Asian Lite News Archive

Category: UK News

  • Lucky escape for Scottish couple

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      A Scottish couple “loyal” to Malaysia Airlines escaped by the skin of their teeth when they were told that there were no seats available on flight MH17 to Kuala Lumpur, and were forced to switch to another airline. MH17, which crashed in Ukraine Thursday killing all 298 on board, is believed to have been…

  • UK to overhaul insurance system

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    The British government has introduced the Insurance Bill to Parliament, which will support the growth of Britain’s insurance industry and help customers by updating the 100 year-old rules governing contracts between businesses and insurers. The new bill introduces a more modern legal regime which will benefit both insurers and their business customers by increasing transparency…

  • Labour MEPs seek peace in Gaza

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    Labour MEPs including North West’s Afzal Khan played a leading role in successful efforts to win strong, across-the-board parliamentary backing to call for an immediate ceasefire to end the death toll in Gaza. Richard Howitt MEP, Labour’s European spokesperson on foreign affairs, took part in negotiations for a resolution agreed by the European Parliament condemning…

  • Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De

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    Following the phenomenal Box Office success of the prequel, director Manmohan Singh presents the follow-up installment of one of Punjabi cinema’s most popular franchises, Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De, releasing in cinemas on 8th August, presented by Trehan Productions and being released by Yash Raj Films. A breezy rom-com that soars high on feelgood factor, Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De marks this summer’s must-watch – an…

  • Hoard of firearms, including a missile, seized

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    Manchester police have recovered a hoard of firearms, including a missile, at a house in Dukinfield. As part of an ongoing investigation, a house on Dain Close in Dukinfield was searched on Wednesday. Over 40 prohibited weapons have been seized and are in the process of being examined by specialist officers under the Firearms Act.…

  • Three Lions Roarrrr…

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    England drop in Fifa world rankings to 20th England have fallen to 20th in the latest Fifa world rankings, their lowest position since May 1996. The drop of 10 places following a poor World Cup means they are behind Bosnia-Hercegovina, Costa Rica and the USA, BBC reported. Spain have gone from top to eighth, with…

  • Crackdown on paedophiles network

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    Police arrest several doctors, teachers, scout leaders, care workers and former police officers during a nationwide crackdown on paedophiles networks. The unprecedented six-month operation coordinated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and involving 45 police forces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland exposed the highly organised paedophiles network. More than 400 children across the UK have been safeguarded,…

  • Media focus on new cabinet

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  • Heatwave hits Britain

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    Public health officials said they were particularly concerned about Muslims fasting for Ramadan. Temperature soars to Middle Eastern levels as an unusual heatwave tighten its grip on the Island nation.   Britons are advised to stay indoors after forecasters warned that much of the country would be hotter than Barbados during a two-day heatwave, The Telegraph…

  • CWG Village bitten by vomitting bug

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    In what may be an alarming situation for the participants, the Commonwealth Games village at Dalmarnock here has been bitten by the ‘norovirus bug’ resulting in an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting among the workforce. The athletes are due to start arriving at the athletes village this week for the Commonwealth Games slated for July…

  • Woman gives birth in Birmingham Courtroom

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    A heavily-pregnant woman gave birth to a baby girl in a court in Britain after going into labour in the witness room, a media report said. The woman, 25, who had travelled to the Birmingham Crown Court to support a witness giving evidence in a trial, went into labour in the witness room as paramedics…

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    Safirah Irani When we think of Jazz, we automatically think of New Orleans where Jazz originates from but recently, I experienced the rebirth of jazz with a difference. Sachal Jazz Ensemble took the stage at Kings Place, London for an intimate gig. A group of veteran master musicians from Lahore who explore music of the…

  • CWG security to cost £90m

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    The security cost of the 2014 Commonwealth Games slated for July 23-August 3, has gone up to £90 million, three times more than the original expected bill of £27.2 million . The Scottish government is contributing £37.7 million more than originally planned, reports The Herald. Some 1,100 soldiers will be deployed on the streets of…

  • Priti Patel is UK’s new minister

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    An ardent fan of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has became the treasury minister in the British government. Priti Patel, the new Treasury Minister of the UK Priti Patel, 42, Conservative MP from Witham, was promoted by Prime Minister David Cameron in the cabinet reshuffle. Patel is Cameron’s ‘India Diaspora Champion’ and accompanied him in…

  • UK to stem phoning while driving

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    Ministers are considering doubling the number of penalty points drivers are given when they are caught driving while speaking on a mobile phone, The Guardian reported. Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, is considering the plans to double the penalty points in the current sanction to six. The move was recommended by Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the commissioner…

  • Cameron to unveil final list today

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron is due to complete the final appointments in his biggest ministerial reshuffle later ahead of questions from MPs in the Commons, BBC reported. The prime minister made sweeping changes to his front bench, replacing Education Secretary Michael Gove and Foreign Secretary William Hague. Some junior posts are yet to be filled.…

  • ICC charges James Anderson

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    England fast bowler James Anderson has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with violation of the Code of Conduct by allegedly abusing and pushing India’s Ravindra Jadeja during the first cricket Test at Trent Bridge. In retaliation, a “shocked” ECB has accused Jadeja of a lesser offence as they do not want both…

  • Priti joins Cameron Cabinet

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    Indian-origin MP Priti Patel  becomes British Treasury Minister The Witham MP Priti Patel has been appointed as Treasury Minister  in the Prime Minister’s reshuffle. Priti is Prime Minister’s India Diaspora Champion and accompanied him in his India trips. She met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the high level delegation led by William Hague and Chancellor…

  • Philip Hammond named new British foreign secretary

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    Britih Prime Minister David Cameron  named Philip Hammond the Foreign Secretary and Michael Fallon as the Defence Secretary. Philip Hammond Fallon succeeds Hammond, who in turn replaces William Hague following his surprise resignation on Monday from the Foreign Office. The appointments were part of a cabinet reshuffle that included the promotion of more women to…

  • Tesco Bank unveils mega offer

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    Tesco Bank unveils their longest ever balance transfer offer on credit cards, one of the most competitive deals on the market The bank will offer 0% interest on balance transfers for 32 months, meaning customers pay no interest on balances until early 2017. Additionally, customers that want to make purchases on the card can get 0%…

  • School-going rapists avoid jail in Britain

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    Two schoolboys in Britain, who raped a 10-year-old girl, escaped being sent to jail  because of their young age. The Newport Crown Court in South Wales heard that the boys, aged 12 and 13, carried out the sex attack on the girl while playing on an Xbox console, the Daily Mail reported. The girl kept…

  • Turned away by hospital, woman gives birth at home

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    An Indian-origin woman in labour was turned away from a hospital’s maternity unit in Britain – only to give birth 40 minutes later in her mother’s living room, a media report said. Zeenat Patel, 26, and her partner, Yaseen Lockhat, first went to the maternity unit at Royal Bolton Hospital in Lancashire county about 3.30…

  • London to host Girl Summit

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    Unicef is orgnaising a major summit in London on July 22 to discuss a new strategy to protect girls from abuse. The organisation in a statement said: Child, early and forced marriage affects millions of girls every year. One in three girls in developing countries is married by the age of 18. Some are as…

  • Naga joins Breakfast Club

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    The presenter line-up for BBC Breakfast has been cemented, with Naga Munchetty confirmed as a co-host alongside Charlie Stayt, BBC reported. Munchetty, who has already appeared regularly on the show, will present with Stayt from Thursday to Saturday. Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin anchor the programme from the BBC’s Salford studios from Monday to Wednesday.…

  • Lord Blencathra ordered to apologise

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    Conservative peer Lord Blencathra – formerly known as David Maclean – has been ordered to apologise to the House of Lords for signing a contract with the Cayman Islands government under which he pledged to lobby both Houses of Parliament. The move follows a two-year investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism into the former…

  • SURVEY – Tories ahead of Labour

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    Nigel Farage’s Ukip support has plunged back from its high point of the European elections, giving a boost to all the established Westminster parties and pushing the Tories into the lead, according to a new Guardian/ICM poll. Ukip drops back into single figures to stand on 9%, down seven points from last month’s score of 16%.…

  • Synod backs women bishops

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    The Church of England has voted to allow women to become bishops for first time in its history.  Its ruling General Synod gave approval to legislation introducing the change by the required two-thirds majority. A previous vote in 2012 was backed by the Houses of Bishops and Clergy but blocked by traditionalist lay members, BBC reported.…

  • Hague quits post to focus on election

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    Veteran Tory politician William Hague has stood down as British foreign secretary to focus on forth coming geneal election 2015 May. Mr Hague is to leave Parliament at the 2015 general election after 26 years as MP for Richmond, North Yorkshire, BBC reported. As part of a significant ministerial reshuffle, veteran Conservative MP Ken Clarke has…

  • London rally to rap Gaza raids

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    The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) will stage a protest march in London on 25th July to mark Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day.  IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said the annual commemmoration of the dispossession and oppression of the Palestinian people will take place on 25 July and end in a rally outside the US embassy, chosen as a rallying…

  • Health tourists to pay more at NHS

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    Patients from outside the EU are to be charged 150% of the cost of treatment in the NHS in a fresh crackdown on so-called “health tourism”. The move by the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is designed to encourage NHS Trusts to recover the cost of operations from migrants, BBC reported. Mr Hunt believes the plans…

  • Banks freeze Cage accounts

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    Cage,, a forum promoted by former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg has claimed that its bank accounts have been closed. Cage, which campaigns on behalf of terrorism suspects, said Barclays and the Co-operative Bank had shut down its business accounts without any notice or explanation. The move appears to have coincided with Begg being charged in…

  • Jihadists urged to come back & rehab

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    The British  government is considering adopting a German scheme that encourages jihadists to return home from Syria and Iraq and sign up to de-radicalisation classes, The Times reported.A pilot programme, expected to be launched in London by September, will be modelled on Hayat, a scheme that offers those who return from Iraq and Syria the…

  • Air India joins Star Alliance

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    India’s flag carrier Air India becomes 27th member of Star Alliance State-run Air India became 27th member of Star Alliance. The move will provide customers access to lounges of member airlines the world over and single-ticket travel across airlines and other such facilities. “From today, we open up a completely different world for our passengers,…

  • Council staff finds fame in Bollywood

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    Sonia Gill, the Bollywood actress known for her acting in ‘Arsho’ and ‘Society’, lives a double life. In a chit-chat with Anjana Parikh, the 27-year-old who has starred in five blockbusters and is also a Oxfordshire County Council worker, talks about her life as an actress and a council staff. AL: When did you decided…

  • Clegg joins Srebrenica Memorial

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    British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg commits to a Britain free from threats or harm on Srebrenica Memorial Day, 11 July   Today, 11 July, the international community remembers the Bosnian genocide, marking the 19th anniversary of when generations of families were wiped out. The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is one of many politicians Four Mothers of Srebrenica…

  • Taxpayers lost £1bn on Royal Mail sale

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       MPs has criticised Vince Cable over his handling of the sale of Royal Mail shares. The government feared failure and acted on bad advice over the Royal Mail stock market flotation, reports the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee. The Department for Business said the MPs’ report contained “factual errors and misunderstandings”. Royal Mail…

  • Vatayan’s event at House of Lords

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    Vatayan: Poetry on South Bank has organised a special event on July 30 at House of Lords. The event is dedicated to the late Dr Satyendra Srivastava, Hindi scholar, poet and playwright, who taught for 44 years at Cambridge University. Late Dr Satyendra Srivastava On this occasion, Dr Rama Pandey’s first poetry collection, Guhaar (Beseech),…

  • UK rushes surveillance legislation

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    Prime Minister David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat deputy, Nick Clegg, have unveiled emergency surveillance legislation that will shore up government powers to require phone and internet companies to retain and hand over data to the security services, The Guardian reported. The emergency legislation – due to be debated on Tuesday and complete all its…

  • Cannabis farm seized in Salford

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    Up to £400,000 worth of cannabis has been seized by police in Salford. Shortly after 5pm on Wednesday, police executed a drugs warrant on Worsley Road, Worsley. Officers discovered the entire upstairs of the house had been converted into a large cannabis production farm, with all the upstairs bedrooms full of cannabis. There was also evidence…

  • Vatayan’s event at House of Lords

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    Vatayan: Poetry on South Bank has organised a special event on July 30, 2014, which is dedicated to the Late Dr Satyendra Srivastava, Hindi scholar, poet and playwright, who taught for 44 years at Cambridge University. On this occasion, Dr Rama Pandey’s first poetry collection, Guhaar (Beseech), will also be launched by the Baroness Flather…

  • UK public sector workers on strike

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    More than a million public sector workers are on strike in a series of disputes with the government over pay, pensions and job cuts, BBC reported. Teachers, council staff, firefighters and civil servants are among those walking out on Thursday. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said public sector pay was lagging behind the cost of…

  • London to be world’s top tourist destination

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    London is likely to become world’s top tourist city with the most international overnight visitors, according to a survey. The MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index report found Wednesday that the British capital is expected to welcome most number of international overnight visitors, an estimated 18.69 million, topping the list of most visited 132 destinations across…

  • Sir Virdee, Dr Hameid honoured

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    Ragasudha Vinjamuri attends a reception at India House to honour  Sir Virdee and Prof Hameid High Commissioner of India Ranjan Mathai hosted a cocktail reception for physicist Prof Tejinder Virdee, recently knighted by the Queen for services to science, and for Dr Yusuf Hameid, the head of Indian pharmaceutical giant Cipla, who has been conferred…

  • NRI girl’s death an ‘open conclusion’: court

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    An inquest into the mysterious death of an eight-year-old British Indian girl has found it to be a case of “open conclusion”, a media report said. Gurkiren Loyal, a resident of Birmingham in Britain’s West Midlands, died after being treated at a local clinic in Punjab in India for a routine stomach ailment in April…

  • Ravi Shankar’s Sukanya in London

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    The Ravi Shankar Foundation in association with the Royal Opera House, Indian High Commission, Arts Council England and Curve Theatre presents the maestro’s opera Sukanya on Monday 14th July 2014 (6.30 to 9.15pm). Ravi Shankar, known as the “Godfather of World Music” was one of the most influential musicians of all time. As music guru to the Beatles,…

  • Illegal rooftop costs NRI £40,000 fine

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    A British Indian man who extended his home illegally in London has been fined more than £40,000, a media report said. Mayur Naturbhai Patel built a major rooftop extension to his four-bedroom terraced house without planning permission in the affluent Kensington neighbourhood in central London, the Trinity Mirror reported. Isleworth Crown Court in London Monday…

  • India & Britain to broaden economic engagement

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    Economic pattnership between India and Britain remained the focus of discussion as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Tuesday exchanged notes on a “broad canvas” of issues with her visiting British counterpart William Hague here. “There were discussions on a broad canvas of issues. The external affairs minister focused on economic ties as these are robust,”…

  • Hague & Osborne in India

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  • ‘Good days coming for British-Indian ties’

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    British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne  said it was exciting to visit India when the excitement about the Indian economy and the optimism about the prospects for future growth are palpable. “I have been here for a day and already I can feel the buzz in the air… Good days are coming,” Osborne remarked…

  • Pakistani Muslims voice for organ donation

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    Members of the Pakistani Muslim community in Birmingham attended the launch of a new health project held recently. The project will see trained volunteers, called peer educators, from the Pakistani Muslim community raise awareness of the important need for organ, blood and bone marrow donation within their communities. The project is being managed by Kidney…