February 2020

You’ve Got a Friend in Me: Hugh Jackman Leads Hollywood Stars in Supporting Bullied 9-year-old A string of Hollywood celebrities, including Hugh Jackman and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have lent support to a bullied 9-year-old boy, who wanted “someone to murder him” after being bullied in school for dwarfism. A video on social media went viral showing Quaden Bayles wanting to be killed after his mother shot the boy in a highly agitated state, perspiring, hyperventilating and seething with rage at being dehumanised in school, aceshowbiz.com. His mother could be heard saying that people need to know. Quaden is seen crying...

Sanders warns Russia, Trump scoffs as new meddling charges hit US election WASHINGTON: Bernie Sanders (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Bernie-Sanders) on Friday warned Russia not to meddle in the Democratic presidential race, as Donald Trump (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Donald-Trump) angrily dismissed assertions that Moscow was again seeking to boost his election chances. Trump has come under fresh fire for removing US intelligence chief Joseph Maguire, replacing him with a loyal partisan with no direct experience in the field, days after Maguire’s staff told lawmakers that Russia was again interfering in a US election to support Trump. Source: Times of India

Bhutan’s PM Urges Every Citizen to Adopt ‘Stray Dogs’ as Birthday ‘Gift’ to its King In an attempt to deal with rising stray dog population, Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering in a recent announcement has asked citizens to adopt stray dogs or plant trees or commit to waste management procedures, which will serve as “gifts” to the King’s 40th birthday today. The country celebrated the birthday of its king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Friday at the at Changlimithang stadium and the Prime Minister served as the chief guest of the event. Source: News18.com

Bill Gates gets thank-you letter from China President Xi Jinping for coronavirus help Billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates received a thank-you note expressing gratitude from China’s President Xi Jinping over their millions dollar help to the country which is grappling with coronavirus. “I support your cooperation with relevant Chinese institutions, and look forward to enhanced coordination and concerted efforts in the international community for the sake of health and well-being of all,” Xi Jinping said in the letter to Bill Gates on 20 February 2020, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. Bill and Melinda Gates-run Gates Foundation had pledged about $100 million...

‘Great’: Trump praises Ayushmann Khurrana’s ‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ President Donald Trump got into the mood on Friday ahead of his upcoming India trip by issuing a surprising thumbs-up for Bollywood’s first gay rom-com movie. “Great!” the US president wrote as he retweeted gay rights activist Peter Tatchell’s own expression of support for the ground-breaking movie. Trump is not a regular advocate of gay rights, while some of his more right-wing supporters actively oppose them. Source: Livemint

PM Modi a versatile genius who thinks globally and acts locally: Justice Mishra NEW DELHI: Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Mishra on Saturday was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and termed him as an “internationally acclaimed visionary” and a “versatile genius, who thinks globally and acts locally”. Complementing the PM and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for doing away with 1,500 obsolete laws, Justice Mishra said India is a responsible and most friendly member of the international community under the “stewardship” of Modi. Source: Times of India

Former Maharashtra DGP Rakesh Maria claims Mumbai cops had intel on killing of Gulshan Kumar The Mumbai police had detailed intelligence on a plot to kill music baron Gulshan Kumar, down to the name of the underworld don whose gang had been assigned the task, and did all it could to protect him but the appearance of the UP Police upset the equation, former Maharashtra DGP Rakesh Maria writes in his memoirs.It began with a telephone call in the early hours of April 22, 1997. “Sir, Gulshan Kumar ka wicket girne wala hai (Sir, Gulshan Kumar is about to be assassinated),” the voice...

‘Kids coached to raise slogans to kill Modi’: Smriti Irani on Shaheen Bagh Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday defended the Citizenship Amended Act (CAA) saying she is proud of the fact it provides refuge to non-Muslims persecuted in a country such as Pakistan. “There have been cases where Sikh or Hindu girls have been raped and forced to marry her rapists. They are the kind of people who would want refuge in India. I am proud that this law that gives them the refuge they need,” Irani said at Hindustan Samagam in Lucknow. Source: Hindustan Times

Domicile law for J&K coming ‘very soon’: Jitendra Singh JAMMU: In a bid to address the concerns of the local populace after the revoking of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status last year, Union minister Jitendra Singh (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/jitendra-singh) on Saturday assured the people of the Union Territory (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Union-Territory) that the domicile law is coming “very soon” which would be followed by the Land Act. He also announced that more than the promised jobs will be provided to the youth after the notification of the rules is worked out. Source: Times of India

Nationalism being misused to construct ‘militant’ idea of India: Manmohan Singh Nationalism and the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ are being misused to construct a “militant and purely emotional” idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday, in an apparent attack on the BJP. Addressing a gathering at the launch of a book on Jawaharlal Nehru’s works and speeches, Singh said that if India is recognised in the comity of nations as a vibrant democracy and, if it is considered as one of the important world powers, it was...