Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Suspect held over Herat abduction

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    Afghan security forces on Wednesday arrested a suspect in connection with the kidnapping of an Indian aid worker, Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar, in western Herat province even as his family in Tamil Nadu prayed for his safety and sought “good news”. According to Kaama Press, provincial security chief Samiullah Qatra of Herat said…

  • More Indian-Americans to contest

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    With their wins or second place finishes in California’s “jungle” primaries, four Indian-Americans – Neel Kashkari, Ro Khanna, Ami Bera and Kamala Harris – are set to compete in four key election races in November. In California’s open or “jungle” primaries, top two finishers advance to the general elections irrespective of their party affiliation. Kashkari,…

  • Munde- Last rites held amid chaos

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    The mortal remains of union minister Gopinath Munde, killed in a road accident in New Delhi Tuesday, were consigned to the flames at his birthplace here Wednesday even as several politicians, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and MNS chief Raj Thackeray who were present faced the ire of the people demanding a CBI probe…

  • CAN YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra You know they have these psycho tests where they give you word association and you respond and then the analyst works out where the worms in your mind are and how they are wriggling. Like are you bananas or psycho yourself or a potential serial killer, misanthrope, whatever. I was…

  • Sam Cam lauds Ash & Team

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    Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Smile Train Goodwill Ambassador, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, at a reception that took place in Downing Street to highlight the work of international cleft lip and palate charity Smile Train. Samantha Cameron, the wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron, praised the work of international cleft lip…

  • A tribute to Gopinath Munde

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays his last respect to Union Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on June 3, 2014. Also seen Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs M. Venkaiah Naidu.

  • Sharapova enter French Open semis

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    Maria Sharapova made a superb turnabout as she fought back from one set down to reach the French Open semifinal with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Garbine Muguruza. Seventh seed Sharapova, the 2012 winner, seemed in trouble as she lost the first set in 27 minutes to 20-year-old Muguruza, the winner over defending champion…

  • House prices in Britain reach new high

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    The house prices in Britain saw a record-high increase annually, to hit 11.1 percent in May, said one of the country’s largest mortgage lenders. New data by the Nationwide has indicated the biggest increase since June 2007. Month-on-month, the house prices growth rate hit 0.7 percent in May, down from the 1.2 percent in April.…

  • Indian students leave east Ukraine

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    The first batch of 500 Indian students has arrived safely in Kiev from Ukraine’s restive eastern region of Lugansk and will be returning to India after the Indian mission facilitated their evacuation. According to external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, the students from Lugansk region arrived in Kiev “responding to the advisory to leave the…

  • Will fulfill people’s aspirations: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday expressed his gratitude to the citizens of the country for giving a decisive mandate in the Lok Sabha polls. He said his government will make all efforts to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people. “I express my gratitude to the citizens of the country for giving a decisive…

  • Munde’s body reach home

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    The body of senior BJP leader and union minister Gopinath Munde, who was killed in a road accident in New Delhi early Tuesday, was flown in to Latur from Mumbai Wednesday morning. Thousands of mourners, including senior party leaders, activists and commoners received the coffin at Latur airport. Earlier, the body was taken from the…

  • Obama names NRI to holocaust body

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      President Barack Obama is appointing Shefali Razdan Duggal, a top Indian-American fundraiser of his 2012 re-election campaign, as a member of the governing board of trustees of the US Holocaust Memorial museum that opened in 1993. Political activist Duggal’s appointment to the 55-member US Holocaust Memorial Council for a five-year term was announced by…

  • MERS claims more in S. Arabia

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    The death toll from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus in Saudi Arabia has surged to 282 after recalculations, the health ministry announced. A total of 688 cases have been confirmed in the Gulf kingdom since the first case was registered in 2012, according to the ministry’s rigorous review. Of those infected, 53 are…

  • Living with dignity

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    Azera Parveen Rahman says Old-age homes are choice of the elderly “To live with dignity,” was the simple, four-word response by 75-year-old Sharmila Borah when asked why she opted to move into an old age home here. No, she has not been abandoned by her children, nor was she living a life of penury. It’s…

  • Munde’s death creates vacuum for Modi

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    Union minister Gopinath Munde’s sudden death in a road accident here Tuesday has created a political vacuum for BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will now have to find a suitable replacement in crucial social sector ministries including rural development. A genial politician with friends across the political spectrum, the 64-year-old Munde’s being tasked…

  • India backs Palestine unity government

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    India Tuesday said it supported the formation of the Palestine unity government and hoped the dialogue with Israel is resumed at the earliest towards a mutually acceptable political solution. In a statement, the external affairs ministry spokesperson said the formation of the unity government is in keeping with India’s stance of supporting the reconciliation efforts…

  • MQM chief held in Britain

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      Leader of Pakistan’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party Altaf Hussain was arrested in London Tuesday on charges of money laundering, a media report said. The London Metropolitan Police said that a 60-year-old man has been arrested from a north-west London property on charges of money-laundering, but they declined to disclose the exact identity for…

  • Can Messi do a Maradona?

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    Two-time former champions Argentina, loaded with some of the world’s top stars, are the clear favourites in Group F while debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina will be looking to make an impact in the 2014 World Cup. Also in the group are Iran, who have failed to go beyond the group stage in their three appearances in 1978,…

  • ‘Appalling service’ in healthcare

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        Thousands of NHS patients, some seriously ill, have not received vital medicines on time because of problems at the company contracted to deliver the drugs to these patients in their own homes reported Corporate Watch. The failures in the service offered by private contractor, Healthcare at Home, have been described by patient groups…

  • Syrians cast ballots

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    Syria kicked off its presidential election Tuesday, with voters casting their ballots for the country’s three presidential candidates. The three candidates are incumbent President Bashar al-Assad, former minister Hassan al-Nouri and lawmaker Maher Hajjar, Xinhua reported. Syria’s interior ministry said that more than 15 million registered voters will cast their ballots at 9,610 polling stations…

  • SILENCE THIS IS THE AIRPORT 

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra So some bright spark woke up in the corridors of power and had a sparkling idea. He decided in his bureaucratic wisdom to make New Delhi a silent airport. When you enter the terminal there all these signs saying sssshh, this is a silent airport. You would think you are…

  • Munde death shocks India

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    Union Minister for Rural Development Gopinath Munde was killed early Tuesday in a road accident in the national capital when he was on way to the airport to catch a flight to Mumbai. He was 64 and is survived by his wife Pradnya and three daughters, including Maharashtra legislator Pankaja Munde-Palve. The news of his…

  • UN hail move by US on emission

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    United Nations officials today welcomed the initiative announced by President Barack Obama to limit emissions from power plants in the United States, voicing their hope that it will spur other countries to take concrete action to combat climate change. In a statement  issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon called the initiative “a significant step toward reducing…

  • Tories on 15 point lead at Newark

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    The Conservative Party is still on track to win the Newark by-election despite a massive Ukip surge, according to a poll. Research by Survation for The Sun put the Conservatives on 36% in the constituency, ahead of Nigel Farage’s party on 28% and Labour on 27%. But Tory backing is down by 18 percentage points since the…

  • Blair calls for ‘manifesto for change’

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    Toy Blair, former British prime minister, said Britain has a great opportunity to lead a debate and build alliances among heads of government on the European council to create a long term “manifesto for change” that can end the cynicism and rejection of the European Union. In a call for the elected heads of government…

  • Indian aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan

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    An Indian aid worker was abducted Monday by unknown gunmen in Afghanistan’s western Herat province, a media report said. The Indian was working with an NGO here, Khaama Press cited local government officials as saying. A security official in Zenda Jan district said the incident took place Monday afternoon while the aid worker was visiting…

  • THE TEARS FROM A HANGING TREE

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    Bikram Vohra says  if Mr Modi’s government was to call me and ask me to shoot the three rapists and their two police cohorts in Katra village in Uttar Pradesh I would cheerfully oblige and then go have a hearty lunch with some burgundy to celebrate my act of valour and vindication I don’t know about…

  • UN condemns UP gang rape & murder

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    The United Nations Monday condemned the gang rape and murder of two girls in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district and called for immediate action against the perpetrators and to address violence against women across India. “There should be justice for the families of the two teenaged girls and for all the women and girls from lower…

  • SC stays execution of Yakub Memon

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    The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the centre on a petition by 1993 Mumbai bomb blast accused Yakub Abdul Razak Memon challenging the apex court’s rules guiding its review of a death sentence. The apex court bench of Justice J.S. Kehar and Justice C. Nagappan also suspended the execution of death sentence of Memon.…

  • Jaitley in ADB bank board

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    Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been appointed as India’s representative on the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), it was announced Monday. The appointment to the Manila-based institution takes retrospective effect from May 27. He replaces his predecessor in the finance ministry P. Chidambaram. Formed in 1996 as a development finance institution,…

  • BJP seeks intervention in UP

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    The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought the union home ministry’s intervention in the failing law and order situation in the state, a party leader said Monday. This follows a first-hand probe by the party’s state unit in the recent rape and murder cases in Badaun, Etawah and Azamgarh. State…

  • Telangana CM takes oath

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    Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao Monday took oath as the first chief minister of Telangana, a few hours after it took birth as the 29th state of India. Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to 60-year-old Rao at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan here. Eleven cabinet ministers…

  • Learn a language to stem ageing

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    Just good news for Indians. A study conducted by the University of Edinburgh shows Learning second language ‘slows brain ageing’  India, a potpourri of different cultures, religions, and beliefs, is home to not just one or two languages but to an uncountable number of different lingual families. There are 22 official languages and about 300 regional…

  • Telangana erupts in celebrations

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    Celebrations broke out across Telangana as it came into being as the 29th state of India on Monday. ‘Jai Telangana’ rent the air as the region comprising 10 districts erupted in celebrations to mark the fulfilment of nearly 60-year-old dream of the people. Bursting of firecrackers, unfurling of the national flag, distribution of sweets and greetings…

  • Israel boycotts unity government

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the international community Sunday not to recognise the Palestinian unity government set to be announced Monday. “I call on all the responsible entities in the international community not to go ahead and acknowledge a Palestinian government which includes Hamas,”  quoted Netanyahu as saying in a statement. “Hamas is a…

  • King Khan rides high

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    Bollywood Badshah Shahrukh Khan, co-owner of IPL-7 winner Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), was over the moon, as he revelled and regalled thousands of frenzied fans at the Chinnaswamy stadium in early Monday. After remaining on the edge till the final over with daughter Suahana aside, Khan jumped off the seat when spinner Piyush Chawla hit…

  • Abdullah campaign pegs on peace

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     Afghan presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah said his government will ensure lasting peace in addition to bringing good governance and job opportunities if he wins the upcoming runoff.“Once again, I promise to Afghans, that we will ensure every youth has access to quality education that could secure them a place in a globalised and highly competitive…

  • Knight Riders bags IPL title

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    The Kolkata Knight Riders clinched their second Indian Premier League (IPL) title by defeating Kings XI Punjab by three wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday. Put in to bat, Kings XI were powered to a massive total of 199/4 by wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha who hammered an unbeaten 115 from just 55…

  • Qatar may lose 2022 World Cup

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    London’s The Sunday Times newspaper in a 12 page splash exposed the secret payments that helped Qatar to win the World Cup bid. The Sunday Times said it got millions of documents linking Qatar’s shady deal to bag the 2022 game. The files expose how Qatar’s astonishing victory in the race to secure the right to…

  • UK threatens leave EU

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    German magazine Der Spiegel says British Prime Minister M David Cameron warned that the UK could leave the EU if Luxembourg ex-PM Jean-Claude Juncker became president of the European Commission. It reported Mr Cameron as saying that the appointment could destabilise his government, which may bring forward referendum plans on EU membership. Downing Street has…

  • President appoints Modi PM

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    President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday appointed Narendra Modi as the prime minister of India, and he will be sworn-in May 26, a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said. “As Narendra Modi has been elected leader of the BJP parliamentary party and BJP has the majority support in the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the president appointed Narendra…

  • Modi to take oath on May 26

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    NDA leaders Tuesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and requested him to invite Narendra Modi to take oath as the next prime minister of the country on May 26. Speaking to reporters after meeting the president, party chief Rajnath Singh said: “Today the BJP parliamentary party has unanimously elected Narendra Modi as its leader.” “We have…

  • Biggest dinosaur ever discovered

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    Fossilised bones of a dinosaur believed to be the largest creature ever to walk the Earth have been unearthed in Argentina, palaeontologists say. Based on its huge thigh bones, it was 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall, BBC reported. Weighing in at 77 tonnes, it was as heavy as 14 African elephants, and seven…

  • Singh gets a standing ovation

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    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was given a standing ovation by his staff at South Block Tuesday during a farewell they hosted for him. It also saw some moist eyes. Around 110 staff of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) gathered at South Block to give a farewell to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who steps down May…