Asian Lite News Archive

Category: World News

  • Russia rejects terrorism in Arab world

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    Russia has rejected the unabated terrorism existing the Arab region, as the country’s visiting Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said here Saturday that his country will not stand idly toward the rampant terrorism in the region. “Russia will not stand idly toward some groups’ attempts to spread terrorism in the region, including Syria and Iraq,”…

  • Obama downplays ISIS threat in Iraq

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    President Barack Obama Friday downplayed the threat posed by Islamic militants making advances in Iraq, saying the US has been under “serious threat” during his entire presidency, Xinhua reported. In an interview with ABC channel, Obama was asked about the threat by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as his former ambassador…

  • UN body concerned over West Bank

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    The UN human rights office has expressed concern over the operations by Israeli security forces after three Israeli teenagers went missing in the West Bank, a UN spokesperson has said. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was concerned that the three teenagers have still not been located, after being missing for 15…

  • Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova sign pact with EU

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    Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova Friday signed partnership agreements with the European Union (EU) in a move strongly opposed by Russia. The agreement would benefit the three countries both politically and economically and would allow them to work more closely with the West, BBC reported. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described the signing of the agreement as…

  • More US advisors arrive in Iraq

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    Four teams of 50 US advisors arrived in Baghdad to help the Iraqi military counter terrorist threats, media reported Friday. US forces in Baghdad have started the first of two planned joint operations centres in Iraq to assess the security situation in the wake of the rapid territorial gains made by Sunni militants, Pentagon spokesman…

  • All Syrian chemical weapons removed

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    The United Nations Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Joint Mission announced Monday that Syria has removed all of its declared chemical arsenal from its territory. “The joint mission welcomes the removal of the remaining 7.2 percent of chemical weapons material from the Syrian Arab Republic,” Xinhua quoted the international team of experts…

  • Amnesty launches SOS app for activists

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    Amnesty International has launched a new open source app called ‘Panic Button’ to help activists facing imminent danger. The press of a button sends an immediate SMS distress signal to activists’ own networks. “The aim of the Panic Button is to increase protection for activists around the world who face the ever present threat of…

  • New start for Indo-Japan ties

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    Bilateral strategic and economic relations between India and Japan are at their best and the governments of both countries are keen to further strengthen them, an advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. Addressing an event here through a video call from Tokyo, Tomohiko Taniguchi, special advisor to the cabinet of the Japanese prime…

  • Egypt sentences three Al Jazeera journalists

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    An Egyptian court Monday sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to seven years in prison, media reported. The guilty verdicts were delivered against Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, Al Jazeera reported. Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven years in prison while Baher Mohamed was sentenced to an additional three years for possessing arms.…

  • US hails Ukraine ceasefire

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    US Vice President  hailed Ukraine’s unilateral declaration of a ceasefire with militants in the country’s eastern region, but warned of further sanctions, media reported Monday. In a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Biden voiced “concern” about the militants’ refusal to reciprocate Kiev’s week-long ceasefire declared Friday, Xinhua quoted a statement issued by the…

  • Palestine to approach UN

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    The Palestinian leadership plans to approach the United Nations Security Council in a bid to stop Israel’s offensive against the Palestinian territories, that surged following the disappearance of three Israeli teenagers June 12 near the West Bank. The leadership, in a press statement Sunday, said it has made intensive contacts for the convening of an…

  • British, Dutch jihadists on the rise

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    Britain’s intelligence agencies intensified operations to identify the people appearing in a video which urges young British-Muslims to join the Jihadi movement in the Middle East. Meanwhile,  the Dutch Minister of Interior Ronald Plasterk said the number of Dutch jihadists travelling to Iraq is on the rise. Though Pasterk did not give numbers, during a…

  • Global refugees cross 50 million mark

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    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Friday said that the number of refugees has exceeded 50 million globally for the first time since World War II, media reported. “We are witnessing a quantum leap in forced displacement in the world,” The Guardian quoted António Guterres, head of the UN’s refugee agency, as saying after…

  • US steps into Iraq

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      Moving cautiously in the face of an onslaught by Sunni militants advancing on Baghdad, Presidents Barack Obama is sending 300 military advisers to Iraq, but US would not be returning to a combat role there. Under pressure to come to the aid of the embattled Iraq government, Obama announced Thursday he was sending advisers…

  • UN must act to save refugees: Amnesty

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    The UN Security Council is failing to maintain international peace and security in conflict zones, Amnesty International said on World Refugee Day Friday. Amnesty urged Security Council members to act more decisively to protect civilians and prevent millions more people being driven away from their homes. The Security Council’s, and in some cases the UN…

  • No combat role in Iraq: Obama

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     Under pressure to come to the aid of the embattled Iraq government, President Barack Obama said the US is prepared to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq, but won’t be returning to a combat role there. The US advisers would be deputed to Iraq to “assess how we can best train, advise and…

  • Felipe de Borbon is king of Spain

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    Felipe de Borbon officially became king of Spain at midnight Wednesday with the publication in the Official Bulletin of the State of the law formalising the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos. The 76-year-old departing monarch signed the measure into law earlier Wednesday during a brief ceremony at the royal palace in Madrid. Prime Minister…

  • UN chief concerned about Iraq

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    UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday expressed his deep concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Iraq. “I am deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Iraq, including the reports of mass summary executions by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” Xinhua quoted Ban Ki-moon telling in a press conference here.…

  • US captures Benghazi attack suspect

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    The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that the US forces have captured in a raid “a key figure” suspected behind the September 2012 attacks on the US diplomatic facilities in Libya’s second largest city of Benghazi. The suspect, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, is in the US custody in a secure location outside of Libya, Xinhua quoted John Kirby,…

  • Jordanian is new UNHCR chief

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    The UN General Assembly has approved the nomination of Jordan’s UN ambassador, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, as the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a media report said Tuesday. Zeid al-Hussein was nominated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier this month to replace Navi Pillay, who took up the post Sept 1,…

  • Inmarsat confident about MH370 crash site

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    British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat said that the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has yet to zero in on the area which its scientists think is the plane’s most likely crash site, a media report said Tuesday. Inmarsat’s communications with the aircraft are seen as the best clues to the whereabouts of…

  • Obama to deploy 275 troops in Iraq

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    Amid concerns over a militant group’s advancement toward the Iraqi capital, US President Barack Obama Monday notified Congress that up to about 275 US military personnel will be in Iraq to provide support and security for US personnel and the American embassy in Baghdad. Obama said in a letter to Congressional leaders that the force,…

  • 100 days since MH370’s disappearance

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    Families of passengers and cabin crew gathered in Malaysia to commemorate the 100th day of the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and to mark Father’s Day, media reported Monday. The event was organised by Voice370, a next-of-kin association of 205 families of the MH370 passengers, which aims to “seek the truth behind” the…

  • NATO chief to visit Turkey

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    NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will visit Turkey for talks over dozens of Turkish nationals taken as hostages in Iraq, said the foreign ministry, media reported Monday. “We urge the abductors to release the hostages immediately. Nothing can justify this criminal act,” Xinhua quoted Rasmussen as saying. During his visit to Ankara Monday, Rasmussen will…

  • Naked cyclists hit Toronto

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    Naked cyclists ride across Toronto against oil dependencyHundreds of cyclists strapped on their sneakers, helmets and nothing much else for the World Naked Bike Ride’s 10th anniversary in Toronto over the weekend. The event’s dress code is “as bare as you dare”. While most were completely naked, organisers say they encourage people to wear as…

  • Israeli jets launch airstrikes on Gaza

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    Israeli war jets Saturday night carried out a series of intensive and successive airstrikes on various military targets in southern, central and northern Gaza Strip, injuring one person, officials said. Israeli war jets, which hovered over the coastal enclave at night, fired several air- to-ground missiles at various targets that belong to militant groups, security…

  • PICS- Obama: Happy Father’s Day

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    He is the most powerful man on earth.  A busy person. But the President will never spoil an opportunity to entertain children. In the weekly address to the nation, US President Obama wished America’s dads a happy Father’s Day and underscored the crucial role fathers play in our society. The President encouraged Americans to support those…

  • Iran ready to help Nouri

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    Iran is ready to assist the Iraqi government in its battle against extremist Sunni insurgents, President Hassan Rouhani has said, BBC reported. He denied Iran had sent troops to fight in Iraq. However, an Iraqi source told the BBC that 130 Iranian Revolutionary Guards had entered the country to provide military training and advice. The insurgents…

  • Military plane shot down in Ukraine

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    At least 49 people were killed Saturday when a Ukrainian military plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists in the eastern city of Luhansk, the defence ministry said. Ukrainian military spokesman Vladislav Seleznov said that all 49 military personnel on board the plane were killed, BBC reported. A statement posted on the defence ministry’s website…

  • Iraqis urged to take up arms

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    An influential Shiite cleric Friday called on Iraqis to take up arms against insurgent groups that have taken control of large parts of the country, his representative said.   “The situation in Iraq is very serious and entails those who are able to volunteer to take up arms to defense their homeland,” Sheikh Abdul Mehdi…

  • Obama rules out troops to Iraq

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    US President Barack Obama said Friday he will not send US troops back to Iraq to help fight Islamist militants.   “We will not be sending US troops back into combat in Iraq,” Obama told reporters at the White House South Lawn, acknowledging “significant gains” made by the Islamic State, an offshoot of Al Qaeda…

  • Pill against obesity

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    Bharat Shimpukade, an Indian-origin scientist from University of Southern Denmark, along with his colleagues has come up with a smart tool that has brought the hunt for a pill against obesity one step closer. Their research is focused on a special protein that can stimulate different physiological activities such as the production of appetite controlling…

  • The IMF’s False Confession

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    Ashoka Mody, a former mission chief for Germany and Ireland at the International Monetary Fund, is currently Visiting Professor of International Economic Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. “Do I have to go on my knees?” the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, asked the BBC’s Andrew…

  • Obama decision soon on Iraq

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday voiced “deep concern” about the worsening situation in Iraq, saying President Barack Obama will make “key decisions in short order”. “We are deeply concerned about what is happening in Iraq, and we are not concerned and waiting,” the top American envoy told reporters before meeting with visiting…

  • NASA’s Mars spacecraft nearly ready

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    With just six months until its first scheduled trip to space in December this year, engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center have begun the final assembly of Orion spacecraft that could take man to Mars. Engineers began stacking the crew module on top of the completed service module, the first step in moving the three…

  • UK turns heat on EU leaders

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for “bold leadership” in a newspaper article laying out his criteria for the new president of the European Commission. This comes as Britain leads a campaign, with Sweden and the Netherlands, to block the candidacy of Luxembourg’s ex-prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has publicly backed…

  • GALLERY – Time To Act

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    Time To Act is a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, Promoting human rights internationally, Preventing conflict in fragile states, Defence and armed forces, Equality, rights and citizenship, Foreign affairs and International aid and development. From early morning on Tuesday 10 June there will be 84 hours of global action to highlight the fight…

  • Toyota recalls 650,000 vehicles

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    Toyota Motor Corp has announced a recall for around 650,000 vehicles in Japan because of potentially defective airbags, expanding a costly recall it announced in 2013 because the supplier, Takata Corp, had not fully identified the problematic parts, Reuters has reported. Toyota vehicles covered by the recall include the Corolla and Camry sedans, and Tundra…

  • Google buys Skybox

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    Google Inc. has announced its acquisition of satellite company, Skybox Imaging Inc. for $500m, as it works to bolster its mapping services, Bloomberg has reported. Skybox has designed satellites to capture images and deliver them to customers with details down to less than a metre. The all-cash deal is subject to adjustments, Google said. “Skybox’s…

  • Recession leads to ‘suicides’

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    The economic crisis in Europe and North America led to more than 10,000 extra suicides, according to figures from UK researchers. A study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, showed “suicides have risen markedly,” points out a BBC report. Campaign groups said the findings showed how important good mental health services were. The study…

  • Iraqi forces withdraw from Syrian border

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    Iraqi security forces withdrew from the Syrian border in the Sunni province of Anbar, an official said Thursday. The Iraqi army, police and border guards withdrew late Wednesday night from their positions on the border with Syria near the city of Qaim, some 330 km northwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Also in the…

  • PICTORIAL- Footy Fever

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  • PEACE- An elusive dream?

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    Vishnu Makhijani says  the world is in greater conflict than at any previous period in its history   On June 6 was celebrated the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the allied landings on Normandy that marked the beginning of the end of World War-II, a war that was supposed to end all wars. July 28 will be…

  • China to scrap 6 mn vehicles

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    China plans to take six million high-emission vehicles off the road this year to reduce pollution, say media reports. More than 2.4 million vehicles will be taken off roads in the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, along with another four municipalities and provinces along the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, China…

  • Indian-origin woman wins service award

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    An Indian-origin woman in the US has been conferred an Indian diaspora organisation’s 2014 Service Award. Meena Kumari, associate professor of anatomy and physiology at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has received the 2014 Service Award of the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin in America, a university statement said. “It is very…

  • Louvre Abu Dhabi in Paris

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    Louvre Abu Dhabi will present a collection of its exceptional works as part of a new exhibition, entitled: Birth of a Museum, for the first time in Paris. More than 160 works acquired by Louvre Abu Dhabi – never seen before in France – will go on show till July 28. This collection celebrates the…

  • Terrorists seize Turkish consulate in Mosul

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    A day after taking control in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, militants Wednesday seized the Turkish consulate and arrested its consul and diplomatic staff in the northern Iraqi city, an official Kurdish website said. Militants of Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) took control of the consulate and held captive the consul and a…

  • Israel to elect new president

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    Israeli lawmakers met at the Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem on Tuesday to elect a new president. Members of parliament started voting at 11:00 a.m. in a secret ballot. Incumbent President Shimon Peres, who has been in office since 2007, ends his term July 28. Those contesting for president are Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Nobel Prize…

  • Second attack on Karachi airport

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    Heavily-armed gunmen mounted a brazen attack near the Karachi international airport, within a day of a terror siege there ending in a toll of 30, media reported. The Airport Security Force (ASF) Academy came under heavy attack by terrorists Tuesday and Geo News reported a raging gun battle. The media report said the militants entered…

  • 25 killed in bombings in Iraq

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    At least 25 people were killed and 145 others wounded in two suicide bombings in the ethnically mixed Iraqi city of Tuz-Khurmato in Salahudin province Monday, a provincial police source said. “The latest reports said that 25 people were killed and 145 others wounded by a truck bomb and a car bomb in central city…