Brightest Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Observed Reveals Cosmic Secrets

On October 9, 2022, astronomers detected GRB 221009A, the most powerful gamma-ray burst ever recorded, earning the nickname “BOAT” (Brightest Of All Time). This rare, once-in-10,000-year event came from a galaxy 2 billion light-years away and temporarily blinded gamma-ray detectors. It revealed new insights into stellar death, as the associated supernova (SN 2022xiw) was initially hidden by the burst’s brilliance. Using Fermi and the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists detected unique signals like electron-positron annihilation but no heavy elements, challenging assumptions about how such elements are created in stellar explosions and refining GRB and black hole models.

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"Who's Responsible Then?" A Owaisi's Poser After Malegaon Accused Acquitted

Justice has not been done in the Malegaon blast case and the Central and the state governments should appeal immediately - preferably within 24 hours as they did in the railway blasts case, AIMIM ( All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul. Muslimeen) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said today - hours after a special court gave a clean chit to the seven accused saying there was no material evidence against them.  

The blast occurred on the night of September 29 2008, near Bhikku Chowk in the communally tense town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, during the holy month of Ramzan. A powerful bomb tore through an area near a mosque, killing six people and injuring more than a hundred.

Today, all seven accused in the case, including former BJP MP Pragya Thakur and former army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, were acquitted.

Mr Owaisi pointed out that the release made the case inconclusive and it becomes unclear who was responsible for the blasts.  

"What are we going to tell the families who lost their loved ones? A young girl died in Malegaon in 2008. What do we tell her family? Who were these people who used RDX? RDX is a plastic explosive. So if we do not catch these people and send them to jail, they will roam scot-free,' he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

"It was not justice. I hope the Narendra Modi government and the Maharashtra government will go to the Supreme Court within 24 hours, the way they did in the railway blasts case. I appeal to them... There has been no justice or closure. it is important for the families," he said. 

Recalling the events after the 2006 blast some Muslim men were picked up and beaten and were later discharged. 

The handling of the cases in the courtroom left much to be desired, he said. "The prosecutor in the case had never prosecuted anyone. Never worked in a criminal prosecution," he said, marking him as "completely incompetent". 

"I also want to ask the NIA -- if the witnesses were becoming hostile how were you conducting the trial then? Is there any additional responsibility on them?" he said.

"The NIA also accused an ex-MP, who was a terror accused when he became an MP -- you said that there can be no prosecution against him. So, the evidence that was found, the confession that was found as evidence, that is gone. So, all these things, there are so many shortcomings in this," Mr Owaisi said. 

Asked if he was differentiating between the investigations by ATS and the NIA, he said the ATS investigation was done by Hemant Karkare, who died in Delhi's Batla house encounter and was given a posthumous Ashok Chakra.

"Hemant Karkare Sir had taken out CDs in which there was audio, video evidence, in which how the conspiracy was done. He had taken out so much documentary evidence for all those things... If Hemant Karkare was alive, then this case would have had a different outcome," he said.

Donald Trump's Tariff

Mr Owaisi started fuming when asked about the fresh 25 per cent tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump. 

"India is not a vassal state.  We are standing in the court of a wannabe emperor.  We have broken the slavery of 200 years of the British. Our ancestors broke the chains with their sacrifices.  Not for this day," Mr Owaisi said.

Recalling President Trump's comment that "India is a dead economy", he said, "How can we be dead economy?  It is a country of 133 crores.  You do not want India's market. Thank you very much.  We do not need you... We will put a penalty.  We are a sovereign state.  Who are you to dictate to us?

"They are saying that we will buy oil from Pakistan.  Why will we buy oil from Pakistan? The country on our land.  Our people's blood has come out.  We will buy oil from them. The one who is setting fire.  We will buy oil from them. These western countries.  There is a chip in their brains. That we are a third world country. We are not a third world country.  As much as they are proud of their country.  We are also proud of our country," he added.

President Trump had announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports and an unspecified "penalty" because of the country's energy purchases from Russia.

Earlier today, in a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote, "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way." 

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told parliament that the Centre is studying the implications of the move and will take all necessary steps to safeguard India's national interest. 

 

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Father Of Ignored Star Blasts BCCI Selectors: "They Gave Chance To Karun"

The fifth and final India vs England Test has started. Players like Anshul Kamboj, Sai Sudharshan made their Test debut in the series while Karun Nair made a comeback to the India XI after a long gap. However, some players have been warming the bench throughout the series like Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran. Among the three, Easwaran has been part of several India squads but is yet to make his Test debut. He got his maiden call-up in India squad in 2022 but after that 15 players made their test debut but not Easwaran. 

His father Ranganathan Easwaran is angry over the treatment meted out to his son.

"I'm not keeping a count of the number of days that Abhimanyu has been waiting for his Test debut. I am counting the years; it has been three years now. What is the job of a player? It is to score runs. He has done that. People said he didn't perform in two India A matches during the last tour of Australia and didn't get into the team, which is fair enough. But Karun Nair wasn't in the team during the period when Abhimanyu performed before the BGT. Karun wasn't picked for the Duleep Trophy or the Irani Trophy. Abhimanyu scored close to 864 runs if you consider the period from last year to the current year," Abhimanyu's father Ranganathan Easwaran told TOI.

"Then how do they compare? I don't understand. They gave a chance to Karun Nair. Fair enough, he scored 800-plus runs. The selectors have put faith in him."

Abhimanyu Easwaran will be another domestic player who will never make his International debut. pic.twitter.com/uQI19aFoHZ

— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) July 31, 2025

Ranganthan went on to say that his son looks depressed. "My son looks a little depressed, but that is bound to happen. Some players jump the gun based on IPL performances which earn them a spot in the Test team. IPL performances should not be counted while selecting the team for the longest format. Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Irani Trophy should be the basis for Test selection," he said.

Abhimanyu Easwaran, 29, has played 103 first-class matches, scoring 7841 runs at an average of 48.70. He has 27 centuries and 31 fifties.

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BJP Leader's Takedown Of Rahul Gandhi, Silent Thumbs Up For Shashi Tharoor

The number of Shashi Tharoor's sympathisers and admirers in the BJP shows an uptick as his disagreements with senior Congress leadership pile up. His latest supporter is Tamil Nadu leader K Annamalai, who in a post on X today, drew a comparison between him and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over their comments on trade with the US and Donald Trump's imposition of 25 per cent tariff. 

While Mr Gandhi asserted that the Indian economy is "dead", Mr Tharoor's response was nuanced. Mr Annamalai, while being vociferous in his takedown of Mr Gandhi, made his approval of Mr Tharoor's comments clear.

"I came across remarks by two Congress leaders on the same topic today. One spoke for India's Interest, and the other spoke in a tone that would please his offshore masters," read Mr Annamalai's post on the issue. 

"When the world acknowledges India as the only bright spot on an otherwise dark horizon, here is the leader of the opposition who feels otherwise. LoP Thiru Rahul Gandhi avl continues to wear ignorance like a badge of honour. He is blind to India's rise, yet ever eager to echo foreign voices that undermine it," he added.

I came across remarks by two Congress leaders on the same topic today. One spoke for India's Interest, and the other spoke in a tone that would please his offshore masters.

When the world acknowledges India as the only bright spot on an otherwise dark horizon, here is the… pic.twitter.com/qejp39fAFF

— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) July 31, 2025

Mr Tharoor said India has other options besides the US. "If we can't compete in America, we may have to diversify our markets outside of America. We are not out of options. If America is completely unreasonable with its demands, we have to move elsewhere. That is the strength of India; we are not a totally export-dependent economy like China," he said.

On the trade negotiations between the US and India, he said, "It is a challenging negotiation. We are negotiating with many countries. The US is not the only negotiation. We have ongoing negotiations with the EU, we already concluded a deal with the UK, and we are talking with other countries also... If a good deal is not possible, we may have to walk away". 

What had initially started as Shashi Tharoor's rift with the Kerala Congress has spread and a strong message came from Delhi when the career diplomat who had worked with the UN was not picked for the Centre's all-party delegations for the international outreach on Operation Sindoor. 

It did not help when Mr Tharoor, in the run-up to the visit and after, was vocal with his support for Operation Sindoor. 

While the Congress did not stop him from leading a team to the US, there have been criticism, there was speculation that the party was less than pleased after he was not picked to speak in the special debate in parliament about the operation. Sources, though, had said that Mr Tharoor was asked if he would speak and he had declined. 

But earlier this week, BJP leader Baijayant Jay Panda took a dig at the Congress, saying the party is not allowing its own member and the noted orator to speak in Lok Sabha.

Even PM Modi took a dig at the Congress over this during his response to the discussion, speaking of "some (being) stopped from speaking in parliament" and "those who consider themselves the sons of Congress become unhappy if you praise India".

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