Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Asia News

  • World Yoga Day to kick-start from Rajpath

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    By Sushil Kumar  Hundreds of thousands of health enthusiasts from 193 countries will perform various ‘asanas’ (yogic postures) at different places across the globe with some 35,000 to 40,000 people who would lead the celebrations from Rajpath in the heart of the Indian capital to mark the first International Yoga Day on June 21. Ishvar…

  • Mamata mutes herself in Dhaka

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    Ranjana Narayan writes in the Asian Lite, Britains top Asian newspaper on Mamata’s Dhaka visit. She went, she saw, she attended and returned. That in sum appears to have been the itinerary of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her trip to Dhaka. On her rests the hopes of an accord between the two nations…

  • China ship tragedy toll reach 434

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    A total of 434 people have been confirmed dead after a Chinese cruise ship capsized in the Yangtze River on June 1, authorities said. According to rescue officials, two bodies were recovered on Monday morning, reducing the number of missing people to eight, Xinhua reported. Only 14 people have been rescued so far. The cruise…

  • India denies entry for Greenpeace member

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    member of Greenpeace International, Aaron Gray-Block, has been “barred” from entering India despite having a valid business visa and necessary documents, the NGO said. The organisation has demanded an explanation from the ministry of home affairs. Gray-Block was travelling from Sydney and was barred from entering into India. “No formal reason was given by the…

  • Modi Thaws Ties With Dhaka

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    India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Sunday noted that India-Bangladesh ties have entered a new phase with a “pragmatic, mature and practical approach” and both reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate in tackling extremism and terrorism and not to allow their territory for any activity inimical to the other…reports Asian…

  • British Tamils plan diaspora

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    Sri Lankan Tamils in Britain urge Colombo to form a “Ministry of Overseas Sri Lankans”…reports M.R. Narayan Swamy   Impressed by what India has done for its large diaspora, influential Sri Lankan Tamils have come together in Britain to seek from Colombo a “Ministry of Overseas Sri Lankans”. The newly formed Non-Resident Tamils of Sri Lanka (NRTSL)…

  • Modi visits Dhakeshwari temple

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    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka and offered prayers and also inaugurated the new Indian high commission chancery complex at Baridhara where he inaugurated six projects undertaken with grant-in-aid from India. “Reaching out to Bangladesh directly. PM inaugurated 6 projects undertaken with grant in aid & interacts w/ beneficiaries,” Vikas…

  • Bollywood rocks Kuala Lumpur

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    By Natalia Ningthoujam  Be it from Kenya, Bangladesh or India, die-hard fans of Bollywood stars like Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra flew from their home countries just to get a glimpse of their favourite celebrities who are here for the 16th edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards. With a…

  • Historic land swap deal ratified

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    In a historic move, India and Bangladesh ratified an over 40-year-old land border swap agreement and flagged off two new trans-border buses as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and announced a $2 billion Line of Credit to Dhaka. Both countries also inked 22 agreements, including renewing a bilateral…

  • Modi Begins Bangladesh Tour

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     Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his two-day “historic” visit to Bangladesh will “strengthen ties” between the two countries. In a tweet, Modi thanked Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the warm welcome. “Thank you PM Sheikh Hasina for the warm welcome. I look forward to a very good visit that will strengthen…

  • Lanka recalls envoy from India

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    By Ranjana Narayan  Sri Lanka has recalled its envoy to India Sudharshan Seneviratne, within a year of his appointment and just when bilateral ties were looking up between the two neighbours. Acknowledging that he has been asked to return, Seneviratne, a highly respected academic who has many friends in India, believes that both countries need…

  • India winds up Operation Maitri

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    By Anil Giri  The final de-induction of the Indian Combined Armed Forces Task Force has marked the winding up of Operation Maitri — the biggest post-disaster operation ever launched by India outside its territory — in the earthquake-ravaged Himalayan nation. Within six hours of the devastating April 25 earthquake, India was the first nation to…

  • Ties with India will improve: Pak army chief

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    A day after declaring that Kashmir was an “unfinished agenda of Partition”, Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif  promised an improvement in relations with India but warned that Islamabad will not be intimidated by recent statements emanating from New Delhi. After a joint session of parliament, Sharif told media that in the coming days there would…

  • Bollywood glitz and biz in KL

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    By Natalia Ningthoujam  There will be the glitz, glamour and the business of Bollywood at the forthcoming edition of the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards from June 5. It promises to be “larger than life” with a focus on commercial opportunities between host country Malaysia and India. After travelling to London,…

  • Coalition making progress against ISIS

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    The US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) is making progress on the ground and destroying the group’s military capabilities, Jordan’s minister of state for media affairs has said, media reported . Jordan is training Syrian people and several Syrian tribes to empower them to stand up to the IS in certain areas in Syria,…

  • 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…

  • Roadblocks remain in resolving Iran n-issue

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    By Aadil Mir   As the June 30 deadline to resolve the contentious Iran nuclear issue between Tehran and six world powers nears, there still remain several roadblocks which could hamper the progress made so far. The insistence by the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council and Germany for inspecting Iran’s military sites and…

  • Tata Steel acquires piece of history

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      At a recently held auction at Sotheby, UK, Tata Steel acquired a desk weight with the engraving – ‘First rail rolled from Tata Steel by the Tata and Iron & Steel Co Ltd, Sakchi, India – March 18th 1912,’ says a company press release. It is expected that this piece of Indian Steel history…

  • India reiterates support for Palestine state

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     Following External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s reiteration that New Delhi’s policy towards Palestine is unchanged, India pledged Tuesday support for an independent Palestine nation “at peace with Israel” and urged them to resume the peace process for a comprehensive solution. “We firmly believe that dialogue is the only viable option in the search for a…

  • Will not sign nuclear NPT: Pakistan

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    Pakistan said it will not sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) because it considers it discriminatory. “It is a discriminatory treaty. Pakistan has the right to defend itself, so Pakistan will not sign the NPT. Why should we?” said Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on being asked whether Islamabad would sign the NPT if Washington…

  • Taslima relocated to US after death threats

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    A New York-based think tank has relocated controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen to “safety” in the US amid death threats from Islamist radicals, according to a press release. The Center for Inquiry assisted in relocating the award-winning writer and human rights activist to the US last week after she was “specifically named as an imminent…

  • 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…

  • Indo-Pak friendship film bags award

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    ‘Trading for Peace,’ a film produced by London-based Conciliation Resources, an organisation working to bring peace to Kashmir through trade between India and Pakistan, bagged ‘Positive Collaboration’ award…reports Asian Lite, Best newspaper for the Asian diaspora An initiative to encourage greater interaction and confidence across the Line of Control in Kashmir has been recognised with an industry…

  • London V&A Museum to showcase Tripe’s rare photographs

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    London’s prestigious Victoria & Albert Museum will showcase the rare photographs of Captain Linnaeus Tripe (1822-1902) from his India-Burma series as part of the ongoing India Festival. The FREE exhibition will open on 24th June and lasts till 11th October 2015…reports Asian Lite, best newspaper for the Asian diaspora Captain Linnaeus Tripe (1822-1902) was a…

  • Chinese ship capsize with 458 on board

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    A total of 20 people have been rescued so far off a passenger ship carrying 458 people, which capsized in China’s Yangtze River due to a storm, authorities said. The vessel — Dongfangzhixing or The Eastern Star — was heading to Chongqing city from Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province. It sank around 9:28 p.m. in…

  • Nepal inching closer to new constitution

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    Nepal’s major political parties appeared inching closer to a consensus on the country’s new constitution following an agreement  to set up a national government to cope with the challenges posed by the April 25 devastating earthquake and its aftermath. Leaders of the Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) [CPN-UML], Unified Communist Party of…

  • Lanka to talk to India on fishing

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    Sri Lanka said that it will continue to engage with India on the fishermen issue to seek satisfactory short-term and long-term solutions. The foreign ministry said it was aware of remarks by the minister of fisheries who had said that he had rejected a proposal by India to resolve the fishing issue, reports Xinhua. The…

  • Pak nuke ‘smashed India’s dreams’:Aziz

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    Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear power “smashed India’s dreams” for regional hegemony, a top advisor to Islamabad said. Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs and security advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told the Nazaria Pakistan Council in Lahore that Pakistan would never allow India’s desire for regional hegemony and its acquisition of nuclear power in 1998 “smashed…

  • ASIAN FASHION – New Trends

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    India andd China are setting new trends in Asian fashion. Former Misss World charmed the Cannes venues while students in China experimenting with new designs. Here is a gallery to showcase the trends

  • NEWS N PICS: Heatwave & N.Korean Puzzles

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    Local News, Views & Newspapers comments ..Asian Lite contains a mixture to cater the needs of modern reader. Latest pictures from major world events

  • World No Tobacco Day- The Kick of Hukkah

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    Rupesh Dutta looks in to the tobacco addiction in India – a country with a huge number of youngsters. Asian Lite features this article to mark May 31 – the World No Tobacco Day Recent studies show that in India the percentage of students who initiate hukkah smoking before 10 years of age has increased from 26…

  • Heat wave continues to take lives in India

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    The blistering heat wave continued in parts of India, claiming 205 more lives in the worst-hit Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where the toll has risen to over 1,900, even as respite appeared on the horizon with the southwest monsoon forecast to hit Kerala. Isolated rains provided some relief in the two Telugu states but they…

  • Aid poorest people first, says ONE

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      A focus on girls and women is crucial, both to address the additional deprivation they face and because smart investments in women are more effective at lifting communities out of poverty….charity One said on the report The global drive to end extreme poverty will not succeed without a shift in focus to the very poorest.…

  • Its no big deal? Indians only marginal polluters!

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    Amit Bhandari writes in Asian Lite, UK’s top Asian Newspaper on why Indians are marginal polluters compared to the developed world.  India’s development dilemma centres around a basic calculation: the carbon emission for an average Indian is only marginally higher than the carbon dioxide produced in flying one passenger from Tokyo to San Francisco. In other…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Family crucial in diabetes battle

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    Asian lite, UK’s top Asian newspaper reports on the cultural health beliefs and social networks crucial in South Asian people’s management of diabetes Researchers from The University of Manchester in collaboration with Keele and Southampton Universities have published new findings which shed light on the poor outcomes of South Asian people with diabetes in the…

  • Modi to visit Bangladesh

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     Armed with the goodwill generated by ratification of the land swap agreement and with promising noises on a likely deal on Teesta river water sharing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day state visit to Bangladesh on June 6 and 7. Modi’s visit, his first to Bangladesh after taking over a year ago, is…

  • 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…

  • Lanka rejects Indian proposal to solve fishing dispute

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    The Sri Lankan government  said it has refused to agree to a proposal from India to allow Indian fishermen to catch fish in Sri Lankan waters. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that India had requested Sri Lanka to allow Indians to catch fish for 65 days a year in Sri Lankan waters in an attempt…

  • Mosque Killings in S. Arabia condemned

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    The KAICIID Board of Directors, consisting of representatives of five religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism – unanimously condemn the deliberate attack on peaceful worshippers at a mosque in Qatif province in Saudi Arabia on 22 May 2015.  The attack that killed and wounded scores of worshippers was committed deliberately to harm the…

  • INTERVIEW: Naina Lal Kidwai

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    By Aparajita Gupta   Women have broken through the glass ceiling not just in India’s financial services space, holding top positions in top banks, but have also made a significant mark in a host of other industries, says Naina Lal Kidwai, executive director of HSBC Asia Pacific. The editor of “30 Women in Power: Their Voices,…

  • Malaysia confirms mass graves of migrants

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    Malaysia has confirmed the discovery of graves holding the bodies of migrants and at least 17 hidden detention camps formerly used by human-trafficking groups. Interior Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the camps were found near the northern town of Padang Baesar, on the border with Thailand, the Malaysian Star reported on Sunday. “Each grave has…

  • Pakistan criticize Parrikars terrorism remarks

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    Pakistan has criticized Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s statement that India will use terrorism to counter terrorism from other countries. Indian media quoted Parrikar as saying  that India has to neutralize terrorists through terrorists. Indian national security advisor Ajit Doval has however sought to play down Parrikar’s controversial comment. Pakistan’s Adviser on National Security and…

  • Modi yet to visit a Muslim country!

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    The itinerant prime minister yet to visit a Muslim country…writes Saeed Naqvi for Asian Lite, Britain’s best newspaper for British Asians  Measuring a government’s achievements in its first year has to be inherently speculative. But some things can be put down to Narendra Modi’s account with a degree of certainty. He has in his first…

  • Asia’s largest Cross being built in Karachi

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    A 140-foot bullet-proof Cross is being built in Pakistan’s Karachi city, the biggest in Asia, a media report said. Pakistani Christian businessman Parvez Henry Gill is building the Cross at the Gora Qabristan Cemetery, Dawn online reported. Following a dream in which Gill claims to have seen God asking him to do something for the…

  • Kim Jong-un’s elder brother at London pop concert

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    Television images of Kim Jong-chol, elder brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at a music concert in London were broadcast on Japanese and South Korean media. Japan’s TBS network showed the 34-year-old entering the iconic Albert Hall on Wednesday, in leather jacket and sunglasses and accompanied by a woman, and bodyguards who prevented people…

  • India create a million jobs in green energy

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    By Chaitanya Mallapur   As India, the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases but 127th in terms of per capita emissions, ponders over an energy-balanced growth, jobs creation and environment protection in the future, there is encouraging news. The renewable energy sector, a particular focus of attention for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has generated 400,000 jobs…

  • Forget selfie, now see this ‘elphie’!

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    If you were left stunned by a black macaque’s selfie last year that became a tug of war between Wikipedia and the photographer about who owned the selfie, this awesome “elphie” is going to floor you completely. Now trending on social media, the elephant selfie or “elphie” has taken users by storm. The “elphie” is…