Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Being black in America

    —

    in , , ,

    By Arun Kumar   Even with an African-American president in the White House, it’s a still a hard day’s life for the blacks 150 years after Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and 50 years after two landmark legislations outlawed racial discrimination. With a population of 45 million, blacks make up about 14 percent of the total…

  • India tops list of drone-importing nations

    —

    in , ,

    By Chaitanya Mallapur  The decision by India’s National Disaster Response Force to use drones to help Nepal map the scale of devastation caused by last month’s earthquake indicates how India has enthusiastically taken to these pilot-less aircraft — the so-called eyes in the sky. With 22.5 percent the world’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imports, between…

  • Italy rescues 3,700 migrants

    —

    in ,

    Italian authorities on the weekend rescued some 3,700 illegal migrants who were sailing from North Africa to Italy in more than a dozen boats, a communique from the Coast Guard said. Coast guard personnel said 3,690 migrants were rescued in 17 separate operations. Italy continues to receive waves of African immigrants due to its geographic…

  • Reduce sugary drink a day to cut diabetes risk

    —

    in , ,

    Replacing one serving of a sugary drink daily with either water or unsweetened tea or coffee can lower the risk of developing diabetes by up to 25 percent, says a research. It also found that for each five percent increase of a person’s total energy intake provided by sweet drinks including soft drinks, the risk…

  • SpaceX to test life-saving crew capsule

    —

    in , , ,

    The Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), a California-based space transportation firm, is set for first-ever “pad abort” test that will help NASA save lives in case of an emergency in a human spaceflight. The test of “Crew Dragon” spacecraft, scheduled for May 6, will help NASA abort from a launch or pad emergency and safely…

  • Everest to remain shut this season

    —

    in , , ,

    The Nepalese government has decided to shut Mount Everest for this season as routes above the base camp which were hit by violent avalanches, were found impossible to be refixed, media reported. Special teams of Sherpas, known as Icefall Doctors assigned by Nepal’s Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), said that numerous avalanches triggered by the…

  • Baltimore mayor lifts city-wide curfew

    —

    in , ,

    Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has lifted a city-wide curfew which had been in effect. “Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a city-wide curfew,” Rawlings-Blake announced via her twitter account on Sunday. Protests for the death of African-American man Freddie Gray, culminated in rioting and looting late on Monday as hundreds of rioters in…

  • NEWS N PICS – Paris in Bloom

    —

    in , ,

  • The P.G. Wodehouse of medicine!

    —

    in , , , , ,

    Vikas Dattain his weekly column Book-Shelf Involving a long and gruelling stint of study to qualify and everyday exposure to human pain and suffering, the practice of medicine is perhaps one of the last you could expect to serve as a base for comedy. But it is the saving grace of humanity that it too…

  • Van admits mistakes

    —

    in , ,

    Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has blamed his side’s finishing for Manchester United’s 0-1 loss against West Bromwich Albion at home in the English Premier League. Dutch striker Robin van Persie saw his second-half penalty saved as United went down 0-1 at home to West Bromwich Albion. It was United’s third league game defeat…

  • Chelsea bags Premier League

    —

    in , ,

    Jose Mourinho’s team bagged the Premier League title by beating Crystal Palace at an ecstatic Stamford Bridge on Sunday, BBC reported. Chelsea side needed three points to complete the triumph that has become an inevitability in recent weeks as they moved out of sight of their rivals to reclaim the crown from Manchester City, who…

  • Princess heralds new era in London

    —

    in , ,

    Members of British royal family have visited the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s new baby daughter at Kensington Palace. Grandparents the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall spent more than an hour with their new granddaughter. The Duchess of Cambridge’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, and her sister Pippa also met the princess. The princess, who is fourth…

  • Islam snubs Tobacco campaigns

    —

    in , , , , , , , ,

      London researchers say tobacco companies have perceived that Islam as a threat to its attempts to sell more tobacco products in emerging markets in Asia …writes Kaliph Anaz for Asian Lite, UK’s No 1 newspaper for British Asians Researchers have found evidence of attempts by the tobacco industry to reinterpret Islamic teaching to make smoking…

  • Argentina plays Gandhi card on Falklands

    —

    in , , , , ,

    Argentina invokes Gandhi over disputed islands with Britain…writes Hadra Ahmed for Asian Lite, UK’s No 1 newspaper for Brtiish Asians   With Argentina still going through sovereignty disputes to reclaim the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas with Britain, the South American country is applying the way of Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘ahimsa’ –…

  • India goofed up on Rafale deal

    —

    in , , ,

    India’s military procurement process blamed for Rafale bungle… writes Anjali Ojha A cumbersome process for military procurements has been blamed by a parliamentary panel for India missing out on “the mother of all deals” for purchasing 126 combat jets, instead of which only 36 will be bought from the same French manufacturer. “It is observed that…

  • Extra two minutes walking can add years to your life

    —

    in , , ,

    Adding just two minutes of walking each hour to your routine can offset the health hazards of sitting for long periods of time, says a study led by an Indian-origin researcher. A “trade-off” of sitting for light intensity activities for two minutes each hour is associated with a 33 percent lower risk of dying, the…

  • How US transform image of yoga

    —

    in , , , ,

    With over 20 million people in the US practising yoga and spending $10.3 billion a year on yoga classes and products, it has become associated less with spirituality and more with medicine and fitness, says a study. The study by a California-based university argues that the shift in the meanings is due to the changes…

  • How to get a fair deal at a car exchange fair

    —

    in , ,

    Want to exchange your old car for a new one at a dealership? Chances are that you will end up paying more, warns a new study. New research from the University of Southern California, led by Sivaramakrishnan Siddarth, an associate professor of marketing, shows that a consumer with a trade-in actually shells out more money…

  • NEPAL: An unforgettable Saturday

    —

    in , ,

    Shweta Sharma files a report on Nepal – A week after – An unforgettable Saturday “It looked like the walls of the house were converging and I would get trapped between them,” recollects Sudha Upadhaya, a week after the devastating earthquake rocked Nepal on a balmy Saturday afternoon. Upadhyaya, 54, said she was watching television when the quake…

  • Attention linked with grades

    —

    in , , , ,

    Children who display higher levels of inattention at the age of seven are at risk of worse academic outcomes in their secondary examinations, research by an Indian-origin professor in Britain says. The findings have significant implications for parents, teachers and clinicians. Researchers at the Universities of Nottingham and Bristol studied more than 11,000 children as part…

  • London NRIs to build 1200 houses in Nepal

    —

    in , , , , ,

    Mukesh Kumar Sehgal, managing director of Britain-based SISMO Company and  Prakash Lohia offer to build 1,200 houses in Nepal Two billionaire NRIs have offered to build 1,200 earthquake-resistant houses in quake-affected villages of Nepal immediately, Nepal’s embassy in London has said. Mukesh Kumar Sehgal, managing director of Britain-based SISMO Company that is well known for its…

  • Labour Vows ‘Fairness’

    —

    in ,

    Labour leader Mr Ed Miliband said an end to the Bedroom  Tax will be the first act of his new Labour government…reports Asian Lite, UK’s No 1 newspaper for British Asians Miliband  said, from day one of the new Labour government, new funds will be made available to offset the full costs of the tax for all families currently…

  • NEPAL VOWS TO BACK ON TRACK

    —

    in , ,

    The Nepal govt sets up $2 billion reconstruction fund The Nepal government decided to set up a $2 billion fund to rebuild thousands of buildings that were either damaged or destroyed in the killer earthquake on April 25. A decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting. The meeting also decided to provide…

  • INTERVIEW: Irrfan Khan

    —

    in , , ,

    ‘My graduate degree didn’t pay in acting career,’ Irrfan Khan tells Nivedita Irrfan Khan, who has always chosen to tread the unbeaten path in Hindi filmdom, believes in “wholesome” education, but says his own graduation degree turned out to be “useless” for his career as an actor. Some of Bollywood’s leading actors have made it big…

  • New Equations at Arab World

    —

    in , , , ,

    Saudi Royalty which never conducted diplomacy above the sound of whispers are today in battle albeit from the air in Yemen. Syria was seen as Iran’s (and Russia’s) opening onto the Mediterranean, Yemen onto the Red Sea. They must block both. Atleast be seen to have checked Iran. Otherwise the GCC may bolt….writes Saeed Naqvi …

  • Its a baby girl!

    —

    in , ,

     The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a girl, Kensington Palace announced. The baby – who is fourth in line to the throne – was “safely delivered”, the palace said in a statement. The Duke of Cambridge was present during the birth of the baby, BBC reported. Both Catherine and her daughter are “doing well”,…

  • Modi govt Pakistan policy lacks clarity: Shourie

    —

    in , ,

    Former union minister Arun Shourie said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy on Pakistan lacked clarity and he is under the illusion of an out-of-box solution to the vexed issue. In an interview with Karan Thapar for Headlines Today, Shourie, who was a minister in the first National Democratic Alliance government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee,…

  • Sri Sri Ravi Shankar brings meditation to US lawmakers

    —

    in , ,

    Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led a meditation session with US lawmakers on Capitol Hill that House member Jan Schakowsky termed as a “beautiful and self-empowering experience.” The event highlighted how meditation can help resolve several concerns particularly Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among America’s veterans and youth issues. “The secret of meditation…

  • Antarctic ice sheet melting ever faste

    —

    in , ,

    Using gravitational satellite data, researchers have found that during the past decade, Antarctica’s massive ice sheet lost twice its mass in its western portion compared to what it accumulated in the east. The southern continent’s ice cap is melting ever faster, the researchers determined. The researchers “weighed” Antarctica’s ice sheet and found that from 2003…

  • Arab balance of power being shaped

    —

    in , , ,

    By Saeed Naqvi  “As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods; they kill us for their sport.” King Lear This could well be a powerful chorus, the primeval cry from the Arab street as the Americans erect a new balance of power in West Asia now that the Iranians have been brought into…

  • Normalcy returning to Kathmandu

    —

    in , , ,

    By Gaurav Sharma  Normalcy appeared to be returning here finally over a week after a devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal, leaving over 6,000 killed and more than 10,000 injured in this Himalayan nation. But aftershocks were still keeping many people outside their houses. It was a bright sunny day in Kathmandu on Friday, with…

  • India rejects US panel report on religious freedom

    —

    in , , ,

    India has rejected a US government panel report that claims direct link between the 2014 general elections and the spike in attacks on religious minorities in the country. The report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) says that since the 2014 elections, religious minority communities in India have been “subject to derogatory…

  • Cameron to bridge ‘north-south gap’

    —

    in ,

    David Cameron says he wants to close the “growth gap” between the south and north of England by boosting transport, science, skills and infrastructure. Growth in the north should at least keep pace with the south over the next five years, he said. Plans include upgrades to the M62 between Leeds and Manchester and the…

  • India ‘a life saver’:quake survivors

    —

    in , ,

    Narayan Ghat Nepal’s quake survivors are grateful to India for its prompt response and have described it as “a life saver”. India was quick to respond to the disaster by launching a massive relief and rescue operation within hours of the temblor that has left over 6,000 people dead. “It is the Indian government that…

  • Rahul banking on poverty to revive Congress?

    —

    in , , ,

    By Amulya Ganguli From being caught snoozing in parliament to spending time in a mysterious hideout to the current photo-ops with tillers of the soil, Rahul Gandhi has been acquiring a whole range of political experience. The problem with his present frenetic pace, however, is that the question is bound to be asked as to…

  • Six Baltimore policemen charged

    —

    in , ,

    Six members of the Baltimore City Police Department will face charges for the death in custody of black man Freddie Gray, the prosecutor handling the case said . Maryland state prosecutor announced criminal charges against all officers involved in the death of the 25-year-old black man Gray, reports Efe. The state’s attorney for Baltimore City…

  • Britain to see warmer years ahead

    —

    in ,

    A team of researchers has shown that the chances of England experiencing record-breaking warm years, such as the one seen in 2014, are at least 13 times higher now as a result of anthropogenic climate change. This is according to climate model simulations and detailed analyses of the Central England Temperature (CET) record — the…

  • Online voting comes a step closer

    —

    in , ,

    Even as voters gear up to stand in queue for Britain’s upcoming general election this month, researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have developed a technique to allow people to vote online – even if their home computers are suspected of being infected with viruses. Taking inspiration from the security devices issued by some banks, Gurchetan…

  • I won’t be PM with SNP deal: Miliband

    —

    in ,

    There will be no Labour government if it involves a coalition or a deal with SNP, Ed Miliband has said. The Labour leader told BBC Question Time he “couldn’t be clearer” there would be no deals between the parties reports BBC. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Miliband would never be forgiven if he let…

  • Nigeria rescues 160 girls from Boko Haram

    —

    in ,

    The Nigerian army has freed at least 160 girls and women from the hands of Boko Haram, as it continued its advance on the Sambisa natural reserve, the last major stronghold of the terrorist group, an official said. Nigerian armed forces spokesperson Col. Sani Usman was quoted by Efe news agency as saying that the…

  • Mercury mission comes to a crashing end

    —

    in , ,

    Running out of fuel, NASA’s Messenger spacecraft crashed into Mercury’s surface, thereby putting a historic end to its four years of orbital operations. The Messenger was the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft’s seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unravelling the history and evolution of the Solar System’s innermost…

  • Sikhs explain the turban to US lawmakers

    —

    in , ,

    By Arun Kumar  Sikhs have to explain to American people what the turban means because that is the immediate source of their identification, according to the author of a new report on Sikhs in America presented to US lawmakers. “Sikhs have to explain what it symbolizes and what values it represents,” said Geoff Garin, former…

  • Nepal quake toll cross 6000

    —

    in , , ,

    The toll in the massive earthquake that devastated Nepal has risen to 6,166, the Nepalese home ministry said. According to Nepal Police, the total number of injured is over 10,000, Kantipur News reported. As many as 12,064 houses have been reported destroyed. “This is just the preliminary data. We are still in the process of…

  • India slams US report on religious freedom

    —

    in ,

    India  said a report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) “appears to be based on limited understanding of India, its constitution and its society” and it would take “no cognizance of the report”. External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said: “Our attention has been drawn to a report of the USCIRF which…

  • Baltimore police submit report on Gray’s death

    —

    in , ,

    The Baltimore City Police Department delivered its report on the death of black resident Freddie Gray to prosecutors , a day earlier than promised. The report was submitted before 9 a.m, Efe quoted police commissioner Anthony Batts as saying in a press conference. Batts initially set a deadline of May 1 for the task force…

  • Rail chaos in London

    —

    in ,

    Gatwick Express and other services in London were affected as a power cut hit London’s rail system. Thousands of rail passengers have been evacuated from trains after a power cut in south London left people stranded during rush hour for up to five hours, BBC reported. The electrical problem struck between Wandsworth Common and Clapham…

  • Unesco appoints Amanpour as goodwill ambassador

    —

    in ,

    The Unesco  appointed renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour as the goodwill ambassador for freedom of expression and journalist safety. Unesco director-general Irina Bokova named the CNN international correspondent Amanpour “in recognition of her efforts to promote free, independent and pluralistic media, having the right to work free from the threat of violence, and contributing through this…

  • Osborne rejects Lib Dem ‘child benefit cut’ claim

    —

    in ,

    George Osborne has rejected claims by the Lib Dem Danny Alexander that the Tories proposed to cut child benefit while they were in government together. Mr Alexander, effectively Mr Osborne’s deputy in coalition, said he was “lifting the lid” on Tory plans which included limiting child benefit and tax credits to two children reports BBC.…

  • Malala’s attackers get life term

    —

    in , , ,

    An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan sentenced ten men to 25 years’ imprisonment in the case related to the 2012 attack on child activist Malala Yousufzai. The ATC in Swat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkwha province awarded life imprisonment to the 10 men who attacked Malala, who was campaigning for the education of girls. Those sentenced were…

  • BJP is world’s largest party

    —

    in ,

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah said  that the BJP was now the world’s largest political party with 10 crore new members. “I take both pride and pleasure in informing that the BJP has become the world’s largest political party. We had kept a target of crossing the 10-crore mark and we achieved it,”…