New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 5 pm: NATION DEL44 LD PM-BDAY

PM Modi turns 75, lauds rise of New India as world leaders, eminent personalities praise his leadership New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 75 on Wednesday with a host of prominent personalities, including world leaders, lauding his leadership, while the ruling BJP organised welfare initiatives under the fortnight-long "Sewa Pakhwada" to mark the birthday of its preeminent leader.

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Pakistan brought to its knees; world saw terrorist crying: Modi Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said Indian soldiers brought Pakistan to its knees “in the blink of an eye” during Operation Sindoor.

He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.

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Operation against terrorists not suspended due to intervention of anyone: Rajnath Singh Hyderabad: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday virtually rejected US President Donald Trump's claims of intervening to stop the Indo-Pak conflict following Operation Sindoor, saying the action against terrorists was not suspended due to any third-party mediation.

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GST reforms to inject Rs 2 lakh crore into economy, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Visakhapatnam: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the next generation GST reforms will infuse Rs 2 lakh crore into the economy, leaving people with more cash in hand that otherwise would have gone as taxes.

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AI plane crash: Pilot's father seeks another probe saying AAIB findings tarnished his son's image Mumbai: Perturbed with the preliminary findings of the AAIB inquiry into the Ahmedabad plane crash, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal who was one of the pilots of the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner, has demanded a 'formal investigation' by the central government.

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NGO eyes world record in blood donation on PM Modi's birthday; camps set up at 7,000 places New Delhi: On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 75th birthday, the Akhil Bhartiya Terapanth Yuvak Parishad, an NGO, organised a blood donation drive on Wednesday, aiming to collect 3 lakh units of blood in a day, thereby setting a new world record.

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Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan to don PM Narendra Modi's role in upcoming biopic Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam film actor Unni Mukundan will portray the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an upcoming biopic to be made in all major Indian languages.

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Patna HC directs Congress to take off AI-generated video of PM, his late mother Patna: The Patna High Court on Wednesday directed the Congress to take off from its social media handles an AI-generated video depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother.

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BMW accident: Court extends judicial custody of accused woman New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday extended till September 27 the judicial custody of the woman who drove the BMW car involved in a crash that left a senior finance ministry official dead and his wife injured in Dhaula Kuan here.

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SC asks CAQM, CPCB, state boards to prepare plan to deal with air pollution in 3 weeks New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the CAQM, CPCB and state pollution control boards to come out with measures to prevent air pollution within three weeks, ahead of winter when pollution levels spike.

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Stubble burning: SC asks Punjab why few errant farmers shouldn't be arrested to send message New Delhi: Concerned over the usual spike in pollution levels in winter, the Supreme Court asked the Punjab government on Wednesday why some errant farmers should not be arrested for indulging in stubble burning, a key contributor to air pollution, to send across a stern message.

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Azam Khan acquitted in 2008 public property damage case Moradabad (UP): Incarcerated Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has been acquitted by a special MP-MLA court here in a 17-year-old case related to road blockade and damage to public property, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

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World leaders greet PM Modi on his 75th birthday Moscow/London: Several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday on Wednesday.

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Removal of AI-generated deepfake content ordered; pollution control agencies told to prepare measures ahead of winter. Removal of an AI-generated video of a senior political leader and his late relative was ordered from a major party's social media; a court extended judicial custody in a fatal vehicle crash case and another court acquitted a political defendant in a long-standing public-property damage matter. Pollution control bodies and state boards were directed to submit preventive plans within a short timeframe, with arrest of errant farmers for stubble burning suggested as an enforcement option to deter winter pollution spikes.