5 Facts On Mukhtar Ansari, Gangster-Turned Politician From UP

5 Facts On Mukhtar Ansari, Gangster-Turned Politician From UP

Jailed gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari died of a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. He was 63.

Here are 5 facts about Mukhtar Ansari:

  1. Since 1952 nobody won from Mau in Uttar Pradesh for a second consecutive time, but Mukhtar Ansari broke the myth by winning the seat five times in a row beginning 1996, including twice as a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. He last contested the assembly polls in 2017. 

  2. Mukhtar Ansari, who has been in jail since 2005 in various criminal cases, was brought to Banda jail by the Uttar Pradesh government from Punjab after a court battle.

  3. The gangster-turned politician had over 60 criminal cases pending against him. He was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts of Uttar Pradesh.

  4. In April 2023, Mukhtar Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents for obtaining an arms licence in 1990.

  5. The gangster, who hailed from Mau, was believed to have strong influence in Ghazipur and Varanasi districts as well. His name was on the list of 66 gangsters issued by Uttar Pradesh Police last year.

Inaction of some Muslim states towards Palestine regretting

The Iranian president made the remarks in a meeting with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement in Tehran on Thursday. 

Emphasizing Iran’s strategy in supporting the resistance movement and the oppressed but powerful people of Gaza, the president expressed regret about the inaction and passivity of the leaders of some Islamic countries in fulfilling their duty towards the Palestinian nation.

Raeisi emphasized that Palestine has the right to resistance for the same reason that it has the right to life: whoever rejects Palestinian resistance has in fact rejected Palestine’s right to life.

“The people of Gaza not only did not wait for the support of some countries and Islamic governments, but with their unique resistance, they proved the insignificance of international bodies, organizations and unions who claim to be supporters of human rights, and challenged the unjust world order,” he added.

In the meeting, Ziad Nakhale, Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement congratulated the Iranian government and nation on the holy month of Ramadan and the new year, and appreciated the unwavering support of the Iranian people for the ideals of the resistance and the people of Gaza. He remembered the memory of martyred Iranian general Lt. Gen. Hajj Qassem Soleimani.

“Today, the Palestinian nation has taken by surprise the Zionist enemy and its allies, especially the United States, with its resistance,” Nakhala said.

The Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also appreciated the support of the Resistance Axis to the Palestinian nation, adding that, “This support and backing not only increases the morale and motivation in the hearts of the people of Gaza and the Palestinian Mujahideen. It also carries the important message that the Palestinian nation is not alone in its struggle against the Zionist enemy.”

MNA/6064460

Parts Of South Mumbai Plunge Into Darkness Due To Power Outage

Parts Of South Mumbai Plunge Into Darkness Due To Power Outage

Mumbai has an islanding system which generally ensures continuity in power supply

Mumbai:

Pockets in south Mumbai plunged into darkness on Thursday night following a snag, electricity officials said.

Localities around the Mahapalika Marg, GT Hospital, Crawford Market and Marine Lines witnessed power outage from 2035 hrs onwards and the restoration of supply started only past 2105 hrs.

The snag was triggered by a tripping in a supply line, the power discom Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking said.

A BEST spokesperson said a 33 Kilovolt feeder from Tata Power’s Carnac Bunder facility, which comes to the G T Hospital receiving station operated by it tripped, resulting in the electricity outage.

The power supply has been fully restored now, the spokesperson said.

Tata Power, in a late night statement, said the electricity supply was affected due to 33KV cable fault of BEST.

The supply was restored through an alternate source from the Tata Power grid, added the statement.

The financial capital has an islanding system which generally ensures continuity in power supply.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Hamas official: Israel has achieved none of its goals in Gaza


The Hamas deputy chief Khalil al-Hayya

The deputy chief of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says Israel has not achieved any of its declared goals in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In an interview in Tehran, Khalil al-Hayya censured Washington’s complicity in the crimes committed against the Palestinians.

“The US will pay a heavy price for its support in the genocide in Gaza.”

The Hamas official said the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against Israel “served the Palestinian cause and strengthened the Axis of Resistance across the region.”

He said Israel wants to “prolong the onslaught” on the besieged Palestinian territory.

“Despite Israel’s claim of being a democratic entity, its aggression on Gaza has exposed the real face of this ugly and criminal regime and rogue nature of Israel has been revealed to the entire world.”

Israel has escalated bombardment of Gaza since the UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The Hamas official said Israel has “destroyed over 70 percent of civilian infrastructure and keeps using starvation as weapon of war against civilian population.”

“Children and women are subjected to Israeli genocide and starvation in Gaza.”

Hayya said Hamas was not optimistic about any negotiations with Israel, but still prepared “to show flexibility in ceasefire talks for the sake of Palestinians.”

Hayya said Hamas has put forward a “realistic” ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip that involves the withdrawal of occupation forces from the besieged Palestinian territory, the release of Israeli captives, the return of displaced civilians and unhindered access to aid.

Reports say the stalled Gaza truce talks are expected to restart in Qatar.

The deputy chief of Hamas movement said some Arab countries’ support for Palestinians have not been enough.

But he thanked Iran for standing with the Palestinians and exercising active diplomacy in support of the Palestinians in recent months.


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Jagan Mohan Reddy destroyed irrigation sector in Rayalaseema: Chandrababu Naidu

Naidu alleged that water was not supplied to even a single acre in the past five years and claimed that Reddy encouraged the free flow of spurious liquor, ganja (marijuana) and other drugs in every village of Rayalaseema.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 05:47 PM


Jagan Mohan Reddy destroyed irrigation sector in Rayalaseema: Chandrababu Naidu

File Photo

Palamaneru: TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has completely destroyed the irrigation sector in the Rayalaseema region of the state.

Naidu alleged that water was not supplied to even a single acre in the past five years and claimed that Reddy encouraged the free flow of spurious liquor, ganja (marijuana) and other drugs in every village of Rayalaseema.


“My vision is to create assets and increase the revenue of everyone in the state while Jagan always works to loot the people only to fill his own pockets,” he said at a public meeting ‘Prajagalam’ in Palamaneru on Wednesday.

Further, Naidu noted that the time has come to put an end to the alleged wicked and cruel force of the YSRCP, claiming that everybody, including farmers who are “not getting even the subsidies and minimum support price for any farm product”, is ready to defeat the ruling party.

Assuring various facilities to different sections of the society, Naidu promised that electricity charges will be regularised immediately on the NDA forming the government in the state, among other promises.

Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes is slated for June 4. The TDP, Janasena and BJP are the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in the southern state.

Adhir praises economist Parakala Prabhakar for his views on electoral bonds

Chowdhury also came down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre saying that “electoral bonds were a systematic way to extort money”.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:45 PM


Adhir praises economist Parakala Prabhakar for his views on electoral bonds

File Photo

Kolkata: West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury on Thursday heaped praise on Parakala Prabhakar, eminent economist and husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for his views on the electoral bonds saying that he should be thanked for it.

Chowdhury also came down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre saying that “electoral bonds were a systematic way to extort money”.


“He (Prabhakar) has spoken the truth. I would like to thank him for that. He is an honest, upright and determined person and that is why he could say this. He deserves to be praised lavishly,” Chowdhury told reporters.

“We in Congress as well as Rahul Gandhi have been saying this (what Prabhakar said) for a long time… since the day when electoral bonds issue was passed in Parliament along with the Financial Bill (in 2017). We had protested against it. We understood that the electoral bonds were a systematic way to extort money,” he added.

Prabhakar while speaking to a television news channel has said that “Electoral bond scam is not just the biggest scam in India but the biggest scam in the world. After electoral bond corruption became public, now the fight is not between two alliances but between the BJP and the people of India.” The Congress leader alleged that lottery company owners donated Rs 600 crores to the ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal only to do business in the state.

“Lottery company owners donated around Rs 600 crore to the West Bengal government so that they do not face any hurdles in running their business in the state. They are also giving money to Modi. We are getting several shocking pieces of information regarding the electoral bonds. One is giving money and then getting a contract,” he said.

Chowdhury described the electoral bonds as “chanda (subscription)” and also alleged that in exchange for the electoral bonds the central government has distributed tenders amounting to Rs four lakh crore.

Talking about Sitharaman declining to contest the Lok Sabha election because she does not have the money, Chowdhury said that the Union Finance Minister was a “victim of circumstances”.

“We have never said that she is a dishonest person. I am also not saying that she is a thief or she is a wealthy person. It might be that it requires a lot of money to fight elections in South India and that is why she is not contesting,” Chowdhury said.

Referring to Sitaraman’s daughter’s wedding, the Congress leader said that it was a very low-key celebration and he had asked the FM for a treat with laddu.

“Inside the Parliament, we had arguments on several occasions when we asked Sitharaman different questions several times. We have never attacked her personally. But we feel bad seeing her arguing on behalf of the government of which she is the finance minister.

“She (Sitaraman) is a victim of the circumstances. She understands everything. But in today’s BJP government only one person talks and decides everything and everyone has to listen to him. We should remember that like her husband, she is also an economist,” he added.

Sitharaman on Wednesday said that she has turned down BJP president JP Nadda’s offer to fight the Lok Sabha polls from Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu because she did not have the funds to contest the polls.

On PM Modi’s promise to distribute Rs 3,000 crore ED-seized assets, Chowdhury said that it was nothing but a “political jumla” (an empty promise) and it would increase in the upcoming days.

“This is nothing but jumla bazi of Modiji. He has done such kind earlier also. This is nothing but a jumla, It’s only a start, there will be many more coming. Just wait and see,” he said.

 

Australia contracts Warner, Stoinis, Agar miss out on CA contracts

Warner’s omission was expected as he intends to call it quits from the game after the T20 World Cup. He is currently in India, playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. Stoinis is the most notable omission.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:59 PM


Australia contracts Warner, Stoinis, Agar miss out on CA contracts


Melbourne: Veteran opener David Warner, who has retired from ODI and Test cricket, along with all-rounders Ashton Agar and Marcus Stoinis, was on Thursday dropped from Cricket Australia‘s list of centrally-contracted players for the 2024-25 season.

Besides, Victoria opener Marcus Harris and pacer Michael Neser have also missed out on contracts that were offered to 23 players, stated a report by ‘cricket.com.au’.


Australia have a hectic season ahead that will feature the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June and a home Test series against India towards the end of the year among other engagements.

Warner’s omission was expected as he intends to call it quits from the game after the T20 World Cup. He is currently in India, playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals. Stoinis is the most notable omission.

However, the 34-year-old, who is currently playing with Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, remains in contention for the upcoming T20 World Cup despite missing Australia’s recent tour of New Zealand with a back injury.

Pacers Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis are among those who have been offered contracts for the first time. Bartlett (25) and Ellis (29) are joined by Victoria and Adelaide Strikers batter Matt Short (28), and Western Australia all-rounder Aaron Hardie (25) as the four new faces on this year’s central contract list. The four players have already made their international debut for Australia.

Short and Hardie made their debuts during last year’s T20 series in South Africa, while Ellis played in Australia’s ODI and T20I tour of South Africa, and T20 campaigns in India and New Zealand.

He, however, missed the home white-ball series against the West Indies due to a rib injury.

“Matt, Aaron and Xavier have been extremely impressive in the early stages of their international careers,” national selection chair George Bailey was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au “Their performances and the way they have embraced the international stage has been exciting to watch.

“The panel believes they have strong futures and are deserved of their contracts as they work towards striving to become regulars in the Australian setup.”

CA contracted men’s players 2024-25: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

"No Hardik To Tell…": Ex India Star On Why His Absence Good For GT

Gujarat Titans’ new era under the captaincy of young opener Shubman Gill had a bittersweet beginning in IPL 2024. The 2022 champions began this season by defeating their old skipper Hardik Pandya‘s Mumbai Indians by six runs. However, their IPL 2023 final rivals Chennai Super Kings edged past them by 63 runs on Tuesday at Chepauk. Chasing a whopping target of 207 against Ruturaj Gaikwad and co, GT managed to score only 143 runs and faced their biggest defeat in terms of runs.

Ever-since Hardik switched to MI, there have been talks regarding Gill’s role as a captain of GT. Recently, former India pacer S Sreesanth opened up about Gill and stated that the absence of Hardik is a blessing in disguise for GT.

“There is no Hardik in Gujarat Titans to tell the bowlers what to bowl. Sometimes you need to give the bowler that freedom to bowl. This time the captain is Gill, and I’m sure Ashish bhai (Ashish Nehra) will say ‘let them bowl’. Bowlers will also take responsibility with a young captain and sometimes, this is the advantage of having a young captain,” Sreesanth said on FanCode.

Against CSK, Gill failed to live up to expectations as he scored only 8 runs off 5 balls, before getting dismissed by Deepak Chahar.

“They outplayed us when we were batting, their execution was spot on. We backed ourselves to get a decent score in the powerplay and once we didn’t, we were always playing catch-up. It was unfortunate for us. In T20 you can always talk about 10-15 runs here or there, end of the day it’s about how much they got. On this wicket, we were expecting to chase 190-200. I think it’s a great learning for the bowlers,” Gill said after the match.

“I think it’s better to have this kind of game early on in the tournament rather than in the middle or late. We always expected to chase 190-200, it was a really good wicket. Felt like we let ourselves down while batting. (On captaincy) Lot of new learnings, new experiences and different things. It’s exciting to captain a team like Gujarat Titans, we’ve made it to the finals in the last couple of years so very exciting,” he added.

GT will now be squaring off against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2024 match on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

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President Raeisi reiterates Iran's support for Gaza resistance, people


President Ebrahim Raeisi meets Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhala in Tehran on Thursday, March 28, 2024. (Photo by IRNA)

President Ebrahim Raeisi has reiterated Iran’s support for the resistance movements and the people of Gaza, but regretted inaction of some Islamic leaders on the Israeli “brutality” against the Palestinians.

Raesisi hailed the “bravery of the resistance groups in Gaza against the the Zionist enemy” and unity among the Palestinian groups as he met Islamic Jihad chief Ziyad al-Nakhala in Tehran on Thursday.

“Today, Gaza is the scene of victory of the Palestinian people’s resistance and faith against the dark, oppressive and unprecedented crimes of the Zionist regime and the United States,” the president said.

The resistance groups and the people of Gaza proved especially to the political elite of the world that standing and resisting is the only option to confront the “brutality and criminality of the Zionist usurping regime” and that Israel’s invincibility is a lie, he said.

“The people of Gaza proved that this regime does not adhere to any law, international treaty and humanitarian principles at any level,” President Raeisi added.

For the same reason that the Palestinians have the right to life, they also have a right to resistance, he said, adding whoever rejects Palestinian resistance has actually rejected Palestine’s right to life.

Raeisi touched on the colossal resistance of the “oppressed people of Gaza against the criminal Zionist regime” despite the failure of certain Islamic leaders to fulfill their responsibilities toward Palestine.

“The people of Gaza not only did not wait for the support of some Islamic states and countries, but with their unique resistance, they proved the inefficacy of international institutions, organizations and unions claiming to advocate human rights and challenged the unjust world order,” he said.


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What Scientists Hope To Learn From Total Solar Eclipse In US

What Scientists Hope To Learn From Total Solar Eclipse In US

NASA is one of the institutions at the ready for the eclipse (Representational)

When a rare total solar eclipse sweeps across North America on April 8, scientists will be able to gather invaluable data on everything from the Sun’s atmosphere to strange animal behaviors — and even possible effects on humans.

It comes with the Sun near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, setting the stage for a breathtaking display: The corona will glow spectacularly from the Moon’s silhouette along the path of totality, a corridor stretching from Mexico to Canada via the United States.

Total solar eclipses offer “incredible scientific opportunities,” NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy told a press conference this week about the celestial event.

The US space agency is one of the institutions at the ready for the eclipse, with plans to launch so-called “sounding rockets” to study the effects on Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Here is a look at what researchers are hoping to learn from the upcoming eclipse:

Sun’s atmosphere

When the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun and blocks it, the elusive outermost edge of the Sun’s atmosphere, or corona, will be visible “in a very special way,” Melroy said Tuesday.

“Things are happening with the corona that we don’t fully understand,” she said.

The heat within the corona intensifies with distance from the Sun’s surface — a counterintuitive phenomenon that scientists struggle to fully comprehend or explain.

Solar flares, a sudden explosion of energy that releases radiation into space, take place in the corona as do solar prominences, enormous plasma formations that loop out from the Sun’s surface.

During an eclipse, the bottom most part of the corona — where a lot of this activity occurs — is more clearly visible than when using specialized instruments to block the central part of the Sun, offering a golden opportunity for study, said Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.

Researchers are particularly thrilled about the Sun being near the peak of its 11-year cycle.

“The chance we’re going to see something amazing is very high,” Melroy said.

Earth’s atmosphere

The total eclipse also will afford scientists a chance to study changes in part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere, important because it affects radio waves used for communication and navigation.

“Disturbances in this layer can cause issues with GPS and communications,” said Kelly Korreck, the eclipse program manager at NASA headquarters.

The ionosphere, which is where Earth’s atmosphere meets space, is affected by the Sun, which electrically charges the particles there during the day.

NASA’s three sounding rockets will be launched before, during and just after the eclipse from Virginia to measure these changes.

The major decrease in sunlight provoked by the eclipse — more rapid and localized than a simple sunset — should allow researchers to learn more about how light affects the ionosphere so they can better predict potential problematic disruptions.

Animal behaviors

Startling animal behavior has been noted during eclipses: Giraffes have been seen galloping, while roosters and crickets can start crowing and chirping.

Beyond the drop in sunlight, temperatures and wind — conditions to which animals are sensitive — can also decrease significantly during an eclipse.

Andrew Farnsworth, a researcher in ornithology at Cornell University in New York state, studies how eclipses affect birds, using weather surveillance radar to detect birds in flight.

During the last total solar eclipse visible from the United States in August 2017, scientists observed a “decline in the number of animals flying around,” Farnsworth told reporters.

The 2017 eclipse disrupted the daily activities of insects and birds, but did not trigger usual animal nocturnal behaviors such as birds migrating or bats emerging, the expert said.

This time around, birds might be more apt to migrate during the eclipse, given that it’s in April, he said.

“These kinds of patterns — they’re important for understanding the ways animals perceive their worlds,” Farnsworth said.

Human wonder

“Eclipses have a special power. They move people to feel a kind of reverence for the beauty of our universe,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters.

Researchers studied this feeling of awe in 2017, using data from nearly three million users of Twitter, now called X.

Those in the so-called “path of totality” tended to use the pronoun “we” (as opposed to “I”) and express concern about other people, according to Paul Piff, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine.

“What we’re finding is that experiences that bring about awe… seem to attune people and connect us to one another, to connect us to entities that are larger than ourselves,” Piff said.

This year, he plans to study if the experience has any effect on political divisions in society.

Citizen scientists 

About 40 citizen science projects are planned around the eclipse, from using a phone app to register the temperature and cloud cover to recording ambient noise during the event.

“We encourage you to help NASA observe the sights and sounds around you,” Nelson said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)