Republic top 10 headlines: Pegasus row; Afghans plead for help; UP polls & more

Afghans In Knee-deep Sewage Plead For Entry Into Kabul Airport As Foul Moat Forms Outside

With the US evacuation deadline looming, the Afghans aiming to flee the country have grown desperate pleading for rescue from the Taliban-overrun country. As per the latest reports, the Afghan citizens seeking evacuation were seen standing in knee-deep sewage water with documents just outside Kabul airport. Sustaining the scorching heat, the panic-stricken refugee families have reportedly been waiting to board flights out of the country. 

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Afghanistan: Chinese Ambassador Meets Senior Taliban Leader In Kabul To Discuss Ties

A day after announcing that it will provide financial aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, a Chinese diplomat met members of the terrorist outfit in Afghanistan on Tuesday. A Taliban spokesperson said that Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, met the Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul to discuss the security of the Chinese embassy and its diplomats. Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik quoted Taliban spokesperson Mohammed Naeem and confirmed the meeting."They discussed the security of the Chinese embassy and diplomats, the current situation in Afghanistan, bilateral relations, and China's humanitarian assistance,"  Sputnik reported.

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Pegasus Row: West Bengal Govt Defends Move To Order Judicial Probe, Files Affidavit In SC

The Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal on Tuesday defended its decision to constitute a judicial commission to inquire into the Pegasus 'snooping' row. On July 26, the Mamata Banerjee-led government appointed a Commission of Inquiry comprising ex-SC judge Madan Lokur and former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya under the Commission of Inquiry Act. It was tasked to investigate the facts and circumstances related to the purported illegal hacking of phones of various police officials, politicians, MLAs, journalists, activists, and other judges. 

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Afghanistan: Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai Meet Qatar Envoy, Discuss 'peace Efforts'

After being inducted into the 12-member Taliban council, Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday held a meeting with the Special Envoy of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. The Taliban announced the senior leader of the ousted Afghanistan government as a part of their 12-member Taliban council for Afghanistan on Tuesday. Taking to Twitter, Abdullah Abdullah shared details of his meeting with the Qatar envoy Mutlaq Al Qahtani. He stated that the two sides had exchanged views on peace and stability and an inclusive government in Afghanistan. 

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CoWIN-like Platform To Be Launched To Monitor Children's COVID Vaccination: Dr RS Sharma

Dr. RS Sharma, CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA) informed that after the success of CoWIN, the Indian government's web portal for COVID-19 vaccinations, a new program is being developed that would be able to keep track of every child's immunization against coronavirus in the country. In June, Dr. RS Sharma had said that in about five months, CoWIN has grown to over 300 million registrations and vaccinations. He had said, "CoWIN keeps an account of each individual. We've learned to create these kinds of platforms from our experience of Aadhaar and UPI".

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ED Raids Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s Chennai Bungalow, Videos Show All That Was Seized

In a recent update on ED raids on conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar's sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, Republic has accessed exclusive images and videos from the search location. ED (Enforcement Directorate) officials have informed that Sukesh Chandrashekhar has been accused of extorting 200 crores from a businessman over a period of one year. He also has over 20 other cases of extortion against him and operated a racket from inside his jail cell.

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Punjab CM Writes To EAM Seeking Repatriation Of Shaheed Udham Singh's Pistol, Diary

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking the repatriation of the personal property of legendary martyr Shaheed Udham Singh, including his pistol and personal diary, from the United Kingdom. The CM appealed to Jaishankar to take up this matter with the British government so that India could pay tributes to the martyr and patriot. 

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UP Polls: SP Accuses BJP Of Hatching 'conspiracy' At Electoral Booth Level, Foresees Win

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused BJP of hatching a conspiracy at the polling booth level. Claiming that the saffron party doesn't respect the Constitution, he claimed that the RSS workers from other states are being sent to every village in UP to foment trouble. Moreover, he asserted that BJP's move had cast aspersions on the impartiality of the Election Commission of India. 

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Union Minister Narayan Rane Granted Bail Over 'derogatory' Remarks Against Maharashtra CM

A court in Mahad granted Union Minister Narayan Rane bail on Tuesday, in one of the FIRs against him for his 'derogatory' remarks against Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. While the Mahad Police booked him under Sections 153A, 184, 504, 505(2), and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, he faces three other FIRs in connection with the same controversy at Pune, Nashik and Thane. Rane was arrested earlier on August 24 after the Ratnagiri Sessions court turned down his anticipatory bail plea.

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Rajasthan: BJP Releases 'black Paper', Accuses Gehlot Govt Of Unfulfilled Promises

Rajasthan BJP released a 'black paper' on Tuesday, August 24, against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his government. The opposition party was accusing the ruling party of failing to fulfill their promises of waiving loans for the farmers in need and unemployment allowance to the youth. He even compared the current government to the previous BJP state government.  Speaking at the press conference while revealing their 'black paper', former Rajasthan BJP president Arun Chaturvedi said that lawlessness is a big issue in the state and that the Congress government is not doing enough to find the solutions. 

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