Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • SC allows reports on CBI director

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    The Supreme Court  allowed the prosecution in the 2G case to file two reports — on the role of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Ranjit Sinha in the probe and naming the person who leaked the contents of the visitor book at his residence. The apex court bench of Justice H.L. Dattu permitted Special…

  • Brisk polling in Maharashtra

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     Brisk polling was under way across Maharashtra, with people queuing at many polling stations since early . Voting started for the 288 Maharashtra assembly constituencies and the lone Lok Sabha by-elections for Beed parliamentary seat at 7 a.m. Wednesday amidst tight security. Among the early voters were former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and his…

  • Vizag limps back to normalcy

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      Normalcy is slowly returning to this port city , three days after it was battered by cyclonic storm as authorities intensified relief operations with focus on provision of essential commodities. Water is being supplied to citizens through tankers from neighbouring East and West Goadavri districts while milk and vegetables were procured in huge quantities.…

  • India willing for serious dialogue

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     India  said it was willing for a “serious dialogue” with Pakistan on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, within the framework of the Simla agreement and Lahore declaration and Islamabad’s tactic of seeking to internationalise the Kashmir issue will not succeed. External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin also said that Pakistan must take immediate steps to…

  • ‘Indians more likely to absorb mobile radiation’

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    Indians are more likely to absorb radiation from mobile phones due to their low body mass index and the less fat content in their bodies, a leading health expert said . “A hot tropical climate, low fat content in bodies and a lower body mass index on an average make Indians absorb more radiation than…

  • Richard Flanagan wins Man Booker

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    The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker prize. Taking its title from a book by the haiku poet Basho, Flanagan’s novel is a love story set against the construction of the Thailand-Burma Death Railway in World War Two. In a Japanese POW camp, surgeon Dorrigo Evans is…

  • Tackle the twin digital divides

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    At UN, India calls for action on twin digital divides …reports Arul Louis  India has called on the international community to tackle the twin digital divides — that between developed and developing nations and that between men and women in developing countries. While “growth of information and communications technologies (ICT) over the past decade has exceeded…

  • EU to ban fish from Sri Lanka

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    The European Union (EU) has decided to ban the import of fisheries products caught by vessels flagged in Sri Lanka from entering the EU market after three months time from now, the EU office said here in a statement. The European Commission had in November 2012 sent a warning to Sri Lanka saying, they were…

  • Special Report: India’s ties with Morocco

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    Tarun Basu recently toured Morocco at the invitation of the Moroccan government. He is saying India should engage more with Morocco Two vignettes stand out from a recent trip to Morocco — one, a smartly-dressed woman police officer flags down an errant male driver at a busy Rabat intersection and ticks him off for a traffic violation;…

  • Saeed Naqvi on UK air strikes

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    Ankara, Baghdad and Riyadh ask: Are US air strikes working? …asks Saeed Naqvi  The ISIS, plaguing many countries in West Asia, made a symbolic assertion during Haj too. At the ritual stoning of the devil at Mina, five kilometres to the East of Mecca, fluttered a black banner of the Islamic State (IS). The police said…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Pratchett’s Discworld novels

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    Vikas Datta looks into Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels  No tyranny – be it a repressive regime or of outmoded customs and entrenched attitudes – can withstand the subversive sound of laughter. From the earliest times, perceptive observers of the human condition have used the devastating literary weapon of satire to ridicule the vices, follies, and abuses of…

  • HOW RICH IS THE WRECKAGE?

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra The two elements needed to indict any motorist in India is to have him own a foreign made luxury car and live in a posh area. If he then finds himself in an accident he is nailed to the cross with glee and malice flowing like lava from the those…

  • Indian States Beckons Investments

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    States as magnets for investment – Column: Active Voice by  Amit Kapoor and Sankalp Sharma0 The theory that developing countries should attract investments is based on the fact that investments, especially FDIs have immense ability to raise the standard of living of the people. FD’s continued to be the most significant foreign inflows to developing countries in 2014. If…

  • Global stock market faces correction

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    Central banks will not be able to avert next global crash…says Vatsal Srivastava in his weekly column Currency Corner Last week marked the inflection point many market pundits have been waiting for. The stage is set for the deepest global stock market correction since the rally began in March, 2009. As can be seen in the price action,…

  • Big B urges support for flood-hit Kashmir

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      On behalf of the Indian film fraternity, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan Tuesday appealed to all citizens to contribute to the cause of rehabilitating the flood-ravaged Kashmir. Big B is the front-runner of the campaign “Hum Hain…Umeed-e-Kashmir”, an initiative of the entertainment industry, led by the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), the Film and…

  • Heathrow begin screening for Ebola

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    London’s Heathrow airport  began applying new precautionary measures to detect possible cases of Ebola virus disease in passengers arriving from West African countries even as a Sudanese national infected by the virus died in Germany. A Heathrow spokesman told Efe news agency that the new measures went into effect Tuesday morning and were being applied…

  • Uddhav spills tea and end campaign

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    In the sharpest attack yet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and erstwhile ally BJP, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray wondered if a “chaiwala” (tea-vendor) can become prime minister, why couldn’t he become the chief minister of Maharashtra. “If a ‘chaiwala’ can become the prime minister, I can definitely become the state chief minister,” Uddhav said…

  • Nargis unveil Titan’s latest watches collection

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    Actor Nargis Fakhri during the launch of Titan Raga Garden of Eden collection in Mumbai. Nargis Fakhri was recently spotted at the launch of Titan’s all new watch collection. The new collection of watches from Titan is called Raga. The lovely Bollywood actress was seen sporting a lovely attire besides flaunting he lovely watch collection…

  • Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2015

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    From Mother Nature to weavers, designers used the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring-Summer (WIFW SS) 2015 as a platform to pay tribute to them. However, the gala, where technology met fashion, was low on B-Town glam. The fashion gala, which concluded Sunday, saw participation of 124 designers, out of which some drew inspiration from…

  • Under 60 barred from Al-Aqsa mosque

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    Palestinian pilgrims under the age of 60 were  barred from entering the Al-Aqsa mosque in Old Jerusalem, a day after clashes with Israeli police. Many worshippers trying to enter the compound were turned away by police, who prevented all but those aged over 60 from entering the site, forcing many Palestinians to offer their dawn…

  • Turkish fighter jets bomb Kurdish militants

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    Turkish fighter jets  bombarded positions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) following militant attacks on military outposts in southeastern Turkey. The Turkish General Staff ordered the bombing of the PKK’s positions in the Daglica district in the southeastern Hakkari province Monday, Hurriyet news reported. The bombarded targets were reportedly involved in “assassination, armed incidents…

  • £ 100 million interim relief for Andhra

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  announced £100 million  as an interim relief for cyclone-hit Andhra Pradesh. He made the announcement after visiting parts of the worst-affected port city and a review meeting with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and top officials. Modi, who made an aerial survey of the affected areas of both north coastal Andhra and…

  • ? London to host Indian diaspora convention

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    British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention Oct 17 in London, the first ever such event to be held in Britain. A British High Commission release said that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will host a reception for the British government Oct 17 “celebrating” the…

  • Modi host medal winners of Asian Games

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated the medal winners of the 17th Asian Games, saying a sportsperson’s achievements brings respect and pride for all Indians. “No country can progress without self-respect and pride. When Mangalyaan successfully reached Mars, it was the achievement of the scientists, but a matter of pride for all Indians, and it…

  • Sena threatens to expose BJP ‘fraud’

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    A day ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Shiv Sena  threatened that it will expose the one-time close ally BJP’s “fraud” before the people of the state. “They (BJP) want to know who is our real enemy? The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party are like dead snakes and pose no threat to us. It…

  • Modi reaches cyclone-hit Vizag

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here  afternoon to visit cyclone-hit Visakhapatnam and other parts of north coastal Andhra. Soon after landing at Visakhapatnam Airport, he inspected the facility extensively damaged by cyclonic storm Hudhud Sunday. Officials briefed him about the damages. Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, central government ministers M.…

  • UN chief launch reconstructions in Gaza

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    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon  arrived in the Gaza Strip to launch a reconstruction process in the coastal enclave. Ban’s convoy passed through Erez crossing point between Israel and the northern tip of Gaza and is scheduled to stay in the territory for several hours, Xinhua reported. The UN chief headed to Jabalia refugee camp…

  • Broccoli may curb autism

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    A study led by an Indian-origin researcher has found evidence that daily treatment with sulphoraphane – a molecule found in foods such as broccoli – may improve some symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. Participants receiving a daily dose of sulforaphane showed improvement in both behavioural and communication assessments in as little as four weeks. Two…

  • Sikka reboots Infosys

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    By Fakir Balaji   Global software major Infosys Ltd. aspires to be the “bellwether of the Indian IT industry once again”, said its first non-founder chief executive Vishal Sikka. “We aspire to be the bellwether of the Indian IT industry once again in the next 18 months,” Sikka said in an interview here. It’s been just over…

  • Heathrow to begin screening for Ebola

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    Heathrow airport is to start screening for Ebola among passengers flying into the UK from countries at risk reports BBC. The health secretary told MPs a “handful” of cases were expected to reach the UK before Christmas. Screening will start at Terminal 1, before being extended to other terminals, Gatwick airport and Eurostar by the…

  • Navy suffer huge loss in Vizag

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    The Indian Navy has suffered a loss of Rs.2,000 crore due to the severe cyclonic storm Hudhud, which wreaked havoc on Andhra coast Sunday, said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu Tuesday told reporters that the “navy suffered a loss of Rs.2,000 crores” and the cyclone has caused huge losses to various institutions in the…

  • Naidu orders arrest of telecom officials

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    Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked police to arrest officials of telecom service providers and bring them to him if they fail to attend their duties to restore services in this port city. Naidu, who is camping in cyclone-hit city since Monday, expressed his unhappiness over the functioning of telecom companies. “I have…

  • Maharashtra will go BJP

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    By Quaid Najmi  A day before Maharashtra votes, BJP state president Devendra G. Fadnavis is supremely confident, saying his party is all set to capture power in the state for the first time. “There is no doubt in my mind that the BJP will form the next government in Maharashtra. We are 100 percent certain…

  • Drought makes people to migrate in Rajasthan

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    By Anil Sharma   Drought-like conditions are forcing villagers residing along the India-Pakistan border in the desert state of Rajasthan to migrate in search of greener pastures. If local NGOs are to be believed, over 100 villages situated in Barmer district are facing a severe water and fodder crisis. “Much of the population living in this…

  • Hotline diplomacy begins at border

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    Senior Pakistani and Indian military officials spoke to each other over the hotline Tuesday and discussed ways to reduce tension along their border, a media report said Tuesday. “Directors of Military Operations (DMO) of the Pakistani and Indian armies spoke to each other over hotline,” reported Dawn online citing a senior military official. The Pakistani…

  • Vizag remains without power and water

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    People in this cyclone-ravaged port city in Andhra Pradesh continue to live without electricity and communication facilities for the third day Tuesday. The lack of drinking water, shortage of milk and other essential commodities have added to their woes. Two days after severe cyclonic storm Hudhud battered the coast, the city of 18 lakh remained…

  • BAPS Charities Observes Sewa Day

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    BAPS Charities in London organised a special party for 44 elderly residents and 12 carers from local care homes at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London. The event was part of BAPS Charities’ commitment to ‘Sewa Day’ – an initiative where “thousands of good-hearted people across the world come together to perform Sewa (an act of…

  • British Parliament Recognises Palestine state

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    A motion forwarded by Labour MP Grahame Morris seeking recognition of Palestine state was passed with huge majority at British Parliament. 274 members favoured the motion against 12.   Recognising Palestine as a state would be a “symbolically important” step towards peace, British MPs said during the debate. Morris said relations between Israelis and Palestinians are “stuck…

  • World News In Pictures

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  • An ode to communal harmony

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    The melodious sound of shahnais reverberated in the air while a troupe of fire dancers captivated the spectators as Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung Monday launched the “Phool Walon Ki Sair”, the annual procession of flower sellers, organized as a symbol of communal harmony since the Mughal era. The festival that promotes friendship between Hindus…

  • Haunted houses

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    The haunted houses of Halloween Horror Nights Everyone knows that haunted houses in theme parks are make-believe and fake, but still spectators get excited and frightened. This year, the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore returns with brand new concepts and techniques. And Seah Wee Thye, director of entertainment at Resorts World Sentosa, narrated…

  • Bad Karma and Good Karma

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    Kill a pest and karma’s going to get you…writes Nury Vittachi  in his weekly column The Funny Side A tiny lizard has been clinging to the wall behind me for two hours. I want to change the TV channel but I feel I ought to at least ask him, right? Yeah, I know it’s irrational but…

  • Bangla school moved and rebuilt in 48 hours

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    VILLAGERS in a remote Bangladeshi community dismantled and rebuilt a school in just 48 hours to stop it being washed away in devastating floods, reports children’s charity Plan International.  The primary school in Daowabari Union, Lalmonirhat, was about to be wiped out as the nearby river rose during flooding that affected a million people in…

  • THE COLOUR OF PREJUDICE

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra Foreign based Indians coming home, generously bruised after their varied bouts with racism around the world discover a certain domestic reflection of the prejudice, cheerfully forgetting they might well have been willing contributors to its flourishing before they left Indian shores. This fact was brought home to me rather powerfully…

  • HOW NOBLE IS THE NOBEL PRIZE?

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    Bikram Vohra comments on Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel winning noble cause I have to admit I have never heard of Kailash Satyarthi. Not even indirectly. That the Nobel prize committee has heard of him and thought it fit to give him the award is a testament to my ignorance… definitely… and the general muted response in…

  • Modi to track officials online

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    Bureaucrats seem to be in for some tough times in the Modi regime with a new website helping not only the government but also the public keep a watch on their movements. The website attendance.gov.in, launched Sep 30, clocks the in and out times of bureaucrats. It informs which official attended office on any day,…

  • Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers

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      Several Palestinians were injured and one was arrested  in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian security sources told the local Maan news agency. Thirty five Israeli military vehicles entered Palestinian territory to escort a group of about 300 Jewish pilgrims who came to pray at the funerary monument,…

  • Jean Tirole wins Nobel Prize for Economics

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    The 2014 Nobel Prize for Economics, or officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was awarded to French economist Jean Tirole “for his analysis of market power and regulation”, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Monday. Answering questions during phone interviews, Tirole said he was “so moved” upon…

  • Glaciers that don’t melt

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    Even as the climate continues to grow warmer and melt glaciers around the world, the stable glaciers of the Himalaya’s Karakoram region, a picturesque chain of snowy peaks spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, has long been a mystery. Not any longer though. “It has been a source of controversy that these glaciers…

  • Women under pressure to look young: Survey

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     Youthful, glowing skin is something that women are constantly striving for and this is the reason why one in three women feel pressure to look young, says a survey. New research from cosmetic brand Sanctuary Spa Wonder Oil Serum found that women feel pressure to look young and this is the reason why two-thirds of…