Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • India welcomes 2015 with parties, prayers, charity

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      India embraced the New Year with boisterous midnight revelry and religious devotion . The celebrations however left two people dead in Hyderabad. In virtually every major city and town, people — mostly the young — welcomed 2015 with music and dancing. As the clock struck 12 midnight, firecrackers went off and motorists honked their…

  • Modi to launch Delhi poll campaign

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     Prime Minister Narendra Modi will Jan 10 formally kick off the BJP’s campaign for the Delhi assembly elections while the state unit plans an “aggressive” fight against the Aam Aadmi Party in the run-up to the polls, a party leader said . “Modi will launch the election campaign in Delhi amid the presence of party…

  • India, Pakistan exchange list of nuclear installations

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      India and Pakistan  exchanged the list of their nuclear installations and facilities under an agreement that bars them from attacking each other’s atomic installations. “India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack…

  • Lakhvi challenges judicial remand

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    Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi challenged his two-day judicial remand in an abduction case. Lakhvi’s counsel Rizwan Abbasi petitioned a district and sessions court, saying a false FIR had been registered due to pressure from India. A court in Islamabad Tuesday sent Lakhvi to two days judicial remand in the abduction case a…

  • One year without Sachin at the crease

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    By Biswajit Choudhury  The year that the Indian cricket team played without Sachin Tendulkar and lost successive Test series abroad gives enough food for thought on the nature of the sport, also at a time when other team sports in the country are beginning to organise commercially on the lines of the Indian Premier League…

  • India to respond with double force: Parrikar

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      The Indian Army must retaliate with “double the force” if Pakistani military fires on the Jammu and Kashmir border, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said. The minister told journalists  night that Indian troops do not breach the 2003 ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. “I would say, don’t agitate, react appropriately…

  • PDP count 55 MLA’s in Kashmir

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    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti  called on Governor N.N. Vohra, claimed the support of 55 legislators in the 87-member state assembly and lauded former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Mehbooba Mufti met the governor at the Raj Bhavan in winter capital Jammu. “She (Mehbooba Mufti) was in the meeting with the governor for…

  • Opportunity awaits in gold in 2015

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    By Vatsal Srivastava Market participants are yet again headed into a New Year with a bearish outlook on gold. This reflects the ongoing adjustments in the US interest rate cycle. It is the consensus view that the US Federal Reserve will start tightening monetary policy by June, which will push real interest rates higher and…

  • Young India defends ‘PK’

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    Young India is giving the thumbs up to Aamir Khan-starrer “PK” and asking why Hindu groups are denouncing a movie which they feel no way runs down Hindu religion. Bollywood and theatre owners are equally upset over the protests which have erupted against the hugely successful Hindi film which takes a hard-hitting swipe at organised…

  • Fast track irrigation projects: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  asked officials to fast track implementation of a mega irrigation scheme and also instructed the water resources ministry to identify river-interlinking projects that could be taken up immediately. Chairing a high-level meeting involving the agriculture, water resources and rural development ministries, the prime minister instructed them to fast track the Pradhan…

  • Lakhvi back in detention

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      Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was sent to two day judicial remand in a fresh case Tuesday, a day after India protested his imminent release. Lakhvi was detained late Monday after he was booked in the abduction case, a media report said Tuesday. He was produced in a court here. During the…

  • Lakhvi’s detention order suspended

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    The Islamabad High Court (IHC)  suspended the detention of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi. Justice Noor-ul-Haq Qureshi passed the order, Geo News reported. Lakhvi had moved the IHC against the government’s decision on his detention. On Dec 19, Lakhvi was detained under the maintenance of public order, a day after he was granted…

  • IIT Delhi director resigns amid controversies

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     IIT Delhi director R.K. Shevgaonkar said he had resigned amid controversies over matters involving cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy even as the government sought to dispel reports that it had pressed him to quit. “I have resigned,” Shevgaonkar told the media on the sidelines of an event here but refused to go…

  • Bengaluru blast kills woman

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      A woman died and three other people were injured in a low-intensity blast near a restaurant in the city centre, a top police official said. “The woman, identified as Bhavani, who suffered head injury in the blast, succumbed in a private hospital, while the injured are undergoing treatment in the same hospital,” Commissioner of…

  • INTERVIEW: Kailash Satyarthi

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    By Trina Joshi Terming child labour in India as a “serious” problem, the country’s newest Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has said the delay in enacting and enforcing a ban on all its forms is akin to “destroying childhood” as our “children cannot remain trapped in workplaces”. But in the same breath he sounded optimistic that…

  • PDP-BJP to rule Kashmir?

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    By Sheikh Qayoom   The PDP and BJP are close to an agreement to govern Jammu and Kashmir in coalition with PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as chief minister, PDP sources said. The deadlock over government formation in the state may end soon, with both PDP and BJP insiders saying the two parties were close to…

  • Microsoft keen to partner in Make in India

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      Global IT giant Microsoft’s chief executive officer Satya Nadella  said the company is looking forward to partner with the Digital India and Make in India programmes of the government. “It’s always fantastic for me personally to be in India and the conversation I had with the minister was wide ranging,” Nadella said here after…

  • Is J&K heading for Governor’s Rule?

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    By Sheikh Qayoom  With no party in a position to form a government and with the PDP and the National Conference not too eager to ally with the BJP, is Jammu and Kashmir inching towards Governor’s Rule? No one is sure. But equally, no one seems to know which two parties or more can come…

  • President sign coal and insurance ordinances

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      President Pranab Mukherjee signed two key ordinances, clearing the way for the auction of coal blocks that were ordered cancelled by the Supreme Court, and for a hike in foreign equity cap in the insurance industry from 26 percent to 49 percent. The legislations for the two measures could not be taken up in…

  • Raghubar Das to be Jharkhand CM

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    Jharkhand is all set to get its first non-tribal chief minister with Raghubar Das elected as the BJP state legislature party leader. Das, a five-time legislator from East Jamshedpur, will be the 10th chief minister of Jharkhand. BJP legislators met at the state party headquarters in Ranchi in presence of central oberservers J.P. Nadda and…

  • Christmas celebrated with zeal and fervour

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      Christmas was celebrated  across northeast India with special prayers, hymns, and mass in churches, besides the traditional spread of delicious food. Over 5.3 million Christians live in Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur while there are a significant number of Christians in the other northeastern states. The celebrations began from Wednesday night with church services…

  • India seek revival of fortunes at MCG

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    India have an unenviable task of avoiding the prospect of relinquishing their grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when they square off against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here . Having lost the first two Tests, India would be aware that another loss would help Australia…

  • BJP holds key to J&K government

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    Government formation eluded both the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the BJP holding the key in Jammu and Kashmir. Both the NC and the PDP leaders say they are open to discussions regarding an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to cobble a ruling alliance. The BJP’s pre-condition of…

  • Good governance key to progress: Modi

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    Good governance is the key to nation’s progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said , a day being observed as Good Governance Day. The government is committed to provide a transparent and accountable administration that works for the betterment of the common citizen, he said in his message to the nation. “‘Citizen-first’ is our mantra, our…

  • US concerned over Lakhvi bail

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      The US is concerned over the bail granted to Mumbai terror attack accused Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, a Pakistani newspaper reported . The State Department also said that the resumption of hangings of terrorists sentenced to death in Pakistan was an internal matters for that country. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said Washington was concerned…

  • Goa say no to ‘good governance day’ on Dec 25

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    The Goa government will celebrate a Christmas holiday and not ‘Good Governance Day’ as mandated by the National Democratic Alliance government for Dec 25, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said . Speaking to reporters here, Parsekar said Goa had a unique synergy between Hindus and Christians and it was not possible to observe Good Governance Day…

  • Path cleared for auction of coal blocks

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      The cabinet  approved an ordinance for holding auctions of coal blocks, as well as the rules for their e-auction, thus launching the process of allocation of 204 mines that were previously cancelled by the Supreme Court. “The coal allocations ordinance passed in the Lok Sabha, on which discussion was not allowed in the Rajya…

  • Omar Abdullah may stake claim

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    Outgoing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah signalled his intention to stake claim to form the government despite a weak mandate for the National Conference (NC) in the just-concluded assembly elections. “Incidentally in 2002, Mufti (PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) became CM (chief minister) with 16 MLAs (members of legislature) and NC with 28…

  • Hung verdict puts parties in quandary

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      The fractured mandate in Jammu and Kashmir has left both NC and arch-rivals PDP caught in a cleft stick — with second-placed BJP appearing to be their sole saviour. With 15 seats, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) is out of power, but it has an option of supporting the BJP and thereby…

  • Assam death toll rise

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    The death toll in the attacks by Bodo militants on unarmed tribals has risen to 65, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said. He said three people were also killed Wednesday in Sonitpur district when police fired at thousands of angry tribals who took to the streets. Sonitpur is one of the three districts apart from…

  • India post Tsunami

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    By Mohammed Shafeeq   A decade after the Indian Ocean tsunami hit several countries in the Asia-Pacific region killing over 200,000 people, India has not only developed an effective early warning system but is also capable of providing advisories to 25 countries on the Indian Ocean rim. Learning its lesson from the disaster, India has set…

  • Vajpayee, Malaviya named for Bharat Ratna

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    A day ahead of their birth anniversaries, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the late freedom fighter-educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya were named for India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. “The president has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthmously) and to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” a Rashtrapati…

  • 2014 has been BJP’s year: Amit Shah

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      Upbeat about the BJP’s good show in the Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, party chief Amit Shahsaid the year 2014 has been unprecedented for his party. Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party first formed an absolute majority government at the centre, and thereafter “there has been a good performance” in the states…

  • Asian men likely to do ‘women’s work’

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    Men who are disabled or belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to do jobs traditionally associated with women, says a Britain-based study. Men in the lowest grade are three times more likely to have a disability than in the rest of the workforce, the findings showed. Ethnic minority men are 50 percent more…

  • Rajya Sabha disrupted again

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    The Rajya Sabha was disrupted again, on the last day of the winter session, as opposition members raised different issues. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad once again stressed on the need for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the conversion issue, while Samajwadi Party (SP) members alleged that those who came to attend…

  • Jharkhand walks with BJP

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    The Bharatiya Janata Party seemed to be tantalisingly close to forming the government in Jharkhand, a state that has seen nine chief ministers in the past 14 years. “Jharkhand has given us a full majority,” said a beaming BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. Initial trends showed that the BJP was coasting to victory but could end…

  • Kashmir heading for a hung assembly

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    By Sheikh Qayoom   Jammu and Kashmir was  headed for a hung assembly with the BJP putting up a spectacular show in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) proving the leader in the largely Muslim Kashmir Valley. The National Conference of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was headed for defeat after six years…

  • How many alliances are possible in Kashmir?

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    By Sheikh Qayoom   Amid the uncertainty of what will be the election result Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir, two things are certain: there will be no alliance between the BJP and the Congress and none between the National Conference and the PDP. A few other things can be said with some certainty. The Peoples Democratic…

  • Sonia’s condition improving: Doctors

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    Congress president Sonia Gandhi is “feeling better” and her “condition is improving”, the hospital treating her for an infection in her lower respiratory tract said . “The health condition and test reports of (Sonia) Gandhi were reviewed today (Monday) morning by treating doctors. Her test results are showing progressive improvement and there is decline in…

  • India warns of trans-border terror threats

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    By Arul Louis As the UN-mandated international combat mission in Afghanistan enters its final days after a democratic transfer of power in Kabul, a Security Council debate put the spotlight on the terrorist threats to the fragile nation with India warning of the support extremists get from “beyond borders” and tying together the this week’s…

  • Taj Mahal see fall in visitors due to cold wave

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    Footfalls at Agra’s Taj Mahal have fallen considerably due to the cold wave that has engulfed north India, guides said. The day temperatures in Agra fell to around 14 degrees Celsius, as the city was enveloped in a thick blanket of fog. Visibility was reduced to zero on the Yamuna Expressway and the national highway…

  • Advani backs Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee

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    Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani has backed awarding the Bharat Ratna to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and said he regarded it as “significant” that the Narendra Modi government has decided to observe Dec 25, Vajpayee’s birthday, as ‘Good Governance Day’. In an interview to CNN-IBN news channel, Advani said: “A Bharat Ratna for…

  • Mumbai attack wasn’t foiled inspite intelligence: NYT

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    In one of the “most devastating near-misses in spycraft”, intelligence agencies of India, the US and Britain failed to foil the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack despite information from high-tech surveillance and other tools, The New York Times said . The daily said it had pieced together the story from classified documents, court files and dozens…

  • Mamata’s war against media see red

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    By Anurag Dey   “Don’t loiter around or you will be arrested” – a policeman’s warning, usually used against criminals or anti-social elements, was in fact directed towards journalists. The unusual scene of a policeman threatening to arrest reporters for doing what they do best – hunting for news – actually panned out at West Bengal’s…

  • Isolating Moscow will not help

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    By Amit Dasgupta By all accounts, the Russian economy is in imminent danger of collapse. After a period of relative economic stability under President Vladimir Putin, the rouble is now in free-fall. The central bank has announced an increase in interest rates from 10.5 percent to 17 percent. It failed to stabilize the rouble. This…

  • Amit Shah in charge of Delhi polls

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    By Rahul Vaishnavi  Miffed with infighting and lack of coordination among state leaders that may harm the party’s prospects in the upcoming Delhi assembly polls, BJP president Amit Shah has decided to take charge of the election machinery in the capital from Dec 25, a top source said. According to a senior party leader who…

  • BJP keeps everyone guessing in Jharkhand

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    Exit polls are predicting a BJP government in Jharkhand, but nobody appears to know who will be the next chief minister in the event of a BJP win. Most exit polls say the Bharatiya Janata Party will secure enough seats in the 81-member house to form a government of its own. BJP leaders and activists…

  • Indian football re-launched

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    By Santosh Rao   Football in India will never be the same again and Indian Super League (ISL) can take all plaudits for this monumental change in the country’s sporting culture. The inaugural ISL – a tournament borrowing on cricket’s incredibly popular Indian Premier League (IPL) concept – has managed to recapture the imagination of football…

  • No Singh memoirs yet

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    By Ranjana Narayan He has just completed 200 days out of office, but former prime minister Manmohan Singh keeps himself perhaps as busy when in power, attending parliament for half a day daily, meeting people and attending party meetings. And he hasn’t yet decided on writing his memoirs as yet. No, he also isn’t troubled…

  • Naidu pleads to Rajya Sabha members

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    Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu  appealed to opposition parties to allow the Rajya Sabha to function to pass important bills. The minister alleged that by obstructing the business of the house for political reasons, the opposition was hurting national and people’s interests. Naidu said the opposition should allow the house to pass several important…