Bhubaneswar: Odisha added 559 sq km of combined forest and tree cover between 2021 and 2023, according to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. The report, which was released Saturday, also noted that Odishas forest cover alone rose by 152 sq km. Across India, forest and tree cover grew by 1,445 sq km []

New Delhi: Indias total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, reaching 25.17 per cent of the total geographical area in 2023, according to the latest government data. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released Saturday, said that the countrys total forest cover increased from 7,13,789 sq km []

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Deposits and shares worth Rs 82 lakh were frozen after the ED conducted raids against a social welfare organisation related to the deceased brother of a BJD MLA in Odisha as part of a bank fraud linked money laundering probe. The searches were undertaken December 18 at four locations in Odisha (Sambalpur) and []

New Delhi: A total of 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities have been reported in Bangladesh this year till December 8, and Indias expectation is Dhaka will take necessary measures to ensure their safety, the government said Friday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh gave the information in a []

Mumbai: After a multi-year bull run, there is a need for equity investors to moderate their return expectations in 2025, a domestic brokerage said Thursday. NSEs 50-share benchmark is expected to be at 26,482 points at the end of 2025, which is an over 10 per cent jump from Thursdays close of 23,951.70 points, HDFC []

Dubai: The deadlock over the hosting of Champions Trophy finally ended Thursday when the ICC announced that India will play their matches of the 50-over event at a neutral venue instead of host country Pakistan, which will have a similar arrangement for tournaments to be held in India till 2027. The ICC Board has approved []

Mumbai: The upcoming Ajay Devgn-starrer De De Pyaar De 2 is set to release November 14, 2025. The makers of the film made the official announcement about the films release Thursday. The film also stars Rakul Preet Singh, and R. Madhavan, and promises an exciting storyline brimming with humour, romance, and family drama. Fans of []

Mumbai: The search and rescue operations resumed Thursday morning to trace out at least two tourists still missing after an Indian Navy speedboat crashed into a passenger ferry off the Gateway of India in the Arabian Sea Wednesday evening claiming 13 lives, including that of four naval personnel, officials said. In one of the worst-ever []

Bhubaneswar: Renowned Odia writer Baishnab Charan Samal has been selected for the Sahitya Akademi Award 2024 for his essay book Bhuti Bhakti Bibhuti. The Akademi announced the award Wednesday. An official notification stated that Samal was unanimously chosen by the jury for the honour. Reacting to the announcement, an elated Samal expressed his gratitude, saying, []

Brisbane: Former Indian captain and legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar reacted to Ravichandran Ashwins retirement decisions impact on the team and said the allrounder did the same as MS Dhoni did during the 2014-15 Australia series. Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket immediately following the drawn Gabba Test in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gavaskar drew []

Bhubaneswar: The fourth phase payment of Subhadra Yojanas first instalment is unlikely to be credited by the earlier announced date of December 25, as Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida informed Monday that the fourth phase disbursal of state governments flagship scheme has been temporarily put on hold. The decision was made to ensure that the []

Gaza: At least 25 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli airstrikes targeting a school sheltering displaced people and a civil defence centre in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources. Marwan al-Hams, an official at Gaza-based health authorities, told Xinhua that Sunday about 21 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school for []

Here is a guide to the week ahead for you. This is your forecast for December 16-22. Aries You may feel the urge to sort through personal matters, but be cautious of impulsiveness or temper flare-ups with family members. Patience and moderation will help maintain peace at home. In your career, theres a strong drive []

Brisbane: Travis Head put an insipid Indian bowling attack to sword for his second successive hundred while veteran Steve Smith wore the opposition down with a statement century to put Australia in a favourable position on day two of the third Test here Sunday. Australia reached a commanding 405 for 7 at stumps courtesy, a []

New Delhi: Foreign investors have made a strong comeback to Indian equities with a net investment of Rs 22,766 crore in the first two weeks of December driven by expectations of rate cut by the US Federal Reserve. This revival follows significant outflows in the preceding months, with Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) pulling out a []

Bhadohi (UP): A 23-year-old man accused of raping a 16-year-old minor girl from Maharashtras Bhandara district several times over the last eight months was arrested Saturday, police said. The victim had lodged an FIR in Bhandara which was transferred by the police there to Gopiganj Police Station in Bhadohi for further legal action, said Superintendent []

Bangalore: Odisha and Madhya Pradesh scored big wins on Day 2 of the ongoing 7th edition of the Mens National T20 Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2024-25, popularly known as the Nagesh Trophy Saturday. The 7th edition Nagesh Trophy Group C league matches began December 13. A total of five teams from Group C will []

Brisbane: Local hero Usman Khawaja and young Nathan McSweeney displayed sound defensive technique against Jasprit Bumrah but persistent rain played havoc with the opening day of the third Test, allowing only 13.2 overs of play in which Australia scored 28 for no loss against India, here Saturday. The gloomy weather didnt allow any action after []

Hyderabad: The husband of a woman who died when fans jostled during the December 4 premiere show of Pushpa 2 at a film theatre here, said Friday he doesnt hold the films male lead Allu Arjun responsible for the tragedy. Bhaskar, the womans husband, stated he was ready to withdraw his case over the incident. []

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court Friday granted interim bail to actor Allu Arjun, who was arrested earlier in the day by the city police in connection with the death of a woman during the screening of his movie Pushpa 2 in Hyderabad last week. The HC order came shortly after the actor was remanded to judicial []

Hyderabad: Top Telugu actor Allu Arjun was Friday arrested by the city police in connection with the death of a woman during the premiere of his latest movie Pushpa 2: The Rule, official sources said. The actor was taken into custody, amid tight security, from his residence and taken to Chikkadpally police station in a []

New Delhi: During the consultation process on one nation, one election, 32 political parties supported the idea while 15 did not, according to former president Ram Nath Kovind, who headed a high-level committee that studied the proposal. Delivering the 7th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Lecture on Simultaneous Elections October 5, Kovind had said that many []

Hathras: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met the family of a Dalit woman here who died allegedly after being gangraped in September 2020, and alleged that the family is being treated like criminals. The Congress MP reached Bool Garhi village around 11:15am, even as police stepped up deployment in and around []

RAJESH MOHANTY, OP Rourkela: If things go as planned, the Jamunanaki bridge, which was supposed to be completed before the Hockey World Cup 2023, will be completed in March 2025, according to sources at the Public Works department. The bridge being constructed at a cost of Rs 22 crore is aimed at connecting Rourkela with []

Angul: Two people, including a woman, were killed in separate incidents of elephant attacks in this district Wednesday. Sources said Mandodaga Sahu, a woman from Baghuabol village under Bagadia police limits in Chhendipada forest area, was harvesting paddy on her farmland when an elephant from a 22-member herd came there, grabbed her with its trunk []

Horoscope gives you glimpses into your future through zodiac signs and rules of astrology. Our expert astrologers have analyzed the stars and aligned the cosmos to provide accurate predictions for all zodiac signs, including Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Discover what the celestial bodies have in store []

Berhampur: At least four people, including three women, were killed and 28 others sustained injuries when a pickup van in which they were travelling overturned in Odishas Gajapati district Wednesday, police said. The accident took place at Chiting Ghat in Mohana police station area. The accident took place when 36 residents of Ramagiri village were []

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday said it has begun restituting assets worth more than Rs 2,500 crore as part of a money laundering investigation against absconding businessman Mehul Choksi in connection with the alleged Rs 13,000 crore PNB loan fraud case. The federal agency said in a statement that it initiated the restitution of []

Singapore: Indian challenger D Gukesh lost the 12th game against defending champion Ding Liren of China to allow his opponent bounce back and level the World Chess Championship match here Monday. The 18-year-old Gukesh was ahead by one point after he notched his second win of the match Sunday, which came after seven consecutive draws, []

New Delhi: The revenue of entertainment and media industry in the country is projected to reach Rs 365,000 crore by 2028, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3 per cent and outpacing the global rate of 4.6 per cent, a report showed Monday. Within the sector, advertising revenues is projected to grow at a []

Baripada: In a significant move, the state government has allotted 24 state-of-the art All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) to the Forest department in Mayurbhanj district with a view to enhance wildlife protection and prevent forest fires across five forest divisions of Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary. The fleet includes Mahindra Thar ATVs, Tata Yodha fire-fighting vehicles, and Tata-410 fire []

Bhubaneswar: Uttar Pradesh Minister for Labour and Employment, Anil Rajbhar, extended an invitation to Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and the people of Odisha to participate in the Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025. The iconic event is scheduled to take place from January 13 to February 26 at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, []

Bhubaneswar: As many as 1,002 projects worth Rs 19.64 crore under Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana (GGY) in three Zilla Parishads (ZPs) have been sanctioned by Collectors and funds have been released to the Panchayat Samitis (PSs) in an unauthorised way, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged. According to the CAGs subject-specific compliance []

Hyderabad: Three persons associated with a film theatre here were Sunday arrested in connection with the case registered over the death of a woman due to asphyxiation as crowds jostled at the theatre during the premiere show of actor Allu Arjuns Pushpa 2: The Rule, police said. A 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son []

Balasore: Sleuths of the Excise Department in Odisha Sunday seized brown sugar worth Rs 2 crore in Odishas Balasore town, and a man was arrested in this connection, an official said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of excise officials raided a house in Adarbazar area and seized the contraband, he added. Balasore Excise Superintendent []

New Delhi: The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 most-valued firms jumped Rs 2,03,116.81 crore last week, with Tata Consultancy Services and HDFC Bank emerging the biggest gainers, in-line with an optimistic trend at the Dalal Street. Last week, the BSE benchmark jumped 1,906.33 points, or 2.38 per cent, and the NSE Nifty []

New Delhi: After heavy selling in the past two months, foreign investors have staged a strong comeback to Indian equities with a net investment of Rs 24,454 crore in the first week of December amid stabilising global conditions and expectations of potential US Federal Reserve rate cuts. This revival follows significant outflows in the preceding []

Berhampur: A 54-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a special court in Odishas Ganjam district Saturday for raping a 12-year-old girl. The incident happened in September 2020 in Kabisurya Nagar. The man who lived in the same village as the girl had kidnapped her, and raped her multiple times. Judge Ganeshwar []

New Delhi: The Indian startup ecosystem saw its cumulative funding reach $250 million across 18 deals this week, a significant 72 per cent increase. Domestic startups had raised more than $145 million last week, as investor confidence revived in the country when it came to VC funding. Global investment group Prosus disclosed it infused $100 []

Bengaluru: A man was arrested by Bengaluru Police for blackmailing his girlfriend and extorting Rs2.5 crore from her family. The arrest followed a complaint filed by the 20-year-old victim, who could no longer bear the continuous demands made by the accused. The accused has been identified as Mohan Kumar. Kumar used intimate videos to blackmail []

Mumbai: Hindi film star Shraddha Kapoor, who delivered the biggest Hindi blockbuster with Stree 2earlier this year, is set to attend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Finale Race 2024. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is currently underway with the final race scheduled for December 8. The event is a highlight on the global sporting calendar, []