Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • US COVID-19 cases surpass 6 million

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    The total number of COVID-19 cases in the US surpassed 6 million on Monday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. US COVID-19 case count rose to 60,02,615, with the national death toll reaching 1,83,203, according to the CSSE, Xinhua reported. The hardest-hit US state of California reported…

  • India’s Economy Shrinks by 23.9%

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    India’s Q1FY21 GDP contracts by 23.9% … reports Asian Lite News Pandemic Covid-19 induced economic turbulence along with measures to curb its outbreak, heavily dented India’s economy and plunged the country’s GDP to (-) 23.9 per cent during the first quarter (Q1) ended June 2020-21. Though not comparable, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had grown…

  • Bhushan to Pay INR 1 to Evade Jail

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    Civil rights activist and Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan has agreed to [ay INR 1 to evade three months jails and a three-year suspension of practice … reports Asian Lite News In a Tweet he said: My lawyer & senior colleague Rajiv Dhavan contributed 1 Re immediately after the contempt judgement today which I gratefully…

  • Pranab Da Passes Away

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    Former President Pranab Mukherjee, who was admitted at the Army Research and Referral Hospital died on Monday evening, his son Abhijit Mukherjee said in a tweet. Abhijit Mukherjee tweeted: “With a Heavy Heart, this is to inform you that my father Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away in spite of the best efforts of Doctors…

  • Trump Pits Ivanka Against Kamala

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    US President Donald Trump he would support seeing a first female President in the country but added that it should not be Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, it was reported. He made the remarks while speaking to supporters at an airport in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on Friday as he began his campaign trail a…

  • UAE issues decree ending boycott of Israel

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    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday issued a decree to formally end its boycott of Israel amid the US-brokered peace deal to normalize relations between the two countries. The Decree comes as part of the UAE’s efforts to expand diplomatic and commercial cooperation with Israel, and by laying out a roadmap towards launching joint…

  • Hancock warns of second UK lockdown

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    UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that a second nationwide lockdown cannot be ruled out if there was a resurgence in the number of coronavirus cases, it was reported on Saturday. In a statement to The Times newspaper, Hancock said the possibility of a second wave was “a very serious threat” and that other…

  • ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies at 43

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    US actor Chadwick Boseman, star of the superhero movie “Black Panther,” has died after a private four-year battle with colon cancer, his publicist told AFP Friday. According to reports, Boseman, 43, never publicly discussed his condition and continued to work on major Hollywood films during and between “countless” operations and chemotherapy, his family said in…

  • IOC lauds Abe’s role in Olympics’ preparedness

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    International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was crucial in making the organising committee for the Tokyo Olympics “the best prepared ever.” Abe on Friday announced his resignation as the Japanese Head of Government for health reasons. “I would like to thank Prime Minister Abe for his…

  • China warns ‘military mission’ north of Taiwan

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    China on Friday threatened to conduct a “military mission” anytime from now till September 4 in the north of the Taiwan strait, provoking Taipei to warn Beijing against any attempt to annex the democratic island nation. Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Xi Jinping government, said that China’s Maritime Safety Administration had announced that it…

  • Kamala Slams Trump’s Handling of Pandemic

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    Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has ripped into President Donald Trump to rebuke the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC), saying it was “designed to soothe his ego”. “The Republican convention is designed for one purpose — to soothe Donald Trump’s ego. To make him feel good. But here’s the thing, he’s the President of…

  • Israeli warplanes hit Hamas targets in Gaza

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    Israeli warplanes on Friday struck military facilities of the Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza in response to the firing of six projectiles into southern Israel. Hamas security sources told Xinhua news agency that the Israeli warplanes targeted a training facility that belonged to al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, south of Gaza city, with…

  • Imran regrets letting Nawaz leave the country

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    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that allowing his predecessor Nawaz Sharif to leave the country was a “mistake” and that his government “regretted” the decision. In a wide-ranging interview to ARY News on Thursday night, Khan hinted that he was pressurised into sending Sharif abroad, saying that the reports presented to his government…

  • New Revelation Sparks Outrage in Pashtun community

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    Former Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan, who had recently said that Pakistani agencies want him to lead its death squads and kill anti-state elements including journalists, has now revealed that Pakistan’s state institutions were responsible for the murder of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa SP Tahir Dawar. Dawar was a decorated, senior Pakistani police officer-and a Pashto poet-who…

  • US Targets CCP, PLA Over South China Sea Dispute

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    The US has imposed a visa ban on members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and some state-owned businesses responsible for the occupation and militarization of the disputed South China Sea. In a statement issued by the State Department on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that from August…

  • Another Cold War On The Horizon?

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    The international scene is currently marked by a deteriorating US-China trade relationship, emergence of a new level of friendship between China and Iran through a long-term strategic pact and a definite operationalisation of Sino-Pak alliance against India, particularly in the months following the abrogation of Art 370 relating to Jammu and Kashmir, by the Indian…

  • ‘The Discomfort of Evening’ bags 2020 Int’l Booker Prize

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    ‘The Discomfort of Evening’, the debut novel written by 29-year-old Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and translated from Dutch by Michele Hutchison, has been announced as the winner of The 2020 International Booker Prize. Rijneveld has become is the youngest author to win the prestigious award. The Dutch edition was a bestseller in the Netherlands,…

  • 463 mn children unable access remote learning: UNICEF

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    The world is rapidly moving towards sophisticated technologies of learning, which are said to change the course of education. Regarding this, a recent report by UNICEF reveals that just like any other advancements remote learning also is benefitting a privileged group of population alone. At least 463 million children are unable to access remote learning…

  • Abe plans to resign over health concerns

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    Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has planned to step down “because of health issues”, state-media reported on Friday. According to a report in NHK, Japan’s national broadcaster, Abe is scheduled to hold a news conference later in the day to provide further details of his decision. The development comes after Abe’s visit to a Tokyo…

  • US Changes Guidelines For Testing

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    The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed its Covid-19 testing guidelines, which no longer recommends testing for most people without symptoms. The new guidelines, updated earlier this week, asks people to get tested if they have coronavirus symptoms or have had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for…

  • Afghan peace talks likely to begin next week

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    Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, said he was confident that the much awaited intra-Afghan talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban will begin next week. At an event held in Kabul on Thursday, Abdullah said that the Afghan government’s negotiating team is fully prepared to participate in the…

  • AL WEEKEND: Will Russia Help Trump Turn The Tide

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    Will Russia Help Trump Turn The Tide; US CDS Changes Guidelines For Testing Asian Lite Daily Digital WEEKEND – Aug 28-30, 2020 Read the full edition – https://bit.ly/3hB6VfN

  • Will Russia help Trump turn the tide?

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    It may seem unlikely that Trump could win re-election but then at this stage in 2016 it seemed unlikely that he would beat Hilary Clinton and get elected. Then what helped him was the intervention in the American election of Vladimir Putin. The question is what will Putin do now and when. Should Putin help…

  • Sir Ed Davey Elected New Lib Dem Leader

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    Sir Ed Davey has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. The acting leader will now take over on a permanent basis after beating his competitor, fellow MP Layla Moran, the BBC reported. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton since 2017, and previously represented the same constituency…

  • South China Sea: China fired two missiles ahead of visa ban

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      Just before the US imposed a visa ban on Chinese government members in response to the militarization of the South China Sea, Beijing had fired two missiles, including an ‘aircraft-carrier killer’, into the disputed sea. As per a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, China fired one intermediate-range ballistic missile, DF-26B, from Qinghai province…

  • Bezos’ wealth surpass $200 billion

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    Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has become the first person ever whose net worth soared over $200 billion, according to Forbes and Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The net worth of the world’s richest person went up by $4.9 billion after Amazon stock edged up two percent as of Wednesday afternoon, Forbes reported. Bezos also owns…

  • Christchurch terrorist sentenced to life

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    The terrorist who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch city in 2019 was sentenced to life in prison without parole, a court announced on Thursday. The verdict, which is the first of its kind in New Zealand, came after three days of the final hearing of the case at the High…

  • 44,000 Africans missing amid COVID-19 curbs

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    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it has registered nearly 44,000 people as missing in Africa with nearly half of them children, amid the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday, the ICRC said Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon…

  • India Plans BRICS Games In 2021

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    Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that BRICS Games 2021 is being planned and will be aligned with the Khelo India Games schedule in India. “BRICS Games 2021 will be held during same time and at same venues as of Khelo India Games 2021 so that our players from various parts of the country…

  • Daily Digital: Boris Blames Mutant Algorithm For Exam Fiasco

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    Boris Blames Mutant Algorithm For Exam Fiasco – Asian Lite Daily Digital UK on Aug 27, 2020 – please click here to Read the full edition – https://bit.ly/3jb0b8K

  • Boris Blames Mutant Algorithm For Exam Fiasco

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    A day after the Ofqual chief has stepped down from the post, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has blamed a “mutant algorithm” for this summer’s exam results fiasco. According to BBC report, the prime minister said: “I am afraid your grades were almost derailed by a mutant algorithm and I know how stressful that must…

  • Pak Senate Rejects FATF-Linked Bills

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    In an aggressive reaction against the opposition, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has lashed out, saying that the political parties were sabotaging the governments efforts to exit the grey list of the Global Watchdog on money laundering and terror financing, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Khan’s statement came as a reaction after the upper…

  • Australian vaccine shows promising results

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    An Australian-developed COVID-19 vaccine has shown promising results in pre-clinical testing, raising hopes for its potential effectiveness and manufacturability. The University of Queensland (UQ) released detailed results of animal trials of its vaccine candidate on Tuesday to the International Society for Vaccines, Xinhua news agency reported. UQ’s “Molecular Clamp” vaccine works by locking on to…

  • Women Power In Kashmir

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    Unshackling of women power has been one of the major achievements of the abrogation of Article 37. With the offending Article gone, women found doors and windows open, as if in magic, to better education, jobs and resources to stand on their own, to claim their rightful position in the society. The change for women…

  • Expo 2020 Dubai: Organisers Expect A Stronger Event In 2021

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    Expo 2020 Dubai and its 190-plus participating countries have re-affirmed commitment to working together to achieve shared goals and making strong progress with preparations for the global event, which will begin on 1 October 2021. Organisers, members of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee and BIE representatives, plus participants, commercial partners and government officials from…

  • Jacob Blake’s family to sue Kenosha police

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    The family of Jacob Blake would be filing a civil lawsuit against the Kenosha Police Department over the shooting, said a family attorney. Blake was shot by police seven times in the back at close range in Kenosha in the southeastern corner of US midwestern state of Wisconsin on Sunday. Ben Crump, one of the…

  • 15 EU Nations To Get Pandemic Funds

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    The European Commission has presented proposals to the Council of the European Union (EU) to grant 81.4 billion euros ($96 billion) to 15 member states to help them mitigate the effects which the Covid-19 pandemic has had on employment. As planned, the countries will be receiving assistance through the instrument for temporary Support to mitigate…

  • Indian Envoy Cements Ties With Diaspora

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    The High Commissioner of India HE Mrs Gaitri Kumar recently held a series of virtual interactions with young members of the Conservative Friends of India, Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Program hosted by the Labour Party, and the British South Asian Youth Summit hosted by H’ble Virendra Sharma, Member of Parliament for Ealing. High Commissioner  HE Mrs…

  • Pakistan’s fake speech to security council exposed

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    Isolated at the UN, Pakistan faked a speech to the Security Council posting it on the website of its permanent mission pretending it was delivered even though its Ambassador did not speak at the session on terrorism. Pakistan was not on the list of speakers circulated for the virtual meeting held online on Monday, nor…

  • 100 million tourism jobs at risk: Report

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    The tourism industry, which is entirely dependent on seamless transportation and open borders, has been severely hit by the pandemic. A recent report suggests that about 100 million jobs in this sector are under direct threat. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released on Tuesday a thematic on the impact the pandemic has had on tourism.…

  • Irish Govt issues advisory before reopening schools

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    The Irish government has issued an advisory for parents of primary and secondary students as part of its latest efforts to prepare for a safe reopening of schools next week. The two-page Back to School Advice for Parents, which was issued by the Irish Department of Education and Skills on Monday, comes in 21 foreign…

  • Nikki Haley: America is not a racist country

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    During the first night of the Republican National Convention (RNC), former US Ambassador to the UN and breakout Indian-American politician Nikki Haley urged citizens to re-elect President Donald Trump for four more years in the November polls and slammed the Democratic Party for making it “fashionable” to call America a “racist” country. Haley’s prime time…

  • EU concludes Vaccine talks with Moderna

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    The European Commission has concluded its COVID-19 vaccine negotiations with the 5th developer. Its exploratory talks with Moderna, an American biotechnology company focused on drug discovery, drug development and vaccine technologies, to purchase a potential vaccine against the COVID-19, the Commission said in a statement. The Commission envisaged a contract with the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutic company…

  • Pence renominated for VP at Republican convention

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    The Republican National Convention started on Monday by unanimously renominating Vice President Mike Pence for the office in the November elections at a scaled-back convention in Charlotte because of the Covid-19 pandemic without his presence. The convention’s Permanent Chair Kevin McCarthy, who is the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, declared Pence’s election after…

  • Dawood Acquires Caribbean Citizenship

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    Nestled in the beautiful Windward Islands of the Caribbean, the Commonwealth of Dominica (CoD) is a country with a small population of less than 80,000 people. With the help of Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has acquired the passport of CoD under its Economic Citizen Programme, reveals the latest dossier on the…

  • Rohtang tunnel reaches new strategic heights

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    The construction of one of India’s most challenging and a marvel of engineering motorways — the Rohtang Pass highway tunnel in the Himalayas — is going to finish new strategic heights with an increased length, project engineers said on Sunday. The 8.8 km-long horseshoe-shaped single-tube two-lane tunnel — the world’s longest motorable tunnel at over…

  • Pak approaches UK for Sharif’s extradition

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    Declaring former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an “absconder”, the incumbent Imran Khan-led government has approached the UK government for his extradition, according to an official. “The government is treating him (Sharif) as an absconder and has already sent a request to the British government to extradite him,” Dawn news quoted Adviser to the Prime…

  • Taliban delegation arrives in Pakistan ahead of peace talks

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    Amid the extending wait in the initiation of the all-important intra-Afghan dialogue, a Taliban delegation arrived in Pakistan to discuss the way forward towards the Afghan peace process. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Afghan Taliban’s political office in Doha, is reportedly leading the high-level delegation. It will meet senior leaders of the Imran…

  • Boris urges parents to send children back to school

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLOsyfB54JM UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that it was “vitally important” for children to return to classrooms, with the life chances of a generation at stake, it was reported on Monday. Separate guidance for reopening schools has been published for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the BBC reported. In Scotland, schools have already…

  • UK steps up social distancing measures

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    The UK government has announced that tougher measures targeting the most serious breaches of social distancing restrictions will come into effect on Friday ahead of the bank holiday weekend. In a statement on Sunday, the Home Office said that those facilitating or organising illegal raves, unlicensed music events, or any other unlawful gathering of 30…