The Free Press Journal
US airman rescued in daring op: Trump
The second crew member of a downed American F-15E fighter jet was rescued overnight by US commandos, bringing an end to a tense twoday search after the warplane crashed in southwest Iran, President Donald Trump said. The crew member, identified as a...
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IRAN CLAIMS STRIKES ON ITS PETRO FACILITIES, N-PLANT
Co-ordinated strikes hit the perimeter of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and a critical petrochemical hub in the country's southwest on Saturday. The strike on Bushehr, which occurred between 6 am and 8 am local time damaging an auxiliary support...
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Petulant Trump shifts focus of war to civil infrastructure
THE BIGGEST BRIDGE IN IRAN COMES TUMBLING DOWN, NEVER TO BE USED AGAIN — MUCH MORE TO FOLLOW!" The declaration, posted on Truth Social by Donald Trump late on Thursday night, served as the formal eulogy for the B1 Bridge in Karaj. The $400 million...
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Budget Session to reconvene for key bills
The Budget Session of Parliament will reconvene on April 16 after a brief recess to pass bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 so that the women's reservation law can be implemented at the earliest, in what is expected to be...
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‘Iran job to be finished in 2-3 weeks’ Shield all from war heat: PM
US President Donald Trump has said that US military action in Iran could end as soon as “two or three weeks”, with or without a deal brokered between the two sides. “We’ll be leaving very soon,” he told reporters on Tuesday. The US has achieved its...
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Arab allies to foot Trump’s war bill
The White House has revealed plans to pressure regional Arab allies into funding the Us-led military campaign in Iran. During a press briefing on Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the administration is looking to shift the...
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‘New deal should remove Iran’s path to nukes’
US president Donald Trump drastically escalated his rhetoric on the crisis with Iran on Monday, taking to social media to threaten the complete obliteration of the country's oil and electrical infrastructure if a deal isn't reached with what he called...
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Clock ticks on ground ops amid talks
A senior Iranian official has warned the US against launching a ground invasion, saying American troops would be set “on fire,” even as the Pentagon prepares for weeks-long, limited ground operations that could include raids on Kharg Island and coastal...
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Houthis fire missile, enter war
After a month of calculated restraint, Yemen’s Houthi militia officially entered the sprawling conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran on Saturday, launching a barrage of ballistic missiles at southern Israel and threatening to plunge...
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GR issued for illegal houses on govt land
Seven people were killed and five others injured after multiple avalanches hit the Srinagar-leh national highway on Friday, officials said. The avalanches hit the stretch between Zero Point and Minimarg in the afternoon, leaving several vehicles...
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India gets safe Hormuz passage Iran navy chief killed: Israel
Iran has allowed India and some other “friendly nations”, including China and Russia, to use the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said. Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually...
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15-point commandment to Tehran
The Trump administration is believed to have delivered a sweeping 15-point proposal to Tehran intended to halt the four-week-old war in West Asia, signaling a high-stakes diplomatic "off-ramp" even as American paratroopers begin a fresh deployment to...
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SC status only for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs: Top court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld an Andhra Pradesh High Court order holding that a person who converts to Christianity and actively professes and practises the religion cannot be regarded as a member of the Scheduled Caste community and cannot...
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Brace for impact like COVID, PM Modi says amid West Asia crisis
Drawing parallels with the COVID-19 crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged citizens to remain “prepared and united” as India confronts the fallout of the West Asia conflict, warning that the situation could persist for long even as the...
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Escalation, not winding down
A day after signalling a possible wind-down of military operations, US President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Iran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure, sharply escalating an...
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War without edges
An Iranian missile struck Jerusalem on Eid al-fitr, landing just a few hundred metres from the Al-aqsa Mosque, as hundreds of Muslim worshippers were forced to offer prayers outside the sealed gates of the Old City — barred from entry for the first...
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Iran puts global tourist hotspots in crosshairs
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its spokesperson and deputy public relations chief, was killed in US and Israeli strikes, according to Iranian state television. Naini “was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the...
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Domestic LPG users come first, says govt
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday the government’s priority would remain on Indian consumers when it came to LPG. Speaking at a weekly media briefing, Jaiswal said, “Energy supply is a matter of concern, and...
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Govt admits Pune land scam
Amid the Iran war, US envoy Sergio Gor met NSA Ajit Doval on Wednesday. “Just wrapped up an extremely fruitful meeting with NSA Ajit Doval,” Gor said on X. “Covered critical security and geopolitical issues. Strategic cooperation between the US and...
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Iran de facto leader killed: Israel
In a dramatic escalation of a widening West Asian war, Israel on Tuesday claimed it had killed Ali Larijani, one of Iran’s most powerful political and security figures, in an overnight strike on Tehran. The reported killing, if confirmed, would mark...
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‘No blanket arrangement with Iran on safe passage’
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in an interview with the Financial Times, said there was no “blanket arrangement” with Iran for Indian-flagged ships and that “every ship movement is an individual happening”. Jaishankar also denied that...
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VOTING IN APRIL, VERDICT ON MAY 4
The stage is set for a high-voltage political showdown across five states, with the Election Commission on Sunday announcing Assembly election dates for Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The fiercely contested battles will test...
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US BOMBS OIL NERVE CENTRE
The United States carried out airstrikes on Iran’s Kharg Island on March 13, targeting military facilities on the strategically vital oil export hub in the Persian Gulf, according to reports from Reuters, The Washington Post and The...
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LPG supply concerns flagged by Centre
Acknowledging that the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz in West Asia — through which a significant share of India’s LPG imports passes — is an “issue of concern”, the Centre on Friday said it has increased domestic LPG production by 30 per cent...
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2 more ships struck, Iraq stops oil ops
Iraq has reportedly suspended oil terminal operations after two tankers were hit by explosive-laden boats in Iraqi waters. Al-fartousi told Iraq’s state news agency that oil ports have stopped all operations since the attacks, while commercial ports...
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25-day booking gap for LPG now
The Centre on Wednesday said it has increased the minimum gap between LPG cylinder bookings for domestic households from 21 days to 25 days in view of the gas shortage triggered by the West Asia crisis. The government also said domestic LPG production...
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Oppn moves to impeach CEC
All seven candidates, including NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale, and BJP leader Vinod Tawde, were declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in the biennial elections. A notable feature of the election emerged when...
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Party time: Bihar sees a beta launch
The CBI has registered yet another FIR against industrialist Anil Ambani, Reliance Communications Ltd, and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct for allegedly defrauding PNB of Rs 1,085 crore. This is the third CBI...
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Pezeshkian apologises
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has apologised to neighbouring countries for missile and drone attacks carried out during the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, while warning that Tehran would still retaliate if those countries allowed...
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Lanka grapples with war fallout at its door
U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out sending American ground forces into Iran, calling such a move unnecessary even as the United States and Israel intensify their military campaign against Tehran. “A ground invasion would be a waste of time,”...
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Lanka extends help to 2nd Iran ship
Sri Lanka has denied docking permission to a second Iranian vessel reported near its coast, even as authorities said they are prepared to extend humanitarian assistance to the crew if required, according to international media reports. The development...
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US SUB SINKS IRANIAN FRIGATE OFF LANKA
An American submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian naval warship in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Sri Lanka early Wednesday, killing at least 80 people in what US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the first sinking of an enemy warship...
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Iran, Israel strikes widen war
Israel on Sunday unleashed “simultaneous strikes" in Tehran and Beirut, targeting Iranian military sites and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon as the West Asia conflict entered the fourth day with Iranian drones hitting the US embassy in...
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3 US F-15E JETS DOWNED IN ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’
Mourners take cover while air-raid sirens warn of incoming missiles launched by Iran toward Israel during the funeral of Sarah Elimelech and her daughter Ronit who were killed in an Iranian missile attack, in Beit Shemesh, Israel on Monday and (right)...
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KHAMENEI KILLED, WAR ESCALATES
Revolutionary Guards attack USS Abraham Lincoln with 4 missiles Iran vowed revenge on Sunday after the killing of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and traded strikes with Israel, which launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran. Hours after...
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After regime change, plan absent
Acareful gleaning of what can only be described as yet another rant of the American President Donald Trump in which he gave his peculiar justification for the massive military operation which he launched against Iran, yields no single reason that...
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Total lack of evidence sinks case against Kejri
A Delhi court on Friday discharged all 23 accused, including former Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, in the corruption case related to the alleged 2021-22 excise policy scam. In a strongly worded order...
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Heads must roll: SC bans NCERT textbook
The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on a Class 8 Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) that carried a section on “corruption in judiciary ”, issued contempt notices to...
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PM in Israel: Terror threats everywhere
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday declared that “terrorism anywhere threatens peace everywhere” as he addressed the Israeli Parliament, firmly backing Israel in its fight against terror while also endorsing the Gaza peace initiative as a...
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‘Bengal can seek help from Odisha, J’khand’
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed judicial officers from Odisha and Jharkhand to be deployed for adjudicating claims and objections in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, noting that the exercise would take at...
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INDIA UNVEILS ITS FIRST COUNTER-TERROR POLICY
The government on Monday unveiled India’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy, “Prahaar”, outlining a multi-layered strategy rooted in “zero tolerance”, intelligence-led prevention and disruption of extremist violence, aimed at denying...
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India, US push back deal talks
A day before a three-day meeting between India and the US was set to begin in Washington on Monday, the two countries decided to reschedule talks between their chief negotiators aimed at finalising the text of an interim trade pact, sources said on...
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Delhi reading fall-out fine print
India on Saturday reacted cautiously to the US Supreme Court’s judgment which did away with tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it was studying the implications. “We have noted the US Supreme Court...
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US top court strikes down Trump tariffs
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled President Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs on nearly every country under a federal emergency powers law, delivering a blow to the president's signature economic policy, CBS...
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HANDS ACROSS AI UNIVERSE
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stressed that Artificial Intelligence was a shared resource for the welfare of humanity and therefore its ethical use through creation of a trusted global data framework, transparent ‘glass box’ safety rules and...
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‘WHAT APPLIES TO HEINOUS CRIMES APPLIES EQUALLY TO SERIOUS ECONOMIC OFFENCES’
The Supreme Court of India has held that principles governing bail in heinous offences apply with equal force to serious economic offences, observing that such crimes directly undermine the economic well-being and quality of life of citizens. A bench...
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‘Relationship sans boundaries’
Prime minister Narendra Modi (75), who had a wide range of talks at Lok Bhavan here on Tuesday with French president Emmanul Macron (48), said strategic ties between the two nations has now been taken to “adbhoot” (astonishing) levels. He did not...
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AI: ‘India in lead role’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India has played and will continue to play a very important role in global artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, citing the country’s vast population of 1.4 billion people, vibrant digital public...
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‘Political stability powers India’s trade deal success’
Calling productive spending a hallmark of his government, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said this year’s Budget deliberately avoids short-term populism and instead channels record capital outlays into infrastructure to drive jobs and sustainable...
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₹ 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund approved
In a twin policy push aimed at reshaping India’s urban landscape and strengthening its innovation economy, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) and a Rs 10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0. The...
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₹ 5K each for 1.31 cr TN women
Indian equities slid sharply on Friday as intensifying anxiety over artificial intelligence disrupted risk appetite and triggered heavy selling in technology and metal stocks. The Sensex fell more than 1,000 points and the Nifty dropped over 330 points...
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DAC CLEARS PURCHASE OF 114 RAFALE JETS
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday cleared capital acquisition proposals worth about Rs 3.60 lakh crore, including a longpending plan to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a gove r n m e n t- to - gove r n m e n t framework with...
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‘BHARAT MATA SOLD’
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the interim trade deal with the United States, alleging that the government had surrendered India’s interests and “sold Bharat Mata”. Speaking...
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Seized tankers carried Iran oil
A 90-member team comprising officers of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Intelligence Bureau and other agencies is interrogating 55 persons belonging to different nationalities aboard three vessels for alleged smuggling of oil. ICG last week intercepted...
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SC wants SOP framed in 4 weeks
Riding on its emphatic victory in the recent municipal corporation elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance — comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena — has extended its dominance to Maharashtra’s rural heartland,...
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SC asks WB to pay DA from 2008-2019
The UPSC has significantly tightened the rules governing reappearance in the Civil Services Examination for candidates who are already serving in the civil services, effectively putting an end to the longstanding practice of multiple attempts to...
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24 HOURS LONG: MOTHER OF ALL TRAFFIC SNARLS
longed that commuters ruefully remarked it would have been cleared “in a jiffy” had there been any VIP movement involved. The unprecedented gridlock began around 5 pm on Tuesday after a BPCL tanker carrying highly inflammable propylene gas overturned...
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Modi compromised: Rahul
Piyush Goyal, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday charged that the trade deal announced by US President Trump and subsequently PM Narendra Modi late on Monday night was a “sell off ” and that the latter “compromised” India’s...
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Trump seals trade deal, lowers tariff
American President on Monday said the US and India had agreed to a bilateral trade deal that would lower reciprocal tariffs between the two countries. Announcing details of a phone conversation with PM Trump said Washington would reduce its...
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K Giriprakash
Highest-ever capex of 12.22 lakh crore in FY27, 4.4% of GDP Fiscal deficit pegged 4.3% of GDP No change in Income Tax rates New Income Tax Act, 2025, to be implemented from April 1 1.4 lakh crore to states as tax share Finance Minister Nirmala...
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Sunetra Pawar is Deputy CM
Barely three days after her husband died in a plane crash, Sunetra Pawar, wife of late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, was on Saturday sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister, becoming the first woman to hold the post in Maharashtra’s political...
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NCP set to pick Sunetra as leader
Friday was marked by visible confusion and hurried recalibration within the Nationalist Congress Party following the sudden demise of Ajit Pawar, throwing open urgent questions about leadership succession and the party’s immediate political course. By...
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On same page: Tharoor meets Rahul, Kharge
Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor, whose future in Congress has recently been the subject of speculation, met LOP Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday and said “we are all on the same page”. The nearly hour-long meeting held in Kharge’s...
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UNCERTAINTY LOOMS OVER NCP’S FUTURE
dier Learjet of the firm crashed in Mumbai airport in September 2023, but the probe report has not been made public. The 14-year-old firm is owned by Capt Vijay Singh and his son Capt Rohit Singh. It has a fleet of 17 aircraft. West Bengal CM Mamata...
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France okays social media ban for U-15s
India’s development plans, Modi said, as the world’s fastest-growing major economy looks to convert rising domestic demand into export strength. India figures among the world’s top five exporters of petroleum products, supplying more than 150...
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US and India share historic bond: Trump
The United States and India share a historic bond as the world's oldest and largest democracies, US President Donald Trump said on Monday as he greeted India on its 77th Republic Day celebrations. Trump's greetings came amid continuing strain in ties...
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India beat New Zealand by eight wickets in 3rd T20I to clinch series India messenger of peace amid global strife: Prez
Amid escalating geopolitical tensions across multiple continents, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said that India is spreading the message of peace, which she described as essential for securing the future of humanity. In her address to the nation...
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TRADE PACTS FUEL JOBS, SAYS PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India’s expanding trade and mobility agreements with multiple countries are opening up fresh employment and career opportunities for the country’s youth, both at home and abroad, as the government pushes...
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AMERICAN ARMADA BEARS DOWN ON IRAN
A day after announcing the creation of what he called a “Board of Peace,” said American military assets were being deployed toward Iran “just in case” he decided to act. The U.S. military has moved more forces into the region, including the aircraft...
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The Eagles’ ‘Greatest Hits’ soars highest
Take it easy… and go quadruple diamond. The Eagles’ 1976 album “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” is the bestselling album of all time in the US. It has officially sold over 40 million units, according to new certification from the Recording Industry...
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Rupee plunges to record low
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on January 20 quashed the 2023 FIR registered by Tiruchi city police against BJP leader Amit Malviya for allegedly “distorting” remarks made by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sanatana...
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