Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Katrina to make her debut at Cannes

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    Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif will grace the red carpet at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival as the ambassador of cosmetic brand L’Oréal Paris. She says she can’t wait to join the other global ambassadors, which also include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor. L’Oréal Paris will celebrate 18 years of its partnership as the…

  • Modi look for a productive budget session

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  hoped that the second half of the budget session of parliament would be “as productive and successful as the previous one”. Modi told reporters that “some unprecedented decisions” were made after many years in a parliament session. The first half of the budget session “was successful because of the cooperation from…

  • Cash shortfall at Post Office

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    The Post Office failed to find out why large cash shortfalls occurred at sub-post offices before starting civil and criminal proceedings against sub-postmasters, according to a report by forensic accountants. The report looked into complaints by sub-postmasters of unfair sackings and wrongful convictions caused by flaws in control systems reports BBC. Concerns were raised by…

  • SNP to launch manifesto

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    The SNP is to unveil its election manifesto, setting out an “alternative to austerity” and positioning the party as a force for UK-wide change. Ahead of the launch in Edinburgh, deputy leader Stewart Hosie said the party “would bring progressive politics to the rest of the UK” reports BBC. Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats…

  • Mobile apps make toddlers smarter

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    Using mobile apps in preschool classrooms may help improve early literacy skills and boost school readiness for children, says a new study. “Guided use of an educational app may be a source of motivation and engagement for children in their early years,” said study author Susan Neuman, professor of childhood and literacy education at New…

  • World watching India’s contribution to climate change

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    India is being “closely watched” for its intended contribution towards the global response to climate change, US ambassadir Richard Verma said . “India’s size, economic growth projections and already significant greenhouse gas emissions means there is tremendous interest around the world” on its proposed contribution to mitigating climate change, Verma said at a CII event…

  • Govt must not be a tax bully

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    By Venkatachari Jagannathan  Even as the central government has decided to review the new norms to file income tax returns barely three days after it was notified, due to widespread angst, experts termed the original proposal nothing but “tax terrorism” unleashed on honest tax payers. “This is real tax terrorism. This does not target corrupt…

  • UN calls for recovery of black money

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    By Arul Louis   A major UN meeting of law officials has called for a strong international action to track down and recover black money hidden in safe havens. The 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which ended on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, declared that effective steps should be taken to trace,…

  • 700 migrants believed drowned off Sicily

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    Nearly 700 migrants are believed to have drowned when a packed boat capsized in international waters south of Italy’s Sicily island , media reports said. A Portuguese merchant ship, transiting through the area, some 110 km off Libya, was asked to rush to the spot. It managed to recover 28 survivors after the Italian coast…

  • Hindu temple vandalised in US

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     In the latest attack on Hindu houses of worship in the US, a temple has been vandalised in Texas “horrifying” both Hindus and non-Hindus, who have offered to help the temple clean the damage, media reported. In the attack at the North Texas Hindu Mandir in Lake Highlands suburb of Dallas, vandals painted symbols of…

  • Rahul back in the driving seat

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      Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of seeking to return “debt of industrialists” and vowed to fight for farmers’ interests and against the “weakened” land bill in his first public rally after returning from a 56-day leave of absence. The BJP hit back, wondering how many times the Congress will launch…

  • Net neutrality in India is still a myth

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    By Aparajita Gupta  Amid the raging debate globally over net neutrality, which has evoked a strong reaction from stakeholders in India, domain experts feel that an unshackled access to the Internet world isn’t feasible in India yet but attempts must continue for egalitarianism. “Building a net neutral network is technologically not possible to implement. It’s…

  • Shroud of Turin back on display

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    The Shroud of Turin returns to public display at the city’s cathedral after a break of five years. The 4.4-metre-long (14-ft) cloth will be on show until 24 June reports BBC. Viewings are free but must be booked. Already one million people have signed up. Some devotees believe the shroud to be the burial cloth…

  • Zayn Malik thankful to bandmates

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    Zayn Malik made his first red carpet appearance since quitting One Direction last month and thanked his “amazing” former bandmates at the Asian Awards 2015. The singer was honoured for his Outstanding Contribution to Music at the awards gala, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The 22-year-old, who quit the chart-topping band last month, was presented with the honour…

  • India Ignores World Heritage Sites

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    Agra’s monuments victims of ASI’s callous neglect …writes Brij Khandelwal to mark World Heritage Day   It’s becoming increasingly clear that only professional managers can preserve this Taj city’s heritage, experts say. The parliamentary committee on environment, headed by former union minister Ashwini Kumar (Congress), after spot visits and interactions with stakeholders last week, expressed concern over the poor…

  • Women who will make you shiver!

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    Vikas Datta looks in to the world of  women writers “… the female of the species is more deadly than the male,” said Rudyard Kipling and he might have meant writers excelling in frightening us with tales of supernatural horror and terror. In fact, the horror genre was one where women authors held their own against their…

  • How to build and protect your brand image?

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    Amit Dasgupta provides the expert tips to build and protect your brand image Who am I? The question lies at the very heart of human enquiry. On a basic level, it refers to identity. In other words, it seeks to answer what we do and what we stand for. I could be seen, for instance, as…

  • Nile Beckons You

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    Egypt seeks bigger share of India’s tourist pie…writes Rahul Vaishnavi   Vegetarian food, attractive holiday packages and, above all, advertising the country through Bollywood and regional cinema are all part of an elaborate game plan chalked out by Egypt’s tourism ministry, recovering from declining footfalls due to political unrest of the last few years, to woo the…

  • Tributes to a Romantic Hero

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    Vikas Datta on  Percy Bysshe Shelley – Maverick freedom fighter and poet of romance Disproving Percy Bysshe Shelley’s description of poets as “unacknowledged legislators of the world”, he combined his illustrious poetic career with membership of the Constituent Assembly that drafted free India’s constitution. This responsibility followed a four-decade stint as an outspoken, unbending freedom fighter across the…

  • India & Social Progress Index

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    India ranks 101th in the Social Progress Index among 133 countries, lower than even Nepal. Saeed Naqvi analyses the plight of the new world power  The embarrassing news that India ranks 101th in the Social Progress Index among 133 countries, lower than even Nepal, may well be the right occasion to narrow the focus on states which…

  • The ‘Days’ of the Jackal

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    Frederick Forsyth’s ‘novel’ career in international intrigue…writes Vikas Datta for top Brtish-Asian newspaper Asian Lite If you want to know how to attempt the assassination of a statesman, track a Nazi war criminal, organise a coup in Africa (or avert one in Russia), get a false passport, blow up a safe or assemble a bomb (conventional or…

  • AAP’s self-annihilation

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    Is fate on Modi’s side as AAP leaders attack each other over petty isssues…writes Amulya Ganguli  The Aam Admi Party’s (AAP’s) suicidal tendencies are bound to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) more than any other party because the saffron outfit is politically better placed to exploit them. If the AAP hadn’t been driven by competitive egos, it might…

  • Operation ‘Rahat’ ends

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    INS Tarkash that participated in Operation Rahat, returned to a hero’s welcome at Mumbai harbor here, while two passenger ships with the last batch of Indians evacuated from Yemen reached Kochi, an official said. It was preceded by the return of another ship, INS Mumbai, which returned here last Friday, with the two ships helping…

  • Farage quotes and compares himself to Gandhi

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    UKIP leader Nigel Farage has compared his battle against the UK political establishment to Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle for Indian independence. He told supporters at a rally in Kent: “I am challenging the establishment, I am taking on the status quo.” He said anybody who had done that throughout history had been attacked for their beliefs…

  • Smriti denies appointing RSS-affiliated people

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    Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani  denied that she was appointing people with personal, political and ideological affiliation to the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) in her ministry. “Do people have no right to job merely because they hold a right-wing opinion? Should a person be denied an appointment because he is holding a certain personal political…

  • With Love from Obama to Ajmer

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    By Quaid Najmi   The 803rd Urs (annual feast) celebrations of the revered saint Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty of Ajmer,  will be momentous affair this year – thanks to US President Barack Obama. A red coloured, richly embroidered ‘chadar’ (holy cloth) will be offered on Obama’s behalf at the mausoleum of the Garib Nawaz on…

  • Salisbury council refuses Indian food at fest

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     A city council in Britain told an Indian-origin woman that she could not run a food stall during a St George’s Day event as it wanted only English food. The Salisbury City Council told British-born Tania Rahman, 27, that her stall — Chit Chaat Chai — would not be allowed because it was not “English-themed”,…

  • Five arrested in Australia in terror plot

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    Australian counter-terrorism police arrested five men in Melbourne for an alleged terror plot. According to officials, two of the five men were planning an Islamic State (IS)-inspired attack on an Anzac Day ceremony — anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War, ABC reported.…

  • Has Rahul shot himself in the foot?

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    By Amulya Ganguli Unlike the Biblical tale of a prodigal son, the return of a foot-loose family member may not be a cause of great joy to his relatives. In Rahul Gandhi’s case, it can be a source of embarrassment and misgivings. The embarrassment is likely to be caused by speculation about where the not-so-young…

  • Obama discusses Yemen with King Salman

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     US President Barack Obama spoke with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia over the phone to discuss recent developments in Yemen, the White House said. Yemen has been suffering from political unrest and clashes between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd- Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has fled the country. Obama…

  • Modi heads home

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed home after ending his three-nation tour, with the final day spent in the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, visiting a temple and a gurudwara and attending an official dinner hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In his final tweets before emplaning for India, Modi said: “I leave Canada…

  • Indian businesses exploring Ghana

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    By Francis Kokutse  A 20-member Indian business delegation is currently on a visit to Ghana to explore business opportunities in this West African nation. The delegation has been brought by Ghana’s High Commissioner to India, Sam Pee-Yalley. Indian High Commissioner in Accra, Jeeva Sagar, asked the businessmen “to take Ghana seriously because the country is…

  • The humanitarian crisis at Yarmouk

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    By Dr Omar Gabbar writes about life in Yarmouk, the Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus in Syria. In recent months and years, the name ‘Yarmouk’ has come to be a byword for suffering. A Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Syria’s capital Damascus, its population has variously been ignored, starved, bombed…

  • Bolt eyes historic ‘triple-triple’

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    Star sprinter Usain bolt says the prospect of a landmark “triple-triple” is a motivating force as he prepares for his final Olympic Games in Rio next year. The Jaimaican sprint legend will be aiming to repeat his 100 metre, 200m and 4x100m triumphs at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games, reports Xinhua. “That’s one…

  • Ex-employee sues TCS for discrimination

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    A former employee of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has accused India’s leading IT services company of discriminating against American workers and favouring “South Asians” in hiring and promotion. In a complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Steven Heldt claimed that 95 percent of the 14,000 people TCS employs in the US are South Asian…

  • SC extends Jaya’s bail

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    The Supreme Court  extended the bail of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and others till the Karnataka High Court disposed of their appeal against her conviction and sentencing in a disproportionate assets case by the special court. The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu also extended till May 12 the…

  • Moody’s pegs India growth at 7.5%

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    A week after it revised its outlook on India to positive from stable, international credit rating major Moody’s pegged India’s growth at 7.5 percent for 2015. “India’s economy is on a cyclical upswing. Forward looking indicators suggest domestic demand is gathering momentum,” said Faraz Syed, associate economist, Moody’s Analytics. According to the ratings agency, low…

  • British woman leading ISIS jihadis in Syria

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      A British woman, who was a member of a rock band, is believed to be leading Islamic State (IS) jihadis in Syria, investigators said. In a new video footage, Sally Jones, 45-year-old convert to Islam, is seen urging members of the al-Khanssaa Brigadem, the all-women group set up by the IS, Mirror online reported.…

  • Rahul’s meeting with farmers “deferred”

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    Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s multiple meetings with farmer leaders have been “deferred” till April 18, a party leader said . Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the meetings were rescheduled because “we wanted to give enough travel time” to farmers coming from far and wide for the Kisaan Mazdoor rally at Ramlila Ground here on Sunday.…

  • India assures a modern tax regime

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    Arun Kumar    India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has assured foreign investors that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working on a more modern tax regime as part of ongoing reforms to increase investment and reduce regulations to realise double-digit growth. “In order to realise double-digit growth we need to undertake a number of…

  • Modi Projecting a self-confident India

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    By Ranjana Narayan    Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour was marked by several high points – the surprise announcement on purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in France, clinching a five-year uranium supply deal with Canada, pushing the Make in India initiative in Germany, assuring all of the ease of doing business in India, not…

  • Miliband and Nicola clash over support

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    Ed Miliband has clashed with Nicola Sturgeon after she said she would only back him as PM if he rejected austerity and was “better than the Tories”. The SNP leader said she wanted a “progressive” alliance with Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood and Green Party leader Natalie Bennett reports BBC. Mr Miliband, Labour leader, said he…

  • Obama calls Modi ‘reformer-in-chief’

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      US President Barack Obama  said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unleashed “India’s true economic potential” and called him his country’s “reformer-in-chief”. In an article in the influential Time magazine titled “India’s reformer-in-chief”, Obama said that as a boy, Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. “Today, he’s the leader of…

  • Surya Bahadur Thapa 1928-2015

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    By Deepak Goel  A democrat even under a monarchy and a relentless crusader for the upliftment of the deprived sections of the Nepali feudal society, Surya Bahadur Thapa never yearned for power — yet he graced the office of prime minister of the Himalayan nation for an enviable five times, a record equalled only by…

  • Target double digit growth: Jaitley

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    To reap the dividend of India’s “major demographic shift”, the country has to target a double digit growth rate, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said . “India is on the brink of a major demographic shift, with the proportion of working-age population between 15 and 59 years likely to increase from 58 percent in 2001 to…

  • Saina back to world No1

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    India’s Saina Nehwal has regained the women’s singles World No.1 spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on Thursday. The Hyderabadi became No.1 for the first time exactly two weeks back. She dropped to No.2 position last week but once again overtook China’s reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui to retake the top…

  • New York gets its first NRI judge

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    By Arun Kumar  Chennai born Raja Rajeswari, who came to America when she was 16, has become the first person of Indian descent to be named as a criminal court judge in New York City. Rajeswari, 43, an assistant district attorney at the Richmond County District Attorney’s office, who was nominated to the bench by…

  • NASA reveals colour image of Pluto

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    NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, set to fly by the Pluto system on July 14, has sent its first colour image of the dwarf planet and its largest moon Charon. “The image reveals tantalising glimpses of this system,” Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said in a statement. Charon is seen dimmer than Pluto…

  • The Bandit Queen” to premier in New York

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    “Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen”, a multi-media chamber opera by Shirish Korde, a Uganda born composer of Indian descent, is set for its world premier shows in New York City on June 26-27. With a libretto by playwright Anusree Roy and directed by Tom Diamond, the full-length, semi-staged shows will be performed at the Alvin…

  • Canada return Khajuraho sculpture

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    An 800-year-old Khajuraho sandstone sculpture of a scantily clad woman holding a parrot will return to India after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper  handed it over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The sculpture dates back to the 12th century. It was returned in accordance with the 1970 Unesco Convention, tweeted India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson…