Navi Mumbai: Skipper Smriti Mandhana led from the front with an elegant half-century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat laggards Delhi Capitals by eight wickets to register their fourth win on the trot in the Women's Premier League here Saturday. RCB continue to lead the five-team standings, while DC are at the bottom of the table with three...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Election Commission Saturday indicated that the next panchayat elections in the state are likely to be held in January–February next year, as the tenure of the existing panchayat bodies is nearing completion. Addressing the media, State Election Commissioner Madhusudhan Padhi said a preparatory meeting was held to review arrangements and finalise the roadmap...

Jerusalem: Israel's government is objecting to the White House announcement of leaders who will play a role in overseeing next steps in Gaza. The rare criticism from Israel of its close ally in Washington says the Gaza executive committee "was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy," without details. Saturday's statement also said Prime...

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police Saturday conducted statewide cordon and search operations at 831 identified drug hotspots as part of its ongoing anti-drug campaign and arrested 227 people alleged linked with the illicit operations, a senior official said. As the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (War Against Drugs) campaign entered its 322nd day, simultaneous operations were carried out across all...

Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) Saturday approved revised guidelines for opening the Ratna Bhandar of the 12th-century shrine and conducting a detailed inventory of valuables stored within. The SJTMC has formulated an 11-page Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which will be submitted to the state government for approval. Following government approval, an auspicious date will...

New Delhi: Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi Saturday took a ride on the Delhi Metro, accompanied by Japanese Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono, during his visit to the national capital. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) stated that the visiting minister and his delegation were briefed on the Delhi Metro project by senior officials at the Central...

Phulbani: One person was charred to death and three others suffered burn injuries, after a speeding car collided head-on with an autorickshaw in Kandhamal district Saturday, police said. The accident occurred near Dadpaju village on the outskirts of Phulbani town. Following the collision, both vehicles caught fire, they said. A fire services team from Phulbani rushed to...

New Delhi: India will continue to press Iranian authorities to grant early consular access to the 16 Indian crew members of a commercial vessel that was detained last month, the Indian embassy in Tehran said Saturday. The mission said it was informed in mid-December about the detention of the vessel, MT Valiant Roar, with the Indian crew...

Balasore: A cotton processing factory was gutted in a fire in Balasore district Saturday, an official said. Cotton to the tune of lakhs of rupees and machinery were destroyed in the factory at Haldipada area, due to the blaze that erupted in the afternoon, he said. However, there were no reports of any injury or fatality, the...

New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has imposed a penalty of Rs 22.20 crore on airline IndiGo for large-scale flight disruptions witnessed in December 2025, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said Saturday. According to the regulator, IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 flights between December 3 and 5, leaving more...