Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Sanjay Dutt returns to jail

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    Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt  returned to Yerawada Central Jail in Pune to serve the remainder of his term after the the Maharashtra government, unwilling to court further controversy, rejected his application seeking an extension of his furlough by 14 days. Home ministry officials said that they were awaiting a reply from the police department on…

  • UKIP councillor expelled for racist remark

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     A UKIP councillor in Britain was expelled from the party after she allegedly said she had a “problem” with “negroes”, media reported. Rozanne Duncan was expelled last month after chiefs of the UK Independence Party revealed she had made the “jaw dropping” remarks to a BBC documentary maker, but the party refused to say what…

  • Rescuers to lift tail of crashed AirAsia jet

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    Indonesia’s rescue agency chief said his team will raise the tail of the crashed AirAsia plane out of the water  to retrieve the black box, while three more bodies were recovered on Thursday. The AirAsia Airbus A320-200 vanished from radar screens Dec 28 en route from Indonesia’s second-largest city Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people…

  • Tharoor’s domestic help questioned

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    Taking forward its probe into the murder of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Delhi Police questioned their domestic help Shri Narayan Singh but said they had not yet called the MP for questioning. Singh, who had been interrogated by police twice earlier, was Thursday again called for questioning, police said. The…

  • Lankan presidential battle ends

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    More than 11 million people voted across Sri Lanka in a close presidential race between incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa, in power since 2005, and joint opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena. Officials said more than 80 percent of the 14.5 million electorate exercised their franchise in what could turn out to be one of the tightest contests in…

  • One Paris suspect surrenders, others spotted

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    Two of the suspects involved in the attack on a magazine office in Paris were reportedly spotted in northern France while a third surrendered to police as France went into mourning a day after the tragedy. Cherif Kouachi, 32, and his brother Said, 34, were seen in a grey Clio car in Aisne, a department…

  • Modi keeps his PIO card promise

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said he has fulfilled his promise to the diaspora of merging the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. “I can say with pride that I have done what I promised. I said that PIO and OCI cards will get lifelong visas and the work is…

  • World looking at India with hope: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said the world was looking at India with “immense hope and optimism”, and he firmly believed the 25-million strong Indian diaspora was a big strength. India can make a global impact by reaching out to them, Modi said here at the inauguration of the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the world’s…

  • Birmingham University to develop e-F1 car with Indian varsities

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    Birmingham City University is all set to ink tie-ups with three universities in India this week for developing an electronic Formula 1 car, its vice chancellor, Cliff Allan, has said. “We are developing an electronic Formula 1 car and we are going to do it with some of the Indian universities. We believe that by…

  • Cameron condemns Paris attack

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the attack on the office of a Paris magazine, pledging solidarity with the French people against “all forms of terrorism”. At least 12 people were killed in a shooting at the headquarters of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo Wednesday morning, Xinhua reported citing French media. “The murders in Paris…

  • Tharoor alleges bid to implicate him

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    A day after police said Sunanda Pushkar was poisoned, her husband and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged in a letter made public that a police officer tried to implicate him and a domestic help in her mysterious death. In a letter to Delhi Commissioner of Police B.S. Bassi dated Nov 13, Tharoor, a former central…

  • Hollande calls Paris shooting a terror attack

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    French President Francois Hollande said the shooting at the headquarters of a French magazine is “a terrorist attack”. Twelve people have been confirmed dead in the attack on the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a weekly satirical magazine Wednesday morning, Xinhua reported. Four other injured are in critical condition. Denouncing the “shocking attack”, Hollande said France…

  • 12 killed in Paris magazine attack

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      At least 12 people were killed  when masked gunmen fired randomly at the office of a French satirical magazine that once courted controversy over its portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed. Sky News quoted witnesses as saying that a number of men were involved in the deadly attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo. Ambulances…

  • Brent crude falls below $50

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    The price of Brent Crude oil has fallen below $50 a barrel for the first time since May 2009. It fell more than a dollar to $49.92 a barrel in early trading on Wednesday before edging back above the $50 mark reported BBC. Slowing global growth and increased supply of oil and gas have pushed…

  • INTERVIEW: Abir Chatterjee

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    By Sahana Ghosh Abir Chatterjee, who recently became the first actor to portray Bengali literature’s iconic sleuths, Satyajit Ray’s Feluda and Sharadindu Bandopadhyay’s Byomkesh Bakshi, in two major movie adaptations, had his work cut out. Much like the ace detectives’ eye for details, Chatterjee too had to capture the finer points of the classic characters…

  • Tail of AirAsia jet found

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    The tail of AirAsia plane which crashed into the Java Sea Dec 28, 2014, with 162 people on board has been found, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency chief said . “We have successfully obtained part of the plane that we were looking for. The tail’s portion has been confirmed found,” said Bambang Soelistyo, chief of…

  • Lanka must address Tamil issue: BJP

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      The winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election must first address the Tamil issue, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Jolly said Wednesday. “Whoever wins in Sri Lanka should first address the Tamil issue,” he said, wishing “all the best” to both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena. He said a…

  • Italian marine seeks extension of stay

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    The Supreme Court said it will hear a plea by Italian marine Massimiliano Latorre seeking extension of his stay in Italy following heart surgery he underwent Jan 5. An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu said it would hear the matter Monday after senior counsel K.T.S. Tulsi told the court that Latorre…

  • UN chief to promote inclusive growth

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      UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will promote inclusive and sustainable development during his India visit later this week. He will also deliver a keynote speech at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Ban’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief will travel to Gujarat Jan 10 and deliver the keynote speech the following day, Xinhua reported. “Addressing…

  • Key cancer-promoting gene discovered

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    A team of researchers, including an Indian-origin scientist, has discovered a key cancer-promoting gene that may explain how a protein – TGF-beta – can prevent cancer from forming and encourage its aggressive growth. With the new insight into the cancer mystery, considered to be a major paradox of cancer biology, the findings could provide a…

  • Police begins Sunanda murder probe

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    A police team formed to investigate afresh Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar’s murder has started work, Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said . “The special team is looking into each and every possibility of the case. Whatever is needed will be done,” Bassi told the media. Asked if Tharoor, a former central minister…

  • Uneasy calm at Jammu border

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      The international border dividing Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan here was calm . “There has been no firing from Pakistan anywhere in the Jammu region today,” a senior police officer said. He added that the Border Security Force (BSF) was on high alert and was monitoring the situation on the border in…

  • Nothing wrong in ‘PK’: Delhi HC

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    The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL filed against Raj Kumar Hirani directed and Aamir Khan starrer film “PK”, saying “the film was not offensive”. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw refused to entertain the plea which sought ban on the film for alleged derogatory remarks against Hindu gods,…

  • Come, connect and contribute: Sushma

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      Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj  called on the diaspora youth gathered here to “come, connect, celebrate and contribute” to be part of the “momentous transformation taking place in the country”. Speaking at the inauguration of the 2015 Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), Sushma Swaraj, who is also the external affairs minister, urged…

  • Security tightened for Obama visit

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    All the top luxury hotels in Delhi have been scanned, the security is being worked out to the last minute detail, and, yes, The Beast will very much be part of the official entourage of US President Barack Obama, chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade. It is learnt that an advance US security…

  • Gandhinagar all set for Indian diaspora

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      Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, the convention venue in Gujarat’s capital, is all decked up to welcome the Indian diaspora, who are arriving in hundreds from countries across the world, for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the annual bonding jamboree hosted by India for its natives abroad. The PBD is being held in Gandhinagar Jan…

  • Brewery sorry for Gandhi beer can

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    A Connecticut-based brewery has apologised to Indians for using Mahatma Gandhi’s name on one of its beers, media reports. Through its Facebook page, the New England Brewing Company, apologised for the India pale it calls Gandhi-Bot. “Our intent is not to offend anyone but rather pay homage and celebrate a man who we respect greatly,”…

  • Jadeja in, Yuvraj out of World Cup squad

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    Injured all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was included in the 15-member Indian squad for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup starting Feb 14 but star batsman Yuvraj Singh’s hopes of getting a late call-up were dashed as the BCCI announced the team for the mega-event here. Jadeja is nursing a shoulder injury sustained during training in the…

  • Tharoor ‘stunned’ that Pushkar was poisoned

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    Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that he was stunned to know that his wife Sunanda Pushkar was poisoned and that a murder case had now been filed. In a statement here, Tharoor said: “Needless to say I am anxious to see that this case is investigated thoroughly, and (I) assure the police my full cooperation.…

  • Don’t pollute Ganga: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  made a public appeal to not pollute the Ganga river while calling for a “time-bound, swift action and single-minded focus to ensure it is made pollution-free”. Presiding over a high-level meet on the “Namaami Gange” project, attended by union ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharati and Prakash Javadekar, besides…

  • Imran Khan marries Reham Khan

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    According to a Daily Mail report, Imran Khan confirmed that he has secretly married a former BBC weather girl Reham Khan days after his family said he had denied it — provoking a furious reaction from his sister. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said he would announce plans of his marriage soon and that he has nothing…

  • Sunanda was poisoned, murder case filed

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      Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar, found dead in mysterious circumstances here in January last year, was poisoned to death, Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi said . “We have got the final medical report from AIIMS, and we have been told that it was an unnatural death… It was not a natural death,”…

  • US continues airstrikes against ISIS

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    The US and coalition military forces continued to conduct airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) forces in Syria and Iraq over the past two days, the US Defense Department has said. During the period, fighter and bomber aircraft conducted 14 airstrikes in Syria, and fighter aircraft conducted six airstrikes in Iraq, Xinhua reported citing a…

  • Hughes tributes stir Australian emotions

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    Phillip Hughes’s family received the warmest of welcomes  as they returned to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) – on the first day of the fourth Test against India – for the first time since the Australian cricketer was fatally struck while batting at the ground six weeks ago. In another moving tribute to Hughes in…

  • No Afghan cabinet yet after 100 days

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    The Afghan presidential inauguration marked its first 100 days Tuesday but the government has yet to form a cabinet, although President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani vowed in his maiden speech Sep 29 to form a cabinet within 45 days. Presidential spokesman Nazifullah Salarzai said last week that the ministers-designate would be introduced within days. All ministries…

  • Sheen off Padma awards

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    By Vishnu Makhijani  Once again a controversy has erupted over the Padma awards even before they have been officially announced with shuttler Saina Nehiwal, an Olympic bronze medallist, throwing a fit over not being considered and the sports ministry meekly caving in. The issue erupted on Friday with Saina tweeting her disappointment at her application…

  • Pakistan parliament approves military courts

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    Pakistan’s National Assembly  approved the 21st Constitutional Amendment to pave the way for the establishment of military courts whose foremost aim is to deal strictly with terrorists. A two-thirds majority voted in favour of the amendment, Geo News reported. The 21st amendment to the constitution would provide constitutional cover to the trial of offences related…

  • Ebola toll exceeds 8,100: WHO

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    The number of people killed by the Ebola virus disease (EVD) has reached 8,153, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said in a statement. A total of 20,656 cases of EVD have been reported, the report released Monday said. The data refer to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to the statistics, the maximum number…

  • Sunanda Pushkar was murdered: Delhi Police

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    Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar did not commit suicide but was murdered, Delhi Police Chief B.S. Bassi said. “We have got the final medical report from AIIMS, and we have been told that it was an unnatural death,” Bassi told the media. “She died due to poisoning. Whether the poison was given orally…

  • UN won’t involve in Italian marines trial in India

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    By Arul Louis UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman refused  to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the two Italian marines facing trial in India over the killing of two fisherman off the Kerala coast amid reports that the Italian prime minister has asserted that a “direct channel” had been opened with New Delhi raising hopes…

  • US concerned over rising India Pak tension

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      The US  expressed concern over rising India-Pakistan tensions and the exchange of fire along the working boundary, which claimed four Pakistani civilian lives, Geo News reported . Washington encourages Islamabad and New Delhi to engage in a dialogue. “We certainly remain concerned and watch over tensions along the border. We encourage dialogue between the…

  • Kejriwal misleading Delhi’s traders: BJP

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    The state unit of the BJP  accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of “misleading” the city’s traders by claiming that raids against commercial establishments went down during the party’s 49-day rule in Delhi. Citing Right to Information (RTI) data, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Satish Upadhyay said that between Jan 5 and Feb 14, 2014, when…

  • BSF trooper killed in Pak shelling

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      A BSF trooper was killed in mortar shelling by Pakistan on the international border in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The Border Security Force (BSF) constable – identified as Devinder Singh of the 9th battalion – was killed in shelling by the Pakistan Rangers on Khawada post, a police official said here.…

  • Deepika Padukone turns 29

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    Variety has been the key in the career of actress Deepika Padukone, who turned 29 Monday. The New Year will be no different with three movies as different as “Piku”, “Tamasha” and “Bajirao Mastani” slated for release. In Shoojit Sircar’s “Piku”, she will be seen teaming up with megastar Amitabh Bachchan. She will play his…

  • ‘Aspirin could tackle dementia’

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    An Australian university has been commissioned by the US-based National Institutes of Health to investigate aspirin’s anti-dementia powers, local media reported Monday. Dementia, where a person’s cognitive mind, function and memory dissolves, is one of the biggest medical challenges for elderly people. Monash University in Melbourne has begun a 50 million Australian dollar ($41 million)…

  • Amma cement launched

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      The Tamil Nadu government launched Amma Cement in Tiruchirappalli at a subsidised rate of Rs.190 per 50kg bag, an official said. The scheme will cover the entire state by Jan 10, a state government release said. The scheme was announced by the then chief minister J. Jayalalithaa Sep 26 last year. Later, she lost…

  • Saheli Asian Women’s Refuge under threat

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    Saheli Women’s Project, which gives refuge to over 45 women and their children each year and responds to over 2000 calls for help from women suffering domestic abuse, is at risk of closure due to cuts which Manchester City Council has to find after central government again slashed its funding. Mothers living in Saheli’s Refuge…

  • Post Dhoni era begins in India

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    India go into the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia embarking on a new era after the shock retirement of talismanic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It will be testing times for the new and fiery skipper Virat Kohli following Dhoni’s retirement from the longest format of the game after the third Test at Melbourne.…

  • Omar flays BJP & PDP

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    Outgoing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took potshots at the PDP and the BJP amid signs that they were close to an agreement to form a coalition government. Reacting to reports that the two parties were close to start structured negotiations on sewing up an alliance, Abdullah wondered how far they would go…

  • Two killed in Bangladesh clashes

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    Activists of Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League (AL)  clashed with supporters of the main opposition BNP, leaving two people dead and dozens injured. The victims were shot dead in a clash between AL activists and those of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Natore district. “Two people have died from injuries suffered…