FirstUp: King of Bhutan begins India trip, Chankya Defence Dialogue in Delhi… big news today

It’s Friday again. But before you enjoy your weekend, allow Firstpost to catch you up on the big news expected today. To start things off, The King of Bhutan will begin his eight-day visit to India. The Supreme Court will hear a plea challenging the early release of Bihar ‘bahubali’ and former MP Anand Mohan Singh. The Indian Army is set to hold its ‘Chanakya Defence Dialogue’ in New Delhi. Meanwhile, overseas US president Joe Biden is set to host an economic summit of the leaders of the Americas. The first Gay Games in Asia are set to kick-off in Hong Kong in what many hope will be a step towards equality. It’s also Victory Day in the Maldives – which marks the government victory over a 1988 coup. Also, on this day in 1973, NASA launched the first space probe to reach Mercury. Let’s take a closer look at today’s big-ticket items: King of Bhutan’s trip The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, will begin his official visit to India. Wangchuck is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as well as other senior officials. He will visit both Assam and Maharashtra. “India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterised by understanding and mutual trust,” the MEA said. “The visit would provide an opportunity to both the sides to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and to further advance the exemplary bilateral partnership, across diverse sectors,” it said. Chanakya Defence Dialogue The Indian Army and the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) will be holding the first edition of the Chanakya Defence Dialogue from today. The first-of-its-kind event held its curtain raiser last week in which General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) engaged in a fireside chat moderated by Lieutenant General Raj Shukla (Retired). New Indian Express quoted General Manoj Pande as saying, “One of the key lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, I think, is that land will continue to be a key domain of warfare. Especially when there are contested borders like in our context.” “The jointness and integration that we wish to or must achieve with the other services and other stakeholders are as important. But in my view, the land domain is going to be extremely important,” Pande added.

The dialogue, which will see a slew of notable speakers both from India and abroad attend, will hold six sessions over two days.

Among the topics for discussion are Neighbourhood First - South Asia Prognosis, Indo Pacific - The Decisive Frontier, Collaborative Partnerships for Security, How Emerging Technologies Impact Defence and Security, Indian Defence Industry as Enabler for Collaborative Capacity Building and Comprehensive Deterrence: The India Way. SC hearing on ex-Bihar MP The Supreme Court is set to hear the plea of a slain IAS officer’s wife on the premature release of ex-Bihar MP Anand Mohan Singh. [caption id=“attachment_13267092” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A view of Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi. PTI[/caption] Mohan, the gangster-turned-politico, was released from the Saharsa jail following an amendment in Bihar’s prison rules. The widow of G. Krishnaiah claimed that the Bihar government amended the 2012 Bihar Prison Manual retrospectively to benefit Mohan. The government, meanwhile, has defended itself b claiming that the amended remission policy applied to other cases as well. Gay Games Hong Kong is not very gay-friendly. The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city only recognises heterosexual marriages under the law. But some men, women and trans athletes are looking to change that and push for marriage equality.

The first Gay Games in Asia will see 2,400 participants from over 40 countries in attendance.

While the usual games such as tennis and swimming are on offer, culturally-rich activities like dragon boat racing and mahjong are also on the anvil. The games, which follow recent legal wins for same-sex and transgender people, are raising the hopes of the LGBTQ+ community in the financial hub, Biden hosts Economic Summit President Joe Biden is set to host a slew of leaders from South America at the White House today. The United States is expected to restate its commitment for cooperation on economic growth and tackling irregular migration, the White House has said. The development comes as the US faces an immigration crisis with record numbers crossing its Mexico border. It also comes more than a year after Biden signed a non-binding declaration at a previous meeting – dubbed the “Summit of the Americas” – where 20 countries from the region agreed to a set of measures to confront the migration crisis. [caption id=“attachment_13322682” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A group of people, including many from China, walk along the wall after crossing the border with Mexico to seek asylum. AP[/caption] The previous summit, held in Los Angeles in June 2022, was snubbed by Mexico’s president after the leftist governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua were excluded. It’s Victory Day! This might be Victory Day for the Maldives, but this might be among the Indian forces’ finest hours. When Sri Lankan militants from the People’s Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), backed by a businessman attempted a coup, then president Abdul Gayoom called for help.

India under prime minister Rajiv Gandhi responded – and how – with Operation Cactus Maldives.

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Indian troops arrived in Maldives within hours of Gayoom’s plea, rescued Gayoom and ruthlessly crushed the militants. NASA launches Mariner 10 On 3 November, 1973, NASA launched its first spacecraft to Mercury – the Mariner 10. The spacecraft lifted off at the famed Kennedy Space Centre. Three months later, the 502.9 kilo craft crossed Venus, alternated its speed and trajectory and then flew to Mercury’s orbit. It was a mission of many firsts including using gravity assist to change its flight path, sending back data on a long-period comet, exploring two planets on one mission, the first to return to its target after an initial encounter and the first probe to use the solar wind during its flight. With inputs from agencies