New Delhi: The US team is expected to visit India next month for trade talks, though no dates have been finalised yet, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said Friday. The Indian side visited Washington, DC, in April for an in-person round of meetings with their US counterparts to finalise the details of the interim pact and take forward...

Cuttack: A patient died after an ambulance ran out of fuel on the Kathajodi River bridge while being shifted from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar Friday, triggering outrage among locals and the victim’s family. The patient, a youth from Kendrapara who had consumed poison, was being transferred from SCB Medical College and Hospital to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. The ambulance suddenly stopped...

New Delhi: The southwest monsoon is expected to set in early over Kerala May 26, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its forecast Friday. The monsoon, the primary rain-bearing system, normally arrives in Kerala around June 1 and advances northwards to cover other parts of the country. The onset of monsoon in the state marks the...

New Delhi: India and the United Arab Emirates signed key agreements, during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday, on a framework for the bilateral strategic defence partnership, the supply of LPG and strategic petroleum reserves, and an investment to the tune of $5 billion US dollars in Indian Infrastructure and RBL Bank and Samman Capital....

Bhubaneswar: Amid the ongoing fuel crisis in Odisha, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra Friday said there is no shortage of petrol and diesel in the state. He said Odisha has adequate fuel stock and urged people not to panic. According to the minister, fuel stations are supplying limited quantities because of the huge...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday set aside a Delhi High Court order suspending the life sentence of former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case and asked it to decide the plea afresh. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also asked the high court...

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has issued a notification to amend the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, to regulate stamp duty and simplify the registration of housing apartments, officials said Friday The state government had earlier obtained approval of the cabinet for promulgation of an ordinance to carry out necessary amendments to the Indian Stamp Act, they said. The...

Bhubaneswar: The Railway Ministry has approved a new tri-weekly express train service between Puri and Koraput in a major push to rail connectivity in Odisha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Thursday. The 18407/18408 Puri-Koraput Express will provide direct rail connectivity between Puri and parts of western and southern Odisha for the first time, the minister said. The...

Bhubaneswar: Conditions are becoming favourable for the arrival of the southwest monsoon. The monsoon is likely to advance into parts of the south Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by May 16. However, temperatures have started rising again across the state ahead of its arrival. A low-pressure area remains active over...

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Friday announced that the NEET-UG re-examination will be held June 21, and said the medical entrance exam will be computer-based test from next year onwards as part of reforms in view of allegations of irregularities linked to it. Addressing a press conference, Pradhan said the government's "topmost priority" remains students...