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British PM Boris Johnson Expecting Baby with Girlfriend Carrie Symonds, Announces Engagement London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds announced on Saturday that they are expecting a baby and have got engaged. “The Prime Minister and Miss Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer,” a spokesperson for the couple told British media. A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed the news to AFP without providing further comment. Symonds also shared the announcement — alongside an intimate photo of her and Johnson — on her Instagram account, which...

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to visit Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is expected to reach Dhaka for a two-day visit on Monday to prepare the grounds for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh later this month. The visit will give space to both sides to revive their bilateral relationship, which has been tense since India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA). Continuing the negative trend, Bangladesh Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury cancelled her India visit on Sunday, raising concerns over high-level contacts between the two sides. Source: The Hindu

Rajinikanth offers support to Muslim leaders on NPR Chennai: A delegation of Tamil Nadu Jamathul Ulama Sabai on Sunday met actor Rajinikanth at his residence here on Sunday. KM Baqavi, President, Tamil Nadu Jamathul Ulama Sabai said: “Our delegation met Rajinikanth and discussed issues related to National Population Register (NPR). We explained difficulties being faced by Muslims due to NPR. He understood our point and assured that he will do whatever is necessary to remove fear among Muslims.” Source: Livemint

GENEVA: The World Health Organization on Friday raised its global risk assessment of the new coronavirus to its highest level after the epidemic spread to sub-Saharan Africa and caused financial markets to plunge. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk was being raised to “very high” because of the continued increase in cases and the number of new countries affected in recent days. These developments “are clearly of concern”, Tedros told reporters in Geneva. But he added: “We still have a chance of containing this virus, if robust action is taken to detect cases early, isolate and care for...

Trump nominates John Ratcliffe as intel chief WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump announced Republican lawmaker John Ratcliffe (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/John-Ratcliffe) as his intelligence chief Friday, sparking fresh controversy over a crucial position that has lacked a permanent office holder for months. The 53-year-old Trump loyalist was nominated as director of national intelligence after Dan Coats stepped down in July last year, but withdrew from consideration after strong criticism of his credentials from Democrats and a tepid response from key Republicans. Source: Times of India

Kim Jong Un warns of ‘serious consequences’ if virus reaches North Korea Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned top party officials of the “serious consequences” of failing to prevent an outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country, state media reported Saturday. The impoverished nation, with a weak and ill-equipped healthcare system, has closed its borders to prevent the spread of the disease into its territory. Source: Livemint

Naomi Seibt: ‘anti-Greta’ activist called white nationalist an inspiration A young campaigner who has been hailed by climate sceptics as the right’s answer to Greta Thunberg has previously described a white nationalist who appeared to promote “white genocide” theories as one of her “inspirations”. Naomi Seibt, a 19-year-old from Münster, Germany, who styles herself as a “climate realist”, has also had to deny she made remarks that could be seen as antisemitic following an attack on a synagogue last year. Source: The Guardian

Asia Bibi: ‘I kept thinking, what is happening to me?’ Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who spent years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy, has recounted her ordeal. In 2009, a long-standing dispute with neighbours culminated in a group of local women accusing her of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. She told the BBC’s Mishal Husain that she cried for a week when she was taken to prison. Ms Bibi also recalled how it felt being reunited with her family – and gave her message to Pakistan’s government. Source: BBC

Malaysia’s king appoints Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister Malaysia’s king has appointed seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as the new prime minister, the latest twist to a weeklong political crisis. In a statement issued by the palace on Saturday, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said Muhyiddin, a former interior minister and president of the Bersatu party, will be sworn in on Sunday as he likely commands the most support of any candidate. Source: Aljazeera

PM Modi among special guests invited for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman centenary in Dhaka, says envoy Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the special guests invited for the centenary celebrations of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka next month, according to Bangladesh High Commissioner to the U.K. Saida Muna Tasneem. The envoy said the celebrations on March 17, which coincide with the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujib – referred to as “Bangabandhu” or the father of the Bengali Nation – will kick off a year-long series of events in Bangladesh as well as the U.K. Source: The Hindu