Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • How to name your film?

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    Southern cinema: Popular dialogues, songs inspire film titles…writes Haricharan Pudipeddi  A film’s title is the first step in grabbing a viewer’s attention much before it hits the screens. And more attention is guaranteed when a popular film dialogue or a line from a chartbuster song becomes the title of a movie. That’s just what a slew…

  • GALLERY: Pushkar Camel Fair

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    Foreign tourists flock to Pushkar Animal Fair in Pushkar of Rajasthan. The five-day long fair begins on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and ends on Kartik Purnima. Mass trading of cattle, such as camels, horses, cows, goats, and sheep, take place during these five days  

  • Modi govt on foreign policy overdrive

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    By Ranjana Narayan    Barring most of the African Union countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have met leaders of most countries of the world by the end of December 2014, pointing to the heightened stress on foreign policy by the new Indian government that took power on May 26. Modi, who set off a foreign…

  • ‘Iron Lady’ Sharmila refuses to give up

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    By Ninglun Hanghal    “Iron Lady” Sharmila Chanu completes Sunday 13 years of hunger strike that she began after the massacre of 10 people by Assam Rifles at a bus stand here. Over the years, the “Malom Massacre” memorial at the bus stand in Malom, around six kilometers from Manipur capital Imphal, bears a deserted look,…

  • Sexist slur against Nikki Haley

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    By Arun Kumar   Reflecting the falling standard of US politics, the Democratic opponent of South Carolina’s Indian-origin Governor Nikki Haley called her a “whore”, but more shockingly the mainstream US media largely ignored the story. Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, the daughter of Sikh immigrant parents, herself addressed her opponent’s sexist comments this week saying Vincent…

  • Modi vows to bring black money back

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     Prime Minister Narendra Modi  promised that he will get back “every paisa” of black money stashed abroad. In his “Mann ki Baat” radio address, the prime minister said that the people of the country should have faith in him and his assurance on this matter. “I want to tell the people that please have faith…

  • Fadnavis takes charge of Maharashtra

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    Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in  as chief minister of Maharashtra’s first BJP government along with nine ministers, cheered by some 30,000 supporters at the Wankhede stadium and watched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, VIPs and celebrities. Governor C.V. Rao administered the oath of office and secrecy to Fadnavis, 44, and the ministers, including two women,…

  • Hrithik, Sussanne legally divorced

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    Hrithik Roshan and his estranged wife Sussanne Khan were granted divorce by the Bandra court, the Bollywood star’s lawyer said. Lawyer Deepesh Mehta said: “They are legally divorced now. Today at around 10:30 a.m., all things were done. They have got divorced in a very unique and elegant way where there is no alimony and…

  • Indian appointed to UN panel

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    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Abhijit Guha, a retired Indian Army Lieutenant General, to a high-level panel to assess UN peace operations. Announcing the formation of the 14-member panel Friday, Ban said it would make a comprehensive assessment of UN peace operations and the needs of the future and its recommendations would be…

  • Modi greets four states on foundation day

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  greeted people of Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana on their states’ foundation day and ignore wishing the people of Kerala on its foundation day. “Greetings to people of Karnataka on Kannada Rajyotsava. May Karnataka scale new heights of progress in the years to come,” Modi said. Kannada Rajyotsava is celebrated Nov…

  • No Modi-Sharif meeting at SAARC: India

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    India  denied any plans for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during the SAARC summit in Kathmandu. External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, in answer to a query at a briefing, said there is “no such proposal at hand” and that the issue is not under discussion. He…

  • India will appeal Lankan death sentence for fishermen

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    India indicated there may have been “miscarriage of justice” in the death sentence handed down to five Indian fishermen for alleged drug trafficking in Colombo and said it will appeal. New Delhi also said that under a bilateral “legal architecture”, a similar death sentence for two Indians was commuted to life imprisonment after a Sri…

  • Nokia close India plant

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      Nokia, once an iconic mobile handset maker, is shutting down its India plant  at Sriperumbudur near here, a company spokesperson said . “As announced earlier (Oct 7), we are stopping handset production at our Chennai plant from tomorrow (Nov 1) in the absence of orders from our new parent firm (Microsoft), which terminated the…

  • West Bengal seeks global investment

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    Fiannce Minister Dr Amit Mitra unveils raft of investment opportunities in West Bengal. The veteran leader invites investors to join ‘Bengal Global Business Summit – Bengal Leads 2015’ Dr. Amit Mitra, Minister- in-Charge, Finance, Excise, Commerce & Industries, Public Enterprises, Industrial Reconstruction and Information Technology & Electronics Departments, Government of West Bengal, today unveiled the…

  • Call to remember Muslim troops in WW I

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     Khudadad Khan, the first Muslim soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross, should be more widely recognised General Lord Dannatt and General Lord Richards lead a group of peers, MPs, historians and religious leaders who say children should be told about the role played by Muslim troops in the First World War. In a letter…

  • Star Plus retains the best channel award

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    Star Plus was named TV Channel at the second Asian Media Awards 2014 It was the second year running the channel had been presented with the accolade. The Asian Media Awards were held at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate and were sponsored by the University of Salford and Asons Solicitors. The channel has had another outstanding…

  • Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM

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    Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as the chief minister of the first BJP government of Maharashtra at a gala public function here . Nine other ministers also took the oath. Maharashtra Governor C. V. Rao administered the oath of office and secrecy to Fadnavis (44) and the others at a glittering ceremony in the sprawling Wankhede…

  • A pity Anderson died unshackled

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    Rights activists  said it was a pity that then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson died without facing trial for the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster that killed thousands. Activists who spoke  on telephone from Bhopal also denounced the Indian and US governments for not taking steps that would have led to his arrest and extradition to…

  • Modi visit gives US a reality check

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    Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit, Secretary of State John Kerry says US diplomacy faces new challenges in a globalised world with countries “flexing their muscles and standing up for their own interests.” “A lot of countries have economic power today that they didn’t have in the last century… and they’re feeling their oats,”…

  • India deny visa for Australians looking for surrogate mothers

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    Childless Australian couples looking for surrogate mothers in India are being denied visas to enter the country, media reported . Surrogacy advocates said India had effectively frozen out Australians from the surrogacy industry following recent revelations that a child was abandoned in India by an Australian couple, ABC reported. “India has put a freeze on…

  • The day Modi strode down Rajpath

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off an enthusiasm-filled Run for Unity and himself briskly walked down Rajpath after paying rich tributes to free India’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Modi led the nation in paying tributes to Sardar Patel on his 139th birth anniversary, being commemorated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day,…

  • Raja, Kanimozhi formally charged

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    The special court hearing the 2G spectrum allocation case has framed charges of money laundering against former telecom minister A. Raja, his party colleague and DMK MP Kanimozhi and the other accused. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge O.P. Saini framed the charges. The accused have been booked under various sections dealing with the…

  • Build on Patel’s legacy: Modi

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    Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel gave us one nation and it is now for us to turn it into a superior India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an event to mark the birth anniversary of the country’s first home minister. Sardar Patel “gave us one India” and it is our responsibility to “turn into sreshta (superior)…

  • S.Asian urged to check blood in urine

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    Be Clear on Cancer campaign highlights blood in urine is a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancers   Latest figures reveal that only 1 in 3 people survive bladder or kidney cancer beyond 12 months if diagnosed at a late stage, compared with more than 9 in 10 who survive at least a year…

  • Britain honours Indian WWI soldiers

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    Britain honoured the over a million Indian soldiers who fought in World War I, as British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon laid a wreath at the war memorial at India Gate and praised the “enormous contribution” of India. Fallon, who arrived here on a two-day visit, handed over a digitised version of the war diaries and…

  • Britain holds out hope for Indian deal

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      Britain  held out hope that the European consortium could bag the multibillion Indian deal for 126 fighter jets with its Eurofighter Typhoon in case the Narendra Modi government’s negotiations for the French Rafale jets falls through. British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, in answer to a question, said the his country “respects the position the…

  • Indian sailors freed after four years in pirate captivity

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    Seven Indian sailors on vessel MV Asphalt Venture, kidnapped off east Africa by Somali pirates in September 2010, have been released, a functionary in Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s office said. “Of the seven, two are Keralites and one from Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu). They have been released today and are now being moved to an…

  • India plans unmanned crew module space flight

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    India will launch an unmanned crew module in December onboard a heavy rocket to test its re-entry into the atmosphere for the country’s future maiden human space flight, the space agency chief said . “We will send an unmanned crew module on the experimental GSLV-Mark III rocket in December and test its re-entry into the…

  • New India Assurance Bags Top IOD Award

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    New India Assurance bagged Institute of Director’s Golden Peacock Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance New India Assurance bagged this year’s Institute of Director’s Golden Peacock Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance. This is the second time in row NIA is winning the prestigious award. The event was held during  the  IOD India’s London Global…

  • NRIs sue ICICI Venture

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    Dubai-based Indian businessman Gulab Patil among scores of investors sue ICIC Venture over alleged losses on their investments in a property fund run by the private equity firm. Gulab Patil, who has been authorised by around 500 investors with a power of attorney, told PTI that he has filed the complaint with Sebi on October…

  • Why Modi-bashers are so frightfully busy?

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra After deep and introspective study, I have finally figured out why Modi-bashers are so frightfully busy. He is not playing the game according to the rules.  There you are, that is an incandescent distillation of my research. Who does he think he is, the BCCI? Not being a team player…

  • Yasin Malik arrested in Srinagar

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    Separatist leader Muhammad Yasin Malik, who has called for a boycott of the coming Jammu and Kashmir elections, was Thursday taken into preventive custody here. This was done to maintain law and order in the city, a police officer said. Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said that police reached his uptown…

  • Kerala to host climate change meet

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    More than 450 scientists and policymakers from around the world will discuss ways and means to tackle climate change and disaster management at a conference to be held here from Feb 26-28, 2015, it was announced here Wednesday. The Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) will host the International Conference on Climate…

  • Modi to meet Merkel in Australia

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    By Ranjana Narayan  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Australia next month, a meeting that almost took place in July in Berlin but was put off following the German leader’s decision to go to Brazil to cheer her country at the World Cup football finals. A…

  • India and Britain to tackle security challenges

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      There was considerable scope for Britain and India to work together “to tackle many security challenges” globally, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said  on meeting Defence Minister Arun Jaitley. A statement from the British High Commission said the meeting with Jaitley reaffirms Britain’s defence and security partnership with India. On a three-day visit to…

  • Sena welcomes Fadnavis as new CM

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      The Shiv Sena  said it “wholeheartedly welcomes” Devendra Fadnavis as the new chief minister-designate of Maharashtra, two days after the BJP anointed him. “We wholeheartedly welcome the new CM of Maharashtra… We are confident that with Narendra (Modi) in Delhi and Devendra (Fadnavis) in Maharashtra, nobody can prevent ‘achhe din’ (good days) from coming…

  • India readies to test indigenous ICBM

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    India is readying for the full-fledged test-firing from a canister of an indigenous long-range missile that carries a one-tonne nuclear warhead and can target cities as far as Beijing. The previous two launches of the 5,000 km Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with dummy warheads have been from open mobile launchers. The canisterised version has…

  • India’s second Mars mission in 2018

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    Riding on the recent success of its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), India plans to revisit the planet in 2018, possibly with a lander and rover to conduct more experiments, a space official said . “We plan to launch a second mission to Mars in 2018, probably with a lander and rover, to conduct more experiments…

  • Goa varsity seeks help of ex-students

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    Goa varsity launches mammoth survey, wants alumni to rate performance … Mayabhushan Nagvenkar  In a role reversal of sorts, Goa University wants its alumni to rate and evaluate its performance and the quality of education it has offered them. Founded in 1985, the university, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has launched an…

  • PRATHAM: Helping India’s Under-privileged

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    Pratham, an NGO organisation, is helping bridge India’s education gap…writes Arun Kumar  A staggering 100 million children making up about half of India’s school-going children cannot read a grade-appropriate text or solve a grade appropriate math question. Trying to bridge that gap through “low-cost, scalable methods” is Pratham, an NGO dedicated to educating underprivileged children and youth…

  • Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt  in Oxford

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    The Oxford India Society will play host to one of the finest musician in the world – Grammy Award winner, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on  Wednesday 5th November, 2014 The concert will be held at the Holywell music Room in Oxford – a purpose built concert hall in the heart of Oxford and among the oldest in Europe.…

  • Black money could be over $35 billion

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    The unearthing of untaxed income Indians have allegedly stashed away in foreign accounts could add up to $35 billion to the country’s foreign exchange reserves, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML) report said . The report came out the day the government submitted to the Supreme Court names of 627 people who are holding…

  • India seeks ban on e-cigarettes

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    Indian Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan calls for for complete ban on e-cigarettes Indian  Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has favoured a complete ban on e-cigarettes and all products described as “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)”. Harsh Vardhan ruled out their acceptability in the light of research findings by experts which have held that they are no…

  • Telangana, Andhra bitter fight begins

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    The worst fears of united Andhra Pradesh’s last chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy appear to be coming true with Telangana and residuary state of Andhra Pradesh indulging in no-holds-barred war over sharing of electricity and river water. Ever since Telangana took birth as India’s 29th state in June, the two Telugu states have quarreled on…

  • SC gets the list of 627 foreign account holders

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    The central government  submitted to the Supreme Court names of the 627 people who are holding accounts in foreign banks revealed to it by the French government. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi handed over two sealed envelopes to the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu. Rohatgi said that half of these account holders…

  • Airbus-Tatas unite to bid for IAF

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    Airbus-Tatas bid for Rs.20,000 crore IAF transport aircraft order… reports Fakir Balaji European consortium Airbus Defence and Space has made a joint bid with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for a 56 medium transport aircraft order of the Indian Air Force (IAF) valued at Rs.20,000 crore ($3 billion). “We have submitted a joint bid October 22…

  • London Intl. Arts Fest Gathers Momentum

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    The London International Arts Festival (LIAF) had a successful start on 26th October. The second week of the festival features an interesting band, Sunday Driver at the Brunel Museum on 29th October at 7.30pm, dont miss them! Curated by the South indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, 2014’s five day line up spotlights the capital’s best up…

  • Cameron attends London Diwali Fest

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife celebrated Diwali at a special event hosted by the ruling Conservative party. The event opened with the lighting of the lamp by the prime minister and his wife Samantha, cladded in a royal blue sari. The prime minister also launched 11-volume encyclopedia of Hinduism. “This encyclopedia is…

  • Students Forum seeks more support

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    National Indian Students Union UK President Sanam Arora addressed the Mini Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in London. Miss Arora participated in the session on Issues concerning Indian diaspora in the UK. She spoke about the challenges faced by the Indian youth population in the UK, focusing on faced by both homegrown youth and those from…

  • Oman ministers meet Pranab

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    President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said the bilateral trade between India and Oman has increased but still remains well below its potential and that both sides need to bring it to a higher level. India’s relations with Oman are built on the strong foundation of historical and civilisational linkages. India appreciates and values the strategic partnership…