Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Obama open doors to Cuba

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    US President Barack Obama  announced a historical, new policy toward Cuba, in a move to normalise relations and end more than five decades of estrangement between the two countries. “We will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests,” Obama said in an address at the White House. “Instead we…

  • India to beef up security at schools

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    The central government has asked states to beef up security, especially at educational institutions, following the terror attack at an army-run school in Pakistan, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said . “I just want to say that all state governments have been issued an advisory by the home ministry,” he told reporters outside parliament on being…

  • Rev Libby Lane becomes first female bishop

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    The Reverend Libby Lane has been announced as the first woman bishop in the Church of England. She now becomes the Bishop of Stockport and her appointment comes 20 years after the first women were ordained as Church of England priests reports Sky News. It ends 40 years of wrangling within the church and comes four…

  • Obama to sign Russia sanctions bill

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    US President Barack Obama intends to sign into law a bill that will ratchet up sanctions on Russia and provide additional assistance to Ukraine, the White House said. At a regular briefing, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest expressed the administration’s concerns about the legislation because “it includes some sanctions language that does not reflect the…

  • Chandy committed to total prohibition

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    Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy  reiterated that the aim of his government is to achieve “total prohibition” in the state within a 10-year period. Chandy was replying to a motion given notice by the Left opposition in the assembly. “You need not have any apprehension that we are going to dilute the liquor policy. Our…

  • ‘Modification’ in India-US ties

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    By Arun Kumar    India-US relations are poised for a takeoff after an eventful year and a historic election that transformed India’s new leader Narendra Modi from a US pariah to a partner ready to “chalein saath saath”. Modi hobnobbing with Russian President Vladimir Putin and doing “business as usual” with Moscow, signing deals including one…

  • Vijay gives India a bright start

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    Murali Vijay’s stylish 144 helped India amass 311 for four by stumps on day one of the second Test against Australia at the Gabba here . India became the second visiting team to score more than 300 runs on the first day of a Test match at the Gabba, buoyed by Vijay’s fifth hundred in…

  • 1971 surrender ceremony at Dhaka re-enacted

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    By Subir Bhaumik   The singers had just finished their patriotic numbers when a shrill whistle rent the air. A surge of men piled on to the stage where the Sectors Commanders Forum, an organisation of those who fought the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan, were celebrating the Victory Day that ended in the birth of…

  • NASA detects organic matter on Mars

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    In a promising find, the NASA Curiosity rover has detected organic molecules – the building blocks of all known forms of terrestrial life – on Mars. The organic molecules, found by the team responsible for the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on Curiosity, were in a drilled sample of the Sheepbed mudstone in…

  • Pakistan lifts ban on capital punishment

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      Pakistan  lifted a ban on capital punishment in terrorism cases, a day after 132 children were slaughtered by Taliban guerrillas in an army-run school here. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif revoked the ban on capital punishment in terrorism cases following which the terrorists facing death penalty could be executed, Geo TV reported. Nawaz Sharif described…

  • Modi leads the nation in two minutes silence

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other MPs on  observed two-minute silence in memory of Pakistan school terror victims. The Lok Sabha observed a brief silence in memory of those who lost their lives in a Taliban attack on a school in Pakistan’s Peshawar city Tuesday. As soon as the house assembled for the day, Speaker…

  • India criticises UN Security Council

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    By Arul Louis India has criticised the decision-making process of the Security Council, saying it disregards the voices of non-members while acting on matters important to them. Speaking at the Council Tuesday on UN-African Union (AU) partnership in peacekeeping operations, India’s Acting Permanent Representative Bhagwant S. Bishnoi regretted that “it may be infructuous for us…

  • A tragedy beyond words

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  • Toll reach 148 in Peshawar massacre

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    Children were the majority of the 148 people killed  in a Taliban attack on a school run by the Pakistani army in the northwestern city of Peshawar, near the border with Afghanistan. The fatalities included 132 students and nine school employees, the military’s director of public information, Gen. Asim Bajwa, told a press conference. Another…

  • A Great British Housing Crisis

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    BY NICK MATHIASON Jean Uzoma, a redoubtable 67-year-old community activist, lives in one of Europe’s biggest housing development zones close to the Thames in south London. From Jean’s fifth floor balcony, imposing glass towers and cranes edge towards her estate both east towards Waterloo and Southwark and west to Vauxhall and Battersea. As house prices and…

  • Satyarthi and Malala condemns Peshawar attacks

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    Education campaigner and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai  condemned the attack on school children in Pakistan as a “senseless and cold-blooded act of terror”. “I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar. I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts, and stand united with the government and armed forces of Pakistan,” Malala…

  • N- submarine Arihant begins sea trials

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    By Gulshan Luthra   India’s first nuclear attack submarine Arihant began sea trials on Dec 15 with naval personnel and defence scientists onboard showing both caution and confidence. The 6,000-tonne boat, equipped with an 80MW Indian-designed and built pressurised water reactor, sailed out of the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam in Monday…

  • India condemn Peshawar school attack

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    President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi  “strongly condemned” the terror attack on a school in Pakistan’s Peshawar city in which at least 126 school children were killed. Mukherjee expressed “deep anguish” and “strongly condemned” the incident in which heavily armed terrorists launched a brazen attack on the army-run school. In a message, the…

  • The slaughter of innocents

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    In one of the worst acts of human savagery ever perpetrated, the Pakistani Taliban senselessly slaughtered 126 school children in a brazen terror attack launched by its heavily armed gunmen and suicide bombers on an army-run school in Pakistan’s Peshawar city in retaliation to Pakistan Army’s operation against extremists in North Waziristan. The horrifying attack…

  • SC declines Italian marines’ pleas

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    The Supreme Court Tuesday declined applications by two Italian marines – accused of killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast – one seeking to extent his stay in Italy and the other seeking to go to Italy to celebrate Christmas. An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu declined the application by marine…

  • Modi remembers armed forces on Vijay Diwas

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      Remembering the sacrifices and valour of the Indian armed forces on the occasion of 43rd Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said the nation was “extremely proud” of them. “On Vijay Diwas, we remember sacrifices and valour of our armed forces who fought courageously in 1971. We are extremely proud of them,” he said.…

  • Tony Abbott lays flowers at Sydney memorial

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    Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott laid flowers at a makeshift memorial here and mourned the death of the victims of the terror attack in which three people, including the gunman, were killed. Accompanied by his wife Margie, the prime minister laid flowers at Martin Place in this Australian city, Sydney Morning Herald reported. A gunman…

  • Same-sex marriage law adopted in Scotland

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    Scotland’s new law on same-sex marriages has come into effect, a media report said. A number of other Scottish couples, already in civil partnerships, are planning to make the conversion later, BBC reported. Others wishing to become married must give the normal 15-day notice period, meaning the first weddings can take place Dec 31. The…

  • Conversion rocks Rajya Sabha

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    The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated protests over the conversion issue once again, stalling the proceedings in the pre-lunch sitting. As soon as the house met for the day, opposition members were on their feet, protesting over the issue that stalled the upper house Monday too. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury informed Deputy…

  • Vivek Murthy makes American history

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    By Arun Kumar Vivek Hallegere Murthy has made history as the youngest US Surgeon General and the first of Indian descent with his Senate confirmation in the teeth of strong opposition of powerful gun lobby. The Democratic controlled Senate voted Monday 51-43 to confirm Murthy, 37 as ‘America’s doctor’ more than a year after his…

  • 20 killed by Taliban in a Pakistani school

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    20 children were killed, many seriously injured and 500 students were trapped  when a group of heavily armed terrorists carried out an audacious attack on the Army Public School in this Pakistani city of Peshawar. Over 500 students and teachers are said to be trapped in the school, ARY news reported. The media report said that two…

  • Bengaluru on high alert over terror tweets

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    Bengaluru has been put of high alert  following tweets on Twitter threatening a repeat of the hostage drama at a cafe in Australia’s Sydney, Karnataka Home Minister K.J. George said. “A high alert has been sounded in Bengaluru after police received tweets on its Twitter account threatening to re-enact a Sydney-like hostage drama in the…

  • Sydney hostage crisis ends, Indians safe

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        A 16-hour hostage crisis — the first terror attack in Australia — ended early Tuesday after police stormed a cafe in the heart of Sydney where an Iran-born cleric took some 30 people hostage and made several demands, sending shockwaves across the country. As police stormed Lindt Chocolate Cafe using flash grenades and…

  • Gunman behind Sydney identified

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    The gunman who has taken over 30 people hostage, including an Indian, in a cafe in the heart of Sydney Monday has been identified, media reported. Man Haron Monis, the 50-year-old self-described cleric behind the siege at Sydney, is no stranger to the New South Wales police or the judiciary, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.…

  • Hamilton is BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014

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    Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has been voted as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014. The 29-year-old Mercedes driver won his second world title this season by taking 11 races. He won 34 percent of the vote, followed by Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy with 20 percent and athlete Jo Pavey third…

  • Labour immigration policy ‘fair and sensible’: Miliband

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    Ed Miliband has said a future Labour government would introduce “fair” and “sensible” controls on immigration. The Labour leader said his party had made “mistakes in the past” on the issue and had learned from them. He announced plans to make it illegal for employers to undercut wages to end “the epidemic of exploitation”. Earlier,…

  • VHP to convert minorities in Rae Bareli

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      The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Monday announced plans to convert 60 Muslim and Christian families to Hinduism in Rae Bareli, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s constituency. The ‘ghar wapsi’ or homecoming, as the VHP and allied groups call such programmes, did not amount to communalism, VHP’s Rae Bareli district unit chief Harish Chandra Sharma said.…

  • Indian among hostages at Sydney cafe

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    An Indian employee of Infosys Technologies was among over 30 people held hostage  by an armed man who stormed a cafe in Sydney’s bustling business district, not far from the landmark Opera House. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to condemn the attack. His Australian counterpart Tony Abbott appealed for…

  • Hindujas acquire Churchill’s Old War Office

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    The Hinduja Group has acquired a significant chunk of world history — the Old War Office Building in London, once the hub of British war time prime minister Winston Churchill, the group said. The Old War Office Building The acquisition of the heritage structure was made by Hinduja Group chairman S.P. Hinduja and co-chairman G.P.…

  • Sydney gunman claims planting bombs

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      A gunman, holding over 30 people hostage in a Sydney cafe , claimed that he has planted bombs in the cafe and at different locations in the city. Three men and two women, who escaped from the Lindt Chocolat Cafe, told media that the man had warned them that two bombs were set to…

  • ‘Smart eHome’ is here

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    Adapting the smart home concept, Technopark incubated Ronds Innotech launched “Smart ehome” — an intelligent power management system that automatically controls the home appliances in a house. “Smart ehome” uses home automation technology and advanced energy saving techniques to control and optimise the power utilisation of home appliances, such as lights, fans, television, refrigerator, washing…

  • Abbott calls for calm amid hostage situation

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      Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for calm after a gunman took up to 12 hostages in Sydney’s city center this morning. “New South Wales (NSW) Police and the Australian Federal Police are currently responding to a reported hostage taking incident in Martin Place in Sydney,” Xinhua quoted Abbott as saying. “I have spoken…

  • Cheney defends CIA interrogations

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      Former US vice president Dick Cheney  defended the controversial CIA interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects after the 9-11 attacks, despite the fact that the Senate issued a report last week calling such techniques torture. “We were very careful to stop short of torture. The Senate has seen fit to label their report torture.…

  • Imran Khan shutdown Lahore

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      Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, protesting since August against the alleged rigging in the 2013 parliamentary election, Monday imposed a shutdown here. PTI activists have gathered at various locations here, where they burnt tyres and blocked 18 areas, closing down vehicular traffic, Dawn online reported. The blocked areas include Mall Road, Liberty…

  • Foreign varsities lures Indian students

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    By Shweta Sharma  Unable to find a course of his choice at Delhi University, Ankit Khullar, 27, decided to pursue his graduation from the US. Armed with a degree in finance, he returned to India for his masters. But after “two wasteful years”, he returned to the US for further studies. “The primary reason (to…

  • INTERVIEW: Ritu Beri

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    By Prantick Majumder  Ritu Beri, often called India’s ‘Fashion Queen’, has completed 25 years in the fashion industry. The designer says her life has been a “fairytale” and beyond her dreams and now she is keen to write “inspirational books”. The designer, who was among the first Indians to storm the catwalks of Paris more…

  • Conversion issue rock Rajya Sabha

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      The Rajya Sabha was disrupted as the opposition refused to allow any business in the house without taking up a discussion on the conversion issue. The house saw the zero hour and the question hour being disrupted before being adjourned till 2 p.m. Raising the issue in the upper house, Congress leader Anand Sharma…

  • Sydney Gunman seeks ISIS flag

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    An armed man, who Monday took over 30 people hostage inside a cafe in Sydney’s central business district, has demanded police provide an Islamic State (IS) flag to him and also said that he wanted to talk to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The Lindt Chocolat Cafe hostage taker has requested for an IS flag,…

  • ? Siege in Sydney

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      A gunman took over 30 people hostage at a busy cafe located not far from the Indian consulate in this Australian city. The dramatic siege took place in Sydney’s bustling central business district, days ahead of Christmas. The hostages were seen standing with their hands up at the windows of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe…

  • Telhara University older than Nalanda, Vikramshila

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    The remains of Telhara University, discovered in Bihar, are older than Nalanda and Vikramshila universities, officials said here. Bihar’s Arts, Culture and Youth Affairs Secretary Anand Kishor said that based on key findings from the excavation, it can be confirmed that Telhara University was older than Nalanda and Vikramshila. “A team of archaeologists has found…

  • Modi links drug money to terror

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     Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke against drug abuse and said the money used to buy drugs could be funding terrorist activities. “Sometimes I want to ask the youth who indulge in drugs that maybe you experience a different world when you take drugs. But have you ever asked where the money you buy your drugs…

  • President undergoes angioplasty

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      President Pranab Mukherjee underwent an angioplasty, a non-surgical procedure to open blocked arteries, at a hospital here. Mukherjee, 79, was admitted to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) here around 2.30 p.m after he complained of stomach pain. President’s Press Secretary Venu Rajamony said Mukherjee is doing fine and will soon be discharged from…

  • Britain to train local Iraqi forces

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    Britain’s Defence Secretary Michael Fallon  said hundreds of British troops will be sent to Iraq next year to help train local forces to fight against Islamic State(IS). Fallon told in an interview with The Telegraph that “very low hundreds” of British troops will be deployed to Iraq to training Iraqi and Kurdish forces to fight…

  • Pakistan edge past India 4-3

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    India ended their campaign in the Champions Trophy after being defeated by Pakistan 4-3 in a thrilling hockey semi-final match at the Kalinga Stadium here . Muhammad Arslan Qadir scored the winning goal two minutes from time to secure victory for Pakistan who will go on to face Germany in the title round. Germany beat…

  • Fourth phase will decide Kashmir

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    By Sheikh Qayoom  The fourth phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections Sunday may well decide who will be the dominant player in the Kashmir Valley — the ruling National Conference or the PDP. Some 14.73 lakh voters in 18 constituencies will be eligible to decide the fate of political heavyweights like Chief Minister…