Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • White House silent on North Korean rant

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    The US government remained silent about North Korea’s accusations against President Barack Obama, whom a spokesman of the North Korean National Defense Commission compared to a “monkey” and said he forced Sony to premiere the movie “The Interview” on Christmas Day. North Korea  blamed the US for the repeated hacking attacks currently affecting its principal…

  • No ‘Godse’, ‘Hitler’, ‘Ravan’ in parliament

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    By Anjali Ojha Parliament was disrupted for a while during the just-concluded winter session over the eulogisation of Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse, but his name has been struck off the records as it is considered unparliamentary. A glossary of unparliamentary words has been compiled and ‘Godse’ is one such which cannot be used during…

  • PDP-BJP to rule Kashmir?

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    By Sheikh Qayoom   The PDP and BJP are close to an agreement to govern Jammu and Kashmir in coalition with PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as chief minister, PDP sources said. The deadlock over government formation in the state may end soon, with both PDP and BJP insiders saying the two parties were close to…

  • Kohli & Rahane shine, but still a wall to climb

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    Virat Kohli (169) cracked his highest Test score and forged a 262-run fourth-wicket partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (147) to launch a stunning Indian fightback to end day three at 462 for eight, but five late wickets brought the contest back in balance in the enthralling third Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)…

  • AirAsia plane missing with 162 people

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    An AirAsia Airbus with 162 people on board disappeared  amid thunderstorms while flying from Indonesia to Singapore, prompting a major search operation. The Malaysian-owned aircraft had taken off at 5.20 a.m. (local time) from the Indonesian city Surabaya and was to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 8.30 a.m., media reports said. Indonesian officials said…

  • Ban Ki-moon urges Pakistan to end executions

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    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Pakistan government to bring an end to the executions of convicts and restore a moratorium on the death penalty. On Dec 25, Ban spoke over the phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and reiterated his condolences to the people, government and communities affected by…

  • Microsoft keen to partner in Make in India

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      Global IT giant Microsoft’s chief executive officer Satya Nadella  said the company is looking forward to partner with the Digital India and Make in India programmes of the government. “It’s always fantastic for me personally to be in India and the conversation I had with the minister was wide ranging,” Nadella said here after…

  • Is J&K heading for Governor’s Rule?

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    By Sheikh Qayoom  With no party in a position to form a government and with the PDP and the National Conference not too eager to ally with the BJP, is Jammu and Kashmir inching towards Governor’s Rule? No one is sure. But equally, no one seems to know which two parties or more can come…

  • Netanyahu warns Hamas

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      Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the charge of Israel being guilty of war crimes, media reported. “There are those in the international community who accuse you, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) pilots, of committing war crimes. You defend the country and the country will defend you,” he said while speaking at a graduation…

  • Blood-based therapy an answer to Ebola?

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    With no drugs available to treat Ebola, all eyes are now on a therapy that had largely been relegated to the history books. The therapy is all about transfusing patients with blood plasma donated by survivors, which contains antibodies against the virus, scientific journal Nature reported. Clinical trials of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) have started…

  • Peshawar school attack facilitator killed

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    A militant commander who facilitated the Peshawar school attack was killed by security forces in Khyber Agency late  night. The militant commander, Saddam, was also said to be the mastermind behind the 2013 attack on a polio team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which 11 security personnel were killed, Dawn online reported. A Khyber Agency official…

  • Boxing Day snow warning across UK

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    Snow could cause disruption across large parts of the UK later, the Met Office has warned. An “area of rain, sleet and snow” will move eastwards across Northern Ireland, central and northern England and much of Wales on Friday, forecasters said. The highest risk of snow is in Wales and central England, where up to…

  • President sign coal and insurance ordinances

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      President Pranab Mukherjee signed two key ordinances, clearing the way for the auction of coal blocks that were ordered cancelled by the Supreme Court, and for a hike in foreign equity cap in the insurance industry from 26 percent to 49 percent. The legislations for the two measures could not be taken up in…

  • Raghubar Das to be Jharkhand CM

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    Jharkhand is all set to get its first non-tribal chief minister with Raghubar Das elected as the BJP state legislature party leader. Das, a five-time legislator from East Jamshedpur, will be the 10th chief minister of Jharkhand. BJP legislators met at the state party headquarters in Ranchi in presence of central oberservers J.P. Nadda and…

  • Christmas celebrated with zeal and fervour

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      Christmas was celebrated  across northeast India with special prayers, hymns, and mass in churches, besides the traditional spread of delicious food. Over 5.3 million Christians live in Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur while there are a significant number of Christians in the other northeastern states. The celebrations began from Wednesday night with church services…

  • India seek revival of fortunes at MCG

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    India have an unenviable task of avoiding the prospect of relinquishing their grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when they square off against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here . Having lost the first two Tests, India would be aware that another loss would help Australia…

  • BJP holds key to J&K government

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    Government formation eluded both the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the BJP holding the key in Jammu and Kashmir. Both the NC and the PDP leaders say they are open to discussions regarding an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to cobble a ruling alliance. The BJP’s pre-condition of…

  • Good governance key to progress: Modi

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    Good governance is the key to nation’s progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said , a day being observed as Good Governance Day. The government is committed to provide a transparent and accountable administration that works for the betterment of the common citizen, he said in his message to the nation. “‘Citizen-first’ is our mantra, our…

  • US concerned over Lakhvi bail

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      The US is concerned over the bail granted to Mumbai terror attack accused Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, a Pakistani newspaper reported . The State Department also said that the resumption of hangings of terrorists sentenced to death in Pakistan was an internal matters for that country. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said Washington was concerned…

  • Armed teenager shot dead near Ferguson

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    A police officer in the US shot and killed an armed man near Ferguson, the place rocked by series of protests after black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by police in August, media reported. The incident took place late Tuesday at a gas station in the St. Louis community of Berkeley. “The man had…

  • Khaleda Zia appears in anti-graft court

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    Bangladesh police  used tear gas and rubber bullets against opposition protesters, as they clashed outside a makeshift court in Dhaka, where former prime minister Khaleda Zia appeared for hearing in two graft cases. The clashes began after activists of Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League party, allegedly attacked a Bangladesh…

  • Goa say no to ‘good governance day’ on Dec 25

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    The Goa government will celebrate a Christmas holiday and not ‘Good Governance Day’ as mandated by the National Democratic Alliance government for Dec 25, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said . Speaking to reporters here, Parsekar said Goa had a unique synergy between Hindus and Christians and it was not possible to observe Good Governance Day…

  • Obama lauds decision to screen film

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    President Barack Obama has applauded Sony Pictures’ decision to authorise the screening of “The Interview” — a film satirising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — in independent theatres, the White House said. “As the President made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression,” White House spokesman…

  • Path cleared for auction of coal blocks

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      The cabinet  approved an ordinance for holding auctions of coal blocks, as well as the rules for their e-auction, thus launching the process of allocation of 204 mines that were previously cancelled by the Supreme Court. “The coal allocations ordinance passed in the Lok Sabha, on which discussion was not allowed in the Rajya…

  • Omar Abdullah may stake claim

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    Outgoing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah signalled his intention to stake claim to form the government despite a weak mandate for the National Conference (NC) in the just-concluded assembly elections. “Incidentally in 2002, Mufti (PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) became CM (chief minister) with 16 MLAs (members of legislature) and NC with 28…

  • Abbas vows recognition for Palestine state

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    President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated his resolve to bid at the UN for full recognition for Palestine. “Our state’s bid at the UN Security Council (UNSC) aims at claiming our independent state (based) on 1967 border with Jerusalem as capital,” Abbas told a conference held Tuesday at the Algerian foreign ministry,…

  • Hung verdict puts parties in quandary

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      The fractured mandate in Jammu and Kashmir has left both NC and arch-rivals PDP caught in a cleft stick — with second-placed BJP appearing to be their sole saviour. With 15 seats, the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) is out of power, but it has an option of supporting the BJP and thereby…

  • Assam death toll rise

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    The death toll in the attacks by Bodo militants on unarmed tribals has risen to 65, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said. He said three people were also killed Wednesday in Sonitpur district when police fired at thousands of angry tribals who took to the streets. Sonitpur is one of the three districts apart from…

  • India post Tsunami

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    By Mohammed Shafeeq   A decade after the Indian Ocean tsunami hit several countries in the Asia-Pacific region killing over 200,000 people, India has not only developed an effective early warning system but is also capable of providing advisories to 25 countries on the Indian Ocean rim. Learning its lesson from the disaster, India has set…

  • Time for extraordinary measures: Sharif

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      Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the country is facing an unusual situation and if strong measures are not taken, it will be unacceptable for the nation. Addressing a session of the national parliamentary leaders which is under way here, the prime minister said he was pleased with the fact that all the…

  • Vajpayee, Malaviya named for Bharat Ratna

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    A day ahead of their birth anniversaries, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the late freedom fighter-educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya were named for India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. “The president has been pleased to award Bharat Ratna to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthmously) and to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” a Rashtrapati…

  • Hamas opposes Palestinian draft resolution

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      The Hamas movement announced that it opposes the Palestinian draft resolution presented to the UN Security Council which demands an end to Israeli occupation. Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that the draft resolution presented by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to the Security Council “doesn’t represent…

  • Pakistan’s new anti-terror plan in pipeline

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    A working group of parliamentary parties in Pakistan suggested measures ranging from formation of military courts to anti-terrorism council as part of the nation’s efforts to combat the scourge of terrorism which has devoured the lives of more than 50,000 people in the country. The working group came up with 21 recommendations, The News International…

  • 2014 has been BJP’s year: Amit Shah

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      Upbeat about the BJP’s good show in the Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, party chief Amit Shahsaid the year 2014 has been unprecedented for his party. Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party first formed an absolute majority government at the centre, and thereafter “there has been a good performance” in the states…

  • Sony hacking: vandalism or terrorism?

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    By Monish Gulati As South Asia was watching the terrible tragedy at Peshawar unfold another drama was coming to head in Hollywood. At the eye of the storm was ‘The Interview’, a comedy by Sony Pictures Entertainment that depicts a fictional assassination of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. What began with the hacking of Sony…

  • Asian men likely to do ‘women’s work’

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    Men who are disabled or belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to do jobs traditionally associated with women, says a Britain-based study. Men in the lowest grade are three times more likely to have a disability than in the rest of the workforce, the findings showed. Ethnic minority men are 50 percent more…

  • Joe Cocker 1944-2014

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    Rock star Joe Cocker has died after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 70. He passed away at his residence in Colorado Monday, label Sony said in a statement, reports telegraph.co.uk. He is survived by his wife Pam. Best known for his cover of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from my Friends”,…

  • Rajya Sabha disrupted again

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    The Rajya Sabha was disrupted again, on the last day of the winter session, as opposition members raised different issues. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad once again stressed on the need for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the conversion issue, while Samajwadi Party (SP) members alleged that those who came to attend…

  • Jharkhand walks with BJP

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    The Bharatiya Janata Party seemed to be tantalisingly close to forming the government in Jharkhand, a state that has seen nine chief ministers in the past 14 years. “Jharkhand has given us a full majority,” said a beaming BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. Initial trends showed that the BJP was coasting to victory but could end…

  • Kashmir heading for a hung assembly

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    By Sheikh Qayoom   Jammu and Kashmir was  headed for a hung assembly with the BJP putting up a spectacular show in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) proving the leader in the largely Muslim Kashmir Valley. The National Conference of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was headed for defeat after six years…

  • How many alliances are possible in Kashmir?

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    By Sheikh Qayoom   Amid the uncertainty of what will be the election result Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir, two things are certain: there will be no alliance between the BJP and the Congress and none between the National Conference and the PDP. A few other things can be said with some certainty. The Peoples Democratic…

  • Britain sends more troops to tackle Ebola

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     Britain sent its first batch of army reserves to Sierra Leone to help tackle the Ebola outbreak, Britain’s defence ministry said. The reserve and 100 regular personnel from Britain’s three services departed from Royal Air Force (RAF) Brize Norton base alongside members of the Canadian military, Xinhua reported. The personnel will operate a facility reserved…

  • Pope warns of ’15 Roman Curia diseases’

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    Pope Francis lambasted the Roman Curia, the administrative apparatus that enables him to govern the Roman Catholic church, in a speech  in which he accused it of “spiritual Alzheimer’s” and a list of other shortcomings. Also among the “15 diseases” that the pontiff claimed pose a threat to the Vatican’s administrative, executive and advisory body…

  • Sonia’s condition improving: Doctors

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    Congress president Sonia Gandhi is “feeling better” and her “condition is improving”, the hospital treating her for an infection in her lower respiratory tract said . “The health condition and test reports of (Sonia) Gandhi were reviewed today (Monday) morning by treating doctors. Her test results are showing progressive improvement and there is decline in…

  • India warns of trans-border terror threats

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    By Arul Louis As the UN-mandated international combat mission in Afghanistan enters its final days after a democratic transfer of power in Kabul, a Security Council debate put the spotlight on the terrorist threats to the fragile nation with India warning of the support extremists get from “beyond borders” and tying together the this week’s…

  • Taj Mahal see fall in visitors due to cold wave

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    Footfalls at Agra’s Taj Mahal have fallen considerably due to the cold wave that has engulfed north India, guides said. The day temperatures in Agra fell to around 14 degrees Celsius, as the city was enveloped in a thick blanket of fog. Visibility was reduced to zero on the Yamuna Expressway and the national highway…

  • Advani backs Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee

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    Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani has backed awarding the Bharat Ratna to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and said he regarded it as “significant” that the Narendra Modi government has decided to observe Dec 25, Vajpayee’s birthday, as ‘Good Governance Day’. In an interview to CNN-IBN news channel, Advani said: “A Bharat Ratna for…

  • Friction and division in New York

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    By Mario Villar   A day after two policemen were killed, New York is witnessing new friction between the police force and Mayor Bill de Blasio owing to the latter’s support for protests against police violence in recent weeks. The tragedy occurred  when two officers were shot dead execution style by a man who apparently wanted…

  • Kim Jong-un threatens to ‘blow up’ White House

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      North Korea has accused the US of conniving with the makers of the controversial film “The Interview” to “hurt the dignity” of the country’s supreme leadership and threatened to “blow up” the White House. North Korea threatened more attacks against the US government and other American institutions in the wake of the Nov 24…

  • Mumbai attack wasn’t foiled inspite intelligence: NYT

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    In one of the “most devastating near-misses in spycraft”, intelligence agencies of India, the US and Britain failed to foil the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack despite information from high-tech surveillance and other tools, The New York Times said . The daily said it had pieced together the story from classified documents, court files and dozens…