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FirstUp: PM Modi to visit Trinidad and Tobago, Amarnath Yatra to begin... The headlines today
It is set to be a busy Thursday with several events lined up for the day.
Firstly, PM Modi is set to visit Trinidad and Tobago as part of his five-nation tour. In India, thousands of pilgrims will embark on the holy Amarnath Yatra set to begin today.
The Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) summit will be held in Azerbaijan's Khankendi. The corruption trial of former Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates will officially begin in Lisbon. The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to get a new president today.
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Here is all that will take place across the world today.
PM Modi to visit Trinidad and Tabago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Trinidad and Tobago from today, as part of a five-nation diplomatic tour that also includes Ghana, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. This visit marks his first official trip to the Caribbean nation as Prime Minister and the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Trinidad and Tobago since 1999.
During his stay, PM Modi is expected to meet with President H E Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister H E Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who recently began her second term in office. A key highlight of the visit will be PM Modi's address to a Joint Session of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, a gesture aimed at imparting fresh impetus to bilateral ties. Discussions are anticipated to cover a wide range of areas, including strengthening cooperation in healthcare, digital technology, energy, trade and cultural exchanges.
Amarnath Yatra to begin
The annual Amarnath Yatra will begin today from both Baltal and Pahalgam base camps. This 38-day pilgrimage to the revered Amarnath Cave Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir is set to attract thousands of devotees this year.
Security has already been tightened around the region with more than 50,000 CRPF personnel deployed along with Jammu and Kashmir Police officials.
First batch of pilgrims bound for the annual Amarnath Yatra arrive at the Nunwan Base Camp in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. PTI
Pilgrims between the ages of 13 and 70 are eligible to undertake the yatra. A Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC) is mandatory for all participants. Individuals with severe heart, respiratory or other chronic health conditions, as well as pregnant women beyond six weeks, are advised not to participate due to the strenuous nature of the high-altitude trek.
Economic Cooperation Organisation Summit in Azerbaijan
The 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation will be held in the city of Khankendi in the Karabakh (Garabagh) region of Azerbaijan from today.
The theme for this year's summit is 'New ECO Vision for a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Future.' Heads of government, ministers and other high-level officials from the ten ECO member states, namely Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkiye, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, are expected to attend.
Discussions will likely focus on initiatives such as developing green energy, supporting small businesses, digitalising trade and promoting sustainable agriculture. Uzbekistan, for instance, has outlined its priorities for the summit, including the discussion of the long-term strategic document 'ECO-2035.'
Corruption trial of Portugal's former PM Jose Socrates to begin
The long-awaited corruption trial of Portugal's former Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, is set to begin in Lisbon today. This marks a significant development in a case, dubbed 'Operation Marques,' that has spanned over a decade and deeply impacted Portuguese politics.
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates announces his resignation during a press conference at his official residence in Sao Bento in Lisbon. File image/Reuters
Socrates, who served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011, is the main defendant in this high-profile trial. He faces a total of 22 charges, including three counts of receiving bribes, 13 counts of money laundering and six counts of tax fraud. In total, 22 defendants are implicated across 118 offences.
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Socrates has consistently denied all allegations, maintaining his innocence and describing the accusations as an 'absurd theory.'
West Bengal BJP likely to get a new president
The new Bengal BJP president's name will be announced today, with less than a year left for the Assembly elections. Dipak Barman, the state returning officer for the BJP's organisational elections, issued a notification on Tuesday (June 1), confirming that the electoral process, already underway, would culminate in the declaration of results on July 3.
The nomination process was completed on July 2. The election for a new state president has been overdue for nine months, since the end of the incumbent Sukanta Majumdar's tenure last year. This organisational election is a crucial step for the BJP as it gears up for the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal.
With inputs from agencies
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