Indias aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance check on Boeing Dreamliner aircraft in the aftermath of the fatal Ahmedabad crash , which killed 241 of the 242 onboard on Thursday. In a letter to Air India, regulator listed out the checks the airliner will have to carry out on all of its Boeing 787-8/9 fleet, starting June 15, 2025. As a preventive measure, DGCA hereby directs M/s Air India to carry out t

BHUBANESWAR: A youth died and seven others were hospitalised after collapsing during a physical test for Home Guard recruitment in Odisha's Gajapati district on Thursday morning, police said. The incident occurred during a 2 km running test held between Ranipenth and Padmapur near Parlakhemundi, the district headquarters. The deceased has been identified as Sulant Mishal, a resident of Parisal village in Gajapati district, police said. According to sources, Mishal suddenly collapsed just 30 seco

BHUBANESWAR : The relocation of forest-dwelling tribals from the tiger reserves in Odisha and 17 other states has been flagged by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), one of UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies. Odisha is one among the 18 states where tribals are being displaced from tiger reserves, the allegations of which have been received by CERD under its early warning and urgent action procedure with regard to the situation of tribal and forest-dwelling indigenous

SRINAGAR: With India mulling options after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, two former J&K police chiefs have said military action now is a compulsion for India and that the action must be bigger than surgical or Balakote strikes to eliminate Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Former J&K police chief Kuldip Khoda told this newspaper that the Pahalgam attack is a continuation of the situation prevailing in J&K for the past 35 years. Khoda, who served as J&K police chief from 2007-2012, said Pakist

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police on Saturday searched a flight arriving here from Chennai after being tipped-off that a suspect linked to the Pahalgam terror attack could be on board, police spokesperson said here. A statement from the national carrier SriLankan Airlines said that its flight arrived at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport from Chennai at 11:59 am and underwent a comprehensive security inspection upon arrival. The search was carried out in coordination with local authorities fo

BHUBANESWAR: The newly inaugurated Jagannath temple at Digha in West Bengal has sparked a massive controversy over the purported use of Daru (neem wood) that had remained unused during the Holy Trinitys Nabakalebara in Puri in 2015 for carving the deities, and naming the shrine as Jagannath Dham. Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday ordered an enquiry into the use of Daru in making the deities and the association of Srimandir servitors in its consecration ceremony. While the nam

NEW DELHI: Responding to a call from Nepals Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba for an investigation into the death of a Nepali student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University in Odisha the second such case involving a Nepali national at the institution in under three months New Delhi said that a thorough enquiry is currently being conducted by the Odisha Police. A press statement from the Minstry said it is 'deeply saddened' by the tragic demise of a Nepali student of KII

BHUBANESHWAR: Nepal has launched diplomatic initiatives to probe the death of an 18-year-old student from the Himalayan nation at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, hours after she was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room. The incident comes barely two-and-a-half months after Prakriti Lamsal, another Nepalese student of the same institute, died by suicide on February 16 . The incident of Prisa Sah, a Nepali student studying at Kalinga

NEW DELHI: India and France on Monday inked an intergovernmental agreement to procure 26 naval variants of Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 64,000 crore for the Indian Navy. The pact was sealed at a virtual event. India is procuring the jets from French defence major Dassault Aviation for deployment on board aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was present at the signing ceremony. The sealing of the mega deal came three weeks after the Cabinet Committee on Secur

MANDSAUR: A speeding van plunged into a water-filled well after hitting a bike in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district on Sunday, leaving 11 persons, including a biker and a rescuer, dead, police said. The incident occurred in the Narayangarh police station area. Ratlam range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Manoj Singh said 13 persons were travelling in the van. Four of them were rescued while nine others died. A villager, identified as Manohar, who descended into the well for rescue, also died, he

BHUBANESWAR: After a wait lasting decades, Similipal has been accorded national park status, with a formal notification issued by the Odisha government on Thursday. An area of 845.70 sq km spread across 11 ranges of Similipal south and Similipal north divisions was declared as a national park, making it the second protected area to be declared a national park after Bhitarkanika in the state. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who made an announcement to this effect on Thursday, said Similipal is

JHARSUGUDA: Two prime suspects in the murder of a father-son duo during protests over the Waqf Amendment Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad were arrested on Monday by a joint team of West Bengal STF and Jharsuguda Police within the Bandhabahal Outpost limits. The two siblings were identified as Bani Israel and Sefaul Haque, both residents of Sulitala village in Murshidabad. They were prime suspects in the murder of Chandan Das (40) and his father Haragobinda Das (72). The father-son duo was allege

ROURKELA: The death of an under-trial prisoner due to head injuries under mysterious circumstances inside Rourkela Special Jail has stirred up a controversy, with the victims wife alleging that he was murdered in judicial custody. Sources said UTP Rajesh Kujur (42), a resident of Dalki village under Raiboga police limits in Sundargarh district, was arrested in an excise case for illegal sale of country liquor. He died at the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) during treatment in the wee hours on

BHUBANESWAR: A section of senior BJD leaders on Saturday demanded strong action against Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sasmit Patra for creating confusion among lawmakers ahead of the voting on Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the upper house of Parliament. Patra, also the leader of the BJD in Rajya Sabha, is in the eye of the storm after revealing that he had voted in favour of the contentious Bill. After the BJD announced it would oppose the Bill, and even party MP Muzibulla Khan spoke again

BHUBANESWAR: Fissures have developed in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the partys change of stand on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 with senior leaders questioning the decision to allow the Rajya Sabha MPs conscience vote in a significant shift from its earlier position to oppose the legislation strongly in Parliament. Hours after the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha, several senior leaders including the deputy leader of the BJD legislature Party Prasanna Acharya met at the Sankha Bhawan on Fri