The Free Press Journal
Indian passport slips, now ranks 125th out of 197
Relentless rain and strong gusty winds continued to lash Mumbai for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, pushing the city’s monsoon death toll to five and prompting authorities to declare a holiday for all government, private and municipal schools...
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RESILIENT
Egypt beat Australia (on penalties, FT: 1-1) Argentina beat Cape Verde Colombia beat Ghana Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated the country's first greenfield integrated refinery-cumpetrochemical complex at Pachpadra in Rajasthan's...
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Team India will be aiming to sort out their batting woes against England in the 2nd T20I today
RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Friday said the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya had “deeply hurt” the sentiments and faith of the entire society, and called for ensuring that anyone found guilty after investigation...
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Another rain death, third in three days
The results of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination are expected to be announced by July 20, with NTA completing the evaluation process after reviewing objections to the provisional answer key. The re-examination, conducted on June 21 after the May 3 test...
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‘Morphing woman’s pic assault on privacy’
The Madras High Court has held that morphing a woman’s image and circulating it on social media is not a harmless digital prank but a calculated assault on her privacy, reputation and emotional security. The Court directed the Dindigul police to...
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‘Mere presence at bribe scene not proof of guilt’
In a major decision, the Supreme Court has held that the mere presence of a public servant at the place where a bribe is allegedly accepted is not enough to infer criminal conspiracy. The judgment reiterates that the prosecution must establish a prior...
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Mumbai will run dry by August 20
Canada beat South Africa Germany vs Paraguay, 2 am onwards Netherlands vs Morocco, 6.30 am onwards Ivory Coast vs Norway, 10.30 pm onwards Mumbai is hurtling towards one of its worst water crises in years, with just 6.93 per cent of usable water...
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Hasina: Will return to Dhaka this year
Exiled for nearly two years, ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina says she plans to return home “this year” despite facing a death sentence handed down by a domestic tribunal. Hasina, who is currently seeking asylum in India, fled the country following...
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Iran hits Bahrain in tit-for-tat strikes
The fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States came under renewed strain on Saturday after Iran launched a drone attack targeting Bahrain and a commercial tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a fresh escalation in one...
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Key temple Trust chiefs step down
Ivory Coast beat Curacao Ecuador beat Germany Netherlands beat Tunisia Japan drew Sweden Turkiye beat USA Paraguay drew Australia Cabo Verde vs Saudi Arabia Uruguay vs Spain (Both 5.30 am onwards) New Zealand vs Belgium Egypt vs Iran (Both...
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Mumbai port set for ₹5,028-cr expansion
Turkiye vs USA, 7.30 am onwards Paraguay vs Australia, 7.30 am onwards The Mumbai Port Authority (MBPA) on Thursday unveiled an ambitious Rs 5,028.17-crore development plan comprising 63 projects aimed at transforming the city's historic port into a...
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315 districts on rain watch
A BMC official fell into an open manhole concealed by rainwater during Mayor Ritu Tawde’s inspection of waterlogged areas near Gandhi Market in King's Circle on Wednesday. He was rescued within minutes by police and civic staff accompanying the...
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Canberra town crier is world’s loudest person @ 122.4 decibels
Joseph Mcgrail-bateup, an Australian professional air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier, has been recognised as the world’s loudest person. Guinness World Records last week acknowledged the 58-year-old Canberra resident recorded the loudest...
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Face key to House entry
Portugal vs Uzbekistan, 10.30 pm onwards Entry to the Maharashtra legislature complex will be regulated through a face recognition system from Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar announced on June 22. He said registration of most MLAS has been...
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Water stocks drop, BMC taps reserves
The three-day BEST strike ended late on Sunday night, bringing relief to thousands of commuters at the start of the week. The breakthrough followed a prolonged meeting between Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and...
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Mumbai duo’s 108 surya namaskars a day for 108 days
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed public gatherings in Odisha and West Bengal, highlighting a major push for development in eastern India. Unveiling initiatives worth 47,600 crore, the Prime Minister asserted that the region is...
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Focus on Yashasvi, KL Rahul as India take on Afghanistan in third ODI
BEST employees launched their indefinite strike on Friday, severely disrupting bus services across Mumbai. Despite a meeting between state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik and representatives of the BEST joint action committee, union leaders refused...
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US, Iran sign deal; Hormuz pain eases
Portugal drew DR Congo England beat Croatia Ghana beat Panama Colombia beat Uzbekistan Mexico vs South Korea, 6.30 am onwards Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz resumed cautiously on Thursday after the US and Iran electronically...
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SC registry file lapse riles CJI
CJI Surya Kant on Wednesday took serious note of allegations that the Supreme Court Registry had misplaced a case file, resulting in an urgent matter remaining unregistered and unlisted for hearing more than a week after it was filed. The issue was...
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BMC unveils water curbs
Argentina vs Algeria, 6.30 am onwards Austria vs Jordan, 9.30 am onwards Portugal vs DR Congo, 10.30 pm onwards With water stock in Mumbai’s lakes falling to a critical 10.35%, the BMC has announced a 20% cut in water supply to commercial...
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India elevates Slovakia ties, inks 11 pacts on def, energy
The US and Iran said they have agreed terms to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, news that brought relief to markets worldwide, although the pact may hinge on events in Lebanon and defers tricky talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme. “The...
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Road tragedy in Solapur, 8 dead
Eight people, including four women and four children, were killed while seven others were injured on Sunday when a pick-up vehicle carrying them plunged into a roadside well in Malshiras tehsil in Solapur district. Police said 15 people were...
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Umar, Sharjeel move court
Activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam have moved a Delhi court seeking fresh bail in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, after a Supreme Court bench questioned the interpretation adopted in the verdict denying them...
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US OFFICIAL SUMMONED AGAIN
India summoned the US Charge d’affaires Jason Meeks for the second time this week. The summons came after the US conducted a military strike on another vessel, the M/T Jalveer, in the Gulf of Oman with 20 Indian seafarers on board. This is the third...
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Trump shelves Iran strikes, deal near
The United States has announced that it is close to signing an agreement with Iran and has cancelled the proposed military strikes against the country. Taking to Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said, "Based on the fact that discussions with...
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Haridwar rebrands biryani as pulao
A group of saints and members of the Shri Akhand Parshuram Akhara has launched a campaign in Haridwar demanding that vendors stop using the term “veg biryani” and instead describe the dish as “veg pulao”, arguing that the word “biryani” is...
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LPG costlier; global rates higher: Centre
Indian households continue to pay among the lowest prices for cooking gas globally despite a sharp rise in international LPG prices triggered by disruptions in West Asia, the Centre said on Sunday, a day after raising domestic LPG prices by Rs 29 per...
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Iran war pushing millions to hunger, UN warns
The UN food agency said millions of people are being pushed into acute hunger by the Iran war, as it warned would happen if the conflict escalated and oil prices remained high. The World Food Programme (WFP) said an analysis in three vulnerable...
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RBI holds fire as global risks rise
There is an old economic proverb: the skill of a captain is judged not when the sea is calm, but when the winds begin to shift. That wisdom echoed through the Reserve Bank of India's policy statement on Friday. Across the world, oil prices remain...
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AI-171 report before June 12 is unlikely
Even as Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said last month (May 20) that the investigation into the Air India 171 crash was in its “final stages” and a report was expected soon, fresh disclosures from the UK'S accident investigation agency...
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Delhi hotel blaze burns 21 to death
A devastating fire tore through a five-storey bed-and-breakfast hotel in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, killing at least 21 people, including 17 foreign nationals, and exposing what investigators suspect were serious violations of...
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Mojtaba alive, says Rubio
Seven passengers were killed and more than 15 others critically injured after two Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses collided headon on National Highway 53 near Uva village in Bardoli taluka of Gujarat’s Surat district on...
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PM support for Myanmar peace
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reaffirmed India's readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar, including by sharing federal governance and economic growth experiences. The assurance was given during extensive, wide-ranging discussions...
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Royal Champions Bengaluru @ IPL
It’s ‘Ee Sala Cup Namdu’ (This year Cup is ours, in Kannada) time again for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) supporters as the defending champions retained their IPL crown, despite some drama in their chase of 156, overwhelming Gujarat Titans by...
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No name, no fund, no deal: Trump’s brutal day in court
For a president who has long viewed the federal judiciary as either a tool for personal leverage or a hurdle to be cleared, Friday turned out to be a disastrous for Donald Trump. In a remarkable sequence spanning just ten hours, three federal judges in...
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‘PM personally supervising’
The Centre on Friday told the SC that "the Hon'ble PM is personally supervising it," as the court examined pleas seeking cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 over the alleged paper leak and petitions seeking to disband the NTA. Raising concerns over the ad-hoc...
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K’taka power shift: It’s DKS turn now
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah bid an emotional farewell to office on Thursday, stepping down after months of political speculation and an intense power tussle with deputy D K Shivakumar, while making it clear that his resignation marked neither...
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SC upholds EC’S SIR
Delivering a major institutional victory to the Election Commission (EC), the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld legality of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ list, ruling that the exercise advances constitutional imperative of free and fair...
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Meet Upatch, wearable ultrasound
Scientists have developed a wearable ultrasound patch capable of continuously monitoring babies in the womb, raising hopes that the technology could help detect pregnancy complications at an early stage, The Guardian reports. Researchers involved in...
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Sitharaman flags ‘Three Fs’ as risks
Hours after petrol and diesel prices were hiked for the fourth time in 11 days, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday warned that the West Asia crisis has moved well beyond the realm of diplomacy — it is now squeezing fuel costs, shipping...
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‘Don’t rush into Iran deal, time on our side’
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran, appearing to dampen hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war that had been raised by both sides a day earlier. The US...
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Fuel prices up, 3rd time in 9 days
Indian consumers were hit with another round of fuel price increases on Saturday as petrol and diesel rates were raised for the third time in less than 10 days, taking cumulative hikes to nearly Rs 5 per litre since May 15. Simultaneously, compressed...
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UAPA bail conflict goes to larger bench
The Supreme Court on Friday referred to a larger bench the issue of grant of bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in cases where trials are delayed, observing that there was a “perceived conflict” in the interpretation of the...
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Pulwama plotter killed in POK
one of the alleged key planners behind the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and a senior operative of the terror outfit Al Badr, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (POK), adding to a growing list of targeted killings involving...
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No fuel shortage: Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday sought to allay fears over a possible fuel crisis in Maharashtra, asserting that the state has adequate stocks of petrol and diesel and urging citizens not to indulge in panic buying. Addressing growing...
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Maha pivot to clean energy
In one of the biggest clean energy investment commitments in the state’s history, Maharashtra on Tuesday signed Mous worth Rs 6.5 lakh crore with four major companies to develop nuclear energy projects with a combined proposed generation capacity of...
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₹70,000 CRORE SURGE LIKELY ON FERTILISER SUBSIDY BILL
Driven by the ongoing crisis in West Asia, India’s fertiliser subsidy bill for the 2026-27 fiscal year (FY27) is projected to surge by up to 70,000 crore, potentially pushing the total expenditure to 2.41 lakh crore. Aparna S. Sharma, Additional...
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Drone strike triggers fire near UAE N-plant
A drone strike targeted the UAE’S sole nuclear power plant on Sunday, sparking a fire on its perimeter and raising new concerns over a potential new regional escalation amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US. Authorities in Abu Dhabi said...
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‘Jihadi drug’ haul worth ₹182 cr
The Narcotics Control Bureau has busted an international drug syndicate involved in the trafficking of Captagon and seized approximately 227.7 kg of the “jihadi drug” worth Rs 182 crore, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Saturday. The...
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‘Flight 171 captain had both hands on steering handle’
For nearly a year, the world was told a devastatingly simple story about Air India 171: that veteran Boeing 787 Capt Sumeet Sabharwal may have intentionally crashed his aircraft a few seconds after take-off on June 12, 2025. But now, confidential...
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Wholesale inflation soars to 8.3%
From the restless shores of Kanyakumari to the crowded valleys beneath Kashmir’s mountains, a familiar unease is once again beginning to move silently through Indian homes. It comes not with pandemic sirens or televised lockdown orders, but through...
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PM drives change by example
In a striking departure from the high-octane optics of VVIP movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed a symbolic act of leading from the front: the PM travelled to a Union Cabinet meeting in the capital accompanied by just a single...
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Governance Drives Wealth: Raamdeo Agrawal
Veteran investor and Motilal Oswal Financial Services Chairman Raamdeo Agrawal said strong corporate governance, ethical leadership, and transparency remain the foundation of long-term wealth creation, as he addressed business leaders and investors at...
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‘Austerity plea a proof of failure’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday led the charge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plea for austerity in view of the West Asia conflict by terming the appeals as “proofs of failure”. At the same time, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav...
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Extinct since 1800, bluebuck set for return
A genetic engineering company based in Dallas, Colossal Biosciences, has announced plans to bring back the extinct bluebuck. This antelope, known for its distinct silvery slate-blue coat and curved black horns that grew up to 22 inches (56.5 cm), once...
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Suvendu takes oath
The city that once mocked the BJP as a political outsider from the Hindi heartland transformed into a roaring sea of saffron on Saturday as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister, scripting one of the most dramatic...
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Pass percentage 92, drop of 2%
In a move that could alter property ownership in Maharashtra and cut court disputes, the state government is working on a law that promises to turn property holders from “occupants” to legally recognised owners. The proposed Maharashtra Land Titling...
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‘Steadfast as ever against terror’
PM Narendra Modi on Thursday marked the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor by describing it as a defining moment in India’s uncompromising fight against terrorism and a powerful assertion of the country’s national security doctrine. Paying tribute...
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After Bharat Jodo, Cong’s INDIA todo
In a development that signalled not just the cracking of the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu but also the likely formation of the state’s first coalition government, Congress on Wednesday snapped ties with DMK to join forces with actor C Joseph Vijay’s TVK to...
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‘Did not lose, won’t quit’
A day after suffering a crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo on Tuesday refused to step down as Chief Minister, claiming that her party had been “defeated by conspiracy” and had, in fact, “won...
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Vijay stuns, Didi out, Kerala flips
The Bharatiya Janata Party wrested control of West Bengal from the Trinamool Congress, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front defeated the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. The surprise result of the Assembly elections to...
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Veil will lift today on people’s choice
Counting of votes on Monday in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry will mark a moment of political reckoning across regions that reflect sharply different electoral currents. After a high-voltage campaign, the results are expected to...
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Iran attack clock reset by five days
In a move aimed at sidestepping the War Powers Act, US President Donald J Trump officially notified Congress on Friday that hostilities with Iran have “terminated”, even as he publicly mulled a second, more devastating phase of military action. The...
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COMMERCIAL GAS CYLINDER PRICES SOAR TO RECORD HIGH
The relative calm of India’s energy markets, maintained with precision during a highstakes election season, fractured on Friday as state-owned oil marketing companies announced the steepest increase in commercial gas prices in the country’s history....
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Rats eat bribe cash? SC sees bigger loss
India failed to persuade Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) and (Middle East and North Africa) MENA members to reach a consensus on the Us-israel war against Iran. At the conclusion of the BRICS-MENA meeting at the deputy foreign...
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Trump speeds strait demining
In a day of rapid-fire escalations that laid bare the internal fractures of the American defence establishment, President Trump on Thursday ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any Iranian vessel attempting to mine the Strait of Hormuz. The...
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Trump’s U-turn steers Hormuz into limbo
In a sudden reversal that momentarily quieted the drums of a looming regional war, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had indefinitely extended a ceasefire with Iran. The decision, delivered with characteristic bluntness via social...
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What’s in a name? Quite a lot in fact, if you’re a tourist town
We in India have developed a new political interest and hobby: renaming places. Bombay became Mumbai; Madras became Chennai; Calcutta became Kolkata; Allahabad became Prayagraj; and Faizabad district became Ayodhya. Some changes carried linguistic...
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Disarray after US seizes Iran ship
A high-stakes diplomatic effort to extend a fragile ceasefire, due to expire in less than 48 hours, between the United States and Iran teetered on the brink of collapse on Monday after the U.S. Navy forcibly seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of...
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‘Open & shut’ case: Iran asserts strait gap
An Indian-flagged crude tanker safely transited the Strait of Hormuz, even as two other vessels were forced to turn back after coming under fire. The crude oil tanker Desh Garima, with 31 Indian seafarers on board, crossed the waterway on April 18 and...
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Court FIR order against Rahul recalled
Only 24 hours after Tehran declared the Hormuz Strait “completely open” following a Lebanese ceasefire, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reasserted what it calls “strict management,” effectively shuttering the passage to international...
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