Bhubaneswar: Odisha is set to lead the way in inclusive and sustainable agricultural reforms, and innovative ideas and collaborations will shape a resilient agricultural future, the states Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo has said. The Deputy CM was speaking at a policy roundtable titled Advancing Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Odisha, which brought together []

Mumbai: As the year draws to a close, Hindi film stars have already set in the festive mood with their vacations abroad. On Sunday, star Kareena Kapoor Khan shared pictures from her vacation on her social media The actress took to the Stories section of her Instagram, and shared several pictures from her vacations as []

New Delhi: Fundraising via IPOs in India hit another landmark as economic growth, favourable market conditions and improvements in the regulatory framework helped companies raise a record Rs 1.6 lakh crore in 2024, while the pipeline for the next year holds out bigger promise. This exceptional year not only reflected the confidence of issuers but []

Mumbai: Animal star Triptii Dimri, who was recently seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, is enjoying the end of the year in Cotswolds in south central England. However, the actress is not alone. She is in the company of her rumoured boyfriend Sam Merchant. Recently, the actress took to the Stories section of her Instagram, and []

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government is going to introduce a new system in the Jagannath temple, Puri to provide devotees better facilities to have darshan of the deities, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said Sunday. Speaking to media persons in Bhubaneswar, Harichandan said the government is taking steps to introduce the new system for public darshan in the []

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has ranked second in the country for maximum increase in green cover inside recorded forest area, according to the latest India State of Forest Report-2023. Published biennially by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) since 1987, the report, which was released by Union Forest minister Bhupender Yadav Saturday, provides a detailed assessment of []

Kolkata/Baripada: Forest personnel are monitoring the movement of a tigress which strayed from Odishas Similipal Reserve Forest and is currently in West Bengals Purulia district, an official said Sunday. The three-year-old tigress brought from Maharashtra to Similipal Reserve Forest is fitted with a radio collar and is currently located in the Bandwan area of Purulia []

New Delhi: The combined market valuation of all the top-10 most valued firms plunged Rs 4,95,061 crore last week, in line with a bearish trend in equities, where Tata Consultancy Services and Reliance Industries faced the sharpest erosion. Last week, the BSE benchmark tanked 4,091.53 points or 4.98 per cent. The Indian equity market recorded []

New Delhi: After two weeks of buying, FPIs turned net sellers in Indian equities this week, with a net withdrawal of Rs 976 crore amid a strengthening US dollar and steady rise in US 10-year bond yields, impacting investor sentiment. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) began the week on a positive note, investing Rs 3,126 crore []

Melbourne: The scheduled press match between the Indian and Australian media was cancelled after the Indian media reportedly boycotted a pre-arranged game, following a press conference row involving allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. The T20 game scheduled for Sunday at Junction Oval in Melbourne was cancelled after the Indian teams media manager decided not to participate. This []

Sambhal: Following the reopening of the Kartikeya Mahadev Temple in Uttar Pradeshs Sambhal district after 46 years, another historical find has come to light. A stepwell was discovered during excavation in the Chandausi area, bringing renewed attention to the regions historical significance. The discovery comes shortly after the ruins of an ancient Banke Bihari temple []

Kuala Lumpur: Opener G Trisha made a doughty fifty before the left-arm troika of Ayushi Shukla, Sonam Yadav and Parunika Sisodia spun web around Bangladesh batters as India scored a 41-run win to emerge champions in the inaugural Womens T20 U19 Asia Cup here Sunday. On a spongy pitch, Trishas 52 off 47 balls (54, []

Melbourne: India captain Rohit Sharma sustained a blow to his left knee, while Akash Deep hurt his hand at nets but the pacer allayed any injury concerns ahead of the fourth Test, starting here from December 26. Both players were struck while facing throwdowns in the outdoor practice arena at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and []

Chandigarh: Rescuers involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army Sunday began the operation on the second day as a few people were believed to be trapped in the debris of a four-storey building that collapsed in Punjabs Mohali town. One male body was recovered on Sunday, Subdivisional Magistrate Damandeep Kaur said, adding []

Mumbai: Saba Pataudi, the sister of Hindi star Saif Ali Khan, recently took to social media to share cherished memories of December with her family. The post featured beautiful moments with her brother Saif, his wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Sara Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, and other family members. In the pictures, the []

Kinshasa: Thirty-eight people are confirmed dead, and over 100 remain missing in Congo after an overloaded ferry full of people returning home for Christmas capsized in the river Busira late Friday night, according to local officials and eyewitnesses. The boat sank less than four days after another one in the northeast of the []

Jajpur: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) held a public hearing for environmental clearance on Nilachal Ispat Nigams Limited (NINL) proposed expansion project in Jajpur district. The proposed expansion will increase NINLs production capacity from 0.981 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 9.5 MTPA without additional land requirements. Over 225 people including some opposing []

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 []

Mumbai: Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh, who has been riding on the wave of success, has reacted to the governments advisory against calling children on stage. On Saturday, the singer-actor took to his Instagram, and shared a series of videos on which he could be seen interacting with the show attendees in the audience arena. The []

Jaisalmer: A GST Council meeting Saturday postponed a decision on reducing taxes on health and life insurance, while the much-talked-about GoM recommendation of rate rejig in 148 items was not tabled before the Council. Some members of the Council, chaired by Union Finance Minster Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising her state counterparts, felt that more deliberations []

New Delhi: Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has strongly refuted reports claiming that Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of AAP National Convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam. In a post on X Saturday, Sisodia wrote, If LG Saxena has given []

Mumbai: Actress Shruti Haasan has stepped away from Adivi Seshs upcoming project, Dacoit, citing uncomfortable work conditions as the reason for her exit. Earlier several reports suggested that Shruti walked out of Dacoit due to a scheduling conflict with her other project, Coolie. However, a source close to the development rubbished this. An insider revealed, []

Bengaluru: Civic body Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued a notice to cricketer Virat Kohlis pub One8 Commune over alleged fire safety violations. The restaurant, located on the sixth floor of Ratnams Complex on upscale M. G. Road near the Chinnaswamy International Cricket Stadium, has been reported to be functioning without a no objection []

Mumbai: The body of a seven-year-old boy missing in the ferry-Navy craft crash off the Mumbai coast was recovered Saturday morning after a three-day-long search operation, an official said. Naval boats have found the body of Johan Mohammad Nisar Ahmed Pathan, taking the toll in the December 18 tragedy to 15. The Navy has launched []

Melbourne: The holiday season is here, and streets are filled with festive sparkles, twinkling lights and cheerful Christmas songs. While many of us are looking forward to spending the holiday period with family and friends, Christmas is anything but jolly for others. Some people are dreading to spend the period without loved ones. Others are []

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Womens Commission has urged state Legislative Council chairperson Basavaraj Horatti to order a high-level inquiry into the alleged use of derogatory remarks by BJP MLC CT Ravi against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar inside the House December 19. The Commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary wrote to Horatti saying BJP leader Ravi has insulted the []

Bengaluru: The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) functioning under the Ministry of Labour and Employment of the Government of India has written a letter to the Bengaluru police seeking assistance in issuing an arrest warrant against former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa, sources confirmed on Saturday. Regional PF Commissioner-II and Recovery Officer, RO K.R. Puram Shadakshara []

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: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has lauded a young girls smooth and effortless bowling action, likening it to former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who too praised her technique in a social media exchange that created a lot of buzz. On Friday, Tendulkar shared a video on X featuring the young girl, Sushila Meena, delivering []

Chennai: Indias ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwins wife Prithi Narayanan has penned a heartfelt tribute for her husband following his recent retirement from the game, saying it is time to set the burden of being you down and embrace life beyond the game. Ashwin made a surprise announcement of his retirement after the drawn third Test []

Mumbai: Actress Hina Khan, who is currently battling stage three breast cancer, is celebrating December in complete panache. Hina took to Instagram, where she shared a gamut of pictures from her getaway. In the slew of images, the actress looks every inch gorgeous in a blue and white striped dress with floral detailing. She completed []

Melbourne: Rookie Australia opener Nathan McSweeney admitted feeling devastated after being dropped for the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India but vowed to work hard to reclaim his spot in the national team. McSweeney was Friday dropped by the national selectors, who handed a maiden call-up to teenage sensation Sam Kontas. Yeah, []

Bhubaneswar: Odisha BJP supporters on Friday staged a protest near Raj Bhavan, holding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responsible for the injury of MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi during a scuffle on the Parliament premises. The protest, led by BJP state president Manmohan Samal, saw youth wing leaders submitting a memorandum to Governor Raghubar Das, addressed to []

Kendrapara: An 18.5-foot-long adult Indian rock python, which had strayed into Rajendranarayanpur village near Bhitarkanika National Park in Odishas Kendrapara district, was rescued by forest officials Friday. Locals, upon spotting the snake, alerted the forest department, which swiftly responded to rescue the animal. The python had sustained some injuries and is currently being treated by []

Bhubaneswar: Stating that about Rs 10,000 crore of investment was needed to create world-class tourism infrastructure in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday urged the Centre to announce a special package for it. He made the demand at the pre-budget consultation meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. We need []

Banapur: A national seminar on the History and Cultural Heritage in & Around Chilika was held Thursday at Godavarish Mahavidyalaya, Banapur. Organised by the Department of History and the Historical Society of Godavarish Mahavidyalaya in collaboration with Utkal Universitys P.G. Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology, the event explored the rich historical, cultural, []

Millions of people around the world are silenced by hypertension, that is, high blood pressure. It can often go unsuspected until complications arise because it enormously increases the possibility of heart disease, strokes, and other chronic maladies. The good news, however, for those suffering from hypertension or high blood pressure is that one can control []

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Friday revealed that New Delhi has taken seriously the latest threat issued by the US-based Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against Indias Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra and raised it accordingly with the authorities in Washington. In a recent video, Pannun threatened that Kwatra is []

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government Friday prescribed modalities for the implementation of the Panchasakha Sikhya Setu(PSS) scheme. PSS is a flagship programme of the state government aiming to revamp school education by promoting volunteerism and collaboration through innovative citizen-government partnership. The newly elected BJP government has recently launched the Panchasakha Sikhya Setu (PSS) scheme in the state []

Owning a premium vehicle in India is a statement of style, success, and sophistication. However, along with luxury comes responsibility, particularly when it comes to protecting your high-value investment. Be it repair cost or replacement cost, the expenditures of premium vehicles are relatively much higher compared to other standard cars. This is where the best []

Berhampur: A special vigilance court in Berhampur Friday sentenced a former gram panchayat secretary in Odishas Ganjam district to three years imprisonment for misappropriation of rice and cement. Rice was supplied to the panchayat under Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana and National Food for Work Programme. Special Judge of the vigilance court Arun Kumar Sahoo also []

Bhubaneswar: Parts of Odisha received light rain Friday due to a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify into a depression within the next 12 hours, the IMD said in the evening A Yellow Warning for heavy rainfall was issued for parts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur till []

Kendrapara: A 14-year-old student of a government-run school in Odishas Kendrapara district allegedly stabbed his classmate Friday, police said. The incident took place in a classroom of Telengabasant Nodal Upper Primary School, under the jurisdiction of Pattamundai Rural police station, an officer said. The Class-VIII student has been detained after the headmistress filed an FIR, []

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 []

Rourkela: A minor girl was allegedly raped by three persons in Rourkela city, police said Friday. The three accused have been arrested, the police added. The incident took place three days ago when the girl (15) was roaming in the Rourkela bus stand area after a quarrel with her family, the police said. The three []

Bhubaneswar: Arrangements are being put in place to provide devotees better facilities for viewing the deities at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, an official said Friday. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said the decision was made as devotees often face difficulties in getting a glance of the deities in the sanctum []

Sambalpur: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Sambalpur has announced a strategic shift in its admission process, deciding to independently conduct the exercise for the MBA programme in the 2025-2026 academic year, an official said Friday. The same admission process will be applicable for the newly launched course of MBA in Business Analytics, he said. This []

Kyiv: A Russian ballistic missile attack on Ukraines capital Kyiv early Friday killed at least one person and injured nine others, officials said. Moscow claimed it was in response to a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil using American-made weapons. At least three loud blasts were heard in Kyiv shortly before sunrise. Ukraines air force said []

New Delhi: Decks were cleared for setting up a mega 39-member Parliamentary panel to examine the two bills proposing simultaneous elections with the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adopting resolutions in this regard. The government decided to increase the Committees strength from 31 to 39 as more political parties expressed the desire to be []