Republic top 10 headlines: ISRO launches maiden SSLV-D1 Mission, CWG 2022 & more

ISRO Scripts History, Launches Maiden SSLV-D1 Mission Carrying Student Satellite AzaadiSAT

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted history on August 7, by launching its first new rocket the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The mini rocket, carrying an Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) and a student satellite AzaadiSAT, began lift off at 9:18 am (IST) from the first launch pad.

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India, US To Take Part In Mega Joint Military Exercise Near LAC In October

India and the US will take part in a two-week-long joint military exercise in Uttarakhand's Auli in October. The mega military exercise will be held less than 100 kilometers from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh which has been a site of a dispute in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley face-off with China.

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China Says 'Taiwan Was Never A Country'; Accuses US Of Sabotaging 'Status Quo'

Reiterating its aggressive stand, China said on Sunday that Taiwan has never been a country and accused the United States of attempting to change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait by hollowing out the one-China policy.

Quoting China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's statement on Taiwan, Ambassador Qin Gang wrote, "Taiwan has never been a country. There is only one China in the world and both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and same China. This has been the status quo of Taiwan since ancient times."

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J&K: Live Grenade Recovered In Poonch, Destroyed By Indian Army

A live hand grenade was recovered from Jammu & Kashmir's Poonch district on Saturday. After the grenade was found lying on the ground in Kallar Kattal village, the locals immediately apprised the police. Taking immediate cognizance of the incident, a party of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of police station Surankote along with the J&K Army reached the spot. The grenade was destroyed by the security forces using a controlled explosion at midnight, thus averting a major tragedy. 

In the visuals accessed by Republic TV, the Indian Army can be seen at the sight of the recovery at around midnight. Republic has also accessed visuals of the grenade post its destruction. 

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CWG 2022: Para TT Player Bhavina Patel Clinches Gold For India, Sonalben Wins Bronze

Indian para Table Tennis player Bhavina Patel won the gold medal for India in the Women's Singles Table Tennis Classes 3-5 event on Saturday at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. India’s overall medal tally reached 40 as Day 10 of the coveted event concluded after another Indian player Sonalben Patel clinched the bronze medal in the same category. While Bhavina defeated Nigeria’s Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi in the summit clash by 12-10, 11-2, 11-9, Sonalben picked up a 11-5, 11-2 and 11-3 win against England’s Sue Bailey.

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TMC MPs Sisir Adhikari, Son Dibyendu Cast Vote In VP Elections; Party Seeks Explanation

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs Sisir Adhikari and his son Dibyendu Adhikari went against their party line on Saturday to cast their votes for the Vice Presidential elections, even as the TMC declared it would abstain from the polls.

TMC leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay had officially communicated the party's stand in a letter dated August 4 to all party MPs, asking them to refrain from voting in the August 6 polls. Despite this, Sisir and Dibyendu were seen entering Room No. 63 of the Parliament to cast their votes for electing Vice President Venkaiah Naidu's successor. 

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Bhagwant Mann Slams Former Punjab CMs For Skipping NITI Aayog Meets: 'They Undervalued It'

Ahead of the NITI Aayog's seventh governing council meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who is also set to attend the meeting launched a scathing attack on his predecessors and former Punjab chief ministers, Charanjit Singh Channi and Captain Amarinder Singh over skipping the NITI Aayog meetings during their tenure. 

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Ukraine Detains Two Men Accused Of Being Russian Spies Amid The Brutal War With Moscow

Amidst the raging war between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukraine has detained two men suspected of being Russian spies. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested two individuals for identifying targets for Russian missile attacks that destroyed shipbuilding facilities in the southern port city of Mykolaiv. The SBU said in a Telegram post that the men "collected and transmitted intelligence to the enemy about important infrastructure facilities, fuel depots, the deployment and movement of personnel and equipment of [Ukrainian) armed forces." Without specifying the timing, the SBU said that several ship-building operations and fuel depots were damaged.

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China Slams US, Aus & Japan's Statement On Taiwan; Suggests To Not Take Sides 'blindly'

China has reacted strongly to the recent joint statement released by the United States, Japan and Australia over the ongoing actions of Beijing against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit and advised the countries to refrain from backing Taipei "without any adequate reasons". Earlier, in a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the three countries urged Beijing to "immediately cease military exercises around Taiwan". Expressing grave concern about the recent developments, the FMs underscored that Chinese "provocative" actions could affect international peace and stability.

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Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe Stresses Old Economic Model Can No Longer Be Used

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe asserted that they need to focus on global challenges through innovative thinking. He stated that they cannot "go back" to the old economic model and insisted that they were paying the price as they did not "keep up with globalization", Daily News reported. Wickremesinghe made the remarks at the professional forum to launch the Advocata Institute’s research report on Sri Lanka’s economic reforms. 

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