Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • Kejriwal mocks Modi

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    AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal  hit out at the BJP for making false claims and mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling him an “anarchist”. “The mood in Delhi is different from what it was a year ago. Though the Congress is nowhere in the picture, we are more popular than the BJP and ahead of…

  • Tharoor to be questioned

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      Congress MP Shashi Tharoor  reached the national capital and is likely to be questioned by Delhi Police in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s murder. Tharoor arrived at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport from Kerala around 2 p.m. and went to his house in central Delhi’s Lodhi Estate. Tharoor did not reply to…

  • Gujarat a cultural crossover: Ban Ki-moon

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      UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon  said Gujarat could also be a crossroad for a new era of sustainable development while it has long been a cultural crossover to the world. “This dynamic state has long been a cultural crossover to the world. Today, it can also be a crossroad for a new era of…

  • Modi, Kerry pay tribute to Paris victims

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    With Parisians gearing up  to hold a massive solidarity rally in France against the terror attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Secretary of State John Kerry paid tributes to the victims of the attack. Modi started his speech at the seventh Vibrant Gujarat global investment summit here by paying…

  • India is a land of opportunities:Modi

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    By Jaideep Sarin  Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government was trying to revive the economy, and told global investors that India today was a land of opportunities. “In a short span of seven months, we have been able to change the atmosphere of despair and uncertainty,” Modi told the seventh Vibrant Gujarat summit…

  • Cameron supports Gandhi statue in London

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      By Anasudhin Azeez  British Prime Minister David Cameron has offered support to the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust’s initiative to install a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at London’s prestigious Parliament Square. The prime minister told Asian Lite newspaper that the decision to install a statue of India’s Father of the nation at Parliament Square along…

  • Sanjay Dutt’s plea rejected

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    The Maharashtra government rejected Sanjay Dutt’s application to extend his furlough by 14 days, an official said, adding that the Bollywood actor will return to Pune’s Yerawada Central Jail (YCJ) later in the day. “His application has been rejected. He will return to jail today itself,” his lawyer Hitesh Jain said. Dutt’s latest furlough of…

  • Kerry to focus on economic issues in India

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      As Secretary of State John Kerry headed to India ahead of President Barack Obama’s historic visit on India’s Republic Day, officials said economic relationship will be a big focus of his discussions. Kerry will travel to Ahmedabad after a stop in Munich Jan 10 to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit inaugurated by…

  • Cameron visits Asian Lite

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    Prime Minister David Cameron launched new initiatives to garner more support from the ethnic-minority votes as the general election date nears…writes Anjana Parikh Photographs: Arun Jacob Thomas The prime minister told Asian Lite newspaper that the new government will boost the economy to new heights through a meticulous strategy. “We are creating the fastest growing…

  • Dutt at home with family

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      Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who went to Yerawada jail in Pune on the end of his 14-day furlough but did not surrender and returned home Thursday, is at home here with his family, awaiting a decision on his request for its extension, his lawyer said. “The authorities have yet to inform us on his…

  • Tharoor seeks professional probe

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    Congress MP Shashi Tharoor  sought a “professional” investigation into his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death without “political” pressure and a “pre-determined” mind. “I have lost my wife and have not been allowed to mourn in peace,” the former central minister told the media outside at a private ayurvedic centre where he has been undergoing a 14-day…

  • ‘The Lunchbox’ nominated for BAFTA

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     After having been snubbed as India’s official entry at the Oscars in 2013, Ritesh Batra’s directorial feature movie “The Lunchbox” has made it to the nomination list of the BAFTA Awards 2015 in the ‘Film Not in the English Language’ category. The team is ecstatic. The nominations for the awards, organised annually by British Academy…

  • Sirisena replace Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka

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    Joint opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena was elected Sri Lanka’s new president, decisively defeating Mahinda Rajapaksa in an election the incumbent scheduled two years ahead of time hoping an easy win. Nearly a decade after he took power and later crushed the Tamil Tigers, Rajapaksa went down to his former health minister, who earned more than…

  • Sanjay Dutt returns to jail

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    Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt  returned to Yerawada Central Jail in Pune to serve the remainder of his term after the the Maharashtra government, unwilling to court further controversy, rejected his application seeking an extension of his furlough by 14 days. Home ministry officials said that they were awaiting a reply from the police department on…

  • Tharoor’s domestic help questioned

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    Taking forward its probe into the murder of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Delhi Police questioned their domestic help Shri Narayan Singh but said they had not yet called the MP for questioning. Singh, who had been interrogated by police twice earlier, was Thursday again called for questioning, police said. The…

  • Modi keeps his PIO card promise

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said he has fulfilled his promise to the diaspora of merging the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. “I can say with pride that I have done what I promised. I said that PIO and OCI cards will get lifelong visas and the work is…

  • World looking at India with hope: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said the world was looking at India with “immense hope and optimism”, and he firmly believed the 25-million strong Indian diaspora was a big strength. India can make a global impact by reaching out to them, Modi said here at the inauguration of the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the world’s…

  • Tharoor alleges bid to implicate him

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    A day after police said Sunanda Pushkar was poisoned, her husband and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged in a letter made public that a police officer tried to implicate him and a domestic help in her mysterious death. In a letter to Delhi Commissioner of Police B.S. Bassi dated Nov 13, Tharoor, a former central…

  • Lanka must address Tamil issue: BJP

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      The winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election must first address the Tamil issue, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Jolly said Wednesday. “Whoever wins in Sri Lanka should first address the Tamil issue,” he said, wishing “all the best” to both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena. He said a…

  • Italian marine seeks extension of stay

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    The Supreme Court said it will hear a plea by Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre seeking extension of his stay in Italy following heart surgery he underwent Jan 5. An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu said it would hear the matter Monday after senior counsel K.T.S. Tulsi told the court that Latorre…

  • UN chief to promote inclusive growth

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      UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will promote inclusive and sustainable development during his India visit later this week. He will also deliver a keynote speech at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Ban’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief will travel to Gujarat Jan 10 and deliver the keynote speech the following day, Xinhua reported. “Addressing…

  • Police begins Sunanda murder probe

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    A police team formed to investigate afresh Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar’s murder has started work, Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said . “The special team is looking into each and every possibility of the case. Whatever is needed will be done,” Bassi told the media. Asked if Tharoor, a former central minister…

  • Uneasy calm at Jammu border

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      The international border dividing Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan here was calm . “There has been no firing from Pakistan anywhere in the Jammu region today,” a senior police officer said. He added that the Border Security Force (BSF) was on high alert and was monitoring the situation on the border in…

  • Nothing wrong in ‘PK’: Delhi HC

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    The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL filed against Raj Kumar Hirani directed and Aamir Khan starrer film “PK”, saying “the film was not offensive”. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw refused to entertain the plea which sought ban on the film for alleged derogatory remarks against Hindu gods,…

  • Come, connect and contribute: Sushma

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      Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj  called on the diaspora youth gathered here to “come, connect, celebrate and contribute” to be part of the “momentous transformation taking place in the country”. Speaking at the inauguration of the 2015 Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), Sushma Swaraj, who is also the external affairs minister, urged…

  • Security tightened for Obama visit

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    All the top luxury hotels in Delhi have been scanned, the security is being worked out to the last minute detail, and, yes, The Beast will very much be part of the official entourage of US President Barack Obama, chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade. It is learnt that an advance US security…

  • Gandhinagar all set for Indian diaspora

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      Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, the convention venue in Gujarat’s capital, is all decked up to welcome the Indian diaspora, who are arriving in hundreds from countries across the world, for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the annual bonding jamboree hosted by India for its natives abroad. The PBD is being held in Gandhinagar Jan…

  • Tharoor ‘stunned’ that Pushkar was poisoned

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    Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he was stunned to know that his wife Sunanda Pushkar was poisoned and that a murder case had now been filed. In a statement here, Tharoor said: “Needless to say I am anxious to see that this case is investigated thoroughly, and (I) assure the police my full cooperation.…

  • Don’t pollute Ganga: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  made a public appeal to not pollute the Ganga river while calling for a “time-bound, swift action and single-minded focus to ensure it is made pollution-free”. Presiding over a high-level meet on the “Namaami Gange” project, attended by union ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharati and Prakash Javadekar, besides…

  • Sunanda was poisoned, murder case filed

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      Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar, found dead in mysterious circumstances here in January last year, was poisoned to death, Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi said . “We have got the final medical report from AIIMS, and we have been told that it was an unnatural death… It was not a natural death,”…

  • Sunanda Pushkar was murdered: Delhi Police

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    Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar did not commit suicide but was murdered, Delhi Police Chief B.S. Bassi said. “We have got the final medical report from AIIMS, and we have been told that it was an unnatural death,” Bassi told the media. “She died due to poisoning. Whether the poison was given orally…

  • UN won’t involve in Italian marines trial in India

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    By Arul Louis UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman refused  to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the two Italian marines facing trial in India over the killing of two fisherman off the Kerala coast amid reports that the Italian prime minister has asserted that a “direct channel” had been opened with New Delhi raising hopes…

  • US concerned over rising India Pak tension

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      The US  expressed concern over rising India-Pakistan tensions and the exchange of fire along the working boundary, which claimed four Pakistani civilian lives, Geo News reported . Washington encourages Islamabad and New Delhi to engage in a dialogue. “We certainly remain concerned and watch over tensions along the border. We encourage dialogue between the…

  • Kejriwal misleading Delhi’s traders: BJP

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    The state unit of the BJP  accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of “misleading” the city’s traders by claiming that raids against commercial establishments went down during the party’s 49-day rule in Delhi. Citing Right to Information (RTI) data, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Satish Upadhyay said that between Jan 5 and Feb 14, 2014, when…

  • BSF trooper killed in Pak shelling

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      A BSF trooper was killed in mortar shelling by Pakistan on the international border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The Border Security Force (BSF) constable – identified as Devinder Singh of the 9th battalion – was killed in shelling by the Pakistan Rangers on Khawada post, a police official said here.…

  • Amma cement launched

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      The Tamil Nadu government launched Amma Cement in Tiruchirappalli at a subsidised rate of Rs.190 per 50kg bag, an official said. The scheme will cover the entire state by Jan 10, a state government release said. The scheme was announced by the then chief minister J. Jayalalithaa Sep 26 last year. Later, she lost…

  • Post Dhoni era begins in India

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    India go into the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia embarking on a new era after the shock retirement of talismanic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It will be testing times for the new and fiery skipper Virat Kohli following Dhoni’s retirement from the longest format of the game after the third Test at Melbourne.…

  • Omar flays BJP & PDP

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    Outgoing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took potshots at the PDP and the BJP amid signs that they were close to an agreement to form a coalition government. Reacting to reports that the two parties were close to start structured negotiations on sewing up an alliance, Abdullah wondered how far they would go…

  • Pakistani boat carried suspected terrorists: Parrikar

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      The occupants of a Pakistani vessel that blew up and sank off the coast of Gujarat were “suspected terrorists”, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here. “I think they were suspected terrorists as they committed suicide. A normal boat even carrying drugs can surrender,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event. “Why would…

  • Indian soldiers short of boots, ski masks

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    By Anjali Ojha It’s yesterday once more as 53 years on, Indian Army soldiers in the icy Himalayas, to go by a parliamentary panel’s report, suffer a crippling shortage of snow boots, ski masks and ammunition, among others – precisely the cause of the crushing defeat inflicted by the marauding Chinese forces in 1962. Parliament’s…

  • Delhi airport on high alert after terror threat

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     Security was  tightened at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here following an intelligence alert that terrorists may target Air India flights going to Afghanistan, officials said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which looks after the airport’s internal security, has been asked to be on alert and keep a tab on the activities of…

  • ‘Make in India’ see good response

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    The central government announced that “Make in India” has become its largest and fastest growing digital initiative with 2.1 billion impressions on social media. In the process, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion initiative has “left behind every other government department like the MEA (ministry of external affairs), home ministry or the ministry of…

  • Kashmir border calm after shelling

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    The Jammu and Kashmir border was quite, a day after Pakistani shelling killed two Indian soldiers and a civilian and forced hundreds to flee their homes along the frontier. Although no firing or shelling was reported Sunday, frightened villagers chose to stay away in makeshift camps in Samba and Kathua districts where they have been…

  • Banking sector need reforms: Jaitley

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      India needs to conceive several reforms in the banking sector, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said here. “There is a need to get the best talent into the system. There is a need for far greater autonomy being given to them (public sector banks),” Jaitley told reporters on the sidelines of the two-day banking retreat.…

  • We want good ties with Pakistan: Rajnath

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      India wanted good relations with Pakistan, which should not resort to ceasefire violations, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said. “Pakistan is our neighbour and we want good relations with all our neighbours,” Rajnath Singh said, responding to a media query on the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan. “But the Pakistan government should also take initiative…

  • Science helped shape modern India: Modi

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi said science has helped shape modern India and lauded scientists for their pioneering work that placed the nation in the forefront globally. “Science has helped shape modern India… It was the pioneering projects undertaken by our scientists that built outstanding institutions with modest resources… that helped place India at the…

  • Pakistani boat explodes and sinks after chase

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     A suspicious Pakistani fishing boat exploded into a ball of fire off the Gujarat coast and sank after it was intercepted by the Coast Guard, the government said . The dramatic incident took place on the night of Dec 31-Jan 1, and the Coast Guard’s Deputy Director General K.R. Nautiyal said he suspected “something serious”.…

  • New US ambassador arrives in India

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    The new US ambassador, Richard Verma, arrived here . He is the first ever Indian-American to be appointed the US envoy to India. Verma, 46, will continue the US embassy’s work in advancing the US-India strategic partnership, said a communique from the mission. “I am honoured to serve as US ambassador to India at such…

  • Pakistan hits out at Indian ‘hype’

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    Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody in an abduction case by a court here Thursday, even as Pakistan termed “unfortunate” the “unnecessary hype” created by India over the issue and also questioned lack of action in the Samjhauta blast case. The judicial remand order came as Lakhvi’s…

  • PDP, BJP may shake hands

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    The PDP and the BJP, the two largest groups in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, said they were prepared to form a government amid signs of problems in stitching an alliance. A day after a Peoples Democratic Party delegation met Governor N.N. Vohra, a BJP team called on him Thursday briefly and then said that…