Asian Lite News Archive

Category: INDIAN NEWS

  • Guns fall silent at J&K border

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     It was a calm at the international border in Jammu, brightening hopes of peace returning to villages whose residents are living in relief camps following incessant firing by Pakistan Rangers. “It was completely peaceful all along the international border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts for the second day today. There are no reports of ceasefire…

  • Happy to share Nobel prize with an Indian: Malala

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      Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai  said she is “really happy” on sharing the Nobel Peace Prize with a person from India and both have decided to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for the award ceremony in Oslo. The Pakistani teenager, shot in the head by Taliban militants in…

  • Kailash’s love and compassion shines through

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    By Azera Parveen Rahman   Child rights crusader Kailash Satyarthi, who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistan’s Malala Yousufzai, is a passionate man. His love for children makes him go to any length to comfort the vulnerable victims of child labour. He loves to cook sumptuous meals for them. Umesh Gupta, a former…

  • BJP working against poor: Rahul

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    In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi  accused his government of working against the interests of the poor of the country for benefitting industrialists. Addressing huge rallies in Nashik and Pune districts, Gandhi charged Modi with making “closed door deals” with US companies to remove the cap on…

  • India launches first-ever mental health policy

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    India  launched its first-ever mental health policy to provide access to good quality treatment to mentally ill people, specially from the poorer sections of the society. The policy, launched by union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan here, is backed up by the “Mental Health Action Plan 365”, which spells out the specific roles to be played…

  • Vodafone wins tax case in India

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    Britain-based global telecom major Vodafone got a major verdict in its favour, with the Bombay High Court ruling  that it need not pay the tax claim of Rs.3,200 crore ($530 million) slapped on it for buying shares in its Indian arm. The case pertains to Vodafone’s outsourcing arm in Pune issuing shares to its parent.…

  • Naval ships and aircrafts on standby at Vizag

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    With severe cyclone ‘Hudhud’ set to strike the east coast of India, four naval ships and six aircraft of Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command are on standby for rescue and relief operations. Four naval ships are on standby to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic…

  • Malala & Satyarthi are true inspirations: Amnesty

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    Amnesty International  praised Nobel peace prize winners Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for willing to promote the “rights of the world’s most vulnerable children”. “The work of Satyarthi and Yousafzai represents the struggle of millions of children around the world,” Amnesty Secretary General Salil Shetty said in a statement. “Satyarthi has dedicated his life to…

  • Malala & Kailash shares Nobel Peace Prize

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    Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi  shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Pakistani teenager Malala Yousufzai who stood up to the Taliban and survived a near-fatal shooting. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize for 2014 to Satyarthi and Malala Yousufzai “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for…

  • Sunanda’s death inconclusive: Police

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    Delhi Police said the forensic evidence available about the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is “not conclusive”. “The forensic report at the moment is not conclusive, our inquest status in today’s date is pending,” Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi told reporters here. Pushkar’s latest post-mortem report, leaked Thursday, stated “poisoning”…

  • UN chief calls for India-Pak dialogue

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     UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the escalation of violence along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and called for “dialogue” between India and Pakistan to resolve their differences. The statement by Ban stressed the bilateral aspect in asking New Delhi and Islamabad “to resolve all differences through dialogue”. Ban’s…

  • Modi commend the soldiers for their bravery

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    Sending a strong message across the border amid continuing truce violations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “times have changed” and Indian soldiers have given a demonstration of their capability and their bravery. Addressing an election rally in Baramati, the turf of Nationalist Congress Party chief and former union minister Sharad Pawar, Modi also said that…

  • Jaya moves SC for bail

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      Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, currently lodged in Bangalore jail following her conviction in a disproportionate assets case, Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking bail on several grounds including her ill health. Jayalalithaa, along with her aide Sasikala Natrajan, V.K. Sudhakaran and J. Ilavarasi, were Tuesday refused bail by the Karnataka High…

  • I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra Tell you how rumours start. I was asked by an editor friend a piece on whom and what I would miss in the Gulf if I were to leave seeing as how I had completed 30 years in the country. The incisve name names piece was duly published and some…

  • Lulu inks deal with East India Company

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    Abu Dhabi-based LuLu Group signs a multi-million deal with the East India Company….reports  Kaliph Anaz London has witnessed the beginning of a new business partnership. Godfather of Arabian  retail sector signed a deal with Patron Saint of global trade – the East India Company at a glittering ceremony held at prestigious Mandarin Hotel in London.…

  • Pakistan will find attacks ‘unaffordable’: Jaitley

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      Pakistan will find its firing and shelling along the Jammu and Kashmir border “unaffordable”, Defence Minister Arun Jailtey warned . Insisting that Pakistan was the aggressor, the minister told the media: “If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable.” He said Pakistan had made a series…

  • Modi interacts with army & NSA chiefs

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday interacted with army chief General Dalbir Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Air Force Day reception here against the backdrop of continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan. He also mingled with guests and posed for photographs at “At Home” hosted by air force chief Arup Raha to mark…

  • Cyclone ‘Hudhud’ heading towards Visakhapatnam

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    Andhra Pradesh has put its coastal districts on alert as cyclonic storm, ‘Hudhud’, over Bay of Bengal is heading towards the coast and is likely to make a landfall near Visakhapatnam . Authorities in north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam and also in East Godavari and West Godavari districts sounded an alert. The…

  • Jaitley warns Pakistan of strong response

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    Pakistan must stop unprovoked firing and shelling on the border in Jammu and Kashmir, said Defence Minister Arun Jaitley who warned “our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable”. “Pakistan has to stop this unprovoked firing and shelling…as long as it continues how can there be peace,” Jaitley asked  while speaking to the…

  • M.V. Kamath 1921-2014

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    Veteran journalist and former chairman of Prasar Bharati M.V. Kamath, who was one of the earliest biographers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, died Thursday morning in his native place Manipal in Karnataka, said a relative. He was 94. Kamath was the Washington correspondent of The Times of India for a decade. He had been hospitalised…

  • “Modi’s false Teachings for India’s Students.” NYT

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     An influential US newspaper has suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational reform could be used to promote an ideology that sees “India’s history through the prism of the Hindu right wing.” “has promised India’s youth a bright future,” the New York Times wrote in an editorial published Thursday, with his Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2014…

  • Pakistan continue shelling in J&K

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    At least five people were injured in overnight shelling by Pakistan Rangers on the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, police said Thursday. A senior police officer said in winter capital Jammu that Pakistan Rangers continued mortar shelling and automatic weapons firing in Akhnoor, Ramgarh, Arnia and Kanachak sectors along the international border during the night.…

  • Infosys bids adieu to co-founder Kris

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    Global software major Infosys Ltd. bid farewell to S. Gopalakrishnan, or Kris as he is popularly known, on retiring from the firm he co-founded with the IT industry’s iconic figures N.R. Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani. With Kris retiring as the last of the six co-founders at the helm, the 33-year-old IT bellwether is being…

  • Everything will be fine soon at border: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said “everything will be fine soon” on ceasefire violations by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.  “Everything will be fine soon,” Modi said when asked about repeated violations of the 2003 bilateral ceasefire agreement by Pakistan. He was speaking to reporters here at Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha’s “At Home” programme on…

  • Rahul fires salvo at Modi

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    Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi entered the Maharashtra poll campaign Wednesday, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for their silence on China, Pakistan issues and anti-poor and anti-farmer stand. Addressing public rallies in Raigad and Latur districts, Gandhi lashed out at Modi for “sitting on swings” with Chinese President Xi Jingping when Chinese soldiers…

  • Yahoo! fires 600 techies in India

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     Internet giant and search engine Yahoo! is giving ‘pink slips’ to about 600 techies here to trim its workforce in India and consolidate its core engineering activity in the US. Though Yahoo! India R&D centre here declined to confirm, a source in the know of the development said that about 200 lateral/senior employees have, however, been…

  • Chinese firecrackers doom Sivakasi workers

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    By Venkatachari Jagannathan  It may not be a cracker of a Diwali this year for about 500,000 families in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi town – India’s biggest firecrackers manufacturing hub – as they fear getting swamped by Chinese firecrackers. “Two years back the illegal imports of Chinese firecrackers were sporadic. But this year it was phenomenal,…

  • Modi asks parties to rise above politics

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said that the country could not be run on the politics of untouchability and that parties will have to rise above this to take the country forward. Addressing a political rally for the Oct 15 assembly polls in Mahendergarh town of south-west Haryana, Modi criticised the Congress party for its…

  • Odisha prepares for cyclone

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    Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state is fully prepared to meet any eventuality arising out of a possible cyclonic storm. “I reviewed the cyclone situation with all the concerned departments. All the preparations have been made to meet the situation. The departments have been asked to prepare contingency plan to deal with it,”…

  • 20 injured in Pakistani firing in J&K

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    Twenty people, including 15 civilians, were injured in overnight Pakistani firing at the border in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan Rangers again started firing at Indian positions in Hira Nagar sector of the international border in Kathua district. “Four army soldiers were injured in Pakistan firing on the LoC in Poonch district, one BSF trooper and…

  • Modi praises Anil Ambani

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  praised Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani for joining the “Swachh Bharat” campaign and hoped it will be an inspiration for others to emulate. “Wonderful effort by Shri Anil Ambani, who cleaned the area around Churchgate station in Mumbai along with his friends,” Modi tweeted. The prime minister said said Ambani had…

  • Pakistan raises Kashmir in UN

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      Raising the Kashmir issue yet again at the UN, Pakistan dragged the UN Military Observer Group (UNMOGIP) into the current situation along the Line of Control where cross-border shelling has flared up. “UNMOGIP must be enabled to play its role in monitoring the ceasefire,” Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Masood Khan told the General Assembly Tuesday.…

  • Flipkart flips at sale

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    India’s largest e-retailer Flipkart apologised to millions of its customers a day after its promises of bumper discounts and offers of unbeatable prices on orders placed for plethora of products came a cropper. “We failed to live up to this promise yesterday (Monday) and would like to apologise to every single customer for our failure,”…

  • Mumbai will not be separated: Modi

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    Flatly rejecting allegations by various opposition parties, including former ally Shiv Sena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  categorically ruled out separating Mumbai from Maharashtra or dividing the state. “I can assure you that till I am in Delhi, no power on earth can split Maharashtra or separate Mumbai from the state,” Modi asserted amidst a loud…

  • India hits Pakistan with heavy power

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    Indian and Pakistani troops clashed again along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking fear at the border and forcing thousands to flee to safer places. Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta said that the Pakistan Army used small arms to fire at Indian positions in Balnoi sector in Poonch district. “The firing…

  • London International Arts Festival

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    London’s Winter Rhapsody – Dhruv Art’s LIAF festival is back with an eclectic buzz The London International Arts Festival celebrates the rich diversity of world music, through the lens of complex Indian classical forms. From South Indian Classical dance, in form of ballet, created with London based dancers, to the top saxaphonist of India who…

  • Glimpse of Vibrant Rajasthan in London

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    Acclaimed artist Namita Jain’s new exhibition entitled “Glimpse of Vibrant Rajasthan” will open on  27th October at Bhavan Centre at West Kensington in London. This is Namita’s third solo exhibition of painting with Rajasthan as the theme subject. The earlier exhibitions were held in 2005 and 2009. The exhibition, which is part of Asian Art Week London 2014,  will…

  • Rashtrapati Bhavan to have hi-tech museum

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    A high-tech story-telling destination of modern times, with a glass dome in the centre and pristine white imperial design conforming to the existing architectural grandeur is how Rashtrapati Bhavan’s new museum will look like. President Pranab Mukherjee  laid the foundation stone of “Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Phase II” at the President’s Estate where he talked about…

  • Jaya’s bail plea rejected

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      The Karnataka High Court  rejected the bail petition of jailed former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, abruptly ending frenzied celebrations by her supporters after one of her lawyers earlier said she had been granted conditional bail. Justice A.V. Chandrashekara, who heard Jayalalithaa’s petition, also declined to suspend the four-year jail term even after…

  • Firing continues in J&K

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      Three people were injured as firing continued between the Indian and Pakistani troopers in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 20,000 villagers have fled their homes in three districts along the international border, police said . “Three civilians have been injured Monday night in Arnia town as the Pakistan Rangers continued the firing and mortar shelling,”…

  • Modi approve self-attestation of documents

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    Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh  said the government move to provide for self-certification of documents was a “revolutionary decision”. Addressing the launch of an international symposium here and later interacting with the media, he said self-certification marks a departure from the established system of over 65 years. Replacing the need for attestation by…

  • Bill Gates lauds Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done more than any other leader since India’s independence to create awareness about the need for toilets, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said Tuesday. “It may seem surprising when you think about all the innovation coming out of India, but 630 million people there defecate in the open because they don’t…

  • Modi to strengthen bond with NRI’s

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said efforts for overseas Indians being undertaken by the government will help “further strengthen our bond with the diaspora”. In a series of tweets, Modi said: “Am very glad to share that government of India has moved swiftly on the announcements I had made on consular and visa issues…

  • PIO & OCI schemes to be merged

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    India is working on a new scheme that will merge the People of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes, an official statement said Tuesday. The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on consular and visa issues during his address at the Madison Square Garden in New York Sep 28, while…

  • India responds to Pak provocations

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    Five civilians, including a young girl, were killed and 29 others injured Monday in unprovoked firing by Pakistan across the international border in Jammu district, in one of the worst instances of ceasefire violations. The Indian government said its forces were responding to the “provocations” and the firing was not conducive to normalising relations between…

  • NY Times apologises over cartoon

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    The New York Times has apologised after publishing a cartoon on India’s Mars Mission following readers’ complaints that it mocked India. The cartoon showed a farmer with a cow knocking at the door of a room marked Elite Space Club where two men are reading a newspaper on India’s feat, BBC reported. The cartoon was…

  • India Inc upbeat

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    The confidence level of corporate India is improving in line with a slight turnaround in the economy, industry surveys showed Monday. And companies expect overall economic situation to become better in the near term, they said. The Business Confidence Index in the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) survey stood at 72.7,…

  • No exchange of sweets at Wagah & Attari on Eid

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    In an unprecedented move, border guards of India and Pakistan Monday did not exchange greetings and sweets at the Attari-Wagah joint check post (JCP) on the occasion of Eid. This is the first time that the goodwill gesture has been dumped by both sides in recent years. Border Security Force (BSF) sources said the Indian…

  • UPSTAGED BY SONS IN LAWS

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra My son in law has just bought an iPhone Plus, something that does everything his old phone used to do but only better. It is a sleek piece of silver steel or titanium, (not that I would know), and after I hide my 99 dirham Nokia so the difference is…

  • Khaitan in judicial custody in chopper deal

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    Businessman Gautam Khaitan, arrested for graft in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, was remanded in judicial custody till Tuesday, a lawyer said . Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria Sunday sent Khaitan to two days’ judicial custody after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told her that he is not required for further police custody. He was presented in…