FirstUp: UK goes to the polls, Team India to meet PM Modi… Top news today

It’s going to be a super-busy Thursday, with the UK holding general elections and the US celebrating its 248th Independence Day.

The Indian cricket team will return from Barbados after a historic win on June 29, overcoming South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup.

It’s also the second day of the crucial SCO summit, EAM Dr S Jaishankar is expected to address the grouping during the plenary session in Astana in the morning.

Here’s a quick look at big headlines today.

UK general elections

The 2024 United Kingdom general election will be held on Thursday, between 6.00 to 21.00 GMT (11.30 am to 2.30 am IST). Registered voters in the 650 parliamentary constituencies will vote for their preferred candidate at polling stations, usually at schools or community centres, set up for the day.

Once the polls close, the votes will be counted and the MPs with the most votes in each constituency will be declared winners by the early hours of July 5. If a party wins a majority of seats, as Labour Party is expected to, its leader becomes the prime minister, and the leader of the second-highest party becomes the leader of the opposition.

Keir Starmer is the leader of the Labour Party, while Rishi Sunak is leading the Conservative Party in the election.

US Independence Day

The United States of America will celebrate its 248th Independence Day on Thursday. The day marks the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

As part of the annual festivities, a large crowd gathers along Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Street in Washington, DC to watch the National Independence Day Parade, which commences at 11.45 am.

Indian cricket team returns

The Indian cricket team will return from Barbados, where they were stuck due to Hurricane Beryl.

India ended their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy on June 29, overcoming South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup. The victorious team ride on an open-top bus in a parade from the National Centre for Performing Arts in Nariman Point to the iconic Wankhede Stadium at 4 pm today.

Day 2 of the SCO summit

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the second day of the summit. He is expected to address the grouping during the plenary session in Astana in morning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping are also due to meet at the summit, holding a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit in the Kazakh capital.

PM Modi is likely to address the Eurasian grouping virtually, avoiding awkward moments from sharing the stage with the Chinese President and Pakistan PM.

MP HC hearing over disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex

The Madhya Pradesh High Court is likely to hear a plea on the findings of ‘scientific survey’ of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque site. Notably, the Archeological Survey of India on Tuesday has sought further extension of four weeks from the Indore bench to submit its report.

Initially, the report was due on April 29, but the court granted an extension till July 2 on ASI’s plea. The disputed structure in Dhar district has taken a legal recourse amid ownership rights being claimed by two factions.

Automated system of publishing currency exchange rates to be launched

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued a circular for the launch of Exchange Rate Automation Module (ERAM). The automated system of ascertaining and publishing the exchange rate will replace the existing manual process, and shall come into effect from Thursday.

ERAM is a significant step towards trade facilitation as the exchange rates of 22 currencies would now be published online in advance for ease of consumption by all importers and exporters.

Kannada actor Darshan’s judicial custody ends

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa was sent to judicial custody in the Renukaswamy murder case till Thursday. The Sandalwood actor and three of his associates are lodged in the Central Prison for judicial custody in Parappana Agrahara on June 22.

Renukaswamy was a 33-year-old man from Chitradurga and was murdered for allegedly threatening and sending derogatory messages to Darshan’s girlfriend and co-actor Pavithra Gowda. The police is still probing the case.

Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea tariff hikes

Three private telecom providers – Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, have hiked tariffs for their prepaid and postpaid plans by 10 per cent to 27 per cent. The new prices of Jio and Airtel start from July 3, and Vodafone Idea’s on July 4.

Jio’s annual unlimited plan is increasing from Rs 1,7999 to Rs 1,999.

Airtel’s annual plan goes up from Rs 2,899 to Rs 3,499, and Vodafone Idea’s annual plan increases from Rs 2,899 to Rs 3,499.

World Artificial Intelligence Conference in China

The World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai takes place on Thursday. Elon Musk will be among the keynote speakers at the opening ceremony of the conference.

Other attendees slated to attend the opening include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is also expected to make a speech.

Musk is no stranger to WAIC and has provided video messages for the previous two editions of the event. He last appeared at the event in person in 2019. Musk’s speech will come on the same day as the EU is expected to impose preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports.

Deadline for EU to decide on imposing provisional duties on Chinese electric cars

EU countries are divided over whether to back the bloc’s new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The bloc is due to confirm on Thursday provisional duties of up to 37.6 per cent on Chinese EV-makers like BYD.

China-made models from western automakers, like Tesla and BMW, will also be hit.

EU members will then vote in October if the Commission proposes multi-year tariffs at the end of its investigation. But these would be blocked if at least 15 countries representing 65 per cent of the EU population votes against them.

The Commission says the aim of the duties is to level the playing field, rather than shut Chinese automakers out. It wants to counter cheap loans, land, raw materials and other subsidies.

Supporters also believe tariffs could give the EU leverage in negotiations with Beijing and push producers to make cars in the EU.

Calcutta HC hearing of Bengal Governor’s defamation suit

The Calcutta High Court is likely to hear a defamation suit by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over alleged comments made by her and some other TMC leaders.

Bose filed a defamation case against Banerjee on June 28, a day after she claimed women complained to her that they were afraid to visit the Raj Bhavan because of the activities there. On May 2, a contractual woman employee of Raj Bhavan had made an allegation of molestation against Bose, following which the Kolkata Police started an inquiry. Under Article 361 of the Constitution, no criminal proceedings can be instituted against a governor during his/her term in office.

BJP Karnataka’s executive meeting

The BJP Karnataka’s executive meeting will be held in Bengaluru’s Palace Grounds today. The meeting will adopt a resolution against what the party called the state government’s failures.

This will be the first executive committee meeting after the recent Lok Sabha polls, whose results were announced on June 4.

A day to remember

• Birth anniversary of tennis player Yuki Bhambri

• France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the people of the US in 1884

• In 1947, the ‘Indian Independence Bill’ proposed the partition of British India into India & Pakistan

• Sunil Gavaskar Celebrates his 115th Test in Cricket at Edgbaston in 1986

• NASA’s Pathfinder lands on Mars in 1997