 "FirstUp: Maldives FM meets Jaishankar, Russia victory parade… today’s big headlines")
It’s set to be a big day for India.
Maldives’ foreign minister Moosa Zameer will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi.
Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh will file his nomination for the Lok Sabha polls in Mandi where a high-profile battle with actor Kangana Ranaut, who has been fielded by the BJP, is in the offing.
Meanwhile, a victory parade is set to be held in Russia to mark the victory of the Soviet Union over the Nazis in World War II.
Zameer-Jaishankar meet
Maldives’ foreign minister Moosa Zameer, who is on an official visit to India from 8 to 10 May, will meet S Jaishnkar amid strained ties.
The two are slated to discuss the bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.
“Moosa Zameer, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives will be in India on an official visit on 09 May 2024. During his visit to New Delhi, Foreign Minister Zameer will meet the External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar for discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest,” MEA statement read.
This is Zameer’s first visit since taking office.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt comes as India withdrew 51 of its soldiers from the Maldives ahead of the 10 May deadline set by the government of Prime Minister Mohamed Muizzu_._
Muizzu, the pro-China president, had made India withdrawing its soldiers from the Maldives part of his poll plank.
Diplomatic tensions had also flared between Maldives and India after some ministers made remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi had visited Lakshwadweep to promote it as a tourist destination for Indians.
Vikramaditya Singh files papers
Vikramaditya Singh, the Congress candidate from Mandi for the Lok Sabha polls, will file his papers today.
Singh, the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister and a scion of erstwhile Rampur estate, is son of six-time chief minister late Virbhadra Singh and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh.
Singh will be up against the BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut, who is expected to file her nomination on 14 May.
Singh on Sunday mocked Ranaut as an ‘imported leader’ and said preparations had been made to “send her back to Mumbai” after she is defeated.
This comes a month after he mocked Ranaut for ‘being a frog.’
“Kangana Ranaut is here today. She will return tomorrow (in the days to come). She is like a frog that comes out during the rainy season,” he had said.
Singh said his priorities are to make Mandi a smart city, construction of Beas river front, connecting Pangi with Tissa through a tunnel and construction of Jalori Jot tunnel.
Singh also invited the public to Seri Manch in Mandi today where he is set to address a rally after filing his nomination.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Pratibha Singh and other prominent Congress leaders will be present.
“We will all take a pledge to make Mandi the number one parliamentary constituency in the country” Singh vowed.
Punjab Kings Vs RCB
Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set to take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the 2024 edition of the IPL continues.
The teams will face off at the scenic Dharamsala stadium.
Punjab, which is currently in eight place, are taking on the seventh place RCB.
While Punjab have won 2 of their past five games, RCB has won three on the trot.
Will RCB’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli, who won the Player of the Match for his 49-ball 77 against Punjab in March weave his magic yet again?
Will Dinesh Karthik roll back the years yet again for a fantastic performance?
Or will Shikhar Dhawan’s team take revenge?
Either way, a mouth-watering match-up is in the offing.
Victory Day in Russia
Today is a very special day in Russia – Victory Day.
Today is the 79th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
The erstwhile Soviet Union, which comprised Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and others, lost 27 million people – more than any other country in what the Russian people refer to as the"Great Patriotic War."
Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender came into force at 11:01 pm on 8 May, 1945.
This was celebrated as “Victory in Europe Day” by France, Britain and the United States.
However, in Moscow it was already 9 May – and thus became the Soviet Union’s “Victory Day.”
Soviet leader Josef Stalin decreed a holiday, and the first victory parade on Red Square, featuring captured German insignia, was held on 24 June, 1945.
Many Russians have argued that the contributions of the Soviet Union to hastening the demise of the Nazi regime are underplayed by the West to this day.
However, Victory Day in Russia has taken on another significance over the past couple of years.
This is because Vladimir Putin has repeatedly compared the war in Ukraine, where his forces launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, to the challenge of fighting Adolf Hitler.
Ukraine and its Western allies denounce that as a false narrative to justify the seizure of Ukrainian land, the destruction of cities, the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the creation of millions of refugees.
On this day…
Impeachment hearings begin against President Nixon
On this day in 1974, the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opened formal impeachment hearings against President M Richard Nixon.
The hearings, which were televised and captured the imagination of America for nearly two months, culminated with the House Judiciary Committee approving three articles of impeachment: obstruction of justice, misuse of powers and violation of his oath of office, and failure to comply with House subpoenas against the then Commander-In-Chief.
For ‘Tricky Dick’ Nixon, it was the beginning of the end.
Soon, the ‘Smoking gun’ tapes in which Nixon is heard approving a proposal from his chief of staff to press the FBI to drop its investigation of the Watergate break-in would go public.
The Republicans, who intended to back Nixon all the way, would abandon their president.
Nixon would resign in August and then go on to receive a full and complete pardon from President Gerald Ford.
With inputs from agencies
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
