 "FirstUp: PM Modi in Brunei, Pope begins Asia-Pacific visit... The big news of the day")
The day ahead is packed with events.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Brunei today. This will mark the first visit to the nation by any Indian PM.
Pope Francis will begin a foreign trip of his papacy, a 12-day journey to four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania. He will first head to Indonesia, followed by Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.
The judicial custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to end today in a corruption case in connection to the alleged excise scam. He will likely be brought to court today.
The West Bengal Cabinet will be tabling an anti-rape bill today. The Bill will be named as ‘Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2024’. The state government’s proposed Bill comes as the protests continue over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
BJP leader from Kolhapur Raje Samarjeet Singh Ghatge is set to join Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP) on September 3. Ghatge is a close aide of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis.
Meanwhile, airlines Vistara will stop taking ticket bookings from today on their portal and will be redirected to the Air India website. This comes after Singapore Airlines announced the merger plans of Vistara and Air India in November 2022.
Here is all that is likely to take place today.
PM Modi to visit Brunei
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Brunei from September 3. PM Modi’s visit to Brunei will mark the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the nation.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAs per the External Affairs Ministry, PM Modi’s visit to Brunei comes at the invitation of Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, is scheduled to visit Brunei Darussalam, on September 3 and 4, 2024. This will be the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei,” said Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Pope Francis to begin longest journey to Asia-Pacific region
Pope Francis will begin a foreign trip of his papacy, a 12-day journey to four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Francis, 87, will first head to Indonesia. Despite being the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world, Indonesia is also home to 8.6 million Catholics.
He will then travel to Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. Of all the stops, only East Timor is a most of the population Catholic. This is Francis’ first major trip abroad this year. Health issues have prevented the pontiff, who now often uses a wheelchair, from more extensive international travel in recent years.
Delhi CM Kejriwal’s judicial custody to end
The judicial custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to end today in a corruption case in connection to the alleged excise policy scam. He will be brought to a Delhi court today.
Earlier, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Arvind Kejriwal’s custody after he was produced before the court through video conference on the expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier.
On August 27, the court heard arguments on whether to take cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet filed against Arvind Kejriwal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Kolhapur BJP leader Raje Samarjeetsinh Ghatge likely to join NCP (SP)
Raje Samarjeetsinh Ghatge, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Kolhapur and a close aide of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP).
According to Mid-Day, he wanted to contest on a BJP ticket from Kagal, which is currently held by Hasan Mushrif of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. As the general assumption is that the parties in the ruling alliance will be allowed to hold the seats on which they have legislators, it was clear that Ghatge would have had to give up his ambition for Mushrif.
No booking with Vistara flights from today
Flight bookings for Vistara Airlines will move to Air India’s web portal from September 3. However, the flights will continue to operate under the Vistara brand until November 11.
This comes after Singapore Airlines announced the merger plans of Vistara and Air India in November 2022. Currently, Tata owns Air India and has a 51 per cent stake in Vistara. With the clearances in place, the merger, which will see Singapore Airlines acquire a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Three-day Egypt International Airshow
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has taken a significant step in international aviation diplomacy by dispatching its renowned Sarang Helicopter Display Team to participate in the inaugural Egypt International Airshow.
Al-Alamein International Airport is at a strategic geographical location along the Mediterranean and is a major hub for global air, commercial, and logistical transport.
West Bengal to table anti-rape bill
The West Bengal Cabinet will be tabling an anti-rape bill today. Named as the ‘Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2024’, the bill aims to punish rapists with capital punishment.
As per a report by India TV, BA (Business Advisory) committee met yesterday to decide how long the discussion will take place on September 3. According to sources, the BJP is likely to support the Bill. The state government’s proposed Bill comes as the protests continue over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
On this day…
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783
The first official game of Polo was played in Argentina in 1875 after being introduced by British Ranchers
Qatar became an independent state in 1971
Sino-Soviet Split: Russia and the People’s Republic of China agreed to de-target their nuclear weapons against each other in 1994
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