Republic top 10 headlines: Fadnavis rebukes MVA govt, PM Modi meets Olympic contingent

UP Govt To Set Up New ATS Commando Centre At Deoband & 4 Locations Amid 'Taliban Savagery'

Cracking down on terror, the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday announced that it will be opening an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Commando Centre in Deoband. Taking to Twitter, CM Yogi Adityanath's media adviser Shalabh Mani Tripathi, said, " Amidst the barbarism of Taliban, Yogi ji has decided to open ATS commando Centre in Deoband". The government has allotted 2000 sq m for the construction of the new ATS Centre at Deoband, which will be in addition to the existing ATS centre in Lucknow.

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Canada Has No Plans To Recognise Taliban As Official Afghan Govt, Says Justin Trudeau

Amid the ongoing pandemonium in Afghanistan, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement Tuesday, August 17 denied recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan's government. PM Trudeau while speaking to the reporters said, Canada has no plans to recognize the Taliban as the Government of Afghanistan. Speaking to reporters on day three of the federal election campaign, Trudeau reminded Canadians that 20 years ago, Canada also didn’t recognize the terrorist organization as a government when they took over.

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Donald Trump Calls Afghanistan Situation 'biggest Embarrassment' After Taliban Siege

Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed Joe Biden for the Afghanistan crisis calling it 'the greatest embarrassment in the history of the United States'. Trump stated that after witnessing the Taliban takeover in the country, China was 'happy' and was 'laughing' at the US. In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Trump said, "Beyond embarrassment, this is something that will affect our relationship for years to come and decades to come. When China watches this, they're so happy. They are laughing at us. They are laughing."

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PM Modi Compares Fencer Bhavani Devi To 'Jhansi Ki Rani'; Lauds Mirabai Chanu's Gesture

On Monday, PM Modi hosted the Indian athletes who participated in the Tokyo Olympics including Mirabai Chanu and CA Bhavani Devi for breakfast at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence. On this occasion, Devi who made history by becoming the first person to represent India in Fencing at the Olympics thanked the PM for his encouragement. She said, "You motivated me before going to the Olympics and afterward. I was disappointed after losing the second match. But I felt nice after reading your Tweet. It was very encouraging". 

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UK PM Boris Johnson Dials Pakistan's Imran Khan, Focus On Afghanistan After Fall Of Kabul

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Tuesday, held a telephonic conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan wherein he discussed with him the exacerbating crises in Afghanistan. On Sunday, Islamist fundamentalist group Taliban took over Kabul, triggering panic and chaos with people looking out for ways to escape the extremists’ ultra- austere rule. Speaking on the same, Johnson said that he was determined to work with international partners to “avoid a humanitarian disaster” in the country and the wider central Asian region.

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EAM Jaishankar To Chair UNSC High-level Meetings On Peacekeeping Ops Amid Afghan Crisis

Amid the ongoing Afghanistan crisis, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will preside over two high-level meetings at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 18-19 August. The EAM will take part the debate on 'Protecting the Protectors: Technology and Peacekeeping' and will also attend a high-level briefing on 'Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts'. India had earlier cleared that the subjects of peacekeeping and anti-terrorism moves will be major priorities during its UNSC tenures.

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Kerala HC Directs Karnataka To Allow Keralites Facing Dire Emergencies To Enter State

Amid the growing cases of COVID-19 infections in the state, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday permitted interstate travel from Kerala to Karanataka for emergency purposes. In an interim order issued by the Kerala HC, it directs the Karnataka government to allow people to enter the state if they are facing dire emergencies such as death in the family or medical treatment, irrespective of the mode of transportation used. 

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Devendra Fadnavis Rebukes MVA Govt Over Closure Of Temples; Brings Up Economic Rationale

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis castigated the Maharashtra government for not reopening temples despite announcing other COVID-19 relaxations. Observing that the crowd in temples is less compared to malls and bars, he contended that they could resume functioning with novel coronavirus protocol. Moreover, the ex-Maharashtra CM also pointed out the dire impact of the government's decision on the temple economy which includes those selling Puja-related materials. 

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Afghanistan Crisis: Three Sniffer Dogs Deployed At Indian Embassy In Kabul Return Home

With Indian embassy officials, the evacuation process conducted by India from Kabul also included three sniffer dogs, who were a part of the security at the Indian embassy in Afghanistan. The sniffer dogs were deployed there along with ITBP personnel and they all returned on Tuesday. The evacuation process was conducted through the Indian Air Force's (IAF) C-17 aircraft that landed in Jamnagar yesterday at 11:20 am with nearly 150 Indian nationals. 

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WATCH: PM Modi Shares His Mantra With Vinesh Phogat, Says 'don't Let Defeat Settle In Your Mind'

Several light-hearted glimpses of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with Olympians at his residence were shared on Wednesday. One highlighted moment was his conversation with Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat where PM shared a mantra that he follows- "Jeeth ko kabhi sar pe chadne mat do, har ko mann me basne mat do" (Never let victory go to your head, never let defeat settle in your mind). The Prime Minister shared his thoughts after Vinesh Phogat expressed her sadness over missing out on a medal during Tokyo Olympics 2020. 

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