Two Indian nationals were among five persons arrested by the US border authorities for illegally crossing into the country from Canada by boat. On February 20, according to a statement from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), US Border Patrol agents from the Detroit sector detained the five near Algonac in the US state of Michigan. The border patrol noticed a boat in the St. Clair River crossing the international boundary late at night and notified the authorities, who seized the five people. Agents found two migrants - completely drenched and shivering - with them. All were taken into custody and during questioning, agents identified that two were from India, and the rest from Nigeria, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Indian student banned by American airlines
A 21-year-old Delhi boy studying in a US university was briefly detained by Delhi police after American Airlines complained that he caused a midair ruckus in “a heavily intoxicated” state and urinated on a male business-class passenger on board its New York-Delhi flight that landed the previous night. This is the third incident of its kind involving Indian flyers in less than four months. American Airlines cancelled alleged offender Aryan Vohra's return ticket and barred him from flying the airline, saying he was “not adhering to crew instructions on board; repeatedly arguing with operating crew; not willing to be seated and continu-ously endangering safety of crew and aircraft”.
Microsoft employee’s wife found dead in US
The wife of an Indian Microsoft employee who went missing in the US was discovered dead in suspicious circumstances next to a lake in Washington. Soujanya Ramamaurthy, 30, who lived in Redmond with her husband, a software developer at Microsoft, went missing on February 25. Her body was found the next day in Lake Sammamish after a massive search by the police. The Police are yet to ascertain how the tragedy transpired, and so far there have been no arrests. However, multiple media reports stated that Soujanya was hit multiple times on the head with an object similar to a hammer.
Fire erupts at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh
A big fire at a camp for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh destroyed homes and sent thick black clouds of smoke through the area on Sunday before being brought under control. The blaze erupted at Camp 11 in Cox’s Bazar, a southeastern border district where more than a million Rohingya refugees live. Most of the refugees fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017, and the fire left some of them homeless again. “We currently don’t have an estimate for damages but there are no reports of casualties,” Rafiqul Islam, additional police superintendent at Cox’s Bazar said. He added that the blaze was under control and senior officials from the fire, police and refugee relief departments were at the site.
Pak rupee hits record low amid IMF bailout
The Pakistani rupee has recorded a new low, while a bigger-than-expected interest rate rise has failed to restore its markets as the South Asian country struggles to unlock critical funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to Eikon data, the rupee hit a record low of 284 per US dollar in local trading. It retraced some losses to end at 279 per dollar, still down by some 6 per cent. Pakistan's central bank announced a larger-than-expected 300-basis-point interest rate increase in an effort to combat rising inflation, support its currency, and satisfy another IMF demand.
China again hikes def budget
China will boost defence spending 7. 2% this year, slightly outpacing last year’s increase, as Premier Li Keqiang called for the armed forces to boost combat preparedness. The 1. 55 trillion yuan ($224bn) in military spending in the national budget is closely watched by China’s neighbours and in Washington as a barometer of how aggressively the country will beef up its military. China pegged its defence budget at 1. 5 trillion yuan last year, a 7. 1% increase . This year’s hike marks the eighth consecutive single-digit increase. As in previous years, no breakdown of the spending was given, only the overall amount and the rate of increase.
China bans women from modelling lingerie
Chinese livestream fashion companies have adopted a new strategy by including male models in their videos as a result of Chinese regulations prohibiting female models from exhibiting pants online. Chinese media have reported that many videos featuring male models wearing a range of lingerie styles, including push-up bras, tight corsets, and lace-trimmed nightgowns, have surfaced. Xu, who is the owner of a livestream business, even introduced a male model wearing a silk robe on the social media website. "The light and luxurious boudoir of the wife and adults," the caption of the post read, as per the outlet. The clip garnered over 2,000 likes and a flood of commenters shared their opinion on the gender-bending decision.
Story of US singer leaves judge in tears
An emotional audition on “American Idol” by a survivor of a Texas high school shooting prompted tears from the judges and criticism of the country’s response to gun violence. Trey Louis was one of the students at Santa Fe High School in May 2018 when another student fatally shot 10 people on campus. After his audition, Louis told the judges - Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan - that one of the reasons he wanted to participate in the singing competition was because of the shooting. “Lost a lot of friends. Eight students were killed. Two teachers were killed. It’s just really been negative, man,” said Louis. Perry began to cry, placing her hands over her face and bowing her head.
Germany unveils feminist foreign policy blueprint
In order to guarantee that everyone "has the equal right to representation and access to resources," the foreign and development ministers of Germany have issued new feminist foreign policy guidelines. The ministers stated that the government's foreign policy places a strong emphasis on taking women's and girls' needs into account and advancing them in order to eliminate discrimination and advance more stable societies. “We are not calling for a revolution here, but we are doing something that is self evident,” German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters in Berlin.
Russian flag painted across Little Mermaid base
A Russian flag was found painted onto the base of Denmark’s “The Little Mermaid” statue in what police said was a “case of vandalism” at Copenhagen’s most famous landmark and a popular tourist attraction. According to a police official, the perpetrator of the incident was not immediately discovered. Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Denmark and other Western countries have been outspoken critics of Russia. The 110-year-old bronze statue depicts the little mermaid from 19th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of the same name, and is sat on a rock by a waterside promenade.