Asian Lite News Archive

Category: World News

  • Egypt’s interim cabinet quits

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    Interim Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab Monday submitted his cabinet’s resignation to newly-elected President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, a media report said. Sisi then asked Mahlab to form a new cabinet, Al Ahram news reported. Mahlab took charge as the interim prime minister on Mar 1, 2014, following the resignation of Hazem El-Beblawi, a liberal economist who…

  • Iran-US talks on nuclear issues

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    A two-day meeting scheduled for Monday between Iran and the US in Geneva will focus mainly on nuclear issues, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday. The meeting comes ahead of the next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 or the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the…

  • Millions on MH370 hunt

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    Malaysia has so far spent about RM27.6 million (over $9 million) on search operations for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, an official said on Monday. Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that the cost was for food and fuel for five Malaysian agencies that took part in the search. The five agencies were the Royal Malaysian…

  • NEWS N PICS

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  • Alitalia , Etihad tie up may cut jobs

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    The head of Alitalia expects around 2,200 jobs to go under a planned tie-up with Gulf carrier Etihad Airways , he was quoted as saying by La Repubblica newspaper. ” Etihad is inflexible on this (job cuts),” Gabriele Del Torchio was quoted as saying. Alitalia and Etihad have been in talks since December, but a…

  • Sisi sworn-in Egyptian president

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    Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday was sworn-in the seventh president of Egypt at a ceremony in Cairo. Sisi took the oath at the Supreme Constitutional Court, Al Ahram news reported. The ceremony was attended by former interim president Adly Mansour, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayib and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawdaros II. The…

  • Blasts kill 20 in Baghdad

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    At least 20 people have been killed and 80 others wounded in car bomb and roadside bomb attacks in Iraq , police said. The attacks occurred in a period of one hour Saturday night and were mainly focused on Shiite neighborhood around Baghdad, xinhua reported. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.…

  • D-DAY Events N PICS

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  • Rouhani to visit Turkey

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    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to pay his first visit to Turkey Monday in a bid to improve bilateral ties between the two countries that have been strained by the developments in Syria, media reported Saturday. It is Rouhani’s first visit to Turkey since Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s presidential tour in 1996. During Rouhani’s visit…

  • Putin talks about Ukraine in France

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    Russian president Vladimir Putin is holding talks on the Ukrainian crisis with European leaders in France, where they have gathered to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, one of the turning points of World War II. The talks that are taking place Friday are specifically targeting the Ukraine crisis. Putin met at noon…

  • Protest’s ahead of Sisi inauguration

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    Supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi staged several rallies around Egypt Friday, two days ahead of the expected inauguration of President-elect Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after his landslide victory in the elections held late in May. The rallies, under the theme “The military think it (Egypt) is their own backyard”, was organised by the National…

  • Massive strike hits S Africa

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    South Africa’s economy would be hit by another massive strike by thousands of metal workers, say various media reports. The strike now looks “inevitable” as no breakthrough has been achieved in the talks between workers and their employers, Xinhua quoted the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) as saying in a statement. NUMSA…

  • PICTORIAL – D-DAY@70

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    World leaders are joining hundreds of veterans in Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings Heads of state will meet at Ouistreham, one of the five beaches where Allied troops landed on 6 June 1944. French President Francois Hollande will give a speech followed by US President Barack Obama. The Queen and…

  • UN chief urges Israel to freeze settlements

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    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday called on Israel to “heed the calls of the international community to freeze settlement activity”, as he voiced his deep concern over further construction by Isreal in West Bank. “The secretary general is deeply concerned by reports that Israeli authorities have issued tenders for the construction of over 1,400…

  • SPECIAL REPORT – Bhutan Drug Abuse

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    Shilpa Raina reports from Thimphu on Bhutan’s dark underbelly  Every Monday evening, government official Dasho Paljor J. Dorji turns into a chatty radio presenter for a popular talk show and gets candid with guests. But before signing off, he delivers a social message that invariably revolves around “drinking, driving and drugs” – something that comes straight from…

  • ‘China to respond to any provocation’

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      China will not hesitate to respond to provocations infringing its sovereignty or that undermining maritime peace and stability, the foreign ministry said here Thursday. The statement came during a regular press briefing in response to the G7 summit’s latest communique expressing concern over the East and South China Sea. Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Hong…

  • World food prices falling

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    World food prices fell again in May, the second consecutive monthly drop, paced by reduction in worldwide prices for rice and other cereals and grains as good weather and easing geopolitical tensions helped increase supply. The reduction in prices came across four of the five food commodity groups monitored by the Rome-based Food and Agriculture…

  • Palestine raps Israeli settlement

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    Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu-Rudeineh on Thursday strongly condemned the announcement of the Israeli authorities to build 1,500 new housing units in West Bank and Jerusalem. The new settlements come at a time when the world has declared support for the Palestinian national unity government, Abu-Rudeineh said in remarks, according to Palestinian WAFA news agency.…

  • Assad’s win annoys West

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    Incumbent Bashar al-Assad’s victory in the Syrian presidential election has been met with much criticism from the country’s opposition and the West, which dismissed the ballot as a “sham”. Assad has won a third seven-year term by garnering an overwhelming 88.7 percent of the vote in the presidential election Tuesday, it was announced Wednesday. Claiming…

  • Putin to attend D-Day event

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    Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a commemoration ceremony of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, French President Francois Hollande said. Hollande said he invited Putin “in consultation with partners” despite the Ukrainian crisis, Xinhua reported. The D-Day or Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the largest seaborne operations conducted June 6,…

  • G7 intensify sanctions on Russia

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    Group of seven (G7) leaders on Wednesday threatened to intensify targeted sanctions against Russia if it fails to complete troop withdrawal from the Ukrainian border. “We stand ready to intensify targeted sanctions and to implement significant additional restrictive measures to impose further costs on Russia should events so require,” Xinhua quoted a statement issued after…

  • Russia rejects return to G8

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    Russia on Wednesday ruled out returning to the Group of Eight (G8), comprising seven most industrialised nations (G7) and Russia, but Kremlin said it was open to cooperation with major Western powers. Kremlin has also denied possibility of bilateral meet between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama in France, Xinhua reported.…

  • It’s official – Syrians want Assad!

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    Syria’s incumbent President Bashar al-Assad has won a third seven-year term in office in the presidential elections that took place Tuesday, the Syrian parliament announced on Wednesday. A parliament speaker said that 1,319,723 people voted for Assad, which made about 88.7 percent of the votes. On Tuesday, Egypt’s Sissi wins the elctions bt securing about 97%…

  • LuLu , FELDA Malaysia ink pact

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    The LuLu Group has signed an MOU with Malaysia’s Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), the world’s most successful land development and resettlement agency, for the establishment of LuLu Hypermarkets in Malaysia. The memorandum was signed by the Director General of FELDA, Y. Bhg. Datuk Faizoull Ahmad and Mr. Yusuff Ali M.A., Managing Director, LuLu Group…

  • Syrians cast ballots

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    Syria kicked off its presidential election Tuesday, with voters casting their ballots for the country’s three presidential candidates. The three candidates are incumbent President Bashar al-Assad, former minister Hassan al-Nouri and lawmaker Maher Hajjar, Xinhua reported. Syria’s interior ministry said that more than 15 million registered voters will cast their ballots at 9,610 polling stations…

  • Israel boycotts unity government

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the international community Sunday not to recognise the Palestinian unity government set to be announced Monday. “I call on all the responsible entities in the international community not to go ahead and acknowledge a Palestinian government which includes Hamas,”  quoted Netanyahu as saying in a statement. “Hamas is a…

  • Pele son gets 33 years in jail

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    The son of the Brazilian football legend Pele has been sentenced to 33 years in jail for laundering money raised from drug trafficking, BBC reported. Edinho is a retired footballer who played goalkeeper for Pele’s old club, Santos, in the 1990s. He was first arrested in 2005 and has served a sentence for drug trafficking…

  • Indian cos target Africa’s power, mining sectors

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    In a bid to tap into Africa’s growing power and mining sectors, some 30 Indian companies in these sectors are attending the 11th West African Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPEX) , reports Francis Kokutse from IANS. The participation of the companies in the event, being held May 28-30, has been organised by the Confederation of Indian…

  • Myanmar faces political crisis

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    Myanmar MP Thura U Aung Ko warns of political crisis brewing…reports Asian Lite, the best newspaper for South Asian diaspora  Myanmar parliament member Thura U Aung Ko has warned of the country heading towards a political crisis if the administration turns a blind eye to constitution amendment, local media reported Thursday. Speaking on the sidelines of…

  • Dubai to overtake Heathrow

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    Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said Dubai will overtake Heathrow as the world’s busiest  airport. “In 2013 Heathrow handled 67.3m international passengers. We handled 66.4m,”  Griffiths told London’s Sunday Times. “Heathrow’s international passenger numbers are growing by about 2.7% a year. We are growing by 15.5%, so we will be well ahead by the…

  • Sisi bags 96% in Egypt polls!

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    Former military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has won an overwhelming victory in Egypt’s presidential election, according to provisional results, BBC reported. Sisi gained over 96% of the vote with ballots from most polling stations counted, state media say. However, turnout is expected to be around 45% despite a massive push to get more people to…

  • Front Pages from World Papers

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    Asian Lite, the world’s first global newspaper forthe Asian diaspora, presents a bouquet of front pages from world’s best newspapers . The mutiny in the Liberala Democrats; Zayne smoking weed tops the news agenda  

  • The caged bird stopped singing

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    Asian Lite pays tribute to one of the best soul ever lived in this earth   US President Barack Obama has led the tributes to Maya Angelou, describing the poet, author and activist as “one of the brightest lights of our time”, BBC reported. He hailed Angelou, who has died aged 86, as “a brilliant…

  • Tit for tat expulsion of envoys

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    In retaliatory move, Syria declared the Jordanian charge d’affaires in Damascus persona non grata, a statement said. Syrian voters overseas are scheduled to cast their ballots May 28; those inside the war-torn country are to vote June 3 The foreign ministry said this was in retaliation for Jordan’s “unwarranted” and “strange” decision to expel the…

  • Hamas, Fatah agree on Palestine PM

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    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah Party and the Hamas movement have agreed on Rami Hamdallah as the prime minister of the transitional unity government, a Hamas official said. “We officially agreed that Rami Hamdallah will be the premier of the unity government… We also agreed on a number of ministers and we will continue our…

  • Egyptians go to poll

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      Egyptian voters started casting their ballots on Monday across the country in the first presidential election following the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Former military chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who led Morsi’s overthrow, and leftist leader Hamdeen Sabahi are the only two contestants in the race, Xinhua reported. The former military chief garnered…

  • Hasina begins Japan Visit

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    Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recalled with deep gratitude Japan’s unequivocal support to Bangladesh’s War of Liberation, saying that it had given the freedom-loving people a great strength and inspiration during their heroic struggle, reports BSS. “Indeed, you have been our friend in need and have carved out a permanent niche in our hearts for…

  • Eurosceptics sweep EU polls

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    Kaliph Anaz of Asian Lite, top Asian newspaper for British Asians, says the danger of the rise of  Eurosceptic parties is that Europe’s prolonged economic malaise boosts their support to the tipping point where they are eventually able to engineer their country’s withdrawal from Europe’s institutions Despite robust economic figures, Eurosceptic parties take lead as results…

  • Front Pages from World Papers

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    Asian Lite, the world’s first global newspaper for NRIs and the Asian diaspora, presents a bouquet of front pages from world’s best newspapers

  • BNP ousted from EU

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    As the Manchester results were announced, Asian Lite can confirm the racist British Nationalist Party and its chief Nick Griffin will be ousted from the European Parliament. The North West region of England elected 8 MEPs including Afzal Khan, the former Lord Mayor of Manchester. Along with him two Labour, two Conservative and three UKIP…

  • Pope Francis urges an end to conflict in Holy Land

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    Pope Francis Sunday afternoon urged Israelis and the Palestinians to search for a peaceful solution to their conflict. On his arrival at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv at the start of his visit to Israel, Pope Francis, in his address, focused on the need to strive for a two-state solution and to promote…

  • Ukrainians vote to elect new president

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    Voting started in Ukraine Sunday to elect a new president after months of unrest in the country following ouster of president Viktor Yanukovych in February. Voting started at 8 a.m. and would end at 8 p.m., Al Jazeera reported. The results are expected by Monday afternoon. The election, which was scheduled to take place March…

  • Anime Culture – Canada

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     A cosplayer poses for photos during the 2014 Anime North at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto, Canada. Kicked off on Friday, the annual 3-day event celebrates anime, manga, music, games and all other forms of   

  • Special Report – Thailand Coup

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    Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian ambassador to Thailand and  former secretary in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs looks in to Thailand’s regressive journey against march of history. Asian Lite, the best newspaper for NRIs and Asian diaspora, will report on the developments in Thailand. Keep reading     Thailand’s army generals know how to effect coups…

  • Pope Francis begins Middle East tour

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    Pope Francis arrived in Jordan Saturday to begin his Middle East tour in which he aims to boost ties with Muslims and Jews and ease an age-old rift within the branches of Christianity, media reported. Pope Francis will also meet Muslim and Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, BBC reported. A rabbi and an imam will accompany…

  • US to cement ties with India

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    Asian Lite, the best newspaper for NRI news, looks into Indo-US relations.  Did US put all its eggs in one basket by denying visa to Modi during his tenure as Chief Minister over the Gujarat riots? Denying that it had failed to reach out to the Bharatiya Janata Party before the elections, the US has…

  • Analysis – Security at North Africa

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     Suresh Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of African Studies, Delhi University, says tinderbox situation prevails  in North Africa: Can have dangerous spillover effects ? The region of Sahara and Sahel in northern Africa is currently undergoing dramatic changes, and faces serious security threats and escalating tensions. Several cases and developments reflect this critical situation — from the upsurge…

  • Thai army chief declares himself acting PM

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    Thailand’s army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has declared himself as acting prime minister until someone is found to permanently serve the post, media reported Friday. “As some laws stipulate that ‘the prime minister’ authorises actions under the law, Prayuth Chan-ocha and his assigned individuals will uphold that authority for the time being,” the Bangkok Post quoted…

  • Nominations for Victoria Prize invited

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    Applications for two prestigious science and innovation programs in Australia, the 2014 Victoria Prize for  Science & Innovation and the 2014 Victoria Fellowships are now open. The Minister for Innovation, Louise Asher said two $50,000 Victoria Prizes, one for physical  science and one for life sciences, will be available this year, to recognise the work…

  • Just Falafel on expansion spree

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    UAE fast food chain Just Falafel has signed a deal to open 57 stores in three European countries, the company announced. The new outlets will be in the Benelux region of The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and will be operated by Wadi Degla Holding, an Egyptian conglomerate that already has 27 Just Falafel stores in…