Bhubaneswar: BJP national spokesperson and Puri MP Sambit Patra Thursday accused Opposition leaders of seeking to change the government without contesting elections, alleging that their protests were aimed at capturing power. Addressing a press conference here, Patra criticised statements by activist Prashant Bhushan, social media commentator Dhruv Rathee and All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora,...

New Delhi: The Press Council of India (PCI) has asked journalists covering protests and demonstrations to maintain objectivity and impartiality while reporting, visibly display their press identity cards and comply with lawful police instructions. The guidelines, adopted at a meeting of the council October 14, ask journalists to refrain from participating in demonstrations, taking sides or provoking...

Washington: India's ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra Thursday termed the attempted mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago as "deeply disturbing" and said racist violence has no place in a civilised society. Kwatra's remarks came a day after a teenager was arrested for allegedly plotting to carry out a "mass shooting" at a Hindu...

New Delhi: The Election Commission Thursday announced that Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls will be conducted in 17 states and Union territories, including those where assembly polls are due next year. In a letter to chief electoral officers of these states and Union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, the poll authority said...

Imphal: Eighty-four BSF personnel posted in Manipur were admitted to a hospital here Thursday for suspected food poisoning after having breakfast, an official said. The personnel had arrived here from elsewhere Wednesday, and they were staying at a construction site at Lamshang in Imphal West district. They had consumed "puri and alu sabji" in the morning at...

Baripada: Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district will reopen for tourists from November 1 after remaining closed since June due to monsoon, an official notification said Thursday. According to the notification issued by STR Field Director Prakash Chand Gogineni, a maximum of 60 vehicles with a ground clearance of at least 180 mm will be...

Bhubaneswar: The results of Odisha’s students’ union elections were announced Thursday, with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) securing the president’s posts at BJB Autonomous College and Rajadhani College in Bhubaneswar. The group also won all 13 posts at GM University in Sambalpur. At BJB Autonomous College, ABVP’s Aryan Mahapatra was elected president, while Abinash Padhi won...

Chhatrapur: The death toll in Wednesday evening’s serial road accident at Chamakhhandi Chhak in Odisha’s Ganjam district rose to three Thursday after two more victims died while undergoing treatment. According to reports, the deceased were identified as Lakshmidhar Goud, 45, of Nauli village, and Binod Kumar, 40, of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Both succumbed to their injuries...

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya, while making a shocking claim Thursday, alleged that Hindi film actor Imran Khan received funding from Pakistan and support from some other nations for spreading anarchy and engaging in conspiracies to destabilise the country. Kirit Somaiya’s sensational charge came hours after the actor was asked by the Mumbai Police...

Islamabad: At least 31 children and two female teachers were killed and over 50 others injured after the roof of a private school collapsed in Pakistan's Peshawar, local media reported, citing local Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). According to LRH, 53 children were taken to the hospital, majority of them boys. Among them, 33 died while 17 were...