 "FirstUp: Bharat Jodo in Jharkhand, AAP protest in Delhi... Today's top stories")
February 2, 2024 It’s Friday. And it’s another big day of news. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to enter Jharkhand. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to protest in the National Capital against what it claims are malpractices in the Chandigarh mayoral election. President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the annual handicrafts fair in Haryana’s Surajkund today. The second test between India and England will begin at Visakhapatnam. And the United Nation’s top court will make a decision on its jurisdiction regarding Ukraine’s genocide case against Russia. Let’s take a look at today’s big-ticket items: Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Jharkhand Congress’ ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ will enter Jharkhand on 2 February. Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address public meetings in Pakur district to kick off proceedings in the state. The yatra will be held in two phases, covering 804 kilometres in 13 districts over a period of eight days, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur told PTI. The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, which started in Manipur on 14 January, is scheduled to cover 6,713 km in 67 days. It will pass through 110 districts in 15 states, before culminating in Mumbai on 20 March. AAP protest in National Capital The AAP will continue its protest against what it claims are malpractices in the recently concluded mayoral polls in Chandigarh. The development comes on the heels of the civic body ruling BJP on Tuesday retaining all three posts in a clean sweep/
The Congress and the AAP alleged tampering with ballot papers by the presiding officer.
The BJP won the poll by four votes after eight out of the 36 votes were declared invalid. The election of BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar over AAP’s Kuldeep Dhalor Tita – representing the INDIA bloc – caused a major fracas to erupt. The Congress and AAP on Tuesday held a joint protest in Chandigarh. They termed the development a ‘murder of democracy’ and vowed to continue their agitation. Durgesh Pathak, Member of Delhi Legislative Assembly posted on X:
वोट चोर और लोकतंत्र के हत्यारों के खिलाफ AAP भरेगी हुंकार 🔥
— Durgesh Pathak (@ipathak25) February 1, 2024
अपने देश के लिए शामिल हों इस विराट प्रदर्शन में
🕚समय:- 11 बजे सुबह
🗓️तारीख:- 2 फरवरी 2024
📍स्थान:- BJP मुख्यालय, ITO (दिल्ली)#VoteChorBJP pic.twitter.com/MM8bOH7lyo
Bazball vs Team India Will Bazball continue to reign? Or will India hit back? The fascinating tale of Team India vs England will continue at Vishakhapatnam today. While England have mused playing an all-spin attack, the visitors will be smarting after going down to a rare defeat in Hyderabad. The positivity from the English batsmen in the first test led by a magnificent 196 from Ollie Pope left India’s spin trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel unsettled. [caption id=“attachment_13679252” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] England skipper Ben Stokes bowls during a practice session ahead of the second Test match against India. PTI[/caption] Making matters worse for India is that Jadeja, their totemic all-rounder, is set to miss the test – as is the flamboyant KL Rahul. Meanwhile, the absence of Virat Kohli looms large. Will Ben Stokes and England pile on the pressure?
Or will India make a grand comeback?
A mouthwatering battle awaits. President Murmu to inaugurate handicrafts fair President Droupadi Murmu is set to inaugurate the annual handicrafts fair in Haryana’s Surajkund on 2 February. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had met Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and extended her a personal invitation for the fair. The Surajkund International Crafts Mela is scheduled to be held from 2 to 18 February.
This will be the 37th edition of the Mela.
A number of regional and international crafts and traditions will be showcased this year. More than a million people are expected to attend the Mela – which is the largest crafts fair in the world. Last year’s fair was held at Haryana’s Faridabad from 3 to 19 February. UN top court on Ukraine’s case against Russia The UN’s top court court is scheduled to rule today on Russia’s objections to its jurisdiction in a case filed by Ukraine shortly after Russian troops invaded on 24 February, 2022. The case alleges that Moscow launched its attack based on trumped-up genocide allegations.
The court already has issued an interim order for Russia to halt the invasion, which Moscow has flouted.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe court on Wednesday rejected large parts of a case filed by Ukraine alleging that Russia bankrolled separatist rebels in the country’s east a decade ago and has discriminated against Crimea’s multiethnic community since its annexation of the peninsula. The International Court of Justice in recent weeks also heard a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Judges issued provisional measures last week calling on Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in the conflict. On this day… Khushwant Singh, one of India’s most celebrated authors, was born on 2 February, 1915. Singh was born into a Sikh family in Hadali, Khushab District, Punjab – which is now in Pakistan. Singh’s father Sir Sobha Singh was a famed builder in Lutyens’ Delhi. His mother was Lady Varyam Kaur. Singh authored many famous works including classics such as ‘Train to Pakistan’ and ‘I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale’. [caption id=“attachment_13680442” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Khushwant Singh authored many famous works including classics such as ‘Train to Pakistan’ and ‘I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale’.[/caption] He also edited the now defunct Illustrated Weekly of India and later the Hindustan Times. His weekly column ‘With Malice Towards One and All’ was very popular and was syndicated in many dailies. Singh was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the government under late Indira Gandhi. He was a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 1986. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974 but returned the decoration in 1984 in protest against the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar by the Army. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Singh died in 2014. He was 99 years old. With inputs from agencies
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