Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Asia News

  • Pakistan church bombings kill 14

    —

    in , , ,

    At least 14 people were killed in Pakistan’s Lahore city when two powerful explosions rocked two churches, triggering retaliatory violence, the Pakistani media said. Jamatul Ahrar, an offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, news web sites said. Doctors where the dead and wounded were rushed to said 14 people were dead.…

  • Modi announces steps to boost ties with Lanka

    —

    in , ,

      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  announced a slew of measures to boost bilateral ties with Sri Lanka, including energy cooperation and visa on arrival for tourists while underlining that the “complex” fishermen row needed a long-term solution. In a statement after talks with President Maithripala Sirisena, Modi said an MoU in customs signed on Friday…

  • India opposes Lakhvi’s release

    —

    in , , ,

      India asked the Pakistani authorities to ensure that 26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is not released from jail. The issue was also raised in Rajya Sabha, as members protested against the release. Talking to reporters here, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said: “All documents related to his involvement in the Mumbai attack…

  • Pak journalist to be questioned in Sunanda murder

    —

    in , , ,

    Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar is likely to be questioned in connection with the murder of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, police said . “Tarar is a relevant person in the case… If necessary, she will be examined,” said Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi. Tarar’s friendship with Tharoor had reportedly led to a…

  • Pakistan urged to abolish death penalty

    —

    in , ,

    The Pakistan government should reverse its decision to lift its moratorium on death penalty for all capital crimes and move toward abolition, Human Rights Watch said . On Tuesday, government officials confirmed that the interior ministry had instructed provincial governments to proceed with executions according to law. “The Pakistani government’s ill-conceived decision to completely abandon…

  • Police watched Avijit Roy’s killing

    —

    in , , ,

      The policemen on the Dhaka University campus did not act to save Bangladesh-born blogger-writer Avijit Roy but simply looked on while he was being killed, his widow Rafida Ahmed Banna said . “While Avijit and I were being ruthlessly attacked, the local police stood close by but did not act,” Banna, who survived the…

  • Seychelles is a vital partner: Modi

    —

    in , ,

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Seychelles as a “vital partner” and said the relationship between the two nations is “unique and special”. Modi, who reached here on the first leg of a three-nation tour, said the two countries share a good relationship. “It is founded on a deep sense of mutual trust and confidence.…

  • Musharraf faces arrest

    —

    in , ,

      A Pakistani court  issued a bailable arrest warrant against former president Pervez Musharraf regarding the murders of Lal Masjid cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and his wife. Islamabad’s Additional Sessions Judge Wajid Ali Khan presided over the hearing and rejected four requests by Musharraf’s counsel and adjourned the hearing till April 2, Dawn online reported.…

  • Modi begins tri-nation tour

    —

    in , ,

      Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets off  on a five-day official visit to the three key Indian Ocean island neighbours – the Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka – in a bid to ramp up India’s profile in the crucial maritime region amid China’s looming presence. In the Seychelles – his first stop – Modi is…

  • Pakistan has more nukes than India

    —

    in , , , ,

    By Arun Kumar    Pakistan had about 120 atomic weapons, 10 more than India, in its nuclear arsenal last year, according to a new interactive infographic unveiled by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Designed by the Bulletin, founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had helped develop the first atomic weapons in the…

  • Pakistan urge India to honour Indus water treaty

    —

    in , , ,

    Unless India honours the Indus water treaty, Pakistan will face a severe water shortage in a few years, a minister warned . The treaty, signed with India in 1961, stipulates that the flow from the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — will be for the exclusive use of Pakistan while the three…

  • India objects to Lanka’s justification

    —

    in , , ,

    India said  that it had “strongly objected” to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s comments justifying the killing of Indian fishermen by its navy. Making a statement after the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she had taken it up with Wickremesinghe. The minister said she was in…

  • Indian help to remove Turkish jet

    —

    in , , ,

    By Anil Giri   An Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules transport plane carrying an aircraft removal kit landed in Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Thursday to help remove a Turkish Airlines Airbus A-330 that skidded off the runway . Nepal request to India to send the special aircraft to remove the Turkish plane from…

  • Varanasi to Kathmandu by bus

    —

    in , ,

    By Anil Giri  A direct bus service between Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and India’s Varanasi city was flagged off here at a function attended by senior government officials from both sides. The service has been started under the Motor Vehicle Agreement between Nepal and India signed during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to…

  • Kargil war tripped Pakistan: Daily times

    —

    in , , ,

      The Pakistani military’s decision to launch a covert war against India in Kargil in 1999 has made Islamabad “progressively irrelevant” internationally, a columnist said. “In the context of Pakistan-India relations, 1999 can be called one of the most significant years of the post-Cold War phase,” wrote columnist Qaisar Rashid in the Daily Times. He…

  • Delhi rapist interview telecast stopped

    —

    in , , ,

      Home Minister Rajnath Singh  said the government had taken necessary steps to stop the telecast of a documentary based on an interview with a convict in the December 16 Delhi gang-rape case. In statements in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the home minister said the government condemns the December 16, 2012, incident…

  • Drive launched against female foeticide

    —

    in , ,

    By Mohit Dubey  Khaps, the body of village elders in northern India often associated with regressive social diktats, may be turning a new leaf after widespread criticism of their practices. At least a start has been made in a western Uttar Pradesh village where a sarv (larger) khap panchayat decided to launch a campaign against…

  • Jaishankar meets his Pakistani counterpart

    —

    in , , ,

    Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar met his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary here on the third leg of his four-nation SAARC yatra. Accompanied by a delegation of diplomats, Jaishankar was welcomed by officials from the foreign ministry as well as those from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Dawn reported. The primary agenda for the…

  • Khaleda Zia’s office gets search warrant

    —

    in , , ,

    A Bangladesh court has issued a search warrant against former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Dhaka office after reports that she could be hiding fugitives and explosives there, media reported. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate S.M. Masud Zaman issued the warrant on Sunday, bdnews 24 reported. Police have asked for the warrant in the explosive case filed against…

  • Lakhvi leads luxurious life in Pak jail

    —

    in , , ,

      Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has been living a luxurious life in a jail in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi city, with access to mobile phones and internet and receiving scores of visitors every day. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Lakhvi is one of the main suspects behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which over 160…

  • Pakistan army chief warns India

    —

    in , , ,

    Days before the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar, Pakistan Army Chief Gen.Raheel Sharif warned India of a “befitting response” to any provocation along the Line of Control (LoC). “Let there be no doubt that any provocation along LoC and Working Boundary would meet a befitting response,” he said . The army chief was speaking…

  • Arrest warrant for Khaleda Zia

    —

    in , ,

    A court in Bangladesh has issued arrest warrants against ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and two others in two cases filed by the country’s anti-graft body. The Special Judge Court-3 of Md Abu Ahmed Jomadar scrapped bail for Khaleda Zia, chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) after she failed to appear in the hearing of…

  • Kerry slams Bangladesh on civilian attacks

    —

    in , , ,

    US Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned the targeting of innocent civilians in the ongoing political violence in Bangladesh and called for an immediate end to such attacks. Kerry, following his meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in Washington Thursday, stated that there could be “no tolerance” for tactics that target…

  • Jamaat leader sentenced to hang in Bangladesh

    —

    in ,

    A Bangladesh court sentenced a Jamaat-e-Islami leader to death for leading pro-Pakistan militias to commit war crimes such as murders, genocide and abductions in Pabna in 1971. International Crimes Tribunal-2 Chairman, Justice Obaidul Hasan, handed Abdus Subhan the maximum penalty Wednesday. With six of the nine charges levelled by the prosecution having been proven beyond…

  • Modi talks defence preparedness and modernisation

    —

    in , ,

      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said it was important to modernise India’s defence forces and increase preparedness. Inaugurating the 10th edition of the Aero India 2015 here, Modi said: “We do need to increase our defence preparedness. We do have to modernise our defence forces.” “We have to equip ourselves for the needs of the…

  • Lahore suicide bombing kills 8

    —

    in , ,

      At least eight people were killed and several others, including a child, injured in a suicide bombing in Pakistan’s Lahore city, with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claiming responsibility for the terrorist attack. Officials said the attack targeted the Police Lines but the security measures forced the bomber to detonate his explosives prematurely, Dawn reported.…

  • Lankan Tamils distressed over UN probe report

    —

    in , , ,

    Sri Lanka’s main Tamil political party  expressed distress at a decision taken by the Human Rights Council in Geneva to postpone the submission of a report based on war crimes. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which has been pushing for the report to be submitted as scheduled next month said it will seek a meeting…

  • Taliban attack Afghan police headquarters

    —

    in , , ,

    At least 24 people, including 20 policemen, were killed and nine wounded in Afghanistan’s Logar province after a group of Taliban militants attacked the police headquarters, media reports said. Four attackers armed with guns and wearing suicide vests arrived in a car at the eastern Afghan province’s police headquarters in the provincial capital of Pul-e-Alam,…

  • India, Lanka ink civil n-deal

    —

    in , , ,

    India and close neighbour Sri Lanka  sought to begin a new chapter in their relations as the island nation’s newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and the two sides inked four agreements, including one on civil nuclear cooperation. Sirisena, who arrived here Sunday evening on a four-day state visit…

  • Sirisena begins India visit

    —

    in , , ,

    Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena arrived here  on a four-day state visit – his maiden trip abroad since he won the presidential elections last month. He was received by Minister of State for Shipping P. Radhakrishnan. On Monday, President Sirisena will be accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan after which he will go to…

  • Pakistan optimistic on dialogue with India

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan stands for “meaningful and serious dialogue” with India, a top official has said, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Reacting with “cautious optimism”, Sartaj Aziz, the advisor on foreign affairs and national security, said India took the step due to persuasion by the UN and some…

  • Modi has a cricket diplomacy with Sharif

    —

    in , , ,

      In a display of “cricket diplomacy”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif as well as leaders of some other SAARC nations to convey his best wishes for their teams in the ICC World Cup 2015 and said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar would visit the countries, including Pakistan, soon. Shortly…

  • Pakistani Taliban attack kills 20

    —

    in , , ,

      At least 20 people were killed and over 50 others injured when Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a Shia mosque in Peshawar city during Friday prayers, sparking protests across cities, police and hospital officials said. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, Dawn reported citing an email sent by the group. Heavy firing…

  • Indian grandfather assaulted by US police

    —

    in , , , , ,

    By Arun Kumar   The FBI is investigating an incident in which an Indian grandfather’s encounter with police in Alabama left the man partially paralysed, while one of the involved officers has been arrested. Sureshbhai Patel, 57, had recently come from India to help care for his grandson, who was born prematurely and was suffering from…

  • Obama calls Nawaz to improve India ties

    —

    in , , ,

    Two weeks after his visit to India, President Barack Obama telephoned Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and told him that the US supports efforts by India and Pakistan to improve ties. “The president discussed his recent visit to India, and noted the US supports all efforts by both nations to improve ties,” said a White…

  • Iran ready for more business with India

    —

    in , , , ,

    Iran is committed to its good bilateral ties with India and is ready to cooperate more closely with the Indian private sector, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said. In a meeting with visiting Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval, the president said Tehran welcomed further expansion of cooperation with New Delhi, which strengthens peace and…

  • Pakistan is increasingly isolated

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan is increasingly feeling isolated globally and in South Asia too, a commentary in a newspaper said, calling for a re-think on the country’s foreign policy. “Thanks to obstinately sticking to obsolete and self-serving paradigms, winds of change have largely eluded Islamabad,” Arif Nizami, editor of the Pakistan Today, wrote in the daily. “India…

  • Japan reject troops for Middle East

    —

    in , , ,

      Despite recent slayings of two Japanese citizens by the Islamic State (IS), Tokyo does not intend to abandon its post-World War II pacifism and chooses instead to increase its non-military humanitarian assistance to the Middle East, Yasuhisa Kawamura, chief spokesman for Japan’s foreign ministry said here Thursday. “We will never give in to terrorism…

  • ‘Sholay’ to release in Pakistan

    —

    in , , ,

    The cult classic “Sholay”, an action adventure Bollywood movie circling around two petty thieves hired by a police officer to exact revenge on a ruthless bandit, is set to release in Pakistan, 40 years after hitting Indian theatres. The release of the Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra-starrer, directed by Ramesh Sippy, in 1975 proved to be…

  • Will continue supporting Kashmiri ‘struggle’: Sharif

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that Pakistan would continue its political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people “in their struggle for freedom and right to self-determination”, Pakistani media reported. Sharif was addressing the legislative assembly of “Azad Kashmir”, or Pakistan-held Kashmir, in Muzaffarabad on the occasion of Kashmir Day. The prime minister…

  • Xi meets Sushma

    —

    in , ,

    Chinese President Xi Jinping  met India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here, and expressed confidence in the growth of bilateral relations during the year. Xi met Sushma in the Great Hall of the People, where the two sides agreed to focus on a positive bilateral agenda for the year. Xi observed that bilateral ties had…

  • Imran Khan demands speaker’s suspension

    —

    in , ,

    Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan demanded suspension of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq till investigation is completed into the alleged rigging in the National Assembly constituency-122 in the 2013 general elections. During a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (Retd.) Sardar Mohammad Raza, Imran Khan said his party has also requested the CEC to form…

  • Khaleda sued for 42 murders

    —

    in , , ,

    Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia  was sued for the murder of 42 people during the anti-government movement led by her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since Jan 5. Besides Zia, three other BNP officials — standing committee member Rafiqul Islam Mia, vice chairman Shamser Mobin Chowdhury and pro-BNP intellectual Emajuddin Ahmed — have also been…

  • Musharraf refused to travel abroad

    —

    in , ,

    Pakistan has refused to allow former president Pervez Musharraf to visit Saudi Arabia to offer condolences over the death of Saudi King Abdullah, officials said . Musharraf, who faces high treason and several other charges, had sought the government’s permission to go to Saudi Arabia. Musharraf’s name has been placed on the list of those…

  • Pakistan opposes UN Council permanent seat to India

    —

    in , , , ,

    Pakistan reiterated its opposition to grant a permanent seat on UN Security Council to India and insisted on reforms to make the forum more democratic. Pakistan contested the Indian move after US President Barack Obama announced support for India to seek permanent Security Council’s seat during his recent visit to New Delhi. Foreign ministry spokesperson…

  • Pakistan wants good ties with India: Sharif

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  said that he wanted relations with India based on equality and mutual respect, values which are vital for peace in the region, a media report said. In a meeting with Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit here, Sharif said that Pakistan longed for good relations with all countries…

  • Pakistan violate ceasefire in Jammu

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan Rangers overnight targeted Border Security Force (BSF) posts on the International Border in Jammu, a source said. “Pakistan Rangers targeted some BSF outposts in R.S. Pura sector of the International Border at 9.30 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday),” a BSF source said here. “They used small weapons and automatics to target our positions,” the source said,…

  • Attempt to lift AirAsia wreckage fails

    —

    in , ,

      A new attempt to lift the submerged fuselage of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 failed when a wire rope snapped after the wreckage reached the surface of the water, Indonesian officials said. “The fuselage appeared at the surface, but the rope broke and it fell down again,” said Suryadi B. Supriyadi, director of operations and training…

  • Pakistan plunges into darkness

    —

    in , ,

      Pakistan faced a major power breakdown early and most of the cities including Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta witnessed a large blackout. The tripping of Guddo power plant in Sindh province transmission lines affected the 500 KW power line from the national grid, forcing Jamshoro and Bin Qasim power stations to shut down. In…

  • Khaleda Zia charged with ‘instigating arson’

    —

    in , , ,

      Bangladesh Police have registered a criminal case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia for “instigating arson” here that left 27 people seriously injured, the media reported . Zia was booked over petrol bombs attack by suspected members of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which she heads, on a passenger bus at Jatrabarhi area during the…