Asian Lite News Archive

Category: News

  • PICS: Trump in Mumbai

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    American Businessman Donald J Trump during a press conference regarding `Trump Tower` in Mumbai

  • HRW raps Egypt coup leaders

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    Human Rights Watch evidence of crimes against humanity by Egyptian Coup Government to be passed to police and international courts Human Rights Watch has published damning evidence, which demonstrates that senior members of the post-coup government in Egypt were responsible for Crimes against Humanity. The report names senior individuals including the Field General Abdel Fattah…

  • Priti challenges Warsi claims

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     Shafi Rahman looks in to  the impact of Baroness Warsi resignation on the British-Asian electorate The fight in the Conservative party came to the fore as Treasury Minister Priti Patel, Prime Minister David Cameron’s new confidante from the British-Asian Community, challenging former Party chairperson Baroness Warsi’s claim that the  “Conservatives can’t win the next election.” Priti Patel…

  • Modi drops diplomacy to rap Pakistan

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    Modi criticises Pakistan’s proxy war Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned the “continuing proxy war by Pakistan” and said that the government is committed to make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing. Modi said that the “neighbouring country has lost the strength to fight a conventional war but continues to engage in the proxy war of…

  • Erdogan leads in Turkey polls

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    Outgoing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has surged into the lead in Turkey’s first direct presidential election, early vote counts suggest, BBC reported. Mr Erdogan is polling at 56% after almost half of the votes have been counted, Turkish broadcasters said. He needs more than 50% of the vote for an outright victory, otherwise he…

  • Singapore marks national day

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    Singaproe celebrates 49th Independence Day on Saturday. Thousands attended the National Day Parade. The parade was officially started with a military tattoo for the first time, featuring a combined band and a precision drill squad strutting their stuff to the beat of well-loved classics like We Will Get There. Also performing for the first time…

  • Special Report: Homeless in Delhi

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    Shweta Sharma says on rural-urban migration swell ranks of Delhi’s homeless Siddheswari Devi lies sprawled on the hard tiles under a flyover in East Delhi, one of the scores of people who keep swelling the ranks of the barricaded space that is now their home. Around her are swarming groups of other hapless people, many with…

  • Special Feature: Women’s wrestling

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    Abhishek Roy reports on women’s wrestling revolution taking place in Indian state of Haryana The dusty village of Balali in Haryana, hardly barely 10 km from the national capital, was not too long ago up in arms when three sisters from the Phogat family took to wrestling, saying it was against local tradition. Today, the…

  • Egypt bans Brotherhood offshoot

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    An Egyptian has dissolved the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, BBC reported. The ruling will effectively prevent the banned Islamist movement from formally participating in parliamentary elections expected later this year. The government declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group in December. It was accused of orchestrating a wave of violence…

  • Afghanistan enters new phase

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    Afghan presidential candidates agree to accept election results    Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai agreed to accept the election results. They made the announcement at a joint press conference attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis here, Xinhua reported. “We have…

  • ASEAN countries to close ranks

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     External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India’s relations with the 10 ASEAN countries have reached a critical stage, which could be elevated with the five-year plan of action starting 2016. Addressing the 12th India-ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Myanmar’s capital city, Swaraj emphasised on connectivity, trade and investment and tourism to bring about a seamless…

  • Hagel seeks better ties with India

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    India, US should seize opportunities to boost ties: Hagel US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel Saturday called for a stronger partnership between India and the US, including in defence cooperation, and stressed that both countries should “seize the opportunities” before them and not be bound by bureaucratic red tape. “A stronger US-India partnership is critical for…

  • Turkish leader faces crucial polls

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    The fate of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the President of Turkey will be decided tomorrow as  campaigning in Turkey’s first direct presidential election is entering its final day ahead of Sunday’s vote, BBC reported The election is a referendum on Mr Erdogan, an Islamist-rooted politician whose support base lies in Turkey’s conservative, pious heartland. The winner must…

  • US, UN condemn Gaza violence

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    The US and UN condemned the resumption of attacks between Gaza and Israel Friday, urging both sides to cease hostilities, media reported. Israel renewed strikes on Gaza soon after a three-day truce expired, saying it was in response to rocket fire by Hamas, BBC reported. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the parties should work towards…

  • Nagasaki marks US bombing

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    Nagasaki commemorates 69th anniversary of US bombing Japanese city of Nagasaki Saturday commemorated the 69th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city. Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said that nuclear weapons are a continuing danger that threaten the present and future, and his city will cooperate with the UN and other countries to continue…

  • Rupee drops to five-month low

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    Indian rupee was trading at a five-month low Friday, dropping to 61.70 to a dollar, as foreign funds continued to sell their stocks and fresh concerns emerged over the situation in Iraq. After plunging to its lowest level since March 5 with a drop of as much as 38 paise over the previous close, the…

  • US to launch airstrikes on ISIS base

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    Obama authorizes targeted air strikes in Iraq  US President Barack Obama has authorized targeted air strikes and air drops for Iraq’s aid amid a humanitarian crisis. Speaking at the White House Thursday, Obama said he authorized air strikes “if necessary” against Islamic militants, who have advanced into the Kurdish region of Iraq and seized the…

  • India struggling in Manchester

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    Broad’s 6/25 bundles out India for 152 Stuart Broad starred with six for 25 as India were bundled out for 152 runs in the first innings by tea on the first day of the fourth cricket Test against England at the Old Trafford at Manchester on Thursday. It was a miserable performance by India as six…

  • Pope concerned over Mosul crisis

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    Islamic State onslaught makes Christians flee Thousands of Christian families Thursday fled their homes in northern Iraq after militants of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni insurgent group seized several predominantly Christian areas in Nineveh governorate even as Pope Francis expressed concern over the situation in northern Iraq. The IS rebels took the cities of al-Hamdaniya…

  • Will Bibi Seize The Moment?

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    Dr. Alon Ben-Meir analysing the latest crisis in the Middle East   There is a growing consensus among Israelis and Arabs that the Israel-Hamas war will end just like the 2009 and 2012 encounters. Hamas will declare victory by pointing out the casualties and pain inflicted on the Israelis and the likely limited relief it…

  • Protest against closure of GP surgeries

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    Tower Hamlets MPs, Rushanara Ali MP and Jim Fitzpatrick MP and supporters of the ‘Save Our Surgeries’ campaign submitted  a letter to 10 Downing Street alongside a petition signed by 20,000 people calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to stop GP surgeries nationwide closing down. The letter has been signed by 11 Labour MPs.  The…

  • US-Africa ties get $30 bn boost

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    Commitments worth over $30 billion were announced at the first US-Africa summit to boost economic ties between the world’s largest economy and the continent, the White House said. President Barack Obama announced $7 billion in new financing to promote US exports to and investments in Africa under the Doing Business in Africa (DBIA) Campaign at…

  • UK charities launch Gaza appeal

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    The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) , the umbrella organisation of 13 UK aid charities, has launched an emergency appeal for people affected by the conflict in Gaza. The DEC in a statement said: “After four weeks of terrible fighting… over half a million people have been forced from their homes. The DEC said its member charities were “rapidly increasing”…

  • Saudi restricts marrying foreigners

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    The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced tighter regulations for men wanting to marry foreigners, and has banned them from marrying expat workers from four specific countries, BBC reported. Bridegrooms must give the police a marriage proposal and ID signed by their local mayor – which will then be sent to the government for consideration…

  • Mission I success- Beniwal sacked

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    Beniwal sacked in accordance with Constitution: Naidu Parliamentary Affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu Thursday said that the decision to sack Kamla Beniwal as Mizoram governor was taken in accordance with Constitution and there was “no politics in it”. “Action against Kamla Beniwal was taken in accordance with the Constitution and there is no politics in it,”…

  • Boris to back on Westminster politics

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    London Mayor Boris Johnson has confirmed he intends to stand as an MP for the Conservative Party at next year’s general election. But he said it was “highly unlikely” he would one day stand to become Conservative leader, replacing David Cameron, as there was “no vacancy”. Boris has been linked to Uxbridge and South Ruislip…

  • PICS – Times Square Bus Collision

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    Two sightseeing buses collided headon at Times Square. The collided double-decker sightseeing buses are seen at Times Square, New York City, the United States. Two sightseeing buses crashed at the tourist-dense site on Tuesday, injuring 14 people were injured, three of them critically, according to the latest report

  • Three fold surge in teenage drinking

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     Revealing an alarming trend, a team led by an Indian-origin researcher has reported a threefold surge in the number of male teenagers drinking alcohol in India, especially in urban cities and poorer households. “The proportion of men who started drinking in their teenage rose from 19.5 percent for those born between 1956 and 1960 to…

  • Murdoch drops Warner bid

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    Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox has withdrawn its bid to purchase US entertainment giant Time Warner for an estimated $80bn (£47bn), BBC reported. Time Warner rejected Fox’s initial offer in July. The company wrote in a statement that Time Warner had “refused to engage with us to explore an offer which was highly compelling”. It added…

  • REVIEW: Modi’s first visit to Nepal

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    Saroj Mohanty says Modi’s Nepal visit unfurls vision of an integrated South Asia  Flying in to Kathmandu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to forge a “new relationship” with Nepal that could serve as a model for regional partnership in South Asia. After his two-day visit, it is apparent he has succeeded to a large…

  • Call to stop arms export to Israel

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    Senior British politicians including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond call for suspending arms licences to Israel after “the country “overstepped the mark” in its attacks on Gaza. Clegg said he shared Baroness Warsi’s “concerns” over Britain’s relations with Israel and said such licences should be halted pending an existing…

  • UNICEF raps Israel for killing children

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    Nearly 400 children killed in Israel’s offensive on Gaza: Unicef Economic losses at $1.6 billion, while Palestinian Public Works Minister Mufeed al Hasayne said $5 billion would be needed to repair damages to buildings and infrastructures Nearly 400 Palestinian children were killed and 2,500 wounded in the 29-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza strip, and…

  • Nepal to host 18th SAARC Summit

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    The Himalayan country to host 18th SAARC Summit on  Nov 22-27  Nepal will host the 18th SAARC Summit here Nov 22-27, the government announced . The foreign ministry made the formal announcement saying the dates had been circulated by the Kathmandu-based SAARC Secretariat to the grouping’s other seven member states. “We decided to announce the dates of…

  • Air India to begin daily flights from Birmingham

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    Air India has committed to increase its Birmingham-Delhi-Amritsar operation from four flights per week to daily services from November, when its 18th Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft is inducted into service.  Announcing the growth plans at a celebratory dinner to mark Air India’s first anniversary of operating from Birmingham Airport, the airline’s Commercial Director, Mr Pankaj Srivastava,…

  • NEWS N PICS – World

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  • PICS: Cavalia in Singapore

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    The horses for equestrian theatrical spectacular Cavalia were showcased at the Cavalia fairgrounds at Marina Bay, almost a week after touching down in Singapore. The most popular cast member is Troubadour, even though he only has about 30 seconds of showtime. Troubadour and the rest of the horses are settling into their new surroundings, ahead of…

  • Labour lauds Warsi decision

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    Prime Minister David Cameron lost a key ally from the Asian community as Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi quits from the government, saying the British government’s  policy on the crisis in Gaza is “morally indefensible”. She wrote on her Twitter feed that she was leaving with “deep regret”. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has resigned from her Cabinet post…

  • Baroness Warsi quits over Gaza

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    Prime Minister David Cameron lost a key BME ally as Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi quits from the government, saying the British government’s  policy on the crisis in Gaza is “morally indefensible”. She wrote on her Twitter feed that she was leaving with “deep regret”. Lady Warsi, daughter of a Pakistani immigrant, who was previously chairman of…

  • UAE expats to abide Sharia Law

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    The Foreign Office has warned expatriates living in the United Arab Emirates they could face Sharia courts in divorce or child custody cases, BBC reported. UAE personal status law provides expatriates, even if they are not Muslim, with the right to have their case heard under the Islamic law. It comes after a British mother lost…

  • Truce begins in Gaza

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    A 72-hour humanitarian truce brokered by Egypt between Israel and Palestine went into effect Tuesday in the Gaza Strip. The start of the truce at 8.00 a.m was preceded by a barrage of rockets from Gaza, with air raids sirens howling throughout southern Israel, including in the cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beersheba, as well…

  • Delhi boy wins top award

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    Delhi student Arjit Kansal named Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 world champ Sixteen-year old Delhi student Arjit Kansal has been named the 2014 Microsoft Office Specialist World Champion in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, it was announced here Monday. Certiport, a Pearson VUE business and a test delivery solution provider for the global workforce and academic markets, announced the award.…

  • I-Day fest at Golconda Fort

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    Mohammed Shafeeq says Independence Day celebrations at Golconda Fort to bring focus back on the historic fort The decision of the Telangana government to celebrate the Independence Day at Golconda has put the spotlight back on the historic fort, which today lies in ruins due to decades of neglect and encroachments. This will be the…

  • Flood alert in Bihar

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    About 65,000 evacuated after flood alert in Bihar Over 65,000 people have been evacuated in Bihar Monday amid a flood alert, following a rise in the water level of Kosi river, an official said. A day after the Bihar government invoked the provisions under the Disaster Management Act to start forcible evacuation of people living…

  • Turkey, UK rap Israeli attack on school

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    The United Nations was right to speak out against an Israeli attack near a UN-run school in Gaza, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said. Palestinian officials said at least 10 people died in the attack on Sunday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the attack “a moral outrage and a criminal act”. Mr Cameron…

  • INTERVIEW: Tibet PM Lobsang Sangay

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    Vishal Gulati talks to Lobsang Sangay  who says it’s in Chinese interest to give Tibetans more autonomy Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay says the people in Tibet will be happy if are given more autonomy by China “within the Chinese constitution”. The 46-year-old Harvard educated elected head of the Central Tibetan Administration, who completes three year…

  • Obama honours Mumbaikar Neha

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    Quaid Najmi reports on a differently-abled Mumbai girl’s memorable dinner at White House For differently-abled Mumbaikar Neha P. Naik, her “dinner date” with the Obamas in the White House was like “a dream come true” and she will always cherish memories of the humbleness and courtesy of the US president and the grace of the…

  • REVIEW: India at CWG Glasgow

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     Veturi Srivatsa says India should be happy with the Glasgow returns  If you take away 2010 New Delhi, the benchmark for India at the Commonwealth Games has been 2002 Manchester when they crossed the 50-medal mark for the first time by ending up with 69 medals, 30 of them gold. Before the Indians left for Glasgow,…

  • Rajeev Mehta – A Kalmadi prodigee

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    From being the president of the low-profile Kho Kho federation to secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Rajeev Mehta has had a meteoric rise in Indian sports. But the 49-year-old Mehta brought embarrassment for the country when he was arrested in Glasgow for driving without a valid licence and under the influence of alcohol.…

  • Rift in UK stance on Gaza

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    Labour Leader Ed Miliband  has described Israel’s incursion into Gaza as “wrong and unjustifiable” in his toughest comments about the Middle East conflict, the Sunday Times reported. The Labour leader challenged David Cameron last night, saying it was “inexplicable” that he had failed to condemn Israeli attacks that have killed Palestinian children. No 10 hit back…

  • Delhi to join Cyber Police Network

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    Rajnish Singh reports on Delhi’s decision to  to join cyber police network to curb crime Delhi Police are all set to join the Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), a cyber highway of criminal records data, along with other states that would enhance their crime-fighting prowess. According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau…