 "FirstUp: SCO meeting in Islamabad, Omar Abdullah to take oath as J&K CM... The big news today")
Today will be a busy Wednesday with several important events on the agenda.
In Pakistan, the second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting will be held. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reached Islamabad to participate in the meeting.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah is set to take oath as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir today.
Team India will face New Zealand in the first Test match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, marking the start of a three-match series.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify before the Foreign Interference Commission regarding alleged interference by Indian officials in Canada’s electoral processes, amid ongoing tensions between the two nations.
US Vice President Kamala Harris will be interviewed by Fox News anchor Bret Baier in Pennsylvania, marking her first sit-down with the network.
Let’s take a look at the big events today.
Day 2 of SCO meeting in Pakistan’s Islamabad
Pakistan will hold the second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting today in Islamabad. Notably, the annual gathering focuses primarily on the organisation’s trade and economic agenda.
On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, reached Islamabad to participate in the SCO conclave, marking the first visit by a senior Indian minister to Pakistan in several years. Jaishankar was received at Nur Khan airbase by senior Pakistani officials.
This is the first time in nearly nine years that an Indian foreign minister has travelled to Pakistan, despite ongoing tensions between the two nations over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism linked to Pakistan. The last Indian foreign minister to visit was Sushma Swaraj, who attended a conference on Afghanistan in Islamabad in December 2015.
Jaishankar’s visit is considered a notable move by New Delhi, given the strained relations between the two countries.
Omar Abdullah to take oath as first CM of J&K UT
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah will be sworn in today as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Several leaders from the INDIA alliance, which includes the NC and other opposition parties, are expected to attend the historic ceremony. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Supriya Sule from Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal are likely to attend the event, News18 reported citing sources.
Abdullah previously served as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014, during which time Jammu and Kashmir was a full state, governed by an NC-Congress coalition.
In the recently concluded elections, the NC secured 42 of the 90 contested seats, with Congress winning six. Together, the pre-poll allies hold a majority in the 95-member assembly, with five members to be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor. Their strength is further supported by four independent MLA-elects and a lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA-elect.
This will be the first government of Jammu and Kashmir since the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories on 5 August 2019, when its special status was revoked by the removal of Article 370.
India, New Zealand to kick off 3-match Test series
Team India is set to face New Zealand in the first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru today, kicking off a three-match series. The other two Tests will be held in Pune and Mumbai.
India has remained unbeaten in Test series since the South Africa tour of 2022-23. During this period, India has won six series and drawn two. The last time India hosted New Zealand was in 2021 when Virat Kohli led the team to a 1-0 series win over the Kiwis.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, India head coach Gautam Gambhir shared his plans for the team.
“It (combination) depends on conditions, wicket and opposition. The best part about this dressing room is that we’ve got so many high-quality players and we can select any of them. We know they can do the job for us. That is what is called the depth,” he said.
However, the weather forecast for Bengaluru presents a rather grim view, with heavy rain expected throughout the five days of the Test, beginning on 16 October. Notably, India’s practice session on Tuesday was also cancelled due to persistent downpours. Weather reports indicate continued rain and dense cloud cover for the entire duration of the match.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau set to testify before Foreign Interference Commission
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to testify before the Foreign Interference Commission today, where he is expected to present the latest findings from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) concerning alleged interference by Indian officials in Canada’s electoral processes.
Trudeau will testify before the commission as relations with India remain tense. Canada on Monday announced the expulsion of six Indian diplomats “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India.”
This decision came after India announced the expulsion of six members of the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi.
Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year. In May 2024, the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigative Team and the Federal Policing Programme Pacific Region claimed that four people had been arrested in connection with Nijjar’s murder.
Relations between India and Canada have deteriorated since Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations last September regarding the potential involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing. New Delhi dismissed these accusations as “absurd.”
Kamala Harris’ first interview with Fox News
US Vice President Kamala Harris will be interviewed by Fox News anchor Bret Baier in Pennsylvania as she steps up her travel and media engagements with the presidential campaign entering its final stretch.
This will be Harris’s first sit-down with Fox News and her first interview with a news outlet outside her ideological comfort zone since she became the Democratic nominee. Previously, she has given interviews to CNN, CBS’s “60 Minutes,” and other friendly platforms like ABC’s “The View” and Howard Stern’s radio show.
Fox News announced that the interview will be featured as part of Bret Baier’s ‘Special Report’ from the important swing state of Pennsylvania.
Notably, Hillary Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to participate in a Fox News interview in 2016, while Joe Biden has not appeared on the network since taking office.
With inputs from agencies
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