Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Beckham supports Unicef’s ‘7’

    —

    in , ,

    David Beckham and UNICEF are today launching a groundbreaking initiative, 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund, to protect millions of children around the world from danger. Marking Beckham’s 10th year as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, ‘7’ is David’s personal commitment over the next decade to helping the world’s most vulnerable children. Through ‘7’, David will…

  • Palestine slams Israel’s new housing plans

    —

    in , ,

    A senior Palestinian official  condemned Israeli plans to build new housing units in a settlement near east Jerusalem. “The ongoing Israeli settlement activities confirm our credible and true attitude to sue Israel (at) the International Criminal Court (ICC),” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Xinhua. Earlier, Israel approved the construction of 64 housing units in…

  • Modi invites students to ‘Mann ki Baat’

    —

    in ,

      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  invited students, teachers and parents to share their exam-related experiences for his monthly “Mann ki Baat” radio programme. “Was thinking about this month’s radio programme and thought… why not share ‘Mann Ki Baat’ with students preparing for board and competitive exams,” Modi said. The experiences would “inspire youngsters and even…

  • ‘Boyhood’ wins top honours at BAFTA

    —

    in , , ,

    “Boyhood”, a coming-of-age story about growing up, won the top honours of Best Film and Best Director at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, where “The Grand Budapest Hotel” walked away with five trophies. Directed by Richard Linklater, who was absent from the ceremony, “Boyhood” is a groundbreaking film about growing…

  • Britain pledges millions to Ebola fund

    —

    in , , ,

    The British government has pledged nearly 33 million pounds (approx $50 million) to a new Ebola fund, BBC reported. The money will allow the three severely affected West African countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – to devote more spending to fight the outbreak. Chancellor George Osborne said Britain was the first country to…

  • Kerala’s warring Syrian churches move for truce

    —

    in , , ,

    By Sanu George   After warring for decades, the two factions of Kerala’s influential Syrian Orthodox Church, which have a combined strength of over two million, have indicated they are taking steps to sign a truce. The church’s majority group known as the Orthodox faction has its headquarters in the state’s Kottayam city while the Jacobite…

  • Manjhi expelled from party

    —

    in ,

      Bihar’s ruling JD-U expelled Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from the party for six years, chief whip Shrawan Kumar said. “(JD-U national president) Sharad Yadav has expelled Manjhi from the party for anti-party activities,” said Shrawan Kumar, who is considered close to Nitish Kumar. Nitish Kumar was re-elected JD-U legislature party leader Saturday. Kumar…

  • Indians have $100 Billion in black money in HSBC accounts

    —

    in , ,

      The central government has completed assessment of 350 foreign accounts while tax-evasion proceedings have been initiated against 60 such holders as part of its crackdown on black money accounts, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. Reacting to a media report that over 1,100 Indians were in the list of clients who held accounts in HSBC…

  • Modi urges envoys to help India on world stage

    —

    in ,

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said the present global environment represents a rare opportunity, when the world was keen to embrace India, and India was moving forward with confidence. Addressing over 100 heads of Indian missions from across the world, Modi urged them to use this unique opportunity to help India position itself in a leading…

  • US, Iran open nuclear talks in Munich

    —

    in , ,

    Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry held a fresh round of talks in Munich as a March deadline for a nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group approaches, a media report said Saturday. The two foreign ministers held their talks Friday on the sidelines of Munich Security…

  • Why AAP bounced back and not Congress?

    —

    in , , ,

    By Amulya Ganguli Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had said after the Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) success in the 2013 Delhi elections that there was much to learn from the fledgling outfit and that the Congress will do so “in a way you cannot imagine”. More than a year later, when the AAP is again…

  • US names its biggest threats

    —

    in , ,

    Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine, terrorists and hackers are among threats cited in the new national security strategy document released by the White House. National Security Advisor Susan Rice fleshed out a 29-page report released Friday, in an appearance at the Brookings Institute, laying out the administration’s foreign policy priorities, CNN reported. In the wake…

  • Adaptability will be key: Dhoni

    —

    in , , ,

    Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni  said adaptability will be the key to success for the defending champions in the cricket World Cup starting Feb 14. “What is important is to adapt to the conditions and the middle overs. Bowling in the middle overs will also be crucial because that will put pressure on the opposition…

  • Pakistan is increasingly isolated

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan is increasingly feeling isolated globally and in South Asia too, a commentary in a newspaper said, calling for a re-think on the country’s foreign policy. “Thanks to obstinately sticking to obsolete and self-serving paradigms, winds of change have largely eluded Islamabad,” Arif Nizami, editor of the Pakistan Today, wrote in the daily. “India…

  • NYT asks Modi to break his ‘dangerous silence’

    —

    in , , , ,

    By Arun Kumar  As President Barack Obama’s comments that religious intolerance in India would have shocked Mahatma Gandhi raised a storm in India, the New York Times asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his “deafening silence.” Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy is an inspiration for the US too, said the White House, while a bipartisan commission…

  • BJP, AAP claim victory as Delhi votes

    —

    in , , ,

    Hundreds of thousands voted enthusiastically across the Indian capital  in assembly elections that both the BJP and the AAP claimed they will win. While balloting was initially slow in many middle and upper middle class areas, polling stations in low income localities witnessed virtual mobs right from the time the exercise began at 8 a.m.…

  • Film Review: ‘Shamitabh’

    —

    in , ,

    Film: “Shamitabh”; Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Haasan; Writer-Director: R. Balakrishnan; Rating: ***** Balki must really stop doing this. This is the third time he has stunned us with his originality and audacity and engagingness. He’s spoiling us silly. His third feature film is perhaps his most audacious cinematic journey yet. The writer-director takes…

  • The Great Chasm

    —

    in , , ,

    Why does the north/south divide in Great Britain continues to grow and what can be done to stop it? The reasons for this disparity are well documented. Economic prosperity in the south ? particularly in the Home Counties ? leads to better health, better education, better employment and life expectancy of nearly 20 years more…

  • Cameron visits Gurudwara

    —

    in , , ,

    Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Sikh Temple in Leamington Spa which serves the 4,000 local Sikhs. The Prime Minister took part in the prayer ceremony and spoke to members of the community.  He joined the volunteers to do Seva. He discussed a number of key issues with the Sikh community, which is one of the most…

  • Julian Assange policing costs Britain $15 mn

    —

    in , ,

    Scotland Yard has spent about 10 million pounds ($15 million) providing a 24-hour guard at the Ecuadorean embassy in London since Wikileaks founder Julian Assange claimed asylum there, figures show. Between June 2012 and October 2014, direct policing costs were 7.3 million pounds with 1.8 million pounds spent on overtime, BBC cited the police as…

  • Tony Abbott to face leadership vote

    —

    in ,

    Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is scheduled to face a party vote on his leadership next week. Western Australian Member of Parliament (MP) Luke Simpkins called for a vote on Abbott’s leadership to be held during Tuesday’s party meet in Canberra, Xinhua news agency reported. The motion followed weeks of speculation regarding Abbott’s future amid…

  • AAP questions BJP’s page one adverts

    —

    in , , ,

      The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised objections to the full-page newspaper advertisements of the BJP, a day ahead of Delhi assembly polls Saturday, and questioned how the party funded them. The AAP also said the advertisments were a clear violation of the code of conduct. “Today, Delhi has seen that every paper has a…

  • Japan reject troops for Middle East

    —

    in , , ,

      Despite recent slayings of two Japanese citizens by the Islamic State (IS), Tokyo does not intend to abandon its post-World War II pacifism and chooses instead to increase its non-military humanitarian assistance to the Middle East, Yasuhisa Kawamura, chief spokesman for Japan’s foreign ministry said here Thursday. “We will never give in to terrorism…

  • High-decibel Delhi poll campaigning ends

    —

    in , , ,

    The aggressive campaigning by political parties for the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls – a virtual battle between the BJP and the AAP – ended  with many leaders holding road shows and public meetings in a final attempt to woo the voters. Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress…

  • Sunanda Pushkar’s son questioned

    —

    in ,

      Sunanda Pushkar’s son Shiv Menon was  questioned in connection with her murder, police said. Menon, who reached the Vasant Vihar office of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at 1.15 p.m., was questioned for around eight hours till 9.30 p.m. Earlier, Menon, Pushkar’s son from an earlier marriage, met SIT members, who asked him to…

  • China warns Obama over Dalai Lama

    —

    in , , ,

      China has warned that “positive trends” in its relations with the US will be reversed if President Barack Obama meets the Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama. A commentary in the People’s Daily, the official organ of the Communist Party of China, also said that “chumming with a secessionist” would amount to “playing with fire”.…

  • ‘Sholay’ to release in Pakistan

    —

    in , , ,

    The cult classic “Sholay”, an action adventure Bollywood movie circling around two petty thieves hired by a police officer to exact revenge on a ruthless bandit, is set to release in Pakistan, 40 years after hitting Indian theatres. The release of the Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra-starrer, directed by Ramesh Sippy, in 1975 proved to be…

  • Obama meets Muslim leaders

    —

    in , ,

    US President Barack Obama has met his country’s Muslim leaders to discuss a range of national and foreign policy issues. Health reform, violence and discrimination against Muslims, the White House summit on extremism and the fight against the the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group were some of the matters discussed, the White House said in…

  • Will continue supporting Kashmiri ‘struggle’: Sharif

    —

    in , , ,

      Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that Pakistan would continue its political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people “in their struggle for freedom and right to self-determination”, Pakistani media reported. Sharif was addressing the legislative assembly of “Azad Kashmir”, or Pakistan-held Kashmir, in Muzaffarabad on the occasion of Kashmir Day. The prime minister…

  • AAP predict 40- 50 seats in Delhi

    —

    in , , ,

    The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to win about 40 seats and could even cross the 50-mark in the Delhi assembly election, party leader Yogendra Yadav said. Yadav, however, told CNN-IBN in an interview that the AAP was not over confident but was sure that the pro-AAP sentiments in the capital couldn’t be reversed…

  • E-cigarettes compromise the immune system

    —

    in , , ,

    E-cigarettes compromise the immune system in the lungs and generate some of the same potentially dangerous chemicals found in traditional nicotine cigarettes, says a team of researchers including an Indian-origin scientist. “Our findings suggest that e-cigarettes are not neutral in terms of the effects on the lungs,” said senior author Shyam Biswal, professor at the…

  • New Zealand dream of the elusive trophy

    —

    in , ,

    Six semifinal appearances, good form, players most suited for One-Day International (ODI) cricket and most importantly, playing at home makes New Zealand one of the strongest challengers for the World Cup title. Never considered a world-conquering side, New Zealand have been consistent at the sport’s biggest event. They have punched above their weight and this…

  • Beckham to present BAFTA Award

    —

    in , , , ,

     David Beckham will take to the stage at the BAFTA Awards ceremony along with actors Henry Cavill and Julie Walters to hand out an allocade. Actors Holliday Grainger, Mark Strong and Martin Freeman will also attend the star-studded EE British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House, reports femalefirst.co.uk .…

  • Protests against Delhi church attacks

    —

    in , , , ,

      At least 200 people, including an AAP leader, were detained while marching towards Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence here protesting against the attacks on churches in Delhi, police said. The demonstrators, most of them from the Christian community, gathered at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. They shouted slogans saying “We want justice” and held banners…

  • NRI pilot’s selfies caused plane crash

    —

    in , ,

    An Indian-American pilot and/or his passenger in Colorado were likely taking selfies when the pilot lost control of the plane, causing it to crash, and killing them both last spring, according to federal investigators Pilot Amritpal Singh, 29, and his passenger were killed instantly when Singh’s Cessna 150K crashed into a wheat field shortly after…

  • US defence secretary pick for expanded ties with India

    —

    in , ,

    By Arun Kumar   Noting that India and US have built a strong strategic partnership over the last decade, President Barack Obama’s nominee for defence secretary has said he would prioritise the steady growth of their relationship. Ashton Carter, 60, a former Pentagon No. 2 who launched the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) with India,…

  • The Tragic Tear In US-Israel Relations

    —

    in , , ,

    No leader with any self-respect would have dared to do what Netanyahu has brazenly done. Even if Netanyahu ends up canceling the visit, the damage to Israel has already been done, while inflicting extreme harm to the US’ strategic interests….writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir  There is no doubt that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s acceptance of House Speaker…

  • AAP rises from the ashes

    —

    in , , ,

    By M.R. Narayan Swamy  For a party that was written off after its humiliating rout in the Lok Sabha election, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) has seen a spectacular renewal ahead of the Delhi assembly polls. Irrespective of who actually wins the Saturday battle, the AAP is giving sleepless nights to the Bharatiya Janata Party…

  • Australia top contenders at home

    —

    in , ,

    Australia’s rich pedigree of being the most successful team at the World Cup with four titles makes them a strong contender to reclaim cricket’s showpiece trophy on home soil. They failed to qualify for the knock-out phase in 1992, when they co-hosted the event with New Zealand for the first time, and are under pressure…

  • INTERVIEW: Dhanush

    —

    in , , , ,

    By Nivedita  He’s that rare humble, grounded and modest talented actor who considers stardom “nothing more than a little extra attention than the normal crowd”. That’s Dhanush for you. “I think stardom is all about little extra attention than normal people. Among all the normal people, a few get some extra attention, and so, there…

  • Don’t demonise BRICS: China

    —

    in ,

      It is unwise to demonise BRICS grouping since these countries are pushing forward structural reforms to promote growth in the face of economic turbulence, China said . A commentary in Xinhua news agency said it is “unwise to demonise” the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) group. It said that since the…

  • Taiwan plane crash kills many

    —

    in ,

    At least 13 people were killed after a TransAsia Airways plane clipped a bridge and crashed into a river near the Taiwanese capital. A total of 27 passengers were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, Xinhua reported. Flight ATR-72, which was headed for Kinmen from Taipei, had 58 people onboard including 31 passengers from the…

  • Modi for industrialists: Rahul Gandhi

    —

    in ,

    Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi  accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of working for a few industrialists. Addressing an election rally here, he took a jibe at the suit Modi wore during US President Barack Obama’s visit, which had his name embroidered over it. “The prices of petrol and diesel have gone down, but the inflation…

  • No ties at the cost of China and Pakistan: US

    —

    in , , ,

    By Arun Kumar Denying suggestions that the US-India partnership was intended as a counterweight to China, a senior US official said its sole intent was “to build India up” working on common core values. “I would fundamentally point to the fact that this is a US-India effort and it’s not necessarily to counterweight anyone,” Phil…

  • Jordan executes two terrorists after ISIS kills pilot

    —

    in , ,

      Jordan executed two convicted jihadis in retaliation for the killing of one of its air force pilots by the Islamic State (IS) militants, BBC reported . The executed terrorists included Sajida al-Rishawi, a woman, whose release the IS had demanded as a condition for releasing Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh. Al Qaeda operative Ziyad Karboli…

  • Jordanian pilot burnt alive by ISIS

    —

    in , ,

      The Islamic State (IS) claimed in an online video to have burnt alive Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was captured by the Sunni radical group after his plane crashed in Syria in December last year, media reports said. The video, which could not immediately be verified, shows a man standing in a cage and…

  • Modi terms AAP shameless

    —

    in , , ,

         The gloves came off  as Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the AAP of “shamelessness” for allegedly accepting dubious election funds, while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal challenged the government to arrest him if he was indeed guilty. With three days left for electioneering to end ahead of the Feb 7 assembly polls and pollsters…

  • Youngest Donor Gives £100,000 to the Gandhi Statue

    —

    in , ,

    Vivek Chadha , a 26 year old UK-based follower of Mahatma Gandhi has become the youngest donor so far to contribute £100,000 to the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust.Vivek Chadha, Director of Nine Hospitality Ltd is a hotel owner, residential developer and major commercial investor in UK real estate. Vivek graduated as a civil engineer in…

  • Al Jazeera journalist gives up Egypt passport

    —

    in , ,

    Mohamed Fahmy, one of two al-Jazeera journalists still held in Egypt, has renounced his Egyptian citizenship to secure his release, his family said. Fahmy’s brother said the journalist, who is also Canadian, was told to give up either his nationality or his freedom. Canada says his release is imminent. The status of his Egyptian colleague…

  • More bodies of AirAsia victims found

    —

    in ,

    Rescuers have found 90 bodies of victims of crashed AirAsia plane from Indonesia’s waters, rescuers said . “So far, as many as 90 corpses have been discovered,” said Nurul Karlina, official in charge at National Search and Rescue Office. Search and rescue operation continues and is now undertaken by rescuers from the office and local…