The Free Press Journal
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
₹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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MEA skirts ‘Pakistan’ hurdle on ceasefire
Randhir Jaiswal chose his words carefully when describing India’s reaction to the Usiran ceasefire. While the MEA spokesperson said India welcomed it, he did not comment when asked on Pakistan’s role to help broker it. “We welcome the ceasefire and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tightrope walk with high stakes and thin numbers
The Narendra Modi government has chosen to walk a political tightrope with the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on women’s reservation, pushing ahead despite lacking the comfortable arithmetic required for a constitutional amendment in Parliament....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PEACE AGREEMENT BEFORE MONTH-END?
US President Donald J Trump signalled on Wednesday that the two-month-old conflict with Iran has entered its final chapter. In a series of interviews, the President suggested that a definitive peace deal could be reached before the month is out. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
5 ships clear Hormuz test
At least five vessels, including two Washington-sanctioned tankers, have entered the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the first full day of the US blockade on ships calling at Iranian ports, according to shipping data. The blockade,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Double blockade, triple shocks
The long-simmering war in the Persian Gulf shifted into a volatile new phase on Monday as the United States began the formal execution of a naval blockade against Iranian ports. The move, coming in the wake of a collapsed diplomatic summit in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Gill, Jos Buttler, Prasidh Krishna power GT to victory against Lucknow Super Giants Abhi na jao chhod kar: Asha lives on
“Woh hanske mile humse, hum pyar samajh baithe...” — this line, penned by SH Bihari for an OP Nayyar-created song from the film Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi, succinctly sums up Asha Bhosle’s 92-year-long life. The evergreen singer passed away on Sunday,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FACE-TO-FACE MEET
In a historic departure from years of indirect diplomacy, high-stakes negotiations between the United States and Iran transitioned into direct, face-to-face talks on Saturday evening at the heavily fortified Serena Hotel in Islamabad. The move to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Rubio India visit in May
The MEA released a statement on Friday condoling the large number of “civilian casualties” in Lebanon. Released a day after Israel unleashed one the deadliest bombing campaigns on the Arab nation, it said India was “deeply concerned by reports of a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why hearing ‘Waterman’ Rajendra Singh matters in ecological crisis
Hours before the Iranian team was to head for Islamabad for the direct talks with the United States, to land at Nur Khan Airbase, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and the man slated to lead the delegation against US Vice...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
India greets truce, hopes for peace
The MEA released a statement in reaction to the recent ceasefire announced between the United States and Iran welcoming the ceasefire and hoping that it would lead to lasting peace in West Asia. “The conflict has already caused immense suffering to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TRUMP READIES TO WIPE OUT PERSIAN CIVILISATION
The deadline is set for 8 pm in Washington—5.30 am IST— and if the digital ticking of a Truth Social post is to be believed, the cradle of the Persian world has only hours of light remaining. At approximately 8.15 am ET (5.45 pm IST) on Tuesday, Trump...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump warns Iran of sweeping strikes
President Donald Trump on Monday night renewed his threat of sweeping strikes on Iran, warning that “the entire country can be taken out in one night,” even as diplomatic efforts showed tentative movement. Speaking at a White House news conference,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
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...
Read Full Story (Page 1)