Bhubaneswar: A 21-year-old man has been shot dead in Bhubaneswar, with police suspecting that a business rivalry could be the reason behind the killing. Eight people, including prime accused Bishnuprasad Samanataraya alias Pikun, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder. During preliminary investigation, the police learned that Tapan Nayak alias Tapu and two others were...

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed, surface-to-surface 'Pralay' Missile, marking another achievement in India's defence capabilities. The announcement was made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday. "DRDO successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Pralay Missile off the coast of Odisha today...

Bhubaneswar/Phulbani: Five more bodies were recovered from a landslide-affected hilltop village in Odisha's Ganjam district Thursday, taking the toll there to seven, while six more people are still missing, an official said. These people were victims of Cyclone Arnab that hit the state October 28. Kandhamal District Collector Vedbhushan said two bodies were recovered earlier in the...

Kathmandu: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Thursday called on Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah in Kathmandu ahead of Shah’s forthcoming visit to India, and also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said. “Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called on the Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Balendra Shah, in Kathmandu today and...

Paris: Hundreds of thousands of trade union members joined nationwide strikes and demonstrations Thursday to demand higher wages and support the high school protest movement, piling fresh pressure on the beleaguered government. After more than a month of large, recurring protests across France, major rallies took place again in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and elsewhere. An official close...

New Delhi: Visakhapatnam has replaced New Delhi as the venue for the first men’s ODI between India and Sri Lanka, to be played December 13, said the BCCI Thursday. The series opener will now be played at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, with the date and start time unchanged. “The venue change has been made following a request...

New Delhi: The Centre Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it is setting up a special committee to re-examine the University Grants Commission's (UGC) 2026 regulations aimed at promoting equity in higher education institutions. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the government was examining...

Washington: The US has imposed sanctions on a Chandigarh-based couple and a web of companies they run for allegedly supporting Iran's shadow fleet by providing false flags and certifications to transport petroleum. The US Department of Treasury sanctioned Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, for allegedly defrauding maritime regulatory administrations across multiple jurisdictions to...

Baripada: The Odisha Forest Department has arrested a man after recovering wild animal body parts, including elephant tusks and deer antlers, from his house in Mayurbhanj district, officials said Thursday. The house owner, who was arrested, has been identified as Ishwar Bindhani of Bishol village under Kaptipada police station limits, they said. According to the officials, the...

Bhopal: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh Thursday after the nomination papers of two independent candidates were rejected during scrutiny, leaving him as the sole candidate in the by-election. The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of Union Minister of State L. Murugan, who...