Asian Lite News Archive

Category: News

  • Air India targets global aviation market

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     Anasudhin Azeez meets  Pankaj Srivastava, director (Commercial) and a board member of Air India India’s national carrier Air India, the new entrant in the 27-member Star Alliance, is overhauling its systems to take India’s flag carrier to the next level of the global aviation market and meet the challenges arising from the new alliance. Pankaj Srivastava,…

  • Police detain Indian Referee, IOA Official

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    Rajeev Mehta, secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and wrestling referee Virender Singh Malik will be produced in court on Monday. Mr Mehta was allegedly driving without a licence at Glasgow city centre and was above the legal alcohol limit and Mr Malik was allegedly involved in sexual assault in a hotel in…

  • PICS: Israel renews raids on Gaza

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    Israel blasted Gaza with a fresh wave of air strikes as it continued with a huge-scale search for the son of a former University of Cambridge academic who is feared to have been captured by Hamas. Hadar Goldin, 23, an Israeli soldier who spent a large part of his childhood in Britain, disappeared when two…

  • GAZA: Egypt, S. Arabia finally wake up

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    Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi finally commented on the ongoing Israeli raids on Gaza. When the King said Israeli actions are war crimes against humanity, the Egyptian President Sisi said  Israel and Palestine must implement Egypt truce plan. He said the truce plan provided a “real chance” to end the 25-day Gaza conflict…

  • PICS: Beach Game

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    Local people run into the sea for the Sea Mile Cross, a kind of summer beach game, at the beach of Narva-Joesuu, Estonia

  • COLUMN: BJP Old Guard in Exile

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     Amulya Ganguli  says Modi sends Advani, BJP old guard into exile  In the Hindu way of life, old age entails exile from home and hearth. As the Manu Smriti says, when a man sees “his skin wrinkled and his hair gray and when he sees the son of his son, then he should resort to the…

  • Abdullah says Gaza raids a war crime

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    Finally the King has spoken. King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia criticised  international inaction over Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which he described as involving mass laughter and “war crimes against humanity”, in a speech read out on his behalf on state television. “This (international) community which has observed silently what is happening in the whole…

  • US to aid Gujarat clean energy

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    The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)said it has signed an agreement with state-run Gujarat Energy Transmission Corp (GETCO) to support the integration of renewable energy like wind and solar power with its transmission system. “This technical assistance will allow GETCO to analyze its power system through modelling and statistical techniques, and to develop strategies…

  • Pune landslide toll rises

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    The overnight toll in Maharashtra’s worst landslide disaster in Malin village of Pune district went up to 73 Saturday morning with no reports of finding survivors, a top official said. “We have recovered 73 bodies so far… Rescue work is still underway,” District Collector Saurabh Rao said. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and…

  • COMMENT: India and WTO Veto

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    Arvind Padmanabhan says India’s veto doesn’t mean collapse of global trade talks India’s demand for concessions on food subsidy as a quid quo pro to a pact to simplify procedures on global commerce may have blocked the first major step forward in the 19-year history of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But that does not…

  • Kerry invites Modi to Washington

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed bilateral issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a prelude to the summit meeting between US President Barack Obama and Modi in Washington in September. Kerry’s 40-minute long meeting with Modi at the Prime Minister’s House, 7, Race Course Road, comes a day after he met External Affairs…

  • UK to map DNA of all citizens

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    A major project aiming to revolutionise medicine by unlocking the secrets of DNA is under way in centres across England, BBC reported. Prime Minister David Cameron has said it “will see the UK lead the world in genetic research within years”. The first genetic codes of people with cancer or rare diseases, out of a target…

  • Maharashtra adds 36th district

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    Maharashtra’s 36th district Palghar was carved out of India’s most populous district Thane on Friday. A formal function heralding the new district will be attended by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan later in the day even as scores of hoardings announcing the creation of Palghar were set up at various locations. The proposal for a new, smaller and…

  • Natwar’s version of truth

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    Sonia, Manmohan refute allegations by Natwar Singh . “Hindu way of truth” My truth is better than your truth: Natwar says he has written the ‘truth’; Sonia Gandhi says the ‘truth’ will come out when she writes her book. Reminds me of Nehru’s interaction with Alistair Cooke, who told him: “When I became a journalist I…

  • India’s Day at Glasgow 2014

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    Gowda lands discus gold, wrestlers Yogeshwar, Babita triumph  Discus thrower Vikas Gowda broke a 56-year jinx, to toast with gold alongside wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Kumari as India snaked up to the fifth spot in the medal race at the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow on Thursday. After a day of elusive hunt, Indian sportspersons…

  • WHO issues alert on Ebola

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    The Director-General of WHO and presidents of west African nations impacted by the Ebola virus disease outbreak will meet on Friday in Guinea to launch a new joint US$ 100 million response plan as part of an intensified international, regional and national campaign to bring the outbreak under control. “The scale of the Ebola outbreak,…

  • Kylie to perform at Closing Ceremony

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    Kylie Minogue will perform alongside Lulu, Deacon Blue and Dougie MacLean at the closing ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, BBC reported. The Hampden finale will begin at 21.00 on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the end of track and field events. More than 2,000 volunteer performers will also take part in the ceremony,…

  • GEN. SUHAG – New Indian Army chief

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    General Dalbir Singh Suhag Thursday took over as the new chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army. He succeeds General Bikram Singh, who retired on Thursday. General Suhag assumed charge after his predecessor handed over to him the Chief of Army Staff baton in his South Block office in New Delhi. . The decision…

  • PICS: Kerry grilled over snooping

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    Snooping by US unacceptable, Sushma Swaraj tells Kerry Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Thursday said she raised the issue of US agencies allegedly snooping the BJP with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry and conveyed to him the public anger in India about it. “This act on part of the US is completely unacceptable…

  • PICTORIAL: GAZA- Cry, the beloved country

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  • Bibi firm on Gaza destruction

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    No ceasefire without destruction of tunnels: Israeli PM    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday said Israel will continue to destroy underground tunnels in Gaza regardless of any possible cease-fire agreement even as the toll in the coastal enclave touched 1,363. “We are determined to complete this mission with or without a ceasefire,” Netanyahu said…

  • PICS: Myanamr’s Parliament Meet

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    Representatives attend the 10th regular session of the Union Parliament in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. Myanmar’s parliamentary House of Representatives Tuesday agreed to form a commission to review a proposal to adopt the Proportional Representation electoral system or to find out if there is any other system that suits Myanmar in its parliamentary election.

  • Clowns gather in Guatemala

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     Over 200 professional clowns gathered in Guatemala earlier this week from across the Americas for a meet which allowed them to exchange insights about their trade. Mario Solarzano, the union’s founder, who performs under the name Remachito, said he and his colleagues get together “to learn new tools for our shows”. He said such an…

  • PICS: Eid at Indo-Pak Border

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  • ‘EU sanctions will backfire’

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     Russia has said that the latest sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against Moscow, will have an adverse effect on European countries. The EU has agreed on a package of “significant” additional restrictive measures targeting Russia’s finance, defence and energy sectors. The sanctions will limit access of Russian state-owned financial institutions to EU capital…

  • US House okays lawsuit against Obama

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    The US House approved a lawsuit against President Barack Obama over alleged abuse of executive power. The 225-201 vote fell along party lines, with five Republicans voting against the measure while no Democrats supported it. Last Thursday, the House Rules Committee approved at 7-4 vote a resolution allowing the full House to vote on authorizing the…

  • UK to stem Modern Slavery

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    The British government is launching the first nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness of modern slavery in the UK, BBC reported. It intends to encourage the public to identify signs of slavery and report them to a new national helpline. The Human Trafficking Foundation charity estimates 20,000 people are working in slavery in the UK, and…

  • Boris welcomes green buses

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    London Mayor Boris Johnson officially welcomes the first British built, pure electric buses to enter service on London’s roads.  The four buses, in service on route H98, deliver significant air quality  benefits due to zero tail pipe emissions;  Lower running and maintenance costs compared to a diesel single deck  bus The four Optare MetroCity single deck buses…

  • UN: Israel killed sleeping children

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    Israel’s killing sleeping children in Gaza universal shame: UN body The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) condemned Israel’s killing and injuring refugees, including children in their sleep and women in a UN designated shelter in Gaza, as a “serious violation of international law by Israeli forces” and…

  • Pakistan summons Afghan envoy

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     Pakistan Wednesday summoned Afghan envoy and lodged a strong protest over an attack launched by terrorists from across the border. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that between 70 and 80 terrorists were involved in the cross-border attack on Pakistan military posts in Upper Dir of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, late Tuesday, Xinhua…

  • UK offers more aid for Gaza

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    Prime Minister David Cameron is offering an additional £3m aid to  help the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Mr Cameron said Britain had already sent £7m to provide food, shelter and assistance for people in the area. He said the situation in Gaza was “completely tragic and ghastly” and called for an “unconditional, immediate, humanitarian ceasefire”.…

  • ‘Qatar exploits migrant workers’

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    Migrant workers, mainly from Asia, building the first stadium for Qatar’s 2022 World Cuphave been earning as little as 45p an hour, the Guardian newspaper revealed. The pay rate appears to be in breach of the tournament organisers’ own worker welfare rules and comes despite the Gulf kingdom spending £134bn on infrastructure ahead of the competition. More…

  • NEWS REVIEW-Indo-US relations

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    Evan A. Feigenbaum, vice chairman of the Paulson Institute at the University of Chicago, says Kerry’s India visit is a start and the forthcoming Modi visit to US is pivotal for Indo-US relations John Kerry visits India Wednesday as a raft of crises consume American diplomacy. By contrast, US-India relations are at a moment of opportunity, but the US…

  • Ebola virus a threat to UK

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    Britain’s chief scientist Sir Mark Walport said the Ebola virus and other deadly foreign diseases are a “potential major threat” to Britain. Sir Mark told the Daily Telegraph Ebola was a threat because of how “interconnected” the world is now. Public Health England has issued a national alert to UK doctors amid fears the virus,…

  • ICC bans Moeen’s Gaza band

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    England cricketer  Moeen Ali has been warned by world cricket chiefs not to wear wristbands declaring his support for the people of Gaza again during international matches. But the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Ali would face no disciplinary action on this occasion after being warned about his future conduct by match referee David Boon. Worcestershire…

  • Australia top on CWG medal list

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    Australia are leading the medals tally with 33 gold, 28 silver and 37 bronze on the fifth day of the 20th Commonwealth Games. India are now sixth with a tally of 35 medals, including 10 gold, 15 silver and 10 bronze. Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Australia 33 28 36 97 England 32 28 27…

  • Israel intensifies Gaza bombings

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    At least 110 Palestinians were killed Tuesday in the heaviest air and ground bombardment by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip since the launch of Operation Protective Edge July 8 as an unilateral ceasefire offered by Palestinian factions hangs in balance amid media reports of Hamas rejecting it. The Israeli attacks by land, sea and…

  • BRICS on rock as Russia faces sanctions

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    European Union members and the US  announced new economic sanctions against Russia, saying they will make Russia’s “weak economy even weaker”. The sanctions on Russia will affect the BRICS nations dealing with Russia, especially India as it depends heavily on Russia on defence procurement. US President Barak Obama  said the co-ordinated actions of the US…

  • THIRD TEST: India in trouble

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    India found themselves in deep trouble, trailing England by 246 runs but but more importantly needing 47 more runs to avoid a follow-on with only two wickets in hand at the end of day three of the third Test at the The Rose Bowl at Southampton on Tuesday. At stumps, India were 323 for eight with…

  • UK tightens benefit system

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a new plan that will allow the government to cut European Union (EU) migrants’ entitlement to benefits after just three months of claims, media reports said. “We want an immigration system that puts Britain first so if you come here illegally … we will make it harder for…

  • British MP seeks Gaza debate

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    Bradford MP David Ward’s Palestine Petition hits 23,000 Signatures. If the petition reaches over 100,000 signatures then this will almost certainly guarantee that a debate will be held in the House of Commons on the petition. Bradford MP, David Ward’s Petition calling on the British government to take strong action against the Israeli Government has quickly…

  • The Hundred-Foot Journey

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    Entertainment One’s new culinary drama starring Helen Mirren and Om Puri, The Hundred-Foot Journey, releasing in cinemas on 5th September. The Hundred-Foot Journey is an uplifting and feel-good cultural feast full of Indian spices, French sophistication and British wit.  Directed by Lasse Hallström and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Juliet Blake, the film stars Academy Award winning actress Helen Mirren as the icy proprietress of a Michelin starred classical…

  • British passport staff on strike

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    Holiday plans of families ruined over the strike Thousands of passport workers have gone on strike in a dispute over staff numbers and pay, BBC reported. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said the action was a “bid to end staffing shortages that have caused the ongoing backlog crisis”. Home Office figures suggest about 360,000…

  • Ukip to derail Cameron’s bid

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    The Opposition Labour Party believes if Ukip wins more than nine per cent of the vote in next year’s general election will ensure Ed Miliband’s term at No 10 Labour leader Ed Miliband will become prime minister if Ukip wins more than nine per cent of the vote in next year’s general election, Labour advisers have…

  • Emirates to skip conflict zones

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    Emirates to stop fly over Iraq0 Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, one of the world’s biggest airlines, will stop flying over Iraq after concerns about the missile threat posed by Islamist militants on the ground, The Times reported. Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said he believed that other carriers would follow suit, as the airline industry began a…

  • PICS: EID PREPARATIONS – WORLD

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  • NEWS N PICS – WORLD

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    Diplomatic talks to end Gaza crisis top the news agenda of Sunday. Here is a selection of news pictures

  • Call to strip Russia of World Cup

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    “Russia should be stripped of the right to host the 2018 World Cup following the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines jet by Moscow-backed rebels,” said British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, The Sunday Times reported. Clegg  said it would be “unthinkable” for Putin to enjoy the prestige of hosting the global football tournament and called for…

  • Finally ‘acche din’ for Varanasi

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     Mohit Dubey says Prime Minister Modi is working projcts to bring ‘acche din’ for Varanasi Having elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi to parliament, the ancient city of Varanasi is all set to see ‘acche din’ (good days) promised during the election campaign. The Modi government has finalized an “exhaustive makeover blueprint” for the city, its spiritual and…

  • REVIEW- BRICS summit in Brazil

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    Amit Kapoor  and Sankalp Sharma review the BRICS summit held in Brazil The recently concluded BRICS annual summit held in Brazil resulted in the important Fortaleza Declaration and Action Plan from the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The joint declaration has some important points that highlight the importance of this year’s summit. The…