Asian Lite News Archive

Category: -Top News

  • Modi Magic at Madison Square

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    Will deliver on promises, build India of your dreams: Modi to Indians abroad  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected with thousands of cheering Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden Sunday, promising them he would deliver on the electoral promise of a resurgent India and urged them to join in the mass movement to work for…

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  • Israel to counter Palestinian claim in UN

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday headed to New York to address the UN General Assembly (UNGA), pledging to expose the alleged “lies” stated by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his speech there. “In my address to the UNGA, I will refute all of the lies being directed at us and I will tell the…

  • Panneerselvam to succeed Amma

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    AIADMK legislators elected Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam to succeed the jailed J. Jayalalithaa as Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister. The meeting of AIADMK MLAsunanimously elected Panneerselvam, a small tea stall owner to become a politician, as the party’s Legislative Party leader. Raj Bhavan sources said the AIADMK had sought an appointment with Governor K. Rosaiah…

  • INTERVIEW: Neel Mukherjee

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    Shilpa Raina talks to Neel Mukherjee  who says his novel The Lives of Others”  is not a family saga. The book was short-listed for Man Booker Prize Author Neel Mukherjee is absolutely “thrilled” that “The Lives of Others” has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2104. Though he was a bit wary how…

  • Fashion around the world

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  • Bollywood Circuit in Photos

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  • Londoners urged to be vigilant

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    Londoners have been urged to be “vigilant” on the Underground as the country begins military action against Islamic State militants in Iraq. London Mayor Boris Johnson told commuters to be cautious on London’s transport network, saying: “I would ask all Londoners to continue to do as they always do and remain vigilant, report anything suspicious to…

  • MODI ON THE MIKE

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra The UN General Assembly is one of the worst places to give a speech. The atmosphere is dull and dreary, the podium is small and apologetic, there is scarcely anyone in the vast cavern and no one is really listening. You ignite little passion and are often one of a…

  • NAMASTE! Modi wows youth in Central Park

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    Arul Louis reports that Modi wows 65,000 youth in Central Park, with message of sanitation, peace  Who would have thought of Narenda Modi as a rock star? But Saturday evening, the Indian Prime Minister shared the stage with top music stars like JayZ, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Sting and Alicia Keys and himself received rockstar treatment…

  • Who will enter Jaya’s shoes?

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    Who will be the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu?  Tea-stall owner turned finance minister O. Panneerselvam is among the top contenders for the post. He was placed in a similar crisis situation in September 2001 when Jayalalithaa chose him to replace her after the Supreme Court declared her appointment as “not legal and valid”.…

  • MUST WATCH – Value of togetherness

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    Busy…busy..busy…! Look what you are missing

  • GALLERY: Asian leaders at UN

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    Asian leaders addressing the UN General Assembly

  • Britain sends fighter jets to Iraq

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    Britain has sent two Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado jets to participate in the US-led airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group in Iraq, a day after parliament voted in favour of action against the militants, media reports said Saturday. The British fighters took off from RAF’s Akrotiri station in Cyprus, the ministry…

  • PICS: Colour Fest in China

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    Photo shows the flower decorations to greet the National Day on Oct. 1 at the Tian’anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China  

  • Modi pays tributes at 9/11 memorial

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    Symbolising India’s resolve to fight terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday paid tributes at the 9/11 memorial where the twin towers of World Trade Centre, destroyed by Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attack, once stood. Dressed in a half-sleeve white Modi kurta and churidars and a grey shawl thrown on his left shoulder, Modi walked to…

  • Who will succeed Jaya?

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    Who will be Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister? This is being debated animatedly in the state following the conviction of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in a corruption case. After being sentenced to four years in prison, Jayalalithaa loses her Tamil Nadu assembly membership and the chief minister’s post. The Bangalore court also fined her Rs.100…

  • Jaya convicted in assets case

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    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was convicted Saturday in a Rs.66 crore disproportionate asset case by a special court here. Following this, Jayalalithaa, also known as Amma (mother) by her party cadres, is disqualified as a member of Tamil Nadu assembly. After an 18-year court battle, judge John Michael Cunha convicted 66-year old Jayalalithaa,…

  • Afghan govt to ink Security Agreement

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    Afghan presidential advisor on national security Rangin Dadfar Spanta Saturday said that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Kabul and Washington would be signed Tuesday. “I am in favour of inking bilateral security agreement with US and NATO,” Spanta said at a security conference opened in Herat city. The presidential inauguration ceremony is scheduled for…

  • India rejects Sharif’s Kashmir remarks

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    India has strongly rebutted as “untenable” the remarks on Kashmir by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the UN General Assembly. India exercised its right of reply on the floor of the UNGA to rebut Pakistan’s statement. “I would like to bring to the notice of this august House that the people of Jammu and…

  • UAE for Arab strategic food reserve

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    The UAE minister for food and agriculture, Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Friday said the Gulf Arab desert state is committed to support joint Arab efforts to set up a strategic food reserve in response to the world food crisis, WAM news agency reported. Bin Fahad also emphasised the need to establish and implement Arab-wide mechanisms…

  • INTERVIEW: Tommy Hilfiger

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    By Nivedita    Indian culture has inspired Tommy Hilfiger since the beginning of his career. The 63-year-old iconic American designer confesses that his heart lies in Indian wear and that he often uses in his creations “Ikkats, block prints and colours that are seen only in Jaipur”. “I have seen amazing Indian clothes and I love…

  • India committed to Palestinian cause: Sushma

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    India has said that as a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) it has always supported the cause of Palestine and its commitment to the Palestinian cause has been a feature of its foreign policy. At the NAM Committee on Palestine here, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said: “NAM has consistently reaffirmed its…

  • India staring at heart disease epidemic

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    Poor lifestyles, rich diet and little physical activity have led to an “epidemic of heart disease” in India and the only way to check this looming threat is through better awareness and preventive measures, health experts say. According to government data, the prevalence of heart failure in India due to coronary heart disease, hypertension, obesity,…

  • Turkey may support US-led forces

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    Turkey would lend its support to international military operations against the Islamic State (IS) terrorists if the actions were aimed at bringing stability and long-term peace in the region, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said. “If a military operation, with the prospect of a lasting peace, aims to bring stability to the region, we will…

  • US airstrikes continues against IS

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    The US forces continued airstrikes in Iraq and Syria held by Islamic State (IS) militants, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) has said. The forces conducted 10 new strikes. Fighter-bombers and drones were used in the raids unleashed between Thursday and Friday on facilities near Kirkuk and Baghdad and other locations in Syria and Iraq where…

  • Jaya’s trial begins

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    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa flew down to Bangalore in a special aircraft from Chennai for the verdict in the disproportionate assets’ case against her. The verdict will be delivered by the special trial court in the central jail at Parapanna Agrahara in the city’s southern suburb. A couple of Tamil Nadu cabinet ministers…

  • Jihadism, Ukraine top NATO agenda

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    Elena Moreno and Rosa Jimenez talk to NATO’s outgoing Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He says Ukrainian crisis, Jihadism world’s biggest security challenges Jihadi terrorism and Russia’s aggression against the Ukraine are the two major challenges in international relations at the present time, NATO’s outgoing Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said. Those two issues and other…

  • Modi gets a rock star welcome

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    Wearing a smart burgundy bandgala and dark trousers, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plunged into a large throng of madly cheering crowd of fans here Friday evening here, throwing his security detail into a tizzy, as he arrived at his New York hotel from the airport. Several hundred people had gathered outside the hotel to…

  • The Anti-Social Society

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      The Funny Side by Nury Vittachi ponders “Why men only like foods which can kill them” I’m starting a group called The Anti-Social Society, with meetings at a restaurant every Friday. If you turn up, you’re disqualified. These days it’s too much trouble to go out, anyway. A reader sent me a report about a man…

  • Special Report: An alternate for sand

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    Can discarded plastic replace sand in concrete…writes Mayabhushan Nagvenkar   Plagued by chronic sand shortage following a ban on its indiscriminate mining, a scientific project undertaken by Goa’s structural experts and Britain’s University of Bath involving plastic may well bring cheer to the beleaguered real estate industry in the state. Academics in government engineering and polytechnics in…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Modi-Obama summit

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    Amidst crises galore, Modi, Obama to focus on defence, security…writes Arun Kumar  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s summit meeting with President Barack Obama will have a strong focus on defence and security issues taking place as it does in the midst of a number of international crises, US officials say. The Sep 29-30 summit comes at…

  • Call to reform UN Security Council

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    The IBSA Dialogue Forum comprising the three large democracies of India, Brazil and South Africa stressed on the urgent need for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC), which needs to be enlarged in order to better reflect the present day realities and make it more representative and effective. The foreign ministers of the grouping,…

  • INTERVIEW: Geethu Mohandas

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    Haricharan Pudipeddi talks to Geethu Mohandas , director of India’s official Oscar pick for the best foreign language film category. she says my short film helped me make ‘Liar’s Dice’ Actor-filmmaker Geethu Mohandas says it was her short film “Are You Listening” that paved the way for her debut feature film “Liar’s Dice”, which is India’s official…

  • Asian Lite Bookshelf

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    From the enigma of the Mughal empire to a determined, victorious fight against the system, the Asian Lite bookshelf this week is an eclectic bag of interesting reading. Take your pick: 1. Book: Colours of the Cage; Author: Arun Ferreira, Publisher: Aleph; Pages: 164 From being tortured to bearing beatings, human rights activist Arun Ferreira faced…

  • Special Report: India’s ties with Vietnam

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    Vikas Datta looks into the strategic importance of Vietnam to India  September was a busy month for Indian diplomacy with a slew of high-level visits – both outgoing and incoming. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan and now is headed to the US, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a number of visits around the…

  • Requiem for River Yamuna

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    World Rivers Day – Yamuna to be focus of World Rivers Day functions in Braj …writes Brij Khandelwal The problems of the Yamuna and other Indian rivers will again be in focus on the the annual World Rivers Day as the people of Braj Mandal join millions around the world in the 10th edition of the…

  • Gorbachev raps US over Europe

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    The last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, has lashed out at the US and its President, Barack Obama, for describing Russia as one of the major threats to global security and “provoking” quarrels in Europe. “The main virus (in the world) is America and its leadership ambitions,” Gorbachev told the Russian News Service…

  • Tight security in court for Jaya

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    Police  tightened security in and around Parapanna Agrahara in the city’s southern suburb for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who has been directed to be present in a makeshift court, set up near the central jail, for the judgement in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case Saturday. “We have made foolproof arrangements in and around…

  • Modi enjoys immunity from court summons: US

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    Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit, the US Friday made clear that as head of government, he enjoys “immunity and personal inviolability” and no US court summons can be served on him. Senior administration officials previewing the visit told reporters that they were aware of a law suit filed against Modi by…

  • Modi arrives in US

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    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New York to a tumultuous welcome by the Indian American community as diaspora members chanted “Modi, Modi” and held placards in his welcome. Modi, who arrived on a five-day visit to the US, was attired nattily in a dark maroon bandh-gala suit. A large group of Indian diaspora…

  • British parliament votes for air strikes against ISIS

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    Britain’s House of Commons Friday voted in favour of a government motion on military action in Iraq against Sunni radical group Islamic State (IS) after nearly seven hours of intense debate. Voting 524 to 43, British lawmakers overwhelmingly supported airstrikes against IS militants, giving green light to military intervention in Iraq, Xinhua reported. British Prime…

  • Pakistan rakes up Kashmir issue at UN

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      Pakistan expectedly raked up the Kashmir issue in the UN General Assembly with its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif saying the “core issue” of Jammu and Kashmir has to be resolved and pushed for a plebiscite in the state. He also blamed India for the calling off of bilateral foreign secretary level talks last month.…

  • ISIS the real Saudi nightmare

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    By Saeed Naqvi  In President Barack Obama’s initial list of the coalition against the Islamist State (ISIS) are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan. Others are being cajoled, tempted, lured but are not quite there. India too was sounded. Mercifully, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarked on a mission of economic diplomacy. He…

  • Britain should confront ISIS threat: Cameron

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron  said that the Islamic State (IS) was a threat to the “streets of Britain” and it was the “duty” of the government to confront the Sunni radical group, media reports said. Cameron in his address to parliament, which debated Britian’s involvement in the US-led attacks on IS positions in Iraq,…

  • Chavan quits as Maharashtra CM

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    A day after the NCP called off its alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra and withdrew from the government, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan submitted his resignation to Governor C.V. Rao. The Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) move, which came weeks before the assembly elections slated Oct 15, had reduced the Congress-led Democratic Front government to…

  • Kim Jong-un ill

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    The North Korean state media has said that the country’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, was suffering from “discomfort”, the first official acknowledgement of his ill-health after a prolonged absence from the limelight for several weeks. Kim, 31, has not been photographed by state media since appearing at a concert alongside his wife Sep 3, fuelling…

  • THE MADNESS OF MOTIVATION

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra You have to be a professional moron to fall for such drivel. I have this friend who is into psycho-executive analysis which sounds very heavy but what it means is that people are not happy in their work and he makes them feel better about the situation. For this he…

  • Labour Lauds India’s Role

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    High Commissioner Mr. Ranjan Mathai, in collaboration with the Labour Friends of India, hosted a reception on the side lines of the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. The Leader of the Labour Party Mr. Ed Miliband addressed the gathering which comprised many MPs & Peers, including John Speller, Seema Malhotra, Gareth Thomas, Mike Gapes, Virendra…

  • Earth’s water older than the Sun

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    A significant fraction of our solar system’s water is older than the Sun – indicating that abundant, organic-rich interstellar ices should probably be found in all young planetary systems, says pioneering research. New work from a team including Conel Alexander from Carnegie Mellon University found that much of our solar system’s water likely originated as…