Asian Lite News Archive

Category: World News

  • 19 bodies found at Everest base camp

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    Nineteen bodies have been recovered from Everest base camp which was hit by an avalanche following Saturday’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, the Indian defence ministry said  even as the stranded climbers kept tweeting about themselves for the world. “Nineteen bodies have been recovered from the Everest base camp. About 50 others are injured,” defence ministry…

  • India will wipe the tear of every Nepali: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India stands with Nepal in its time of sorrow following the massive quake and will do its best to wipe the tear of every Nepali, hold their hand and be with them in this hour of tragedy. In his monthly edition of Mann ki Baat radio address, Modi said he…

  • Malala condemns female activist’s murder in Pakistan

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    Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has condemned the killing of female human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud in Karachi and demanded the earliest arrest of the assailants, a media report said. Mahmud, who founded the social forum T2F, was shot dead on Friday night minutes after the end of an interactive discussion on “Unsilencing Balochistan”.…

  • India begins ‘Operation Maitri’ in Nepal

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      The Indian Army has named the aid to Nepal ‘Operation Maitri’ or friendship, a day after it started extending help to the neighbouring country that was hit by a massive earthquake just before noon on Saturday, leaving a trail of death and destruction. India is with the “sisters and brothers” of Nepal in its…

  • Over 1,800 killed in Nepal earthquake

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    The earthquake that hit Nepal  has killed at least 1,805 people, an official statement said. The earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, had its epicenter in Lamjung district, around 75 km northwest of capital Kathmandu. Following the massive quake, over 50 aftershocks were also felt. The statement issued by the Nepal home ministry states…

  • When the earth shook in Nepal

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    First Person report by Anil Giri  It was a morning like no other. Life in Kathmandu was proceeding slowly with people enjoying the weekend when it happened. The earth shook! People ran out from homes, shops screaming. With the quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, over 1,000 buildings, including historical structures, collapsed. There is no…

  • Disney targets mass Indian audience

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    Disney India is creating an experience with “ABCD- AnyBody Can Dance” for all Indian fans. With the “ABCD 2”, sequel to the first successful instalment “ABCD…”, the company is planning to extend the cinematic experience to a television show on bindass; a dance-inspired game and branded merchandise. “Globally, Disney has created some of the biggest…

  • Quake hits historic sites in Nepal – GALLERY

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    The Dharahara, a nine-storeyed 19th-century tower, collapsed here after a huge earthquake shook Nepal and caused widespread devastation on Saturday, a media report said. Hundreds of people are reportedly trapped in the debris, a posting on Twitter said. According to bloggers, the tower, built in 1832, was an iconic monument erected by Nepal’s first prime minister, Bhimsen…

  • The plight of leprosy patients in India

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    According to the 12th Five Year Plan, India aims to achieve complete elimination of leprosy by 2017. Leprosy is perhaps the only disease against which there is no vaccine. This is because the bacteria cannot be cultured outside the human body. Despite being easily treated now and discovered to be much less contagious than previously…

  • Human traffickers on Social Media

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    Businesses are increasingly using social media — even the illegal ones. Now, even smugglers have taken to the Facebook to woo their clients. The human smugglers are offering desperate migrants passage across the Mediterranean to Europe, according to a Financial Times report. The paper reported the existence of several Facebook pages in Arabic offering passage…

  • Volcanic activity prompts evacuations in Chile

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      At least 6,400 people have been forced to leave their homes because of the activity of Chile’s Calbuco volcano, which erupted two days ago for the first time in 42 years. Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation on Friday afternoon of 2,000 people from three towns in the Los Lagos region, after another 4,400 were…

  • US seeks ‘rebalance’ in Asia

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    By Arun Kumar  Citing President Barack Obama’s historic “good trip” to India in January, US officials have said that different partnerships it’s forging across Asia can contribute to the stability and prosperity of the broader region. In a conference call on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s state visit next week, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben…

  • Devastation in Kathmandu

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     A massive earthquake that rocked Nepal caused major devastation in the old area of the national capital. According to information available, there was widespread devastation in Hanmandhoka area in the old area of Kathmandu. Several casualties were feared as buildings collapsed. Authorities said they were still trying to assess the situation. Images that were tweeted…

  • Quake rocks Nepal, North India

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    A strong earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale rocked Nepal at 11.41 a.m. India time, with tremors felt from Delhi to Guwahati and Srinagar to Jaipur. Even half an hour later, the aftershocks continued. According to the India Meteorological Department, the depth of earthquake was 10 km and measured 6 on the Richter scale…

  • Ficci to boost C’Wealth Biz forum

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    The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India, has become a Founding Strategic Partner of the CWEIC, the apex organisation representing private sector businesses within the Commonwealth and is the only institution with a remit to promote intra-Commonwealth trade and investment.   The agreement…

  • Women fuel binge drinking in the US

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    Heavy drinking and binge drinking have gone up sharply in the US since 2005 due in large part to rising rates of drinking among women, says a study. While heavy drinking increased sharply in 2012, up 17.2 percent since 2005, binge drinking increased 8.9 percent across the US since 2005, showed the findings of the…

  • Tributes to victims of Armenian genocide

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    World leaders pay tribute to victims of Armenian genocide World leaders attending a ceremony in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Friday to commemorate the centenary of the Armenian genocide observed a minute of silence for the 1.5 million victims killed under the Ottoman Empire, Efe news agency reported. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received Russian…

  • Israel strikes northern Gaza

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    Israeli forces attacked a position in the north of the Gaza Strip, an immediate response to a Palestinian rocket launched at its neighbour’s southern front, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. “In response to rocket attack against Israel, the IDF targeted a terrorist infrastructure in northern Gaza,” the statement said. No damages…

  • EU triples funding for migrant rescue

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    European Union (EU) leaders have resolved to triple funding for search-and-rescue operations aimed at migrant boats in the Mediterranean, a media report said on Friday. The decision was taken during a summit on migratory pressures held in the Belgian capital of Brussles on Thursday. European Council (EC) President Donald Tusk said leaders had asked EU…

  • Celestial fireworks mark Hubble birthday

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    NASA has unveiled stunning celestial fireworks as an official image to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its Hubble space telescope that was launched on April 24, 1990. The brilliant tapestry of young stars flaring to life resemble a glittering fireworks display in the image taken by Hubble. “Hubble has completely transformed our view of the…

  • Stop hate speech on social media: India

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    To stop youth from turning to violent radicalism, nations should ensure that social media did not promote hate speech, India has told the Security Council. Participating in a Security Council debate on the “Role of Youth in Countering Violent Extremism ,” Deputy Permanent Representative Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi said religious fanaticism fueled the flames of violent…

  • YouTube turns 10

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    The ‘popstar’ YouTube that actually made several pop stars what they are today, including Justin Bieber and Zoella, has turned 10 . It’s been 10 years since Jawed Karim — the man behind the concept of the video sharing site — uploaded the first ever video of his zoo visit on the website. The then…

  • Obama takes responsibility for accidental killing of hostages

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    US President Barack Obama said  that he took “full responsibility” for a counter-terrorism operation in January against Al Qaeda which accidentally killed two hostages. “As president and as commander-in-chief, I take full responsibility for all our counter-terrorism operations, including the one that inadvertently took the lives of Warren (Weinstein) and Giovanni (Lo Porto). I profoundly…

  • ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’

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    The stars of 2007 viral video ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ are now on their adolescents . Charlie is now 9, his brother Harry is 11 – they got two additional brothers too. CBBC, the children’s channel of BBC, recently portrayed them in their Newsround. ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ video is one of the most watched videos on YouTube of…

  • China favours an all-win Iran n-deal

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      Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country stands ready to work with relevant parties to hammer out a fair, balanced and all-win agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during which the Chinese leader welcomed the recent framework deal Iran reached with…

  • New Zealand PM apologises for pulling waitress’ ponytail

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    New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologised to a waitress for pulling her ponytail on several occasions at an Auckland cafe where she worked, media reported. Key, on his way to Turkey to commemorate the World War I battle of Gallipoli, explained that he was simply being playful and friendly, and apologised when he realised…

  • Climate change needs urgent action: Obama

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     US President Barack Obama said  that climate change “can no longer be denied” and immediate measures are needed to mitigate its effects. Obama said during his Earth Day address on Wednesday at the Everglades National Park — the largest subtropical wilderness in the US — that global warming threatened the 600,000-hectare (1.5-million-acre) park and the…

  • Indian scientists develop new drug for Parkinson’s

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    Indian researchers have developed a new therapy that has been found to reverse Parkinson’s-like symptoms in rats and the researchers believe that the findings could one day lead to a new therapy for human patients. The researchers found that infusing the chemical dopamine into the brain can relieve symptoms in animal models of the disease.…

  • Vatican urges dialogue with Islam

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    Dialogue is needed with Islam “now more than ever”, the Vatican said , stressing that most Muslims abhor violent acts perpetrated in the name of religion. “Recent events have caused many to ask if there is still room for dialogue with Muslims,” the Vatican’s interfaith dialogue body said in a statement. “The answer is yes…

  • US seeks extradition of NRI UK trader

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    US authorities have sought extradition from Britain of an Indian origin trader accused of contributing to the “flash crash” of 2010 that briefly wiped out nearly $1 trillion in stock market value. Navinder Singh Sarao, 36, from West London, appeared in a Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and said he would oppose extradition to the…

  • Ethiopians mourn citizens killed by ISIS

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    By Hadra Ahmed  In impoverished Cherkos village, near Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, friends and families of Balcha Belete and Eyassu Yekunoamlak, two people believed to have been killed by Islamic State (IS) terrorists, were inconsolable and the entire village was plunged in grief. Belete and Yekunoamlak, like so many intending migrants who have left the…

  • India urges for political settlement in Middle East

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    By Arul Louis  To bring peace to the Middle East, India has called for political dialogue to find solutions to the hostilities wracking the region while urging strong action against extremist groups whose deadly violence “strikes at our common humanity.” In a Security Council debate on the Middle East, Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji touched…

  • Obama submits n-deal with China to Congress

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      US President Barack Obama has submitted to Congress a proposed 30-year agreement on cooperating with China in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. “In my judgement, it meets all applicable statutory requirements and will advance the nonproliferation and other foreign policy interests of the US,” Obama said in a message to Congress issued by the…

  • Palani Kumanan shares Pulitzer Prize

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    A software engineer of Indian descent shared The Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in growing recognition of the importance of using information technology tools for reporting as well as for presentation. Palani Kumanan, who is a software architect and technical lead with Dow Jones that publishes the Journal, was a part of…

  • Saudi Arabia ends operation in Yemen

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    The Saudi Arabia-led coalition command announced on Wednesday the end of its military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen after receiving a message from President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, evoking welcome reactions from several countries. The coalition stated that the airstrikes conducted as part of the “Operation Decisive Storm” military campaign managed “to successfully remove…

  • Morsi jailed for 20 years

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      An Egyptian court  sentenced Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted as president in 2013, to 20 years in prison for inciting the killings of protestors outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012. This is the first verdict issued against Morsi since his ouster on July 3, 2013. However, Morsi and all other 14 defendants…

  • Japanese maglev train sets speed record

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    Central Japan Railway’s high-speed train broke its own world speed record , clocking 603 kilometres per hour (374.69 miles per hour), after having set the previous record less than a week ago. The maglev — magnetically levitated — train broke the record during a 42-km test run in Yamanashi, a district about 35 km west…

  • Spotlight on missing black men in America

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    By Arun Kumar  As yet another black man died, this time in police custody, unleashing a fresh wave of protests asking whether black lives matter, a media report spoke of some 1.5 million missing black men in the United States. For every 100 black women not in jail, there are only 83 black men, the…

  • US beefs up presence off Yemen

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      The US has bolstered its naval presence in the waters off the war-torn Yemen by sending an aircraft carrier and a guided missile cruiser following the spectre of Iran sending weapons to the Shia Houthi rebels to fight the Yemen government. The US Navy confirmed in a communique that the US had decided to…

  • EU urged to rescue endangered migrants

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      The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) urged the European Union on Monday to establish rescue operations to address the increasing number of migrants perishing in the attempt to traverse the Mediterranean Sea. The request came after a boat attempting to reach European shores sank on Saturday night in the Strait of Sicily, where the…

  • UNSC calls for access to Palestinian camp

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     The UN Security Council (UNSC) has called for “unhindered humanitarian access” to the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near the Syrian capital of Damascus and stressed on “the protection of civilians” there. “The members of the security council called for unhindered humanitarian access to the Yarmouk camp and for the protection of civilians inside the camp,”…

  • Hepatitis B cure in sight

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    A combination therapy of an antiviral drug and an anti-cancer drug has been found 100 percent successful in eliminating the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in pre-clinical models, Australian scientists have said. Hepatitis B is a chronic viral disease that is currently incurable. The virus infects liver cells and can lead to complications including cirrhosis…

  • Hillary leads Democratic pack

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    By Arun Kumar   As the 2016 US presidential race gets going, Hillary Clinton dominates everyone on the Democratic side while Jeb Bush has a slight edge among the Republicans, a new poll said. Democrats are broadly enthusiastic about the former First Lady and secretary of state’s candidacy, far more than they are for any other…

  • Bibi gets two-week extension to form new Govt

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    Israeli President Reuven Rivlin  granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a two-week extension to form a new government, a media report said. On March 25, Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with the responsibility of forming the next government and gave him 28 days to do so — a deadline which will be reached this week, Xinhua reported. Netanyahu,…

  • Indian-origin poet Rajvinder Singh excels with German oeuvre

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    Creative literature is generally linked to a writer’s mother tongue. Not so Rajvinder Singh, an Indian-origin poet whose German oeuvre has seen over a hundred articles written on him over the years… writes Vishal Gulati. Essentially a poet and a short story writer, besides being a feature journalist, this “Punjabi by heart” has 14 anthologies…

  • UN calls for recovery of black money

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    By Arul Louis   A major UN meeting of law officials has called for a strong international action to track down and recover black money hidden in safe havens. The 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which ended on Sunday in Doha, Qatar, declared that effective steps should be taken to trace,…

  • 700 migrants believed drowned off Sicily

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    Nearly 700 migrants are believed to have drowned when a packed boat capsized in international waters south of Italy’s Sicily island , media reports said. A Portuguese merchant ship, transiting through the area, some 110 km off Libya, was asked to rush to the spot. It managed to recover 28 survivors after the Italian coast…

  • Shroud of Turin back on display

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    The Shroud of Turin returns to public display at the city’s cathedral after a break of five years. The 4.4-metre-long (14-ft) cloth will be on show until 24 June reports BBC. Viewings are free but must be booked. Already one million people have signed up. Some devotees believe the shroud to be the burial cloth…

  • India Ignores World Heritage Sites

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    Agra’s monuments victims of ASI’s callous neglect …writes Brij Khandelwal to mark World Heritage Day   It’s becoming increasingly clear that only professional managers can preserve this Taj city’s heritage, experts say. The parliamentary committee on environment, headed by former union minister Ashwini Kumar (Congress), after spot visits and interactions with stakeholders last week, expressed concern over the poor…

  • Five arrested in Australia in terror plot

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    Australian counter-terrorism police arrested five men in Melbourne for an alleged terror plot. According to officials, two of the five men were planning an Islamic State (IS)-inspired attack on an Anzac Day ceremony — anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War, ABC reported.…