 "FirstUp: Lawrence Wong to take charge of Singapore, Modi's roadshow in Mumbai... Big headlines today")
It’s going to be a busy Wednesday.
After two decades at the helm, Lee Hsien Loong will step down as Singapore’s prime minister and his deputy Lawrence Wong will take the reins of power.
PM Narendra Modi will be in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar to hold a roadshow, ahead of the polling on 20 May.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to campaign in Odisha and the Opposition INDIA bloc is likely to hold a joint press conference in Lucknow.
Here’s how the day will unfold.
Lawrence Wong takes over as Singapore PM
After two decades at the helm, Lee Hsien Loong will step down as Singapore’s prime minister on Wednesday.
His deputy Lawrence Wong will take the reins of power in a ceremony on 15 May.
Lee has served as PM and head of the long-ruling People’s Action Party since August 2004.
Wong is only the fourth leader in Singapore’s 59-year history as an independent nation.
Wong is among 15 senior PAP members referred to locally as 4G leaders, a fourth generation that was hand-picked to succeed Lee and his cabinet for a carefully calibrated transition of power in the Asian financial hub.
PM Modi’s roadshow in Mumbai
PM Narendra will hold a roadshow in Ghatkopar in the Mumbai North East constituency on Wednesday.
It will be a 2.5-kilometre long roadshow starting at 8 pm from Shreyas Cinema on LBS Marg to Gandhi Market.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe BJP has nominated Mihir Kotecha from the seat, which goes to polls on Monday, 20 May, with other Mumbai seats in the fifth phase of the mammoth Lok Sabha election.
The Mumbai traffic police has said no vehicles will be allowed on LBS Road from Gandhi Nagar Junction to Naupada Junction and on Mahul-Ghatkopar road from Meghraj Junction to RB Kadam Junction from 2 pm to 10 pm.
Kharge, Kejriwal and Akhilesh’s joint press conference in Lucknow
The Opposition INDIA bloc will likely hold a joint press conference of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Though the AAP does not have any seat sharing agreement in Uttar Pradesh unlike the Congress and the SP, Kejriwal will be campaigning for the INDIA bloc.
Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Odisha
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to campaign in Odisha on 15 and 16 May ahead of the second phase elections that will be conducted in five Lok Sabha and 35 assembly segments on 20 May.
He is also set to attend a public meeting in Balangir today.
Gandhi had last addressed an election rally at Salipur in Cuttack district on 28 April.
Consumer affairs ministry meet to curb fake online reviews
On Wednesday, the government has called a meeting of e-commerce players and organisations engaged in publishing online reviews for consultation on quality control order in the works to check fake reviews, according to a notice issued by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has also floated a draft of the Online Consumer Reviews (Quality Control) Order, 2024 (QCO) which proposes to accept reviews from verified purchasers and users of the product.
The draft QCO mandates that the organisations shall not publish reviews that have been purchased and written by individuals employed for writing review by itself or the supplier, seller, or by a third party.
SC hearing on Uttarakhand forest fires
The Supreme Court will hear a plea on the forest fires in Uttarakhand, where 910 incidents have occurred since 1 November last year, damaging about 1,145 hectares of forest cover.
In its last hearing, the apex court took serious note of the increasing forest fires in the state and asked the administration to look for long-term measures to save the environment.
Senior advocate Rajiv Datta, the petitioner who appeared in person before the bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, requested that the case needed to be taken up at the earliest as the fire was spreading rapidly.
Allahabad HC hearing in Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute case
The next hearing for the Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah dispute at Mathura will take place today.
The matter is being heard by justice Mayank Kumar Jain on applications moved under order seven rule 11 of Civil Procedure Code moved by Muslim side challenging the maintainability of suits.
In its last hearing, appearing on behalf of Hindu side, it was submitted by its counsel, Rina N Singh, that the Waqf Board is aiding in encroachment of properties, changing their nature and converting them as waqf property although the people establishing the waqfs don’t have any ownership over the property.
Judicial custody of Manish Sisodia ends today
Former deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s judicial custody in a case filed by CBI in connection with the alleged excise policy scam ends today.
A Delhi court is likely to hear the matter on framing of charges against him in the CBI case on Wednesday.
Nakba day
Palestinians will mark the 76th anniversary of their mass expulsion from Israel on Wednesday.
‘Nakba’ is an Arabic word which means ‘catastrophe’.
As per media reports, some 700,000 Palestinians, a majority of the pre-war population, fled or were driven from their houses before and during the 1948 Arab-Israel war that followed the Benjamin Netanyahu-led country’s establishment.
IPL 2024 – RR vs PBKS
The 65th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will witness Rajasthan Royals (RR) clashing head-to-head against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday.
The match will take place at the Barsapura Cricket Stadium, also known as Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Guwahati, Assam.
A day to remember
International Day of Families
Birth anniversary of actor Madhuri Dixit
Birth anniversary of tennis player Andy Murray
Birth anniversary of freedom fighter Sukhdev Thapar
Mickey Mouse premiered in his first cartoon, Plane Crazy in 1928
McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1940
 "Ahead of Alaska meet, Trump warns Putin faces 'severe consequences' if he says no to the ceasefire")
 "Trump seeks longer control over Washington DC police, signals plans to target other cities")
 "Weakened Typhoon Podul makes landfall in China after wreaking havoc in Taiwan")
 "'Not a single policymaking person who knows Russia,Ukraine' as Trump heads for talks with Putin")
 "Ahead of Alaska meet, Trump warns Putin faces 'severe consequences' if he says no to the ceasefire")
 "Trump seeks longer control over Washington DC police, signals plans to target other cities")
 "Weakened Typhoon Podul makes landfall in China after wreaking havoc in Taiwan")
 "'Not a single policymaking person who knows Russia,Ukraine' as Trump heads for talks with Putin")
