Republic top 10 headlines: WB Minister Partha Chatterjee arrested; Europe heatwaves & more

Rajasthan: Seer Vijay Das Protesting Against Illegal Mining Dies After Self-immolation

Vijay Das, a seer, who set himself ablaze on July 20 during the protest against illegal stone mining in Rajasthan's Bharatpur passed away in the wee hours of Saturday. Speaking to the media, Bharatpur SDM Sanjay Goyal stated that Das was admitted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday itself. He also mentioned that the seer's final remains will be taken to Barsana village after the post-mortem is concluded. Meanwhile, sources revealed that seers from Delhi are reaching Bharatpur under the leadership of Mahamandaleshwar Naval Kishore Das by 1 pm today.

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SSC Recruitment Scam: BJP Yuva Morcha To Protest Across Bengal After ED Raids In Kolkata

As the Enforcement Directorate is carrying out raids at various premises in West Bengal linked to the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya on Saturday informed that the party's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) will launch a protest across the state. He stated that jobs were sold for cash, some of which were recovered from Mamata Banerjee's close aid Partha Chatterjee's residence. The demonstration will be carried out demanding justice for lakhs of young people whose career got ruined due to the state government's SSC scam.

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J&K: Suspected Pakistani Drone Spotted In Kanachak Area Of Jammu; Search Ops Underway

In a key development, the security forces spotted yet another suspected Pakistani drone flying close to the Jammu International Border in Jammu and Kashmir as incidents of Pakistani drones attempting to invade Indian territory continue to be reported from the border.

As per the preliminary information, the suspected Pakistani drone was spotted in the Kanachak area of the Akhnoor Tehsil in the Jammu district along the international border with Pakistan. Notably, the drone flew around 50 metres inside the Indian territory and after hovered over the border area of Jammu's Kanachak. It went back to the Pakistani side across the international border after the BSF fired 11 rounds at it. Immediately after spotting the drone, the security forces which included Border Security Force (BSF) and J&K police, launched search operations in the Kanachak area at the midnight to check if any packages were dropped by the drone in the Indian territory. 

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SSC Recruitment Scam: BJP Shares Video Of WB CM Mamata 'praising' Partha Chatterjee's Aide

In an embarrassment for TMC, BJP shared an old video of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee praising Minister Partha Chatterjee's aide Arpita Mukherjee who was raided by the ED in connection with the SSC recruitment scam. On Friday, the central agency recovered Rs.20 crore in cash from Mukherjee's residential premises. Posting an undated video of a function at the Naktala Udayan Sangha in Kolkata, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya alleged that the West Bengal CM knew Mukherjee and the work that she was doing.

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West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee Arrested In SSC Recruitment Scam After ED Raids

In a massive blow to TMC on Saturday, the Enforcement Directorate arrested West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the SSC recruitment scam. Re-elected from the Behala Paschim seat in the 2021 Assembly polls. he currently holds the portfolios of Higher Education, School Education and Parliamentary Affairs in the Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet. Officials of the central agency were conducting raids at his residence for over 26 hours. A day earlier, the ED recovered Rs.20 crore in cash from his aide Arpita Mukherjee's residential premises. Even she has been detained by the ED, sources revealed.

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Europe Heatwaves 'unprecedented & Frightening' As Over 1700 Killed In Spain, Portugal: WHO

As the European region struggles with the consequences of a protracted heatwave that has caused a number of deadly wildfires and escalated record-breaking extreme temperatures, the regional chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Friday that urgent pan-European action is required to successfully combat climate change, the major issue that is endangering both human health and the very life of the species. 

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Zelenskyy Says Ceasefire With Russia Without Recapturing Lost Territories 'will Widen War'

On the 150th day of the brutal Russian war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Kyiv "will not" cease counter-attack until it has regained all of its occupied territories. Speaking in an interview with Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the embattled President explained that entering a ceasefire with Moscow with the Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation would only "prolong the war." He warned allowing Russia to keep the seized lands "will encourage" a deeper and expanded conflict, instead of completely stopping it.

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EU Slaps UK With 4 New Legal Cases For Breaching Northern Ireland Protocol Of Brexit Deal

In a stern response to the UK allegedly breaching post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, the European Union (EU) on Friday launched 4 new legal actions against London. The latest expansion of diplomatic spat between both parties came after the UK reportedly failed to implement the customs and tax rules as agreed in the 2019 deal, signed between UK PM Boris Johnson and European Commission.  The additional charges come atop 3 other allegations against the UK, including London trying to tweak or scrap some more of the border trade arrangements with Northern Ireland.

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Congress MLA Writes To Gehlot After Sadhu's Immolation; Tells Him To Sack Mining Minister

In the aftermath of the ghastly demise of a sadhu in Bharatpur, a Congress MLA has written to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, urging him to sack Mining Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya. In his letter, Sangod MLA Bharat Singh Kundanpur alleged that the illegal mining mafia had crossed 'record levels' in the state and called Bhaya the 'biggest mining mafia'.

"I have written several letters on this. If immolating myself like the Bharatpur Sadhu is the only way to stop the mafia, then I will also send this message to you after adopting that method," he wrote.

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US Analysing Prospects Of Sending American-made Fighter Jets To Ukraine, Says John Kirby

As Russia's offensive against Ukraine continues unabated for nearly five months in a row, the United States is now mulling sending US-made fighter jets to the war-ravaged nation. While briefing a press conference on Friday, the US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, affirmed that the Department of Defence is analysing the prospect of shipping fighter jets to Ukraine. However, he clarified that the decision of sending home-grown fighter jets "is not expected to be adopted in the near future". Citing the reason behind the delay, he said that the integration of aircraft equipped with modern systems is a complex task and takes time. Besides, Kirby said pilots and personnel also need to be trained to operate the American-made fighter jets.

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