Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Vatican welcomes Morari Bapu

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    Cardinal Tauran speaks at Morari Bapu’s Ram Katha in Rome The Vatican’s head of Interreligious dialogue paid tribute to renowned Hindu spiritual leader Morari Bapu at an event in Rome. Cardinal Tauran, the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, attended a Hindu recital that is running for 9 days in the heart of Rome. Addressing the…

  • Modi to walk Vajpayee’s path

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    Making his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after taking office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday inaugurated the Katra-Udhampur rail link and pledged to realize the dream of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to restore peace in the troubled state. Addressing a public meeting after flagging off the train from Katra, at the foothills of the Mata…

  • UK leaders due in Delhi

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    British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Foreign Secretary William Hague  and Chancellor George Osborne a are due in India to cement bilateral ties. They will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley. Hague and Osborne will be the first to arrive in India…

  • Murdoch team jailed for hacking

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    Rupert Murdoch’s closed title News of the World’s former  editor Andy Coulson and his three  associates have been jailed for conspiracy to hack phones. Coulson, 46, who went on to become director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, was found guilty at the Old Bailey last week, BBC reported. He was one of four ex-journalists…

  • Andy Coulson jailed

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      Andy Coulson, ex-editor of the now defunct News of the World (NoW) newspaper, was jailed for 18 months Friday for conspiracy to hack phones, BBC reported. The 46-year-old, who went on to become director of communications for British Prime Minister David Cameron, was found guilty last week at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal…

  • JULY 4 SPECIAL – Indians in the US

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    Arun Kumar writes from Washington says Indian Americans celebrate their culture, language and cuisine in their adopted country Several Indian diaspora organisations representing people from four corners of India are marking the July 4 American independence day with a celebration of their own culture, language and cuisine across the US. Two Telugu community organisations –…

  • UN concern over Syria refugees

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    At close to three million, Syria’s refugee crisis is becoming the world’s largest displacement, a media report said. “Today, there are close to three million Syrian refugees, and the number of those seeking safe haven is increasing by 100,000 every month,” Xinhua quoted UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric as saying. If enough humanitarian support is not…

  • US against Kurds breaking away from Iraq

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     The US has opposed a call for a referendum on independence for Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. The call from Massud Barzani, president of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, came as Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) are continuing their offensive after seizing a large part of Iraq’s northern…

  • All Indian nurses freed in Iraq,back Saturday

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      All 46 Indian women nurses seized by Sunni insurgents in Iraq were freed Friday and will fly to Kerala Saturday morning, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced. The chief minister said in a telephonic interview from New Delhi that he will be in Kochi to receive the nurses Saturday when they return in a special…

  • MEMSAHIBS AND MANNERS

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    It is one of those ‘we live abroad so when we visit we notice it’ things for which us NRIs get a lot of stick. But some things do sort of hit us differently. Like whenever I come home to Delhi I am appalled at the way people speak to domestic help, part time, full…

  • PM Modi arrives in Jammu & Kashmir

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here Friday morning on a day’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister’s special aircraft landed in the technical area of Jammu airport. He was received by Governor N.N. Vohra, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, state Minister for Higher Education Muhammad Akbar Lone, state Chief Secretary Muhammad Iqbal Khandey, state…

  • Imams unite to stem terrorism

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    In an unprecedented response to the events in Syria and Iraq, Imams from across the UK, of various denominations of Sunni and Shia Muslims, have come  together to support a single unified cause; to urge British Muslims not to fall prey to sectarian divisions and to call on people not to travel to Syria or…

  • UK plan to arm Syria rebels exposed

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    BBC exposed a secret UK plan to arm Syrian rebels – ‘Extract, equip, train’ The UK drew up plans to train and equip a 100,000-strong Syrian rebel army to defeat President Bashar al-Assad, BBC Newsnight revealed. The secret initiative, put forward two years ago, was the brainchild of the then most senior UK military officer, General Sir…

  • US to sell Harpoon missiles to India

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    The US government has notified the US Congress of its plans to sell to India 22 anti-ship missiles at an estimated cost of $200 million, saying it would help strengthen the US-India strategic relationship. The Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which handles foreign arms sales, said it had delivered the required certification notifying Congress of…

  • ISIS moves Indian nurses from Tikrit

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    Sunni insurgents Thursday shifted all 46 Indian nurses from a hospital in Tikrit in Iraq, injuring a few of them in the process, officials said. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the nurses were on the move in three buses to an unknown destination, believed to be Mosul, a stronghold of the insurgents who have…

  • NOT READY FOR DEPARTURE 

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra So we are in the holding area and the boarding for the flight is announced and the disembodied voice says rows 15 to 30 please board first, the rest please await the next announcement.Naturally, this is ignored. What part of that do passengers fail to understand? It is 15 to…

  • SPECIAL REPORT- Indian Property market

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    Vinod Behl says rising delivery defaults push demand for ready-to-move homes  Amid rising property prices, high loan rates and rising delivery defaults, home buyers are increasingly opting for ready-to-move properties to ensure safety of their investment. Though most of these delays are due to adverse market conditions resulting in slowdown in sales, in some cases…

  • Goa Newsletter by M Nagvenkar

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    Mayabhushan Nagvenkar says warring Goa Congress is now going for its own jugular Goa’s most bitter political war is strangely a one-party affair.Battered and bruised in the state elections in 2012 and the general elections this year, the Congress appears to be going for its own jugular, with the top leaders increasingly hurling venom-laced lances at…

  • Punjab Newsletter by Jaideep Sarin

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    Jaideep Sarin is asking will Amritsar get the best of Amarinder, Jaitley?  The electorate in Amritsar may have preferred former Punjab chief minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh over BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley, now the country’s powerful finance and defence minister, in the recent Lok Sabha polls. Residents of the Sikh holy city and the…

  • Masala Library arrives in Dubai

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    Venkatachari Jagannathan says Masala Library is opening branches in Dubai, London and New York   Come August and Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, the legendary Indian foodie’s maiden foray overseas, is set to begin commercial operations at Dubai’s Radisson Royal Hotel, a top company official said. It’ll serve up pan-Indian food with an Arabic twist. Zorawar Kalra,…

  • India, US keen to expand strategic partnership

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    India and the US Thursday expressed a desire to revitalize their relationship and expand their strategic partnership. US Senator John McCain met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed the keen desire in the US to work with him to revitalize the India-US strategic partnership, an official release said here. He also conveyed the expectations in…

  • World News In Pictures

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  • ‘FGM is a national scandal’

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    Home Affairs Committee Chairman Keith Vaz MP said female genital mutilation(FGM) is a national scandal. About 170,000 women in the UK have been subjected to female genital mutilation(FGM) and 65,000 girls are at risk of it, say MPs, the Mirror reportd. Prosecutions are needed to “send a message” Britain takes it seriously, says the Home Affairs Committee. FGM has…

  • Airports on top alert in the UK

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    Security at British airports has been increased followings warnings from US experts that two terrorist groups are developing a bomb that could bypass existing safety measures, Sky News reported. US Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson said he had tasked officials to “implement enhanced security measures in the coming days at certain overseas airports with direct flights…

  • Kerala Newsletter by Sanu George

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    Sanu George from Thiruvananthapuram reports that thattu dosha, omplate: the latest fad in Kerala street food Ever heard of combining a dosa and an omlette? Welcome to the steaming hot thattu dosha and omplate, the latest fad in Kerala street food. And, it’s a complete meal – for all of Rs.25! Put this to changing times…

  • The fate of rupee in limbo

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    Vatsal Srivastava in his column Currency Corner says Jaitley’s budget mustn’t sell rupee short  The Iraqi crisis and the possibility of an oil supply shock have shown how quickly things can change in the foreign exchange market. The global macro risks that have merged out of the Middle East in recent weeks have pushed crude prices…

  • Indian Nurses in Iraq safe

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    The government Wednesday said the 46 Indian nurses trapped in a building in Iraq’s war-torn Tikrit town were safe and unharmed, and the Indian envoy has spoken with them. “Our ambassador (in Iraq) has talked to them. They are unharmed, safe,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here. Asked about reports that the building…

  • Modi to visit J&K

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     Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir Friday is seen as a tough political call as it comes in the wake of a raging row over a demand for revoking Article 370 of the constitution that gives special status to the state. On his maiden visit to the state after assuming office, the…

  • AIIMS refutes doctor’s claim on autopsy

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    The AIIMS administration Wednesday categorically denied doctor Sudhir Gupta’s allgeation that he was pressurised to amend the post-mortem report of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. “The AIIMS administration has come to know through the media report about the allegations made by Sudhir Gupta about he being pressurised to amend the post-mortem report…

  • Abbas wants Netanyahu to condemn murder

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    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemn the suspected retaliatory killing of an Arab teenager in occupied East Jerusalem early Wednesday. “We demand Netanyahu condemn the kidnap and murder of a Palestinian teenager as we did condemn the abduction and killing of three Israeli settlers,” Xinhua quoted Abbas as…

  • Hong Kong begins crackdown

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    Hong Kong police have arrested over 500 protesters who staged a pro-democracy sit-in at the city’s business district, BBC reported. The demonstrators were arrested for illegal assembly and obstructing police officers, police said. The sit-in came after tens of thousands of protesters marched on Tuesday in what was described as the city’s largest democracy rally…

  • Neasden temple hosts ‘Global peace meet’

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    BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London hosts a three-day international academic conference on the theme of ‘Realising Global Peace: The Role and Impact of Hindu Teachings.’ The conference at the Neasden temple was aimed to elucidate the role of peace within Hinduism and how Hindu teachings can positively contribute to not just academic scholarship but to humanity at…

  • Israel accused of ‘aggression’

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    Rights forums based in London accused Israel of launching collective punishment against Palestinians over the killing of three settler youths “The international community must take urgent action to stop Israel from using the deaths of three hardline settlers to collectively punish the Palestinian people,” the Islamic Human Rights Commission said in a statement. “The bodies of the missing…

  • DON’T GET EVEN, GET SMART

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra A friend of mine wants revenge. Someone he trusted has done the dirty on him and he is hoping mad because he feels cheated, betrayed, let down and that is just for starters. Told him, waste of time and energy, enjoy the scenarios but don’t carry them out. Why not,…

  • SRK conferred France’s highest honour

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    French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius Tuesday conferred his country’s highest award – Knight of the Legion of Honour – on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cultural diversity across the world. The function was held at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel here. “There are different moments in life that…

  • Belgium set up date with Argentina

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    Belgium recorded their fourth consecutive victory to reach the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after a thrilling 2-1 extra time win over the US at the Arena Fonte Nova here Tuesday. Kevin De Bruyne scored the crucial opener for Belgium in the 93rd minute after US goalkeeper Tim Howard�s heroics had kept the match goalless in…

  • Di Maria seals Argentina’s berth

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    Angel di Maria’s goal deep into extra time sealed Argentina’s berth in the quarterfinals after a hard fought 1-0 win over a defensive-minded Switzerland in a round of 16 match at the Arena Corinthians here Tuesday. After being frustrated for much of the match, Real Madrid winger Di Maria finally broke the Swiss resistance in…

  • Uproar in India over NSA surveillance

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    India Tuesday strongly reacted to revelations that the BJP was among the foreign political parties which the US’ National Security Agency (NSA) was authorised to spy upon, terming it totally unacceptable and “extremely disconcerting” even as both the ruling and opposition parties demanded the matter be taken up with Washington. Answering queries from media persons…

  • GALLERY- Ahlan Ramdan

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  • SPECIAL REPORT – National Doctor’s Day

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    Anjali Madan was moved by the affection of cancer stricken children to their doctors and nurses Little hand-made greeting cards, decorated candles and bookmarks are lined up on a table as a group of children painstakingly give final touches to gifts that they have made over the past few weeks. This is not a scene at a…

  • Indians thrive at Bapu’s Durban

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    Hadra Ahmed reports from Durban on the city which helps Gandhi to formulate his freedom struggle Once home to the young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the city of Durban in South Africa has more overseas Indians than any other city outside India. Glimpses of India are visible in the sights, smells and sounds of this city on…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Ramadan in India

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    Mohammed Shafeeq from Hyderabad says Ramadan is a a month of fasting, feasting and shopping by India’s Muslims  India’s 140 million Muslims, who constitute the world’s third-largest Muslim population, observe Ramadan with devotion and fervour. The holy month Ramadan, which began in India Monday, is a month of fasting, compassion and charity as Muslims try to move…

  • East Africa gains from India

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    Francis Kokutse says India’s trade with East Africa rises 13-fold Trade between India and the East African Community (EAC) has risen 13-fold, from $490.8 million in 2002 to $6.6 billion in 2012, a study by India’s Exim Bank showed. The bank, which studied India’s trade and investment potentials in the region, said, “India’s trade and…

  • India needs more modern cities

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    Amit Kapoor in his column Active Voice says India requires 35 new cities by 2031 to support the mushrooming population base  Urbanization has been an integral part of India’s growth story. The country today has an urban population of 377.10 million (31.2 percent of the total) and is continually expanding its base. Factors such as the…

  • Singapore urban model for India

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    India keen on Singapore’s help in urban development India and Singapore discussed ways to boost economic cooperation, with New Delhi keen to gain from Singapore’s expertise in urban development projects for the proposed ‘smart cities’ along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam Tuesday met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with…

  • ENGLISH IS NO CRIMINAL

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra The current brouhaha that is being witnessed in India over downgrading English is one fraught with danger. English is not a language in India. It is a caste. It is also a free pass to the best of jobs. And anyone tells you differently they are hypocrites. This hypocrisy raises…

  • GALLERY: London Rath Yatra

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    Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharma Bhakti Manor based on Wood Lane, Stanmore, London held the first ever Rath Yatra Procession in Harrow.  Thousands of devotees from around the UK graced the procession and pulled with great joy the beautifully decorated chariot of Lord Shri Jagannathji, Shri Balbhadraji and Subhadra Devi. The day commenced with a special…

  • New Silk Road rail link to Pakistan

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    China has allocated funds for building a railway line from the city Kashgar in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Pakistan’s deep-sea Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea, local media reported. “The 1,800-km China-Pakistan railway is planned to also pass through Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad and Karachi,” China Daily Monday quoted Zhang Chunlin, director of…

  • GALLERY – Goans rock Leicester Square

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    The St Joseph’s Young Adults Group from Wembley (Goan Origin Youth) assisted in the organisation and also participated in the Spirit in the City. It is a celebration of Christian faith in the heart of London, hosted by the Catholic churches in the West End. The annual festival aims to share the Good news of…

  • Bapu meets Pope’s envoys

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    Morari Bapu was warmly welcomed by Cardinal Tauran at the PCID headquarters in the Vatican. Following the meeting with other senior priests and scholars at the PCID, Bapu was invited to visit the renowned St Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world. Following the start of Morari Bapu’s historic Ram Katha in Rome, Bapu…