New Delhi: The government Thursday refuted a social media post by billionaire Elon Musk, which claimed that India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services is being applied in a “discriminatory manner. The Centre described as “baseless and misconceived” the remarks by SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk on the social media platform X that Starlink was being...

Ghaziabad (UP):  The 94th Air Force Day celebrations began at the Hindan air base Thursday with a ceremonial parade and display of some of the IAF's prized combat assets. The three service chiefs and other senior military officials were present at the event. Several former IAF chiefs were also in attendance. IAF Air Chief Marshal A P...

New Delhi: The 57th GST Council meeting, to be chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman -- will be held on Thursday in the national capital. The meeting was rescheduled to Thursday from Wednesday due to unavoidable circumstances, the GST Council Secretariat said in an office memorandum. The meeting, comprising representatives from the Centre and states, is...

MRUTYUNJAY PATTNAYAK, OP Baleshwar: The Government Primary School at Kasimila in Haripur panchayat under Remuna block of Baleshwar district, established in 1959, is struggling with a shortage of classrooms and basic facilities. The school has six classes, from Sishu Vatika to Class V, with 99 students enrolled. Its enrolment was once more than 120. The 66-year-old school...

Baripada: Forty-six girl students of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development (SSD) Department-run girls’ hostel at Manatri in Mayurbhanj district’s Baripada block fell ill with vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain following dinner Tuesday night. The students reportedly developed symptoms late at night, with the number of affected girls gradually rising to 46. Hostel authorities rushed them...

Sundaragada/Hemgir: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Wednesday observed a 12-hour economic blockade in Sundaragada district from 6 am to 6 pm in protest against the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026. The blockade held in the coal mining areas of MCL, OCPL, NTPC and Vedanta, disrupted coal mining and transportation. Led by Sundaragada MLA and district BJD president Jogesh...

Purushottampur: Two emotional letters written by children were found Tuesday during the opening of the hundi (donation box) at Maa Taratari ni Temple, the presiding deity of Ganjam district. It was learnt that gold and silver ornaments, foreign currency and cash totalling Rs. 25,91,743 were recovered from the donation boxes. One of the letters was written in...

Baripada: Police detained a self-styled occultist for allegedly raping a 30-year-old woman who had approached him seeking help to resolve problems in her marriage, officials said. The accused, identified as Laxman Lohar, was detained by Bisoi police, who registered a case (218/26) and are questioning him. He is likely to be produced in court soon, Bisoi police...

Kendrapada: A 14-foot-long saltwater crocodile, estimated to be around 20 years old, was found dead in the Brahmani River within Bhitarkanika National Park, officials said Wednesday. The carcass was spotted floating in the river by locals Tuesday, who alerted forest officials, they said. A forest team retrieved the male crocodile's body and sent it to the veterinary...

Nandapur: A leaf spot disease has spread across ginger fields in several blocks of Koraput district, with experts warning that it could reduce production by up to 35 per cent this year. Ginger is an important cash crop in Koraput and has been recognised by the Union government as a district-specific crop. The disease has been reported...