Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • Modi condemns Canada terror attack

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     Prime Minister Narendra Modi  condemned the terror attack on the Canadian parliament and pledged to strengthen cooperation with Ottawa to combat terrorism. “I strongly condemn the attacks on the Canadian military personnel in Quebec and Ottawa and the shooting in the Canadian parliament in Ottawa,” Modi said in a statement released by the external affairs…

  • Aquatic life improves in Ganga

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    The Ganga cleanliness drive is helping improve the river’s aquatic life. Researchers who studied the condition of the river before and after the latest mass cleanliness drive say there have been visible positive results. The study covered Har Ki Pauri, one of the most popular and crowded ghats of the largest river basin in the…

  • Modi marks Diwali in Siachen

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to the icy heights of Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir wrapped in thick woollens where he lauded the armed forces and promised a national memorial for Indian soldiers. The Siachen halt marked the start of a visit on Diwali day to the state where he later met victims of the…

  • Desi Help for ‘Year of the Bus

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    Deven Bhurke, a freelance graphic designer and artist based in Hampshire, has contributed to a major street art project in London to celebrate “Year of the Bus.” The event is to mark 60 years since the first appearance of the iconic Route Master besides the 75 years since the launch of the RT-type bus and 100 years since…

  • Kiran short-listed for top award

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    British-Asian professional Kiran Singh,  Croxley, Watford has been short-listed for the Design & Creative category at the inaugural Asian Professional Awards. Over 4,000 nominations and votes were received this year paying tribute to inspirational individuals from the Asian community that contribute in every conceivable sector of national life. Kiran Singh, a Mumpreneur, born and brought up in Norway,…

  • India offers help to Hindu Sindhis

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    Hindu Sindhis from Pakistan to get elusive Indian citizenship…reports Mohit Dubey They are Hindu Sindhis who migrated from Pakistan long after partition. Some of them have been around for more than half a century but Indian citizenship has been a distant dream. Now, it is within grasp as the union home ministry has begun tabulating data on…

  • Labour Conveys Diwali Greetings

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    The opposition Labour Party hosted a Diwali reception with Labour Leader Ed Miliband MP at the Conrad Hotel in St James’s Park, London.   There were over 300 people in attendance from various community groups and temples, to celebrate the festival with Mr Miliband. Other senior Labour Party politicians in attendance included Harriet Harman MP,…

  • Cameron Hosts Diwali Reception

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    Diwali celebrations at Number Ten with Prime Minister David Cameron and Indian Diaspora Champion Priti Patel MP   Prominent figures from the Indian community in Britain celebrated Diwali with Prime Minister David Cameron and his UK-India Diaspora Champion Priti Patel at Ten Downing Street . The reception was held in advance of Diwali and celebrated…

  • MY DIWALI DELIGHT

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    Happy Diwali to all readers of Asian Lite ….BIKRAM VOHRA I have received 23 I-cards or E-cards on the net with diyas in them and you’ll be surprised how quickly the novelty of exulting over the same flickering electronic flame wears off. After you have ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over the first two or three and…

  • Dame Asha Bags DN Award

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    Leading educationalist Dame Asha Khemka receives special award from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg Principal and chief executive of West Nottinghamshire College Group, Dame Asha Khemka, has received a special award from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in recognition of her contribution to furthering UK-India relations. Dame Asha was presented with the inaugural Dadabhai Naoroji…

  • Inspirational lives of Nobel laureates

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    Shilpa Raina looks into the inspirational lives of Nobel laureates   A bicycle and a book on mathematics belonging to economist Amartya Sen, a notepad of Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa and a wooden bear that was on the desk of Finnish politician Martti Ahtisaari – these and other personal collectibles of various Nobel laureates…

  • India ready for nuclear no-first-use

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      Reiterating its traditional policy of not using nuclear weapons first and not targeting non-nuclear weapons nations, India has offered to enter into agreements incorporating the two principles while ruling out joining the non-proliferation treaty. “As a responsible nuclear power India has a policy of credible minimum deterrence based on a No First Use posture…

  • ALL I WANT TO DO TO IS RELAX!

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra However, in recent years, I noticed a marked craving for relaxation. It’s almost a fetish. Visualise the hurried executive at work. He looks at his watch, “I’m off”, he says, leaping up. “I have 90 minutes relaxation period now”. “Come on”, he exhorts body, “ree-lax, hurry up”. “I’ve got to…

  • India closely monitoring ISIS activities: NSA

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      National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, in his very first public interaction, said the government is “closely monitoring” the activities of the Al Qaeda and jihadist Islamic State group and if it finds the relationship between the two evolving to harm India then the government would take a “very, very serious view” of it. In…

  • BJP pondering options in Maharashtra

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      The Bharatiya Janata Party appears in no hurry to form the next government in Maharashtra and the process may be initiated only early next week after the Diwali festival is over, party sources said here Tuesday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who as and party observer was expected to arrive in Mumbai along with senior…

  • Manohar lal Khattar is Haryana CM

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    Haryana is all set for a BJP rule for the first time, with Chief Minister-designate Manohar Lal Khattar scheduled to be sworn in Sunday. Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki Tuesday invited Khattar, who earlier in the day was elected leader of the Haryana BJP Legislative Party, to form the new government in the state. The…

  • Coal blocks to be re-auctioned

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    The union cabinet  recommended for presidential assent to an ordinance that would allow re-auction of 214 coal blocks. This was done to resolve issues arising out of the Supreme Court cancelling allocations of those coal blocks last month. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: “The cabinet has recommended promulgation of an ordinance to the president in…

  • Phone scheme financed Mumbai attack: NYT

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      Phone hackers in the US are bilking unsuspecting customers of billions of dollars every year through a scheme that was used to finance the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, according to the New York Times. In 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and police in the Philippines arrested four men who used the scheme to…

  • THE LAMENT OF THE LONELY BACHELOR

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra Have you noticed how newlyweds suddenly having discovered true marital bliss (where was she hiding all this time) now believe it is their mission in life to get all their bachelor friends stampede down the same bridal path? the won’t leave them alone. It becomes a mission like you have…

  • Life term for Dhaula Kuan gang rapists

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    A Delhi court awarded life imprisonment to five men who have been found guilty in the 2010 Dhaula Kuan abduction and gang rape of a call centre executive. They were found guilty of abducting and gang raping a 30-year-old call centre executive in Delhi. On Oct 14, the court convicted them in the case. The…

  • President warms the Artic

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    By Ranjana Narayan   With the resource-rich Arctic region becoming the focus of heightened attention, President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the two Nordic countries of Norway and Finland last week was a crucial step by India to assert its “willingness to have a strong presence in the Arctic Council and to work closely with” the eight…

  • India behind in medical research: Modi

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said India is lagging behind in the field of medical research and more work should be done. “India is lagging behind in the field of medical research and much more needs to be done… We should focus on research, particularly on case history. This can be a big contribution to…

  • Results a shocker for Congress

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    By Prashant Sood   The results of the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls came as a shocker for the Congress and made its revival even more difficult as the party has been defeated in the states that had been its traditional strongholds. The Congress finished third in both the states. The results once again raised questions…

  • Maharashtra leaves BJP in a limbo

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      The BJP is caught in a cleft-stick, thanks to a fractured mandate in the Maharashtra assembly elections. With no political party securing clear majority, a period of political instability looms ahead in Maharashtra. Hectic politicking has started in the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the possibility of cobbling up a workable…

  • How WW-1 changed Indian the soldier

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    By Vishnu Makhijani  India, which contributed over four million soldiers during the two World Wars and has fought five sub-continental wars since Independence, must come to terms with its military history. Otherwise the war memorial of the kind envisaged in the national capital would be jingoistic, says the author of a new book on this…

  • SPIK INGLIS OLL RONG!

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    DAILY DOSE BY Bikram Vohra Many of us speak English with a forked tongue. Say that in a nice way. Like we mess about with the language, mangling it like laundry without realising we are doing that. Yesterday I heard a high profile executive say he has to ‘cope up’ with the situation, whatever the…

  • Its Modi’s victory: BJP

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    The BJP  said the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led to the party’s performance in Maharashtra assembly polls. “People of Maharashtra have shown faith in Modi-ji’s agenda of good governance. We are thankful to the people of Maharashtra,” BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said Sunday. “The second largest party has just half of…

  • London Honours Sikh Icons

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    The World’s Richest Sikh, Malvinder Mohan Singh, wins Businessman Award at Fifth Annual World Sikh Awards London saw the fifth annual The Sikh Awards take place at the Plaza Hotel Westminster Bridge. Among the prestigious winners were Pardeep Singh Bahra, a rising young fashion entrepreneur and the face of international brand Samsung’s 2014 Alpha Smart Phone…

  • ‘Dynasty politics’ issue comes up again

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     As the Congress was routed in Maharashtra and Haryana, a spokesman for the party’s Goa unit  called for an end to “dynasty politics”. In his Facebook post uploaded after the Haryana and Maharashtra results emerged, Durgadas Kamat said the poll outcome needed introspection within the party. “End should be put to dynasty politics whether at…

  • BJP short of majority in Maharashtra

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      The BJP asserted  that it was confident of forming a government in Maharashtra — for the first time. We will get the required majority” in the 288-member assembly, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and possible chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media. “We will form the government.” His comments came as the BJP and its…

  • BJP set to rule Haryana

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      The BJP Sunday said it will form the government in Haryana with early trends indicating it was winning in 48 of the 90 seats. This is the first time that the BJP is likely to come to power in the state on its own. The party started on a winning note with the first…

  • Big event planned for Modi in Sydney

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    With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to visit Australia for the G-20 summit in Brisbane in mid-November, efforts are on to ensure his charisma overwhelms the Indian diaspora there like at New York’s Madison Square event. Expected to be participated in by over 15,000 people, the Sydney event is being hosted by the Indian Australian…

  • Jaya released from Bangalore prison

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    Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa was released from the central jail here after a Bangalore special court ordered her released, a day after the Supreme Court granted her bail. “Jayalalithaa has left the jail… after completing the formalities,” Karnataka Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) K.V. Gagandeep said. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Pannerselvam,…

  • Pakistan a global puzzle: Jaitley

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    Defence Minister Arun Jaitley described Pakistan as a “global puzzle” and complimented the security forces for appropriate response to the recent ceasefire violations along the border in Jammu and Kashmir. Jaitley told a conference of top commanders here that there was India needs to have a credible deterrence and there was need of continuous capacity…

  • India to work closely with Britain

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    Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj  committed India to working closely with Britain on matters of bilateral concern. The move was observed in diplomatic circles as close cooperation between the two countries in reference to Afghanistan and the Islamic State (IS) militant organisation in west Asia. “We are committed to working closely with the…

  • Jaya and her prison diet

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    Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who was granted bail Friday, spent about three weeks in jail getting up early in the morning and reading newspapers, taking rest in the afternoon after a lunch of curd rice, a stroll in the evening and hitting the bed early. “Jayalalithaa is fine and her health is…

  • Indians ditch Chinese made god’s this Diwali

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      Attractive and pocket-friendly Made-in-China idols, which flew off the shelves during Indian religious festivals, are seeing a dip in sales this time, mainly due to local artisans giving them tough competition and appeals to shun Chinese products. According to the wholesale dealers in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar, one of the oldest shopping hubs in the…

  • BJP flayed for U- on black money

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     West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress  hit out at the Narendra Modi-led central government for its U-turn on the black money issue. “The BJP government’s U-turn on black money is shocking. This is a betrayal of anti-UPA corruption sentiment. This shows the BJP and the Congress are part of the same cosy Delhi nexus,” Trinamool Rajya…

  • NRI scientist to get rare honour in US

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    Chennai born Indian-American engineer and scientist Subra Suresh is set to be inducted into the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on , making him the only university president to be elected to all three national academies. Suresh the current president of Carnegie Mellon University is one of only 16 living Americans to be elected to the…

  • Pakistan resort to unprovoked firing in Jammu

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      Pakistan Rangers  resorted to unprovoked firing at Indian positions of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the international border in Jammu district, an official said. “Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing at the BSF positions in the R.S. Pura sector of the international border in Jammu district today  morning,” a police officer said here. The…

  • No names of tax haven account holders: Govt to SC

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    The central government told the Supreme Court that it could not disclose the names, received from foreign governments, of people who have allegedly stashed away their ill-gotten money to tax havens, as it was bound by the confidentiality clause under the double taxation avoidance agreement. Its stand was made in an application seeking modification of…

  • India test-fires sub-sonic missile Nirbhay

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     India  successfully test-fired its indigenously-developed nuclear-capable, sub-sonic long range cruise missile ‘Nirbhay’ from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha’s Baleswar district. The sub-sonic missile, which has a capacity to hit targets at a distance of 1,500 km, was successfully test fired at 10.03 a.m. Friday, said B.K. Das, additional director of Chandipur…

  • Indian Museum to tap British know-how

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    By Sahana Ghosh   The 200-year-old Indian Museum, said to be the oldest in the Asia-Pacific region, is consulting experts from London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) to assist in planning strategies, digitisation of the collection and developing a premier research-curation hub. Showcasing scientific work in action to the public, the concept of families sleeping over among…

  • Relief operations in full swing in Andhra

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    Relief operations are in full swing in Visakhapatnam and other parts of north coastal Andhra that was battered by severe cyclonic storm Hudhud last Sunday. On the fifth day of relief work, rescue workers including personnel from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were busy removing trees, electricity poles and other debris from the roads in…

  • SC grants bail to Jaya

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    The Supreme Court  granted bail to former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, convicted of possessing assests disproportionate to her known sources of income. Alongwith Jayalalithaa, her aide Sasikala Natarajan and two others have also been granted bail. An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu said that all four will be released…

  • Delhi HC notice to AAP

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    The Delhi High Court  issued notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its leader Alka Lamba and other party members on a defamation suit filed by expelled AAP member Vinod Kumar Binny accusing them of maligning him. Justice Manmohan Singh sought response from AAP, Alka Lamba, Manoj Kumar, Raju Dhingan, Bandana Kumari and the central government…

  • Modi meets top military officers

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top military officers at the defence ministry War Room here at a time when tension continues along the border with both China and Pakistan. The Combined Commanders’ Conference is the first meeting of the prime minister with all top commanders, including the three service chiefs. The three service chiefs…

  • US focused on moving forward with India

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    As an Indian diplomat at the centre of a major diplomatic row between India and the US rekindled her case, the US said its “focus has been on moving our relationship forward.” “I’m not aware of anything recently or anything through official channels,” State Department spokesperson told reporters Thursday when asked about the allegations made…

  • Rahul unites Punjab Congress leaders

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    Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Chandigarh  briefly “united” warring leaders of the party’s Punjab unit who were clearly told that if they did not work together, they will continue to sit in the opposition. At the meeting here, Gandhi gave a call to Congress leaders to launch the “Save Punjab” campaign across the…

  • India to grow at 5.5% this year: Rajan

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    India is hoping to achieve 5.5 percent, or little more, growth rate this year, said Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan. “Next year we will go into sixes and hopefully sevens the year after,” he said while addressing students of Indian Business School (ISB) here Thursday. Rajan said that without thinking of major…