Asian Lite News Archive

Category: World News

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • World Peace Meditation campaign writes history

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    “Make people experience Peace together” was what echoed from various corners of the world. More than 2000 APP downloads were experienced from over 70 countries who participated in the FIRST EVER GLOBAL synchronised meditation on 21 September. UK, the USA and several other European countries, a large contigent from Oman , Dubai and other Asian…

  • Empire Debate in London

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    Experts dissect the impact of British colonisation of India reports Ragasudha Vinjamuri Marking 400 years of formal relations between the UK and India, an Empire debate whether the Indian subcontinent benefited more than it lost from the experience of British Colonisation was held at the Supreme Court in London recently. The erudite panel consisted of politicians,…

  • Victoria Beckham appointed UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador

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    Victoria Beckham has been appointed UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador. The announcement was made Thursday at a press conference during the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, which runs from Sep 16 to Oct 1, Xinhua reported. “This is the beginning of an important journey for me. As a woman and a…

  • Afghan leaders urged to act on rights

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    Afghanistan’s new president Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah should focus efforts on tackling the country’s persistent human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said Friday. In a letter to the new unity government, the US-based group made specific recommendations to strengthen accountability for security forces, advance women’s rights, protect the media, revitalize the Afghanistan…

  • Sarkozy returning to politics

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    Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has re-launched his political career with a rally near the city of Lille, media reported Friday. Last week, Sarkozy had announced that he would seek the leadership of the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party, BBC reported. The development came after the suspension Wednesday of a case against…

  • NEWS N PICS

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  • GALLERY: Red Carpet at Rio

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    Stars pose on the red carpet for the opening ceremony of 2014 Rio International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 300 films will be screened in Rio de Janeiro during the 15-day festival.

  • ‘Unlimited holidays for Virgin staff’

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     Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Boos, is offering his personal staff as much holiday as they want. In a blog on his website, Sir Richard said that his staff of 170 could “take off whenever they want for as long as they want”. He added that there was no need to ask for approval, nor say…

  • ISIS:  Illusions Vs Reality

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    Dr. Alon Ben-Meir looks in to the rise of ISIS as a global threat and the US strategy to destroy it Much has been said about President Obama’s strategy to degrade and eventually “destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Regardless of the soundness of the President’s strategy, to ensure greater success in…

  • Cameron convenes cabinet

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron will convene his cabinet Thursday after an early return from a UN meet in New York to prepare for a debate in parliament over threat from the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group, a media report said. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Cameron described as “medieval” the cruelty of…

  • Anjem Choudary and others arrested in terror raids

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    Nine people were arrested in London on suspicion of being members of an outlawed group, a media report said . The arrests were made after police raided at least 18 properties in London and one in Stoke-on-Trent, BBC reported, adding that it was part of an ongoing probe into Islamist-related terrorism. Those arrested included radical…

  • Nobel laureates to boycott South Africa summit

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    Coming out in support of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who was denied a travel visa by South Africa, four women Nobel Peace laureates have refused to attend the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Cape Town next month. Three of them – Jody Williams of the US, Shirin Ebadi of Iran and…

  • Ban Ki-moon lauded

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    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was recognized in New York by the South-South Awards for his role in leading the world’s efforts to combat climate change. Susana Malcorra, the UN chef de cabinet to the executive office, accepted the recognition on behalf of the secretary-general at the 2014 South-South Awards reception, held Wednesday on the…

  • ISIS controlled refineries hit in Syria

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    The United States, along with its Arab allies, has continued airstrikes on positions of the Islamic State  group in Syria by targeting oil facilities controlled by the militants. The US Central Command, in charge of American military operations in the Middle East, said Wednesday that the raids were carried out by fighter planes and cruise…

  • Boko Haram leader killed

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    Nigerian forces have killed a man claiming to be the leader of Islamist Boko Haram militants, Abubakar Shekau, the country’s defence authority said Wednesday. Mohammed Bashir, who has been acting or posing in videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as the leader of the group, died in an encounter with Nigerian…

  • Rajapaksa under pressure for probe

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      Under pressure to allow an international probe, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Wednesday that “human rights are used as a tool to implement motivated agendas” and criticised what he characterised as double standards in enforcing them. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Rajapaksa said: “Human rights should be recognised by all as a…

  • British Parliament recalled

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    British Parliament will be recalled  to debate on airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group in Iraq, Downing Street announced Wednesday. Britain’s speaker for the House of Commons has agreed on Prime Minister David Cameron’s request to recall Parliament this Friday to debate on Britain’s response to the request from the Iraqi government for…

  • Pope calls for help to fight Ebola

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    Pope Francis called for international assistance to combat the Ebola virus epidemic in African countries, during his weekly general audience held at St. Peter’s Square. “My thoughts now go to those countries in Africa that are suffering because of the outbreak of Ebola,” he said, as he offered prayers for the victims of the disease.…

  • Obama calls for global support

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    President Barack Obama  called on all nations to join the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorists whose brutality “forces us to look into the heart of darkness”. He told the UN General Assembly, “Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the danger posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that…

  • NASA congratulate ISRO

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    NASA sent a congratulatory message to its Indian counterpart ISRO for its successful maiden Mars mission, saying it’s a ” significant milestone” for India. “We congratulate the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for its successful arrival at Mars with the Mars Orbiter Mission ( MOM),” Xinhua quoted NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as saying in a…

  • Cameron meets Iranian president

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met here Wednesday for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Cameron and Rouhani held the meeting at the office of the British Mission to the UN, a few blocks from the UN headquarters in downtown New York, Xinhua reported. The meeting took place…

  • US on alert for ‘lone wolf’ attacks

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    US security forces are on alert against the possibility of an attack by “lone wolves” in reaction to the US bombings on the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group in Syria, media reported. A circular from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday warned that extremists living in the country could decide to…

  • Barbara Henning pleads to ISIS

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    The wife of British hostage Alan Henning, who is being held by the Islamic State Sunni radical organisation, has urged the group to free her husband after receiving an audio message in which he pleads for his life, British officials said . In a statement released by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Barbara Henning…

  • Arab countries support US on ISIS mission

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      Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have promised to stand alongside the US “until the end” in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group, a day after launching coordinated attacks on the group in Syria. US President Barak Obama received the support in a meeting Tuesday…

  • Maven tweets ‘ Namaste’

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    As India entered the history books with insertion of its maiden Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) into the Martian orbit early Wednesday, NASA’s 2012 Mars mission Curiosity, ISRO’s Mars Orbiter and NASA’s 2014 Mars mission Maven that entered the Mars orbit Sep 21 exchanged fun tweets. “The #MAVEN team congratulates @ISRO for its #Mars arrival! @MarsOrbiter…

  • Clashes Al Aqsa mosque

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      Dozens of masked Palestinian protestors clashed with police Wednesday morning in the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, as the holy site was opened to Jewish visitors ahead of the Jewish New Year, the police said. Police units stormed the compound after firecrackers were thrown at police officers at the nearby Mugrabim Gate, Xinhua reported…

  • Obama admits US role in climate change

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    President Barack Obama acknowledged the role of the United States in creating the climate change crisis  and told developing nations Washington will provide science and technology to help them combat it. Addressing the United Nations Climate Change Summit, Obama announced two new policy initiatives for the US in working with developing countries. He said that…

  • Bin Laden’s son-in-law gets life in prison

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    A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden was Tuesday sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on terrorism charges. US district judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a 48-year-old Kuwaiti imam, for conspiracy to murder Americans and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group. Abu Ghaith, who was extradited last year after…

  • US-led airstrikes in Syria kills ISIS militants

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    At least 70 Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist militants were killed and 300 more were wounded in airstrikes on Syrian territory launched by warplanes of the US-led international coalition Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. SOHR indicated that the militants were killed in bomb attacks that targeted their positions in the northern…

  • India makes space history

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    India created space history by becoming the first country in the world to enter Mars orbit in its maiden attempt, an event that Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as achieving the “near impossible”. India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) glided over 650 million km through deep space for over nine months to reach the red planet’s…

  • DiCaprio at UN Summit

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    Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio addresses the UN Climate Summit in New York. He said: “I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems. I believe that mankind has looked at climate change in that same way. As if pretending that climate change wasn’t real would somehow make it go away, but I think we all know better than…

  • S. Asians in Canada face health risk

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    South Asians, including people from India, living in Canada have a higher rate of heart disease and double the rate of diabetes compared with Caucasian people, says a study co-authored by an Indian-origin researcher. South Asians – people from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh – comprise about three percent of the Canadian population.…

  • 2014 – Hottest year on record?

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    The year 2014 is poised to become the warmest year ever measured, suggests new data released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The combined temperature of June, July and August has been unprecedented in historical records, said the NOAA data, suggesting that Earth’s oceans reached a level last month not seen since…

  • Jordan confirms its part in Syria airstrikes

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      Jordan announced  that its warplanes took part in the US-led air operation against the Islamic State (IS) jihadis in northern Syria. In a statement reported by the official news agency Petra, a source at army headquarters said that the Jordanian air force destroyed “several targets”. Without mentioning Syria, the statement said that the strikes…

  • Israeli kills suspected murderers of Jewish teens

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    Two Palestinians suspected of having kidnapped and murdered three Jewish teenagers in June have been killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli security forces in the West Bank early Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed. Acting on intelligence information, soldiers and police officers surrounded a building in Hebron where Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abu Aysha,…

  • US informed Syria in advance on strikes

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      Washington had informed Syria of airstrikes against positions of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria before these strikes started, the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday. The statement said that Syria’s envoy to the UN was informed Monday about the commencement of the US-led airstrikes against IS positions in Syria’s northern province…

  • US begins air strikes on ISIS Syria

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    The US and allies, said to include Arab nations, Tuesday launched the first airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria. The Arab nations include Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE, with Qatar playing a supporting role. The strikes were aimed at the IS’s stronghold of Raqqa in eastern Syria. “Fighter and bomber jets…

  • Intruder gets past White House door

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     Omar Gonzalez who intruded into the White House last Friday after climbing over the security fence, had 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete in his vehicle, a federal prosecutor announced. Assistant US Attorney David Mudd said Monday that Gonzalez, who was carrying a knife, had been arrested in mid-July in southwestern Virginia…

  • Turkey accused of hampering refugee inflow

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      Turkish authorities are hindering the access of sick and wounded Syrian Kurdish refugees fleeing Syria due to the cruelty and brutality of Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported . The SOHR added that border guards were slowing down entry procedures by forcing the refugees to wait for…

  • Iraq against foreign ground troops

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    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said  that Iraq rejects the presence of foreign ground troops in the country to fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group. “Abadi renewed rejection of any ground intervention in Iraq,” a statement from Abadi’s office quoted him as saying during a meeting with Australian Defence Minister David Johnston in Baghdad.…

  • Syria condemns US coalition

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    Syria has criticised the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, accused it of lacking the “true will” necessary to confront terrorism in the region. “The US’ move to form an alliance outside the framework of the UN Security Council to fight the IS does not reflect a true will to confront terrorism,”…

  • Kerry meets Iranian foreign minister

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     US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York over the current round of nuclear talks. Kerry Sunday said that the resumption of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US — is an opportunity to work towards a comprehensive…

  • Obama supports new Afghan government

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     US President Barack Obama has pledged to support the new Afghan government emerging from disagreements over the result of a presidential run-off. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was declared president-elect by the Afghan Independent Election Commission Sunday, while his rival Abdullah Abdullah was named chief executive of a unity government they agreed upon earlier in the day,…

  • GALLERY: Celebrity Circuite

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    Celebrity news from across the world. Miley Sirus in Mexico; Paris Hilton as a DJ and Leonardo DiCapario promotes global peace besides the 80-year-old beauty Sophia Loren