FirstUp: Wang Yi in Washington. What's the big news for the day?

Friday is here at last and many are already fervently planning their weekend. But before you take that much-deserved break, here’s a quick look at the events that are expected to make the news today. First, we have China’s foreign minister in Washington where he will conduct a slew of high-profile meetings including with  US president Joe Biden. Meanwhile, the Gujarat High Court is set to hear a bail plea in the Morbi bridge collapse case. Prime MInister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the 7th edition of Asia’s largest tech forum. Delhi is set to publish a draft version of the electoral rolls for all 70 Assembly constituencies. And across the border, the beleaguered Imran Khan will go on trial for allegedly leaking the contents of a classified cable. Let’s take a closer look at today’s big-ticket items: Wang Yi in Washington All eyes are on Washington as China’s powerful foreign minister Wang Yi continues his long-awaited visit. While Wang is set to meet NSA Jake Sullivan and even speak with President Joe Biden, myriad questions abound.

Will China come to Washington’s aid to curtail the possible spread of the conflict between Hamas and Israel?

Will the trip lay the groundwork for an in-person meet between Wang’s boss Xi and Biden in the offing? Keep watching this space. Gujarat HC hears bail plea in bridge collapse On 30 October last year, 135 people were killed and 56 injured after a bridge collapse in Gujarat’s Morbi. The court is hearing the plea of Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of the Rajkot-headquartered Oreva Group – the company that was responsible for the maintenance and operation of the bridge. The Gujarat government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) had in its report listed “serious operational and technical lapses” by the Oreva Group. [caption id=“attachment_13302892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The cable suspension bridge collapsed into the river — leaving 135 dead and over 50 injured. AP[/caption] The bridge collapse was a “result of lapses at the administrative level to follow due procedure as per government norms, and also due to technical incompetency to repair the bridge and test it before opening it to the public,” the SIT stated in its report. PM Modi to inaugurate India Mobile Congress Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan.

The India Mobile Congress is the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia.

Over 1 lakh participants from 22 countries, including approximately 5,000 CEO-level delegates, 230 exhibitors, 400 startups, and various stakeholders are expected to attend. Modi will confer awards upon 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’ established in educational institutions across India. This is part of the ‘100 5G labs initiative’ – which looks to harness the potential of 5G technology by promoting the development of 5G applications tailored to India’s unique requirements and global demands. Delhi to publish draft electoral rolls The integrated draft electoral roll is slated to be published today. This, after the schedule of Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in all 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi were revised. Poll authorities in July had launched a month-long voter registration campaign in Delhi, which entailed house-to-house verification by booth-level officers. The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had earlier announced that the final roll will be published on 5 January. Imran’s cipher case trial begins Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s trial in the official secrets acts case is set to begin today. Imran has been accused of leaking a top-secret cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington.

Imran has alleged that the cable is proof of a US conspiracy to get the Pakistani military to overthrow his government.

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Imran has claimed the contents of the cable were reproduced in the media from other sources. [caption id=“attachment_13288012” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Imran Khan goes on trial in the official secrets act case today. Reuters[/caption] He has also said that he has been indicted ‘in haste’ and that there seems to be a rush to frame charges and conclude the trial. Imran was forced from office after losing the 2022 no-confidence vote and he then led protests against the government to push for an early general election, and against the military, which he accused of trying to sideline him. This day in history: Elon Musk takes over Twitter It’s been a whole year since Elon Musk took over Twitter. Remember this?

Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022

While the world’s richest man purchasing arguably the most influential social media platform on the planet still hasn’t sunk in for many, no one can argue that Twitter – sorry X – hasn’t irrevocably changed. Whether that’s for better or worse largely depends on your mileage. Ex-president KR Narayanan’s birth anniversary India’s first Dalit president KR Narayanan was born on this day in 1920. Or was he? Actually, his uncle who accompanied him to school on the day of his admission forgot his real birthday – 4 February, 1921 – and arbitrarily chose 27 October, 1920 for the official record. The diplomat-turned-politico was asked to join the Congress by Indira Gandhi. He became president in 1997 after garnering support from all major political parties. Narayanan also served as vice-president in 1992.