FirstUp: Rajnath in J&K, NCP calls farmers protest... today's big news

It’s Wednesday. And there’s a big day of news ahead. Defence minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit Jammu and Kashmir days after a terror attack on an Indian Army convoy. Across the border, the Pakistan Peoples Party will launch it campaign for the looming general elections. The Nationalist Congress Party has called for four-day farmers protest in Pune. Let’s take a closer look at today’s big-ticket items Rajnath in J&K Rajnath Singh has said he will visit Jammu and Rajouri today. His visit comes on the heels of the ambush of an army convoy that left four soldiers dead in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch.

Three more soldiers were injured in the encounter.

Singh is likely to visit ground zero on Wednesday with top Army and civilian officials monitoring the situation in Poonch in view of the terrorist attack which was followed by the death of three civilians in the area, official sources said. According to the defence sources, more troops are being moved to the sector to strengthen the counter-terror grid. Over 30 suspects have been questioned during the past few days and several of them have been released, they said. “The cordon and search operation is going on to track down the terrorists involved in the ambush on Army vehicles,” a senior official told PTI. Rajnath’s visit follows Chief of Army staff (CoAS) General Manoj Pande’s visit to ground zero in Poonch on Monday where he reviewed the anti-terrorist operation under way in Surankote and nearby Rajouri district’s Thanamandi forest belt. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday announced compensation and jobs to the families of the dead civilians and said the medico legal formalities were conducted and legal action on the matter has been initiated. The Army has ordered a thorough internal investigation into the civilian deaths and said it is committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of the investigation. PPP to launch election campaign The Pakistan Peoples Party is set to launch its campaign for the general elections scheduled to be held on 8 February. The party founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto las week announced that its chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would be its prime ministerial candidate. [caption id=“attachment_12912732” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The PPP has said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be its prime ministerial candidate.[/caption] His father, Asif Ali Zardari, will be its presidential nominee. PPP information secretary Faisal Karim Kundi had said that Bilawal will be the candidate for the prime minister and “our wish will be that we replay 2008 and make Asif Zardari the president”. Asif Zardari, 68, who had become the President of Pakistan after elections held in 2008, served in the post till 2013. Bilawal, 35, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from April 2022 to August 2023. Kundi also said that the elections “should not be delayed” beyond 8 February and that the PPP is “fully ready” for the elections. NCP calls four-day protest The Nationalist Congress Party has called for a four-day protest against the Centre in Pune over farmer’s issues. The protest, announced by party MP Supriya Sule, will kick off from Pune’s Shivneri Fort in Pune and will conclude at the Collectorate. In a post on X accompanied by a video message, Sule said, “It’s time to unite against the dictatorial central government who is doing injustice to our farmers. Let’s take to the streets with full force against the central government that is oppressing the country by declaring an undeclared emergency and killing the constitution.” “Let’s participate in large numbers in the “Shetkari Akrosh Morcha” starting from Shivneri Fort in Pune district from December 27th to 30th!,” she added. The protest call came hours after NCP MP Amol Kolhe met party supremo Sharad Pawar at his Pune residence.

Pawar is set to address the protest on 30 December.

The NCP says they will make six major demands including the roll-back of a ban on onion exports. On this day… World Bank, IMF come into existence The World Bank and International Monetary Fund formally came into existence on 27 December, 1945. This came nearly a year-and-a-half months after delegations of 44 nations met in New Hampshire’s Bretton Woods – which would go down in history as the Bretton Woods conference – to agree upon the rules for the monetary system post-World War II. The World Bank would open for business on 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC and advance its first loan in 1947. Seventy-eight years later, both organisations remain a vital part of the post-World War II global order. Happy b’day Salman Khan! Happy birthday bhai! Salman Khan turns 58 today. [caption id=“attachment_12876982” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Salman Khan turns 58 today.[/caption] Like last year, hundreds of his fans are expected to turn up outside his home in Bandra to wish the Bollywood superstar well. Salman made his debut in 1988 in the film Biwi Ho To Aisi which starred Rekha and Farooq Sheikh. His turn in Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya the next year launched him to superstardom – and Salman has never looked back. With inputs from agencies