han and his brother Liu Wei guilty of “organising and leading mafia-style crime and murder”, reports Xinhua. The two men were among a group of 36 people charged with similar crimes. Liu Han’s sentencing is…

  • Modi spells hope for Indians in Gulf

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    There have been mixed reactions among expatriate Indians living in the Gulf countries following the landslide victory of the BJP, led by Narendra Modi, in the Indian general elections. While some expressed hope and enthusiasm, for others, there was disappointment. The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Kerala Muslim Cultural Committee (KMCC), which had anticipated a Congress-led…

  • Modi to sign Teesta deal?

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    Narendra Modi, India’s next prime minister, may sign the Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh which his predecessor Manmohan Singh wanted to sign but could not because of opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a media report said here Thursday. “Modi has been in touch with the foreign ministry over inviting South Asian…

  • BREAKING NEWS – Coup in Thailand

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    Thailand’s army chief says the military is taking control of government, BBC reported. In a televised statement, the army chief said the military would restore order and push through political reforms. The BBC’s Jonah Fisher, in Bangkok, says the move appears to confirm that a full-blown coup is under way. The latest unrest began in…

  • Russia opens gas tapes for China

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     Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has signed a multi-billion dollar, 30-year gas deal with China. The deal between Russia’s Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has been 10 years in the making. Russia has been keen to find an alternative energy market for its gas as it faces the possibility of European sanctions over the…

  • ebay’s plea to change password

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    eBay, the online marketplace, has appealed its users to change their passwords after a cyber-attack compromised its systems, BBC reported. The US firm said a database had been hacked between late February and early March, and had contained encrypted passwords and other non-financial data. The company added that it had no evidence of there being…

  • Sharif summoned in asset case

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    The Lahore High Court summoned 16 politicians, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to appear before it next month for maintaining their assets abroad, media reported. The court ordered the respondents, including former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, to submit their written replies with all details of their assets inside the…

  • WHO concern over child obesity

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    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed deep concern over the worldwide increase in childhood obesity. At the 67th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, the concern was highlighted by WHO’s Director-General Margaret Chan, Xinhua reported. The WHO annual assembly grouped more than 3,000 delegates from 194 member states at the UN headquarters here, to…

  • Sorry Dad..Sorry Dad…But too late

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    Sorry Dad, Sorry Dad…..But it was futile. He was kicked and hit by his dad. Prateek Verma’s  sense of humour took a real beating when he fooled his father into thinking that he had got his girlfriend pregnant. But this made him very popular. He secretly made a video of the episode, which has been viewed more…

  • Thailand under martial rule

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    Thailand was declared being under martial law Tuesday in the face of a looming street chaos in the Thai capital. Army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha declared martial rule at 03. 00 a.m. Tuesday with immediate effect throughout the country. “Mass gatherings by varied groups of people and recent street violence in which innocent people were…

  • Glasnost at India House in London

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    Kaliph Anas reports on the new initiatives at Indian High Commission in London to reach out to the community The Indian High Commission in London is reaching out to the community to ameliorate their concerns. The initiative was launched by High Commissioner Mr Ranjan Mathai. The whole exercise is aimed to deliver better public services…

  • Sick Advet on Malala draws flak

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    The media agency agency responsible for using cartoon images of Pakistani-school girl Malala Yousafzai, shot in the face by the Taliban, to promote a mattress brand has apologised and launched an investigation, The Guardian reported.  The poster ad features a series of images of Malala being shot, falling backwards covered in blood, being put on a…

  • Pak army to begin Afghan talks

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     Pakistani army chief General Raheel Sharif will visit Afghanistan on Monday to discuss war against terrorism and security situation with top Afghan and NATO commanders.It would be General Sharif’s first tripartite meeting with Afghan army chief General Sher Mohammad Karimi and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander General Joseph Dunford.“The Chief of the Army Staff…

  • Amnesty seeks release of journalists

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    Amnesty International (AI) has asked the Myanmar authorities to release at least six journalists arrested this year and described as being prisoners of conscience.Those detained include a cameraman from Democratic Voice of Burma who has been sentenced to a year in prison for documenting a corruption case, four journalists and the editor of the weekly…

  • Hasina ready for talks with Modi

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    Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday called up Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his party’s magnificent victory in the Indian general election and expressed confidence that the two countries would continue to work together sincerely to solve any problem. “I hope that the governments of the two neighbouring…

  • Adieu Captain Saab

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    Asian Lite pays tributes to Capt. Nair, 92, the founder of Leela hotels  Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair, a war veteran and founder of the Leela Group of luxury hotels and resorts, passed away Saturday morning after a brief illness, family sources said. He breathed his last around 3.30 am at the Hinduja Hospital . Nair,…

  • C’Wealth Games Returns to India?

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    Veturi Srivatsa says the new government may bid for 2019 Commonwealth Games   After the perceived corrupt practices in the run-up the 2010 Commonwealth Games, both the government and the sports administrators will think twice before bidding for another sporting extravaganza. Yet, the reconstututed Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has the gumption to ask the new…

  • ‘Deal with NaMo cautiously’

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    Pakistan should not show “rage where it may not be due” while dealing with a new Narendra Modi-led government in India, a leading Pakistani newspaper said.“Modi’s rise to such power, decisive and non-controversial, will have a global impact but our region will have to deal with this new leader in our best national interest,” The…

  • Russi Mody – Man of Steel

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    Sirshendu Panth pays tribue to Mody, India,s Man of Steel  Russi Modi was a flamboyant, visionary corporate leader who laid the foundation for the growth of one of India’s pioneering private sector company into a global steel behemoth by combining excellence in business with an enduring commitment to society. Having steered the erstwhile TISCO – now…

  • Nepal pins hope on NaMo

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    Nepal expressed confidence that India will not change its policy towards the Himalayan nation after the victory of Narendra Modi-led BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey told media persons here that while India could change its internal policy, its Nepal policy would remain the same, Xinhua reported.“Nepal and India share close…

  • Bangladesh Ferry Toll rises

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     The death toll in Thursday’s ferry disaster in Bangladesh’s central Munshiganj district has risen to 54, even as the authorities called off the rescue operation Saturday evening although nearly a dozen people still remained missing.The authorities made the announcement at about 3 p.m. after the sunken ferry was salvaged.“We’ll continue to search for bodies in…

  • THE MODI MOMENT

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    Go for it, Mr Modi, be the man they say you are and lead from the front. Don’t do a Kejriwal and betray the public trust for an agenda……Bikram Vohra’s comment on India Elections and Modi victory Anything critical said today goes against the moment of celebration. The BJP has swept the nation and deserves…

  • British Gujaratis Hail Modi Win

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    Priti Patel MP, the Prime Minister’s UK Indian Diaspora Champion and a British MP of Gujarati origin, welcomes the outcomes of the Indian general election. “I congratulate India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP Party on the clear results of the Indian elections and for earning the largest democratic mandate the world has…

  • Tea Boy Turns To Become A PM

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    M.R. Narayan Swamy writes on Modi’s dramatic growth from a tea boy to the prime minister of the largest democracy inthe world   There was a time when he sold tea at a railway station in Gujarat as his family battled poverty. After toying for a while with the life of a renunciate, he finally…

  • Mangoes top on agenda

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted to congratulate Modi. The prime minister who is facing polls in 2015 May took a safe reaction to avoid get into controversy.  Modi was accused of not preventing the 2002 Guajrat riots in which hundreds of Muslims were killed The prime minister tweeted: Congratulations @narendramodi on victory in India’s…

  • The big count begins

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    Counting of some 550 million votes polled in India’s general election began Friday morning. Counting began at 989 centres across the country at 8 a.m. Around 66 percent of the 814 million electorate voted between April 7 and May 12 across the country to elect a new 543-member Lok Sabha. Exit polls at the end…

  • Modi faces hurdles on path!

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    BJP leader Narendra Modi is sure to head India’s new government but he could face problems even while providing strong governance for the next five years, astrologers say.But there is no unanimity among astrologers across the country on the number of seats the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies will win in the just ended…

  • Hundreds missing in Bangladesh ferry disaster

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    A ferry carrying over 250 passengers sank Thursday in the middle of a river in Bangladesh due to storm and heavy rainfall. The number of people missing has not been confirmed yet. The ferry, carrying between 250 to 300 passengers, capsized in Meghna river in Munshiganj, some 27 km from capital Dhaka, after it was…

  • Modi keeps cards to himself

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    With the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi keeping all cards close to his chest on ministry formation if the NDA comes to power, party leaders Thursday publicly said there was only media speculation on the issue. Yet names of possible cabinet ministers kept doing the rounds in the expectation of a Modi government by…

  • Afghanistan heads for presidential runoff

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    Two leading Afghan presidential candidates, out of eight in the contest, will vie in a runoff poll in mid-June as no winner emerged in the first round of elections held April 5, according to an election commission source. “None of the eight candidates obtained an outright victory in the first round. The runoff will be…

  • Dalai Lama concerned over Tibet

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    Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has once again voiced his concern over the situation in Tibet, saying their language and religion are facing a threat. “Hardline officials continue to target Tibetan language and religion,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate told reporters in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, said a post on his official web site…

  • Forum supports Journalists

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    The Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) Indian chapter has urged Pakistan not to send back two Indian journalists and renew their expired visas. The visas of the two Indian journalists – based in Pakistan since August 2013 – expired in March, PIPFPD office-bearers Asha Hans and Jatin Desai said in a joint…