Rahul Gandhi boon for BJP: Anurag Thakur

“There cannot be a bigger boon for the BJP than Rahul Gandhi,” Thakur said at the TimesNow Summit here. The senior BJP leader said he had lots of respect for Rahul Gandhi as he was a “big leader”.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:00 PM


Rahul Gandhi boon for BJP: Anurag Thakur

Photo: Screen-grabbed from X.

New Delhi: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi saying the Congress leader was a “boon” for the BJP as his contribution was immense in ensuring the saffron party’s victory.

“There cannot be a bigger boon for the BJP than Rahul Gandhi,” Thakur said at the TimesNow Summit here. The senior BJP leader said he had lots of respect for Rahul Gandhi as he was a “big leader”.


“He spends equal amount of energy in ensuring BJP’s victory as much as we do,” Thakur said. In a dig at Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Thakur said he was happy that the Congress leader was touring the country instead of travelling to foreign locations.

“But, what did he achieve? The yatra passed through Madhya Pradesh, they lost there. The yatra passed through Chhattisgarh, they lost there. The yatra passed through Rajasthan, they lost there,” Thakur said.

“Now, the Yatra has traversed the entire country. You can only imagine what they are going to lose,” the union minister said.

Thakur wondered why others would tolerate Gandhi when his own party is unable to bear with him.

Thakur also said the BJP will return to power for the third consecutive term with the NDA coalition winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

BRS candidate Kadiyam Kavya withdraws from LS contest

She wrote a letter to the party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao to this effect and thanked him for giving her the opportunity to contest the elections.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 11:03 PM


BRS candidate Kadiyam Kavya withdraws from LS contest


Hyderabad: BRS MP candidate Dr Kadiyam Kavya withdrew from contesting in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls from Warangal parliamentary constituency.

She wrote a letter to the party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao to this effect.


She thanked him for giving her the opportunity to contest the elections. However, she stated that she decided to withdraw from the contesting in the wake of various media reports about irregularities under the BRS regime and lack of coordination and cooperation from the party cadre which was denting the party’s reputation.

She apologised to the BRS president and the party cadre over her decision.

Watch: 4,4,6,4,6 – Riyan Parag's Explosive Batting Show Lights Up IPL 2024

Riyan Parag struck a stunning 84 not out off 45 balls to single-handedly take Rajasthan Royals to 185 for 5 in their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Capitals on Thursday. Parag, who made 43 in the Royals’ previous match, took 25 runs off veteran South African pacer Anrich Nortje with scores of 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 1 in the final over to hit his highest T20 score. His knock was studded with seven fours and six sixes. He held the home side’s innings together after they were invited to bat first. He shared 54 and 52 runs respectively with Ravichandran Ashwin (29) and Dhruv Jurel (20) after RR made a shaky start. Royals captain Sanju Samson threatened to play another destructive innings after his knock of 82 not out in the win against Lucknow Super Giants as he struck three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over bowled by pacer Mukesh Kumar.

But Samson nicked a Khaleel Ahmed delivery two overs later to DC captain and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant to get out for 15. RR were 30 for 2 by then as Mukesh Kumar had given DC their first breakthrough with the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal (5).

The Royals were in more trouble after wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav literally forced his captain Pant to take a review, which later proved to be successful, to dismiss Englishman Jos Buttler for a leg before wicket decision.

Ravichandran Ashwin came out to bat at number five and he lofted a Kuldeep delivery for a six to help RR reach 58 for 3 at halfway stage. He gave Nortje even a harsher treatment with two sixes in the next over that yielded 15 runs.

Ashwin, however, could not cause a big damage as he holed out to Tristan Stubbs near the boundary ropes for a 19-ball 29.

After Ashwin did his job, Parag made his presence felt for the second match on the trot. He struck two boundaries and a six off Ahmed to take RR past 100 in the 15th over.

Next over, he struck a Mukesh Kumar delivery through the line to bring up his first fifty of this IPL in style.

Parag did not spare even Kuldeep as he sent a delivery off the wrist spinner over midwicket boundary.

After Jurel was out for a 12-ball 20 off the bowling of Nortje, Parag went ballistic with a flurry of boundaries to entertain the home crowd at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.

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

Topics mentioned in this article

Two cops suspended for celebrating party with outsiders in police station

Besides suspending cops, a report has also been sent to the Inspector General of Police, Multi Zone-I, to take departmental action against Head Constable Ashok in connection with the same case.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 10:45 PM


Two cops suspended for celebrating party with outsiders in police station


Jagtial: Two constables Dhanujay and Suresh were suspended for celebrating a party along with outsiders in Mallapur police station.

Superintendent of Police, Sunpreet Singh on Thursday issued orders by placing constables under suspension.


Besides suspending cops, a report has also been sent to the Inspector General of Police, Multi Zone-I, to take departmental action against Head Constable Ashok in connection with the same case.

Depending on the report, action would be initiated against the head constable.

ACA serves show-cause notice to Vihari

“This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month. He has not reached out to us, so this is a chance for him to come out with his grievances.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 10:45 PM


ACA serves show-cause notice to Vihari


Bengaluru: The Andhra Cricket Association has served a show-cause notice to Hanuma Vihari a month after the India batter accused the governing body of unceremoniously removing him from captaincy and vowed not to play for the state again.

However, Vihari is yet to respond to the notice which was served after the ACA Apex Council meeting a few days ago. “Yes, we have served him a show-cause notice and we are awaiting his reply,” an ACA official told PTI on conditions of anonymity. However, the official said the association did not want to prolong the issue.


“This is just to find what made him react the way he did last month. He has not reached out to us, so this is a chance for him to come out with his grievances.

“After all, we value Vihari and his contributions to the growth of state cricket as he has played a big part in Andhra going up in the ranks in domestic cricket,” he added.

The train of unsavoury incidents began soon after Andhra lost to Madhya Pradesh in this year’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal. The 30-year-old right-handed batter took to social media to accuse the ACA of stripping him of captaincy right after Andhra’s first match of the season against Bengal.

However, at that time Vihari attributed the decision to “personal reasons.” But in his Instagram post, Vihari said the ACA acted under pressure from a local politician after his son, a 17th player during that match, complained that the middle-order batter shouted swear words at him. “I have decided that I will never play for Andhra where I lost my self-respect,” Vihari wrote in his emotional outburst.

Later, Vihari, who played 16 Tests for India, also posted a letter of support from his fellow Andhra players on his X account. However, KN Prudhuvi Raj, the 17th player during the match against Bengal, also took to social media and lambasted Vihari for making false accusations against him.

“Personal attacks and vulgar language are not acceptable in any kind of human platform.  Everyone in the team knows what happened that day,” wrote Raj on his Instagram handle.

Detectives Return To French Village To Solve Missing Toddler Mystery

Detectives Return To French Village To Solve Year-Old Missing Toddler Mystery

French investigators have summoned 17 people to re-enact the events of the day he disappeared.

Investigators cordoned off a tiny village in the French Alps Thursday to try to solve the mystery of a missing toddler whose disappearance last summer gripped the nation.

Emile, two-and-a-half years old, was staying with his grandparents for the first day of the summer holidays when he vanished on July 8 last year.

Two neighbours last saw him in the late afternoon walking alone on a street in Haut-Vernet, a small settlement of 25 inhabitants at an altitude of around 1,200 metres (4,000 feet).

The little boy, barely 90 centimetres (35 inches) tall, was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts and tiny hiking shoes, according to a call for witnesses at the time.

A massive on-the-ground search involving dozens of police officers and soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter and drones failed to find him in July.

It was called off after several days following a prosecutor saying it was unlikely such a young child would have survived in the summer heat.

An initial probe into a missing person soon became a criminal investigation into a possible abduction. But the options of an accident or a fall remain open.

French investigators have summoned 17 people, including family members, neighbours and witnesses, to re-enact the events of the day he disappeared.

They are to focus on the last moments during which Emile was seen by neighbours, trying to untangle their contradictory accounts.

Drones in the drizzle

“The aim of the re-enactment is to replay the evening on July 8 to be able to confirm or disprove elements” gathered by the investigators, said regional police official Pierre Coursieres.

Francois Balique, mayor of the wider Le Vernet area, said residents clung on to the hope that “the truth could be revealed”.

To ensure no interference in the investigation, police cordoned off the village from the outside world on Wednesday morning. It will remain so until Friday morning.

Flights over the village are also forbidden.

Some 20 journalists huddled in the cold drizzle at the barrier cutting off access to the village on Thursday, kept at bay by two police cars.

Around 20 investigators are to guide the re-enactment of events, with some flying drones above to film it all.

The boy’s grandfather was questioned in a 1990s case into alleged violence and sexual aggression at a private Catholic school, it has emerged.

But a source close to the case said his possible involvement in the disappearance had always been examined to “the same degree” as other hypotheses.

The family’s “only hope is that the child is still alive, even if this hope fades from day to day,” the grandfather’s lawyer said.

‘Tell us where he is’

Emile had just arrived in Haut-Vernet to stay with his mother’s parents in their holiday home for the summer when he went missing.

His parents, devout Catholics living in the southern town of La Bouilladisse, were not present on that day.

His mother is the oldest of 10 children.

Emile was her first child and she also has a younger daughter.

Investigators received some 900 calls from members of the public in the case, all of which have been dismissed as unrelated.

They have also sifted through endless mobile data and call logs in the hope of finding a clue.

In late November, a day before Emile would have turned three, his parents published a call for answers in a Christian weekly.

“Tell us where he is,” they wrote.

Le Vernet resident Gilles Thezan on Thursday said it was always “nerve-wracking to go for a walk” in the area because you never knew what you were going to find.

“The mood has been heavy since July,” he added.
 

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

Lok Sabha polls: Clash of teachers in Adilabad

The BRS has fielded Athram Sakku, while BJP’s candidate is Godam Nagesh. Athram Suguna is the Congress candidate.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 06:10 PM


Lok Sabha polls: Clash of teachers in Adilabad


Adilabad: In an interesting scenario emerging on the political map of the district, three teachers are vying to represent Adilabad in the Parliament, even as the segment is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

The BRS has fielded Athram Sakku, while BJP’s candidate is Godam Nagesh. Athram Suguna is the Congress candidate. Sakku is the former Asifabad MLA, while Nagesh is the former Adilabad MP. Suguna is a new entrant in politics. Incidentally, all of them once worked as teachers with the State Education department before trying their hand in politics.


Athram Sakku, a resident of Laxmipur in Tiryani mandal was a teacher before venturing into politics in 2008. He had worked with the Education department for 14 years. He was elected MLA of Asifabad on a Congress ticket in 2009 and 2018. Godam Nagesh, an MA and MEd graduate, had worked as a teacher before being elected as MLA thrice and MP once. He had served as Minister for Tribal Welfare from 1994 to 99 after winning as Boath MLA in his first attempt. His father Rama Rao, a teacher, was the Minister of the same department from 1985 to 1989.

Meanwhile, Suguna resigned as a teacher though she still had 13 years of service left and joined the Congress on March 12. She worked as a school assistant with a school in Utnoor mandal centre, while her husband Bhujang Rao is also a teacher at Pittabongaram village in Indaram mandal. Both of them are human rights activists as well.

The incumbent Adilabad MP Soyam Bapu Rao was also a teacher before being elected as a legislator of Boath constituency in 2004. Former Boath MLA Rathod Bapu Rao was also a teacher before venturing into politics. He won thrice from the segment. A political science professor of Osmania University, GV Sudhakar Rao became MLC thrice in 1962, 1968 and 1977.

"Need India To Restore Just And Lasting Peace In Ukraine": Foreign Minister

Mr Kuleba is in India on a two-day visit.

New Delhi:

As the war with Russia rages on, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has said India has an important global voice and can not only use it to influence the way Moscow behaves but also help other nations join an initiative for peace.

In an expansive interview with NDTV on Thursday during his first visit to the country, the Ukrainian leader also spoke about the need for India to get a seat on the United Nations Security Council, the evolving India-Russia and India-Ukraine relationship, a planned peace summit in Switzerland, and Holi being celebrated on the streets of Kharkiv. 

Mr Kuleba, who is in India on a two-day visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, said it didn’t take him any time to agree to come. “This is because India is a very important player in the world and we need India to restore just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he said.

On Mr Jaishankar’s statements that India and Russia take special care of each other’s interests, but also that the country has given frank messages to Moscow, the Ukrainian foreign minister said the India-Russia is based on the Soviet legacy, which is “extinct and has no future”.

Mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement – which he called “famous words” – that ‘this is not an era of war’, Mr Kuleba said Russia has triggered the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. 

“We understand there are some economic, technological ties between India and Russia and India is a sovereign nation, it has the right to develop relations with any country it deems appropriate. But if India and Russia are so close, it means that India can influence the way Russia behaves and this is one of the reasons why the voice of India is so important but, second, I don’t think this relationship has a future for the reason that I mentioned. I think the Ukrainian-Indian relationship has more (of a) future in that sense,” the minister said. 

India’s Key Role

To a question on what his country would like India to do in the current situation, the minister said New Delhi can use its relations with Russia to stop the war, which has gone on for over two years now. 

“India can play a very important role in bringing together more nations from the Global South… if India sits at the table of the peace formula, the initiative put forward by Ukraine to find a diplomatic solution to the war, then many other nations will feel much safer and comfortable sitting next to India and they will come and join this effort,” he said. 

Mr Kuleba said this will not only enhance “excellent” India-Ukraine ties, but also respect for international law. “That you cannot change borders by force, that you cannot invade your neighbours, that you cannot commit atrocities. This is the world that India will benefit from and this is the world that Russia tries to destroy,” he said. 

The minister also Indicated a softening of Ukraine’s stance on India purchasing Russian oil and said since the transaction is done in rupees, it does not end up benefiting the Russian “war machine”. 

Russian Attack

On last week’s attack on a Moscow concert hall, in which at least 140 people were killed, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that the attackers were heading towards South Ukraine, Mr Kuleba said the attempt at blaming his country was no surprise. 

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist. If there is anything that can be used to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of international community, if there is anything that can be used to mobilise more Russians against Ukrainians, it will be done. This is the attitude and the approach that the Russian leadership has take.. They kept lying to the whole world that they were not going to invade Ukraine, and they did. They lie all the time. So why do you think they are telling the truth this time?

India On Security Council

The Ukrainian minister said that despite the Israel-Gaza war and the Russia-Ukraine war going on simultaneously, his country has got help from Europe and the US. 

“F-16s will arrive in Ukraine soon… Yes, there is a debate in the United States, we all follow it with popcorn in our hands. It’s pretty dramatic, I agree, but both Democrats and Republicans agree that support to Ukraine must continue… Even if anyone wants the US to completely isolate itself and focus entirely on domestic issues, this is simply impossible. This is not how the world works. So the United States will continue to be involved in fixing the world,” he said.

To a question on whether the United Nations is losing its relevance given the continuation of the two wars, he said criticising the UN would be an easy thing. “I will not resort to this easy exercise because the war taught us that only difficult exercises are worth spending your energy on,” he said.

The minister added, however, that the UN is struggling because the balance of power inside the organisation is “broken” and things need to change.  

“Every new death as a result of a war in the world is another nail in the coffin of the United Nations. The UN is trying its best, but it just can’t because it gets paralysed if there is no agreement among key stakeholders… It needs to change. I firmly believe that Russia must be out of the UN Security Council. India must be in. Other countries should become permanent members,” he said. 

Can Medical Students Return?

Asked when Indian medical students will be able to go back to Ukraine, Mr Kulabe used the example of being treated by an Indian doctor a month ago as an example of the importance of India-Ukraine ties.  

“It was an Indian, a young lady, who studied in Ukraine, who stayed in Ukraine, also during the war. And you have to understand that while many Indian students come back to India after studying in Ukraine to help their communities, others stay and become part of our community, of our society. Kharkiv, a beautiful city in eastern Ukraine, was the capital of the Holi festival in Ukraine,” he said. 

“Every year, Indian students together with Ukrainian students turned the streets and the squares of Kharkiv into an Indian city by celebrating Holi. Today, the city is being systematically destroyed by Russia on a daily basis… We want Holi to be celebrated on the streets of Kharkiv again. We don’t want to see Russian bombs there, not to mention Russian soldiers,” the minister said. 

“And we took measures to allow foreign students to study in other parts of Ukraine. It’s because we consider them part of our society and we greatly value this part of our bilateral cooperation,” he emphasised. 

Attempts At Peace

On the threat of a World War, which has been flagged several times by Mr Putin, the Ukrainian foreign minister said it could be rhetoric. 

“I think President Putin loves his lavish life too much to put it at the risk of extinction by resorting to a third world war. But, of course, in order to persuade countries not to help Ukraine, he will continue to heat up his rhetoric. This is just rhetoric,” he claimed. 

A peace summit is being planned in Switzerland at Ukraine’s request and Mr Kuleba said India’s presence there will be critical. “(It will be) crucial and this is one of the reasons I am here. India has been a part of preparatory coordination meetings and President Voldymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Modi discussed the summit in their phone conversation.”

Stating that the summit is based on a UN General Assembly resolution of October 2022 on the main principles of restoring peace in Ukraine, Mr Kuleba pointed out that 143 nations had voted in its favour. 

“It doesn’t say anything more than what is already said in this resolution. So those countries who voted for this resolution should face no problem in supporting what is written in the peace formula. And 143 is a big number,” he said.

Stressing that some of the main points of the formula are food security, energy security, exchange of prisoners, return of deported children and accountability for the crimes committed, the minister said the main aim is the end of the war. 

“So basically the peace formula is a menu that addresses all major problems caused by the large-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine. And we designed this menu, I deliberately use the word ‘menu’, in a way that any country can pick up the issue that it wants to work on. For example, you want to work on the exchange of prisoners, but you do not want to work on bringing Russian leadership to account for war crimes committed in Ukraine. And that’s fine… It allows us to have more countries on board,” he said. 

Lessons From The Mahatma

Asked about a video he had posted with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi behind him – in which he spoke of the freedom fighter’s legacy- and what he expects to achieve in the conversations with Mr Jaishankar and others in the government, the minister said he expects a candid exchange. 

Mr Kulabe said, “We will have a very candid conversation, about all the good things, and the things that we dislike in our policies – I mean in Ukrainian policy, but also in Indian policy. But, since I will be seeing Dr Jaishankar tomorrow, I can give him a heads up to our conversation thanks to your question. My point is very simple. Very few believed that Mahatma Gandhi would succeed, and India would become an independent nation through a peaceful resistance. And today, many say that Ukraine will not be able to restore its territorial integrity, but the Mahatma succeeded, and Ukraine will succeed as well.”

“Because the truth was on his side, and is on our side today. And I’m sure that India will be on the side of truth again because supporting Ukraine today is supporting the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi – freedom, independence, and belief that if you fight for the right cause, you will eventually succeed, irrespective of how strong your enemy is,” he added. 

Passenger dies of heart stroke in TSRTC bus in Jagtial

A native of Nizamabad, Sambaiah was traveling to Nizamabad from Huzurabad. When the bus reached the Venkatraopet stage by crossing Metpalli bus stand, he complained about pain in the chest and collapsed.

Published Date – 28 March 2024, 10:23 PM


Passenger dies of heart stroke in TSRTC bus in Jagtial


 Jagtial: A person Bogam Sambaiah died of a heart stroke in a TSRTC bus near Metpalli on Thursday.

A native of Nizamabad, Sambaiah was traveling to Nizamabad from Huzurabad. When the bus reached the Venkatraopet stage by crossing Metpalli bus stand, he complained about pain in the chest and collapsed.


Other passengers dialed 108 ambulance service and shifted him to Metpalli hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Sam Bankman-Fried Jailed For 25 Years For FTX Fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried Jailed For 25 Years For FTX Fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appeal his conviction. (File)

Disgraced cryptocurrency wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail on Thursday following his conviction in one of the biggest financial fraud cases in history.

US prosecutors were seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a New York jury found Sam Bankman-Fried, known by his initials SBF, guilty in November following a five-week trial that probed the one-time high roller’s spectacular fall.

During the hearing Sam Bankman-Fried told the courtroom that he was “sorry about what happened at every stage. And there are things I should’ve done and things I shouldn’t have.”

The final sentence was meted out by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan who used the hearing to carefully walk through the financial crimes committed by Sam Bankman-Fried.

With the sentencing now done, Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appeal his conviction.

A New York jury found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty in November following the lengthy trial that probed his stunning downfall.

Calling Sam Bankman-Fried’s seven-count conviction reflective of the defendant’s “unmatched greed and hubris,” the government’s sentencing request argued for significant jail time in light of fraud it estimates at more than $10 billion.

Moreover, a lengthy sentence is necessary to “protect the public,” argued US Attorney Damian Williams, who characterized Sam Bankman-Fried as an “adept” spin doctor capable of additional malfeasance.

Calling the government’s proposed sentence “barbaric,” Sam Bankman-Fried’s attorneys depicted their client as a diligent young man motivated by philanthropy who got in over his head.

Their portrayal is similar to the one SBF’s defense presented at trial — which was quickly rejected by jurors after just five hours of deliberation.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s attorney’s had asked for six years in prison, a sentence “that returns Sam promptly to a productive role in society,” said attorneys led by Marc Mukasey.

FTX Implosion

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a billionaire before the age of 30, Sam Bankman-Fried conquered the crypto world at breakneck speed, turning FTX, a small start-up he cofounded in 2019, into the world’s second largest exchange platform.

But in November 2022, the FTX empire imploded, unable to cope with massive withdrawal requests from customers panicked to learn that some of the funds stored at the company had been committed to risky operations at Sam Bankman-Fried’s personal hedge fund, Alameda Research.

During the trial, some of Sam Bankman-Fried’s closest associates said that he was key to all the decisions that saw $8 billion vanish from FTX.

This group included Caroline Ellison, the former Alameda CEO and Sam Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off-again girlfriend, who testified that Alameda had stolen “around $14 billion” from FTX clients and that Bankman-Fried “directed me to commit those crimes.”

Filings from the prosecution and defense offered starkly different takes on Sam Bankman-Fried, the son of two well regarded law professors at tony Stanford University.

“The lack of contrition is galling,” said Williams, who took issue with the image of Sam Bankman-Fried as “selfless” and “altruistic,” as championed by the defense, noting he used funds for “luxury” real estate, donations to rub shoulders with political leaders, a Super Bowl television ad and “access to celebrities.”

The defense’s statement describes Sam Bankman-Fried as “wracked” with remorse over the implosion of FTX.

Recovered funds

Sam Bankman-Fried’s attorneys also pointed to statements from FTX’s current leaders expressing confidence that FTX customers and creditors would get back their money, saying in the brief, that “the harm to customers, lenders and investors is zero.”

That argument drew a scathing response from FTX Trading Chief Executive John Ray, who said ongoing recoveries of ill-gotten gains do not make up for fraud.

“That things he stole… were successfully recovered through the efforts of a dedicated group” of professionals “does not mean the things were not stolen,” Ray said in a letter to the court.

“What it means is that we got some of them back.”
 

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