Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Get rid of family rule in Kashmir: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted voters to get rid of family rule and corruption and promised to bring development to Kashmir. “You have seen governments by the Congress, by father and son (National Conference) and by father and daughter (Peoples Democratic Party). Get rid of this family rule and corruption. Give us an opportunity to…

  • Nigel Mills caught playing Candy crush in parliament

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      A British MP was caught playing Candy Crush, a popular puzzle game, on his iPad while attending a parliamentary committee meeting. Conservative Party MP Nigel Mills was caught playing the hit online game Candy Crush Saga during a meeting of the works and pensions committee, of which he is a member, The Guardian reported…

  • World News In Pictures

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  • Can India buck the trend in Australia?

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    By Veturi Srivatsa  The entire cricket world is waiting with bated breath to see the first bouncer bowled in the India-Australia Test series after a short-pitched delivery fatally felled Phillip Hughes at the Sydney Cricket Ground barely two weeks ago. Former Australian bowler burly Merv Hughes wants the very first ball of the Test series…

  • NRI teacher harassed for teaching ‘British values’

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    A Sikh teacher has claimed that he was forced out of a school in Britain for “giving children British values”, a media report said . Balwant Bains, who ran Saltley School in Birmingham which is at the centre of an alleged plot by extremists to impose an “intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos” on pupils, decided…

  • Shrien Dewani is a free man

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    An Indian-origin businessman from Britain, accused of arranging the murder of his wife while on honeymoon trip in South Africa, was discharged . Shrien Dewani, 33, is accused of ordering the murder of his wife, 28-year-old Anni Dewani, who was shot on the outskirts of Cape Town in November 2010 during the course of their…

  • Defence high on Modi-Putin agenda

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     Nuclear cooperation, including for a “cascade” of nuclear reactors, would be high on the agenda of talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit meeting here next week. Russian Ambassador Alexander M. Kadakin, addressing a press briefing ahead of Putin’s New Delhi visit on Dec 11, also reassured India…

  • Countries urged to shelter Syrian refugees

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      The UN refugee agency and other international humanitarian organisations have launched a campaign urging countries around the world to accommodate around 180,000 Syrian refugees. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Monday that there were more than 3.2 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, and predicted the number could rise…

  • Rev Justin Welby Condemns Hunger In Britain

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    The Archbishop of Canterbury has revealed how he was left more shocked by the plight of Britain’s hunger-stricken poor than suffering in African refugee camps. Food is being wasted at “astonishing” levels across the UK but hunger “stalks large parts” of the country, the Most Rev Justin Welby said. Families are being forced to turn…

  • Protests continue in US over Garner’s death

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      Protests continued in the US over the death of several black men at the hands of the police and in New York preparations were being made for a huge demonstration next Saturday, media reported. Sunday was the fifth consecutive day of protests since last Wednesday, when a grand jury decided not to indict the…

  • Delhi bans Uber taxi’s after rape

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    The Delhi government banned “all activities” by Uber taxi company after one of its drivers was arrested on charges of raping a woman. An official statement said the Delhi government’s transport department had also blacklisted the company from providing any transport service in the national capital in future. Scores of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members…

  • Will not recognise Jewish state: Abbas

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      The president of the Palestinian national unity government says Palestinians cannot and will not recognize Israel as a “Jewish state”. Palestinians “cannot recognise a Jewish state”, Press TV quoted Mahmud Abbas as saying in an interview with the Egyptian daily Akhbar Al-Yawm. “We will stand against this enterprise, not out of obstinacy, but because…

  • SIT to probe Delhi church attack: Rajnath

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    Home Minister Rajnath Singh  said it is the top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to ensure communal harmony in the country. In the wake of the suspected arson attack on a church in Delhi last week, the minister informed the Lok Sabha that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe…

  • All clear for Navi Mumbai Airport

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    The central government has cleared a major hurdle in the development of the country’s largest greenfield airport coming up here, an official said. The ministry of civil aviation has approved the regulatory regime of “Shared Till” for the upcoming Rs.15,000-crore Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), in adjoining Raigad district. This followed intervention by Chief Minister…

  • Pressing finger on EVM stronger than on AK-47: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the finger which presses the electronic voting machine (EVM) is much stronger than the one that operates an AK-47. Commending Jammu and Kashmir voters for their huge turnout in the third phase of assembly elections, Modi said at an election rally in Samba district: “Even you have the power, the…

  • Sushma’s scripture issue boiling over

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    DMK president M. Karunanidhi condemned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her proposal to make the Bhagavad Gita a national scripture, saying India is a secular country. Karunanidhi, in a statement issued here, noted that the constitution declares India a secular republic and the central government should treat all religions equally and follow secular principles.…

  • Dhoni to miss first Test, Kohli to lead

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    India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will miss the first Commonwealth Bank Test against Australia due to a thumb injury. Dhoni batted and bowled at India’s training session Sunday here, but he is not yet ready to keep wickets in a Test. Virat Kohli confirmed Monday he will lead the side Tuesday, when the four-Test series…

  • Modi arrives in Jammu

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here  on a day-long visit to campaign for the BJP in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. A special plane carrying the prime minister landed at the technical area of Jammu airport at 11.45 a.m. From the airport, Modi took an Mi-17 helicopter to reach the venue of the Bharatiya…

  • Planning Commission outdated: Modi

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    The Planning Commission should be replaced by an organization that thinks creatively, strengthens the federal structure, and is able to energize governance at the state level, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Seeking to harness the country’s full potential, he said a suitable replacement of the Planning Commission could serve to provide India a leap forward…

  • Hamas rejects Israel’s probe offer

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      Hamas movement  rejected the Israeli decision to investigate the last large-scale military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip in July. Hamas’ spokesman in Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum said that forming an Israeli investigation committee to probe the last Israeli war on Gaza “aims at hiding the truth and the facts”, Xinhua reported. “Forming an Israeli…

  • UK judge quits after racial slur

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    A senior judge in Britain has been forced to quit his job after allegedly making a racist remark about an Indian-origin woman while hearing a harassment case involving the woman’s ex-boyfriend. “With a name like Patel she can only be working in a corner shop or off licence,” said District Judge Peter Hollingworth after being…

  • Modi’s English switchover came naturally

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    By Ranjana Narayan   For those following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s addresses abroad, his switch to English instead of the expected Hindi during his recent foreign visits may have come as a surprise. But, for a politician known to be a powerful orator and effective communicator, the reason was simple – he wished to convey the…

  • Injured Dhoni shows no discomfort

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    Injured Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni attended an intense training session at the Adelaide Oval  showing no sign of discomfort on account of his right thumb injury, raising the prospect of his participation in the first Test against Australia starting Dec 9. The injury initially forced him out of the first Test and batsman…

  • Tharoor criticises Modi’s silence

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    Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silences” on the string of incidents against the Muslim community, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor  urged him to refrain from sending out wrong signals to the country. “Sometimes even silences can hurt. There were these string of incidents against the Muslim community from the Pune techie being killed…

  • Modi meets CMs on Planning revamp

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi met chief ministers to hear their views on the restructuring of the Planning Commission. Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and Omar Abdullah of Jammu and Kashmir are reportedly not attending the meeting taking place at the prime minister’s residence. Modi told parliament Friday that the government had consulted…

  • New app launched to tackle hate crime in London

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    A new app to make it easier for victims to report hate crime online is one of a raft of new measures aimed at tackling hate crime in the capital to be unveiled by the Deputy Mayor for Policing And Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh tomorrow (3 December). The Mayor’s Hate Crime Reduction Strategy has been developed…

  • ILO wage report troubles Osborne

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    Wage growth around the world slowed in 2013 to 2.0 per cent, compared to 2.2 per cent in 2012, and has yet to catch up to the pre-crisis rates of about 3.0 per cent, according to the ILO’s Global wage report 2014/15. Even this modest growth in global wages was driven almost entirely by emerging…

  • Terrorists were like Special Forces: Army

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    The Indian Army  said the terrorists who killed eight soldiers and three policemen in the Kashmir Valley Friday were trained like Special Forces. “These terrorists were highly trained like Special Forces to carry out the attacks,” Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha, General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, told reporters here. “The kind of ammunition…

  • Obama condemns killing of US photojournalist

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      US President Barack Obama Saturday denounced the killing of an American hostage in a second failed rescue operation in Yemen, vowing to bring the killers to justice. “The US strongly condemns the barbaric murder of Luke Somers at the hands of Al Qaeda terrorists during a rescue operation conducted by US forces in Yemen in…

  • ‘DDLJ’ cast celebrates 1000th week @ Comedy Nights With Kapil

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    DDLJ cast celebrates 1000th week on the sets of Comedy Nights With Kapil at Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 1000 weeks completion special episode shoot on Comedy Nights With Kapil in Mumbai.

  • Vietnam International Fashion Week 2014

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    Models present creations of Vietnamese designer Li Lam during the Vietnam International Fashion Week 2014 in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

  • REVIEW: Action Jackson – BAKWAS!

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    If MJ was alive, he would sue Prabhu and Ajay …writes Subhash K Jha   Film: “Action Jackson”; Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha, Yami Gautam, Introducing Manasvi Mamgai, and a cast of henchmen in orange suits; Directed by Prabhudheva; Rating: ** 1/2 (2 and a half stars) Officially, there are two comic relief providing actors in “Action…

  • Will saffron warriors trap Modi?

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    By Amulya Ganguli It is perhaps in the natural order of things that when a party vanquishes its opponents, its nemesis emerges from within its own ranks. This is what appears to be happening in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). If it thought that the party’s majority in the Lok Sabha will enable Prime Minister…

  • Pakistan frustrated over voter turnout: Naidu

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      Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir were a desperate attempt by Pakistan to disrupt peace as it is frustrated by a high voter turn out in the state. Addressing a news conference here, Naidu said that Pakistan is aiding, abetting, funding and training terrorists. “It is…

  • NASA’s Orion success boosts Mars mission

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    The US space agency marked a major milestone on its mission to Mars as the Orion spacecraft completed its first voyage to space Friday – travelling farther than any spacecraft designed for astronauts has been in more than 40 years. “Today’s flight test of Orion is a huge step for NASA and a really critical…

  • When Modi quaffed the Fijian drink

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    By Ranjana Narayan When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented a coconut shell cup with a “intoxicating” Fijian drink after an elaborate traditional welcome ritual performed by men wearing grass skirts in Suva last month, he did not hesitate but quaffed the contents in one straight gulp – as per local tradition. Modi was presented…

  • Indians queuing up to migrate to Australia

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    Indians are seeking increasingly to migrate to Australia, drawn by the work opportunities that Australia offered, media reported. A study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in this connection, stated that India has now replaced Britain as the top country of origin, regarding applications for “457 visas” in Australia, The Melbourne Age…

  • US journalist Luke Somers killed in rescue bid

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    US journalist Luke Somers and another man held by al-Qaeda in Yemen have been killed by militants during a rescue attempt by US special forces. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the hostages were “murdered by… terrorists during the mission” reported BBC. He said there were “compelling reasons” to believe that Mr Somers’s life was…

  • Putin visit will not change Obama trip: US

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    By Arun Kumar   The US says “now is not the time for business as usual with Russia” but insists Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming India visit would not cast a shadow on President Barack Obama’s own trip in January. “Let’s wait and see what comes from the visit,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters…

  • Burdwan blast key accused held

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    Shahnur Alom, a key accused in the Oct 2 blast in West Bengal’s Burdwan district, has been arrested in Assam, police said here. He was arrested from Nalbari district late. Alom, one of the main operatives of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh in Assam, has been absconding from his house in Barpeta district’s Chatla village since October…

  • Kashmir Attack, an attack on democracy: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir was a “shameful act on the democratic process” in the state which is in the midst of assembly polls. “The terrorists did a shameful act by attacking the democratic process in Kashmir. Our brave security personnel gave a befitting reply to them,” Modi…

  • Rahul Gandhi leads opposition protest

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      Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, along with other members of the opposition,  staged a protest against the central government, saying that “democratic process” was not being allowed inside parliament. The protesters demanded union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti’s resignation over her unparliamentary language at a rally and tied black scarves across their mouths during the…

  • Ashton Carter named new US defense chief

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    By Arun Kumar   President Barack Obama  named Ashton Carter, a former Pentagon second-in command, who once described India as destined to be America’s security partner, as his new defense secretary in place of ousted Chuck Hagel. Announcing the nomination of the Rhodes Scholar, with a doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University and a degree…

  • Slavery a crime against humanity: Pope Francis

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    Pope Francis on characterized all forms of modern slavery, including prostitution and human trafficking, as crimes against humanity. The Pope was speaking during the signing ceremony of an ecumenical agreement between leaders belonging to different religions, who met with the aim of eradicating the scourge of slavery worldwide by 2020. The event was attended by…

  • Afghan reform agenda hailed

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      The international community welcomed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s reform agenda for his country at a conference in London. Britain and Afghanistan co-hosted the London conference to discuss Afghanistan’s future and international support for it after the withdrawal of NATO-led coalition forces by the end of 2014, Xinhua reported. The conference was attended by Afghan…

  • Black friday in Kashmir

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      It was a day of terror in Kashmir as 21 people, including eight army men, were killed and at least 10 injured  in a string of brazen militant strikes, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally here for the staggered assembly elections. Heavily armed militants attacked an army camp and a police checkpost,…

  • 17 migrants killed trying to reach Italy

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    At least 17 migrants were killed Friday while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to reach Italy. According to officials, 16 bodies were found on board a crowded dinghy floating south of Lampedusa, while another person died shortly after the arrival of rescuers, The Local online reported. The majority are thought to have…

  • Oh My Lord! Lets Blame it on the Muslims

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    Payday loans, big finance institutions, pig farmers and anything else peddled but prohibited within the religion are surely next. Not selling much? Pesky Muslims again…writes YZ Patel Muslim are now the default choice for the ills of everything and anything. Not a day goes by when we are not in the news or being blamed…

  • One year without Mandela

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    South Africans observed the first death anniversary of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela. The former statesman died last year at the age of 95. Speaking at a formal ceremony in the capital Pretoria, Mandela’s widow Graca Machel said: “I was numb but now looking back I can imagine him tall and proud walking and all of…

  • NRI scientist among four US science envoys

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    Professor Arun Majumdar from Stanford University is among four top scientists who have been appointed the science envoys of the US. An Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)- Bombay alumnus, Majumdar shares the honour with Peter Hotez, Jane Lubchenco and Geri Richmond. The four eminent scientists will serve as US envoys beginning January next year, said…