FirstUp: Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meet, India vs New Zealand and more… The big news today

The festivities continue for Hindus as they celebrate Bhai Dooj today (15 November), days after Diwali. It is a jam-packed day news-wise with a lot of developments. United States president Joe Biden is set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in San Francisco. It’s also a major day for cricket fans as India takes on New Zealand in the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup. The Centre’s mega outreach programme, ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, will also be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Here’s a quick overview of what is likely to happen throughout the day. Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meet All eyes will be on the San Francisco Bay Area as Biden and Xi meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This is the first in-person meet between the two leaders in a year amid soaring tensions between the two superpowers. According to the White House, Biden and Xi will discuss bolstering communication and managing competition. “We anticipate that the leaders will discuss some of the most fundamental elements of the US-PRC (People’s Republic of China) bilateral relationship, including the continued importance of strengthening open lines of communication and managing competition responsibly so that it does not veer into conflict,” Reuters quoted White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan as saying. Sullivan also said on Monday that the US president aims to see progress in restoring military-to-military ties with China. Beijing had snapped military-to-military communication with the US last year after then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan – a democratically governed island China claims as its own. PM Modi to launch Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra PM Narendra Modi will have a packed schedule in Jharkhand. He will flag off ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ from Khunti which is aimed at ensuring saturation of the Centre’s flagship schemes in 2.7 lakh panchayats by 25 January next year, PTI reported citing an official. [caption id=“attachment_13388152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Narendra Modi will be in Jharkhand on 15 November. PTI File Photo[/caption] “IEC (Information, Education and Communication) vans to be flagged off by Modi as part of the Yatra will cover a vast area of the country as the government seeks to ensure that the benefits of the schemes reach all targeted sections of the people in a time bound manner”, the official told the news agency. Honouring tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda The Indian premier will unveil PM-PVTG Development Mission, a Rs 24,000-crore scheme intended for the holistic development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, to mark the birth anniversary of Jharkhand’s tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. In 2021, the Centre had announced that the birth anniversary of Munda will be commemorated as the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. Modi will also arrive in Ulihatu village, the birthplace of Birsa Munda, which as per the government will be the first such visit by a PM. The visit is seen as a move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to woo tribal voters in Jharkhand ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. India vs New Zealand Cricket fans will be glued to their screens as I ndia play against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium today. It is a great chance for India to muddle the bitter memories of the 2019 World Cup semi-finals when they had lost to the Kiwis. Will Team India continue its perfect winning streak in the 2023 ICC World Cup or will New Zealand pull off a repeat of its 2019 victory? Let’s wait for the exciting match to find out.

ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will convene the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Indonesia’s Jakarta. The bloc is expected to hold talks on challenges facing the region, including tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit the Indonesian capital from 16 to 17 November for the 10th ADMM-Plus to address regional and international security issues, as per the Ministry of Defence statement. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is also likely to attend the ADMM-Plus conclave. [caption id=“attachment_13388162” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to attend the 10th ADMM-Plus in Jakarta. PTI File Photo[/caption] Maratha quota activist’s tour The issue of the Maratha reservation is likely to be back in national news. Manoj Jarange-Patil, who has emerged as the face of the renewed Maratha quota stir, will kickstart his tour of the state from today. According to those linked to the agitation, the tour will help Jarange-Patil in understanding the issues of the Maratha community, especially the youth, as well as the state, ThePrint reported. Chandrababu Naidu’s bail plea The Andhra Pradesh High Court will hear TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s bail petition in the Skill Development Corporation Scam case today. He was arrested in the alleged scam in September and is currently out on interim bail on health grounds.