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20 TMC MPs merge with little-known Tripura party
At least 20 rebel lawmakers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday told speaker Om Birla that they have merged with a littleknown Tripura-based party, strengthening the Nationalist Democratic Alliance and setting the stage for one of the biggest...
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AI-171 update offers no answers, no timeline
DELHI/AHMEDABAD: India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), on the first anniversary of the Air India flight 171 crash, said on Friday that its inquiry was progressing across aircraft systems, flight recorder data and engine-related...
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3 Indian sailors dead in US attack; 3rd vessel hit
Three Indian seafarers reported missing after a US attack on a tanker off the coast of Oman have been confirmed dead, shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday, hours after US forces targeted another merchant vessel with 20 Indian crew...
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Mamata attends INDIA meet, MPs break ranks
The Trinamool Congress’s Lok Sabha unit tottered on the precipice of a split on Monday after at least 14 lawmakers met in Delhi and discussed breaking away in the presence of Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, the latest setback for the regional...
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HC judge threatened, daughter in London attacked over verdict
The family of retired Bombay high court judge GS Patel has for 10 months now, faced threats and actual acts of violence across two continents in connection with his landmark 2024 judgment settling the succession issue in the Dawoodi Bohra community,...
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RBI keeps rates steady, takes steps to attract foreign capital
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India maintained status quo on monetary policy rate and stance – they continue to be 5.25% and neutral – on Friday even as it reduced its growth forecast and increased its inflation forecast...
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After 21 died, owner filed to renew expired licence
The devastating blaze in an illegal bed-andbreakfast in south Delhi’s Hauz Rani that killed 21 people and injured 21 more began in the kitchen of the restaurant on the ground floor, preliminary probes of Delhi Fire Service and police have said. But an...
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TMC stares at a split as rumblings over LoP intensify
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is headed for a vertical split, with nearly 60 dissident legislators set to support expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly — a move that...
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Ministry increases scrutiny, calls for CBSE report on OSM tender
The Union education ministry has sought a detailed report from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on the procurement process for the board’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, amid mounting scrutiny over the rollout of the platform used to...
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Capital building collapse snuffs out 6 lives, 9 hurt
Six people died and nine were injured in Saturday evening’s building collapse in Saidulajab, officials said on Sunday, even as rescuers continued to comb through the debris, after yet another accident in the Capital that triggered alarm about illegal...
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AAP storms Punjab civic polls, Cong distant second
: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a resounding victory in the Punjab civic body elections, fundamentally altering the state’s urban political landscape. As vote counting progressed on Friday, AAP candidates comfortably secured over 958...
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Siddaramaiah makes way for DKS in K’taka leadership shift
Siddaramaiah resigned as Karnataka chief minister on Thursday, ending months of uncertainty over the Congress leadership transition in the state and potentially clearing the way for his deputy and challenger DK Shivakumar to assume...
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SIR valid, falls within ECI’s powers, says SC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the validity of the special intensive revision (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), ruling that the exercise furthered the constitutional objective of free and fair elections and fell within...
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Quad announces energy initiative, Fiji port project
The Quad on Tuesday launched an energy security initiative to help Indo-Pacific nations cope with disruptions due to the West Asia conflict and a project to build a port in Fiji, as foreign ministers of the grouping sought to inject fresh momentum into...
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Petrol, diesel dearer by ₹2, 4th hike in 2 weeks
State-run oil companies on Monday raised petrol prices by ₹2.61 per litre and diesel prices by ₹2.71 a litre, the fourth rate hike in two weeks that has cumulatively seen petrol and diesel becoming costlier by ₹7.35 and ₹7.53 per litre, respectively,...
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Iran deal inches closer, but Trump says ‘no rush’
The United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday. They said details and...
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SC divided on UAPA bail, larger bench to weigh in
In an extraordinary institutional moment at the Supreme Court, a clash of judicial views between two coordinate benches over bail jurisprudence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) spilled into the open on Friday, with one bench...
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TEHRAN DIGS IN AS TRUMP THREATENS RETURN TO FORCE
DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Pakistan stepped up diplomacy on Thursday to hasten US and Iran peace talks even as Tehran appeared to harden its stance over nuclear materials amid new threats of strikes from US President Donald Trump if he did not get the “right...
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SC stays firm on stray dogs curbs in public places
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to modify its November 2025 directions ordering all states and Union territories to remove stray dogs from institutional areas such as schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway stations, and ruled...
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Stalemate stays as Iran, US reject new peace moves
A deal to end the Iran war remains elusive after Washington and Tehran rejected fresh proposals as insufficient to secure an agreement. The stalemate continued even as oil prices edged up about 2% to a twoweek high in volatile trade amid worries over...
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UAE N-plant attacked by drone, testing Iran truce
A drone strike targeted the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire on its perimeter. There were no reports of injuries or radiological release, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the Iran ceasefire remains...
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Petrol, diesel retail prices hiked by ₹3/l as war bites
State-run oil companies raised pump prices of petrol and diesel by ₹3 per litre each across the country on Friday, while Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) increased compressed natural gas (CNG) rates by ₹2 per kg in and around Delhi — the first retail fuel...
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Satheesan gets CM post, ending Kerala suspense
Vadassery Damodaran Satheesan staked his claim to form the next government in Kerala on Thursday after the 61-year-old was elected leader of the Congress legislative party, breaking 10 days of suspense over the party’s pick for the top job that had...
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In first step after PM’s appeal, gold, silver duty raised to 15%
The government on Wednesday raised customs duty on precious metals including gold and silver to 15% from 6% to curb their imports and save foreign exchange for essentials such as energy and fertilizers amid a protracted war in West Asia that has...
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NEET mess: NTA orders retest as CBI probes leak
The National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG 2026 on Tuesday, nine days after 2.27 million students sat for the examination across 551 cities, after central agencies confirmed that the question paper had been compromised. Questions had been available...
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Trump says truce with Tehran on ‘life support’
WASHINGTON/DUBAI: President Donald Trump said on Monday that a ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” after he rejected Tehran’s response to a US peace proposal, fuelling concerns of a resumption of hostilities in the 10-week-old conflict that has...
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Cut fuel use, gold buys: Modi as Iran war bites
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indians to adopt austerity measures ranging from cutting fuel consumption and postponing foreign travel to reducing edible oil use and chemical fertiliser dependence, as the government grapples with the...
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Dada to replace Didi in West Bengal; Vijay meets guv again, left on hold
Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday declared Suvendu Adhikari the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) West Bengal legislative party, paving his way to become chief minister of the eastern state after sweeping to power in a landmark...
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Guv keeps Vijay waiting as TN deadlock deepens
The political churn in Tamil Nadu intensified on Thursday as actor-turned-politician Vijay met governor Rajendra Arlekar for a second time in two days even as Lok Bhavan defended its decision not to invite the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the...
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No invite yet for Vijay as Guv seeks legal opinion
Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay met Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Arlekar on Wednesday to stake claim to power but wasn’t invited to form the next government as officials said Lok Bhavan was seeking legal opinion to ensure the Tamilaga Vettri...
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Didi digs in: Says didn’t lose, won’t resign as CM
Outgoing West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee declared on Tuesday that she won’t resign from the position despite losing a landslide election to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a day before, but experts said her dramatic declaration meant little...
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SUNSET FOR SATRAPS
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to a historic triumph in West Bengal for the first time since Independence and scored a hattrick of victories in Assam, the Congress ousted the Left in Kerala, and an upstart Tamil movie heartthrob dismantled the...
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9, including toddler, killed in pre-dawn Capital inferno
A blaze tore through a residential building in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar early on Sunday, killing nine people from three families and critically injuring another, the latest in a series of major infernos in the Capital this year that have raised fresh...
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Commercial LPG price hiked by nearly ₹1,000
Fuel costs for migrant workers, community kitchens, canteens, roadside dhabas and industrial users surged by over 47% on Friday as state-run oil companies raised prices of commercial liquefied petroleum gas by ₹993 per 19-kg refill and ₹261.50 per 5-kg...
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Trump weighs options on Iran strikes as crude soars
WASHINGTON/DUBAI: The US and Iran showed little sign of breaking their impasse and agreeing to another round of peace talks, with President Donald Trump examining options for new strikes on Tehran ahead of a deadline to seek Congressional approval to...
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Exit polls predict BJP edge in Bengal, DMK to keep TN hold
: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is headed for a historic victory in West Bengal and a third consecutive term in Assam, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is set to win power in Kerala, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) might beat...
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UAE to leave OPEC as war upends oil market
The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it will leave OPEC effective May 1, stripping the oil cartel of its third-largest producer and further weakening its leverage over global oil supplies and prices. The UAE’s decision had been rumored as a...
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Iran offers conditional deal to US on Hormuz
Iran offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, two regional officials said Monday. US...
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Trump in crosshairs again as shooter targets DC function
President Donald Trump and officials in his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired on a security agent guarding the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, US acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on...
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AAP-heaval: 7 Rajya Sabha MPs revolt, desert Kejriwal
NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was jolted on Friday after Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha announced that seven out of 10 parliamentarians from the Upper House were quitting the party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),...
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Trump’s ‘shoot, kill’ order sharpens Strait standoff
President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, he said on Thursday, a day after Iran again displayed its ability to thwart traffic through the channel. Trump’s post...
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Iran attacks 3 ships in Strait day after ceasefire extended
Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway. The attacks came a day after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American...
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Clock ticks on ceasefire, Iran-US talks uncertain
Last-minute ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran looked uncertain Tuesday as a two-week truce was set to expire and both countries warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting. US Vice President JD Vance, expected...
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Mixed signals as Pak talks hang in balance
DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a US blockade of Iran’s ports, a major hurdle for Tehran to rejoin...
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Trump announces new peace talks in Pakistan
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said his negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran, lifting hopes of extending a ceasefire set to expire this week even as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of...
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Delimitation divide defeats bill to raise LS seats for women’s quota
A Constitution amendment bill to expand the size of the Lok Sabha and fasttrack 33% reservation for women failed to garner the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Friday, marking the first defeat of a government bill since the National...
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LS expansion will be fair, says govt; Oppn wants it in writing
The government on Thursday attempted to convince the Opposition that the proposal to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength and fast-track 33% reservation for women would involve a proportional 50% rise in each state’s seats, thereby not hurting southern...
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Trump hints at end to Iran war, fresh talks take shape
US President Donald Trump said the war he launched with Israel on Iran was close to over, as the army chief of mediator Pakistan reached Tehran to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict. The diplomatic push came as US and Iranian officials weighed a...
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Women’s quota: Bills seek to take LS seats up to 850 based on 2011 census
The government’s legislative push to reserve a third of the seats in Parliament and state legislative assemblies involves raising the cap on seats in the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850, with the allocation of seats to states, the reserved constituencies and...
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US cuts off Iranian ports; Tehran vows to hit back
The US military began a blockade of ships leaving Iran’s ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against ports of its Gulf neighbours after weekend talks on ending the war broke down. Oil prices climbed back...
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Talks fail, Trump says US will block Hormuz
President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after US-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement or next diplomatic steps in sight. In his...
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Iran lays down red lines ahead of talks with US in Islamabad
Iran said on Friday that Iranian assets must be unblocked and a ceasefire take hold in Lebanon before peace talks with the United States can proceed, throwing last-minute doubt over negotiations scheduled for Saturday in Pakistan. Iran’s parliament...
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Crucial election cycle kicks off with high voter turnout
GUWAHATI/THIRUVANTHAPURAM/ NEW DELHI: Assembly elections in Assam and Puducherry produced record voter turnouts on Thursday while Kerala recorded its highest participation in nearly four decades, as all three went to the polls in a single phase — and a...
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Conflicting claims cloud nth-hour ceasefire
TEHRAN: Hours after a last-minute ceasefire was announced, the United States demanded Wednesday that Iran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamic Republic closed the waterway in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah...
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Trump raises the stakes to civilisational levels
President Donald Trump threatened Iran with civilisational destruction as the US attacked military targets on the country’s key oil export hub, ramping up pressure on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday morning (Tehran time) deadline...
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Trump threatens Tehran with night of destruction
Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war, while President Donald Trump appeared to widen his threat from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic as his ultimatum ticked closer. “The entire...
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Malda mob siege, manifesto title: PM targets TMC
KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an all-out attack on the West Bengal government over the law and order situation in the state, referring to the mob siege of judicial officers in Malda to accuse the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of...
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US F-15 downed, Gulf energy sites hit as talks go nowhere
Iran shot down a US fighter jet for the first time in the war and targeted more sites, including energy facilities, in Arab Gulf states even as a handful of ships transited the Strait of Hormuz by using a new route hugging the Omani coastline. The...
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Trump dashes hopes of quick end to war as Iran continues Gulf strikes
Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states Thursday, demonstrating Tehran’s continued ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed in a televised address the threat from the country was nearly eliminated but...
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Trump signals Iran, Nato exit, Tehran denies ceasefire claim
The United States will end its war on Iran fairly soon and could return for “spot hits” if needed, President Donald Trump told Reuters on Wednesday, hours before he was scheduled to make a primetime address to the nation. Trump also said he would...
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Trump slams allies, Iran seeks guarantees for truce
TEHRAN/WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump expressed frustration Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil” as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had the...
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Trump threatens to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital civilian infrastructure, potentially including desalination plants that supply drinking water, if a deal to end the war is not reached...
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Iran warns US on ground war as regional diplomats huddle
Pakistan said on Sunday that it will soon host talks between the US and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether the talks would be direct or indirect. “Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and...
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Israel strikes Iran N-sites after Trump extends Hormuz date
Iran’s nuclear facilities came under attack on Friday, state media reported, just hours after Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran. Iran quickly threatened to retaliate and Israel claimed responsibility for the...
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Iran, US stick to their guns, Trump says unsure of deal
Iran and the US appeared at an impasse on Thursday, hardening their positions over ceasefire talks and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the West Asia conflict. A US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is “one-sided...
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Iran shoots down US plan, says will end the war when it decides
Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including an assault that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait International Airport. Iran’s defiance came as Israel...
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Missiles hit Tehran, Tel Aviv amid uncertainty over talks
Airstrikes battered Iran and Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel’s Tel Aviv and sites across the Mideast on Tuesday, even as President Donald Trump said the US was in talks with the Islamic Republic to end the war. With thousands more US...
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Trump presses pause, Iran denies talks claim
US President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S. was talking with a “respected” Iranian leader and claimed the Islamic Republic was eager for a deal to end the war. He also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face...
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Iran threatens key infra after Trump’s Hormuz ultimatum
The US and Iran threatened to target critical infrastructure Sunday as the war in the West Asia, now in its fourth week, puts lives and livelihoods at risk throughout the region. Iran said the Strait of Hormuz, crucial to oil and other exports, would...
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Bulk diesel, premium petrol prices up
State-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) raised the price of industrial diesel and premium petrol on Friday as surging global crude prices — driven by the West Asia conflict — piled pressure on retail margins. While pump prices steady for ordinary...
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Stakes rise as Gulf petrochem sites attacked; US eyes waiver for Iran oil
Iran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday, raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy. The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas...
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Iran rejects talks as Israel says killed security chief
Israel said on Tuesday it had killed Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, the most senior figure targeted since the war’s first day, while a top Iranian official said the new supreme leader had rejected de-escalation offers conveyed by intermediary...
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Dubai airport rattled, flights disrupted after drone strike
A drone struck a fuel tank at the Dubai International Airport early on Monday, halting operations at the aviation hub, which gradually resumed flights later in the day, before suspending landings for all foreign carriers in the evening, forcing jets to...
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4 states, 1 UT gear up for April poll battles; verdict on May 4
Roughly 174 million voters across four states and a Union Territory will vote in assembly polls next month, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared on Sunday, setting in motion a crucial electoral cycle that will have deep ramifications for...
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Iran allows two LPG ships to transit Hormuz to India
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Iran has allowed two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian officials said on Friday, a development expected to ease a cooking gas crisis in India. “The vessels have been...
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