Paris: The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors Thursday due to a nationwide strike in France, as demonstrations also took place across the country. "Due to the nationwide strike, the Eiffel Tower is closed today," the landmark's official website announced. By 1 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), 270,000 demonstrators had been reported at 180 demonstrations across France,...

New Delhi: Amid repeated claims on social media about "friction" in the ECI, the poll panel has reiterated that the SIR decisions were taken unanimously and letters written by two Election Commissioners to the Cabinet Secretary were “not related to any policy matter” or the IT division. The ECI has repeatedly denied the allegations that there was...

Pottangi: Amid heightened tensions and heavy police deployment along the disputed Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, residents of Odisha’s Kotia cluster of villages in Koraput district voted in Andhra Pradesh’s three-tier panchayat elections Thursday. The polling booths had been shifted away from the disputed territory following objections from the Odisha administration. The polling had triggered a fresh face-off between...

New Delhi: A three-storey building under construction in Old Delhi's congested Chawri Bazar area collapsed Thursday, killing two people and trapping several under the debris. The building, coming up in crammed Gali Sitara near the Chawri Bazar metro station, gave way around 9.45 am. Frantic rescue operations continued through the day to pull out those buried under...

By NILADRI BIHARI DANDPAT, OP Baripada: A new species of scorpion has been discovered in the biodiversity-rich Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Mayurbhanj district, marking the first recorded presence of the Liocheles genus in Odisha. Named ‘Liocheles Similipalensis ’, the species was discovered through a joint initiative by researchers from Thackery Wildlife Foundation (TWF) and STR officials....

Bhubaneswar: A high-level Japanese delegation led by Shinji Hirai, Governor of Tottori Prefecture, is set to visit Odisha for three days from November 10 to 12, with plans to strengthen bilateral ties through industrial partnerships, business cooperation, skill development, education and cultural exchanges. The visit is expected to mark an important step in expanding Odisha’s engagement with...

Bhubaneswar: The Orissa High Court has asked the Odisha government and the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to explore the feasibility of holding a special examination for candidates who were genuinely prevented from appearing in the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Main Examination, 2025, due to the cyclone and subsequent floods in parts of southern Odisha, despite being...

Bhubaneswar: A five-member delegation of the National Journalists Welfare Board met Odisha Governor Braj Mohan Ram at Lok Bhavan Thursday and urged him to take up the issue of a pension scheme for journalists with the state government. During the meeting, the delegation discussed various professional and welfare-related issues faced by journalists in the state, with the...

Bhubaneswar: The World Skill Centre (WSC), Bhubaneswar, has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence-Skills (CoE-Skills) by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), placing the Odisha-based institute among 19 institutions empanelled under the national framework. The Certificate of Recognition was presented to WSC CEO Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra by MSDE Secretary Debashree Mukherjee at a ceremony...

New Delhi: Manuscripts of the epic Mahabharata, Kalhana’s 12th-century historical chronicle Rajatarangini, and Kautilya’s Arthashastra, a work on governance and statecraft, have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, officials said Thursday. PIB Culture made the announcement on X and shared photos of UNESCO certificates. “A moment of immense pride for India! The...