FirstUp: PM Modi and Macron roadshow, Team India takes on England.... Today's news

It’s Thursday. And it’s going to be another blockbuster day in terms of news. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and France’s Emmanuel Macron will hold a roadshow in Jaipur on the eve of Republic Day. The leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi are set to meet in Mumbai to finalise the seat-sharing formula ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will enter West Bengal. Team India will take on England in the first test of a five-match series. Let’s take a closer look at today’s top stories: Macron, Modi roadshow France’s president Emmanuel Macron, who is on a two-day trip to India, will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on Friday. Macron is expected to touch down in Jaipur around 2.30 pm today – after which he will head to Amber Fort for a cultural event.

Then, Macron will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Jantar Mantar.

Macron and Modi will then hold a joint roadshow from Jantar Mantar to Sanganeri Gate – with a brief stopover at Hawa Mahal. The French president is scheduled to stay in Jaipur for about six hours. The two leaders will hold wide-ranging talks on India-France bilateral relations and various geopolitical developments at Hotel Taj Rambagh Palace. The roadshow will start from the Jantar Mantar area at 6 pm, while the talks between the two leaders will begin at 7:15 pm. Macron will leave for Delhi at 8.50 pm on the same day. MVA leaders meet The MVA leaders are slated to meet today in Mumbai to discuss seat-sharing arrangements ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Maharashtra sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha – the second highest after Uttar Pradesh’s 80 MPs. “We expect to work out an acceptable formula for the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT). If all 48 seats are not finalised, we will take a decision on the undisputed seats and leave the remaining seats to the National Alliance Committee led by Mukul Wasnik (to decide),” a senior Congress leader told The Times of India. The Congress’Ashok Chavan, Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat and MPCC president Nana Patole, NCP’s Jayant Patil and Jeetendra Awhad and UBT Sena’s Sanjay Raut and Vinayak Raut are all slated to attend the meeting. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday claimed that the political environment in Maharashtra is conducive for the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi, and the alliance will win most seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. “Let’s fight the Lok Sabha elections unitedly. Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ is being held to maintain social harmony in the country,” Chennithala said. It remains to be seen if the parties can settle their many differences. Bharat Jodo yatra in Bengal Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is set to enter West Bengal today. The Congress leader’s yatra, which comes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, kicked off from Manipur on 14 January. [caption id=“attachment_13558542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party leaders KC Venugopal, Kumari Selja, Randeep Surjewala, Deepender Hooda and supporters during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, in Ambala, Haryana. PTI[/caption] The Bengal leg of the Yatra is scheduled to cover a stretch of 523 km across the districts of Uttar Dinajpur, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Malda, Murshidabad over several days.

However, the yatra may not make it to Kolkata.

“Rahul’s Yatra will enter Cooch Behar through the Assam-West Bengal border in Boxirhat on January 25. He will then walk through Tufanganj and Cooch Behar town, before going for Falakata,” an official told PTI. “Rahul will hold roadshows and address public rallies in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and Uttar Dinajpur. He may take a two-day break on January 26 and 27 and stay in Falakata of Alipurduar," the party official said. After that, the Yatra, on its way to Malda, will touch Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur. After covering a few districts in north Bengal, it will go to Bihar on 29 January and will again enter West Bengal and cover Murshidabad on 1 February The 6,713-kilometre march will culminate on 20 March in Mumbai. Team India takes on England Will Bazball work in India? Or will India’s dominance at home – now at a record 16 consecutive series – continue unabated. That’s what cricket fans are asking. No team has come even close to defeating India at home for well over a decade. Ironically, the last team that did so was England – buoyed by fantastic performances by Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook with the bat and Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar with the ball. [caption id=“attachment_13650502” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India skipper Rohit Sharma during a practice session ahead of the first Test against England in Hyderabad. PTI[/caption] While both Jadeja and Ashwin played in that series, the two spinners have since become among the greatest-ever bowlers to play for India. Though England have named three spinners in their starting 11, they can’t compete with India when it comes to the spin department. On this day…. On 25 January, 1919, the League of Nations was founded. The objective of the organisation was  “to promote international cooperation and to achieve international peace and security”. Its founding document, known as the Covenant of the League of Nations, was drafted during the peace negotiations at the end of the First World War. Though it was dissolved in 1946, it is thought to be a forerunner of the United Nations. With inputs from agencies