Washington: The US military said Monday that it carried out "self-defence" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were "proceeding nicely." The strikes were done "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," but the military...

Bhubaneswar: The state government Monday officially rescheduled public holiday on account of Eid-ul-Zuha from May 27 to 28. The Revenue and Disaster Management department issued a notification stating that the change has been made following the expected visibility of the moon. All government offices and Magisterial Courts (Executive) across the state will now remain closed May 28,...

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Shri on Odisha’s eminent educationist, linguist and folklorist Mahendra Mishra during the fi rst phase of the civilian investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mishra received Padma Shri Monday for his outstanding contribution to education, language preservation and tribal cultural studies. Mishra has devoted over four decades to preserving endangered...

Bhubaneswar: Five artists from Odisha will showcase their works at a national art exhibition scheduled to begin May 26 at Nehru Art Centre in Mumbai. The selected artists include principal of Dhauli College of Art and Craft and painter Panchanan Samal, national award-winning sculptors Chandan Kumar Samal and Narottam Das, sculptor Himanshu Mahanta and painter Sophia Yasmin....

Bhawanipatna: Serious allegations of fraud have surfaced against Sri Balaji Nursing Home in Kalahandi district after it allegedly collected money from a patient despite the availability of free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Sources said the nursing home allegedly charged Rs 41,378 from a patient after claiming that Ayushman card facilities were unavailable at the hospital....

Keonjhar/Hatadihi: Two heartbreaking incidents of minors committing suic*de over parental reprimand were reported from Keonjhar district Monday, raising concerns over the declining emotional resilience among children and adolescents. The twin incidents have sparked concern among the denizens with children taking life-threatening decisions in the heat of the moment. A 9-year-old boy allegedly consumed poison after being scolded...

Bhawanipatna: Anwesha Mishra, a 13-year-old girl from Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district, has brought laurels to the district by excelling in the prestigious Glam India competition. Anwesha emerged as the second runner-up in the preteen category and also won the Talent Craft title. The Glam India 2026 competition was held recently at a hotel in Bhubaneswar. The event...

Baripada: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has deferred the next hearing in a case challenging the legality of the District Survey Report (DSR) prepared for sand mining in Mayurbhanj district to August 20. Hearing Application No. 6/2026/EZ, a bench comprising Justice Arun Tyagi and Expert Member Ishwar Singh accepted an affidavit filed by the Odisha State Pollution...

Bantala: In a positive development for wildlife conservation, 11 gharial hatchlings emerged from eggs at Baladamara in Satkosia gorge of the Mahanadi river in Angul district Sunday night. According to forest officials, the Satkosia Wildlife Division has been implementing several conservation measures over the years to increase the population of gharials in the region. The efforts have...

Mohammad Reza Farzanegan   The US-Israeli war with Iran has revealed how instability can become a powerful political instrument. Leaders can exploit crises to maintain supporters’ loyalty, even while imposing costs on them, and extract concessions from domestic and foreign adversaries through coercion and manufactured unpredictability. In a forthcoming paper, Canadian economist Ronald Wintrobe calls this dynamic...