News18.com Daybreak | Jammu Terror Attack, Kamal Haasan on Alliance With Rajinikanth and Other Stories You May Have Missed

Episode 58,   Feb 12, 2018, 03:17 AM

In case you missed it

Asma Jahangir, Pakistan's renowned human rights lawyer, social activist and an outspoken critic of the country's powerful military establishment, died of cardiac arrest. Known for her outspoken nature and unrelenting pursuit for human rights, Asma, 66, was the first woman to serve as the President of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan.

A Russian passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed outside Moscow after taking off from the capital's Domodedovo airport, killing everyone on board.

Five soldiers and a civilian have been killed in the terror strike at family quarters of army's Sunjawan camp in Jammu and the death toll is expected to climb further as the forces comb through the residential buildings after the encounter. With the deaths, a total of 23 Indians have lost their lives in cross-border firings and terror incidents in 2018. Not for the last one decade have so many lives been lost in the state within the first two months.

The victims wanted to forgive and move on, but the scars of the Muzaffarnagar riots were still fresh. It was the third Panchayat in Bara Basti on February 4, 2018, where they made serious headway. At the Mahapanchayat, Sohanvir, Jat from Kakra, a took the stage and asked all Jats to chant ‘Allah-O-Akbar!’ (Allah is great). He then turned to Muslims and asked them to chant ‘Har Har Mahadev!’ (Hail Lord Shiva). To Vipin Balyan’s surprise, everyone complied. 1,611 days after the Muzaffarnagar riots, Jat and Muslim leaders are erasing the past and giving peace a chance.

WORK HOURS

Actor Kamal Haasan, who has often been questioned about a possible political alliance with superstar Rajinikanth, has said a tie-up seems unlikely as of now and hoped that Rajinikanth’s “colour is not saffron”. “Our approach is different... His (Rajinikanth’s) very first announcements came in a particular hue. I hope it is not saffron,” said Haasan in Harvard University.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against the misuse of cyberspace to ensure they do not become a source of radicalisation, asserting that technology should be harnessed as a tool for development, not destruction. The comments by Modi at the World Government Summit in his plenary address comes at a time when the world community is engaged in efforts to address the misuse and abuse of cyberspace by terrorists and hackers.

Stepping up his attack on the BJP over the issue of corruption, Rahul Gandhi said while the Congress's Siddaramaiah government had a scam-free rule, the BJP had broken "world records" in graft in Karnataka.

India is likely to raise with the Trump administration the use of US-made anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) by Pakistan Army to target Indian troops along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, defence ministry sources have indicated.

India's financial capital Mumbai, with a total wealth of USD 950 billion, has been named among the top 15 wealthiest cities globally, while New York topped the list.

Akshay Kumar-Hit Machine

Italy, Argentina, Sweden and Indonesia will vote and choose their representative to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly this February 27. Well, if you wonder how these countries have voting rights in this hill state in India's North East, you are in for a surprise. These are the names of voters in Meghalaya.

After reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a certain character from Ramayana, Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury has now transformed into a character from another epic – Mahabharata. In posters put by a Congress leader from Allahabad, Chowdhury has been depicted as Draupadi while Prime Minister Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and union minister Kiren Rijiju have been portrayed as Kauravas for mocking her laughter.

Kerala has topped the Health Index report prepared by Niti Aayog. The report also states that Uttar Pradesh has fared the worst between the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 while Jharkhand has made some substantial progress in improving its healthcare.

PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi has been appointed to the ICC Board as the organization’s first independent female director.

Agree or disagree?

The Budget session in Parliament had many firsts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced persistent and determined heckling on the floor of the House for the first time. The opposition, which had held its fire to survive and fight another day, came out all guns blazing. And perhaps NDA allies, who have been biding their time, reminded the BJP that it was time they are heard, counted. Some BJP allies, like Shiv Sena, have already opted to go solo. Others, like TDP, are weighing their options. Even smaller parties like Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) are increasingly growing restless. New alliances, breakups on horizon as parties warm up for Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Sometime in July last year, social media circles in Bengaluru was full of heated debates and discussions on imposition of Hindi by the Centre. The immediate trigger was Hindi signage in the Bengaluru Metro. Initially, it was restricted only to the virtual world and the authorities chose to look the other way. But the campaign gained momentum in a month and the Siddaramaiah government was forced to react. The new movement for Kannada is now being led by young, well-educated professionals with a world view. Unlike the traditional activists, dubbed as fringe by the mainstream media, these activists are mostly invisible. They are methodical and want to fight for the primacy of Kannada in Karnataka through democratic means. DP Satish writes why political parties must mind the language during the battle for Karnataka.

On reel

Why do people hesitate to talk about menstruation? Why are sanitary pads some sort of an evil that's not supposed to be seen or touched? Here's a candid chat with the folks of Delhi.