Bhubaneswar: The growing crisis in education and employment and threats to democratic values came under sharp criticism at a memorial meeting for former CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Friday, with Students’ Federation of India (SFI) general secretary Srijan Bhattacharyya calling for a collective struggle to protect the rights of young people and students. The meeting, organised here...

By RABINARAYAN JENA, OP Bhubaneswar: With speculation over the timing of the next panchayat and municipal elections in Odisha gaining momentum, the State Election Commission (SEC) has instructed local body authorities to begin door-to-door surveys from October 26. According to reports, the Urban Development Department has informed commissioners of all municipal corporations and executive officers of municipalities...

By SIBADATTA SAHOO, OP Chitrakonda: Students at a government primary school in the remote Swabhiman Anchal area of Malkangiri district are being forced to study in cramped and unsafe conditions, with leaking roofs, inadequate classrooms and dysfunctional drinking-water facilities. Established at Tantaguda village under Paparmetla panchayat in 1982, Government Primary School has 32 students, including 10 children...

By Sanjay Kumar Kar Under India’s Presidency, New Delhi is gearing up to celebrate twenty years of BRIC formalisation. Members such as Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with partner countries, are moving forward under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. Today, BRICS has...

By Arindam Ganguly, OP Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed fines of Rs 10,000 each on the Chief Secretary of Odisha and six other government authorities for failing to file their responses in a case concerning alleged illegal mining and environmental violations at a black stone quarry in Jajpur district. The Eastern Zone Bench of...

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit India Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, marking his first visit to the country in nearly seven years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi are also expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit. China's Foreign Ministry announced Xi's...

By Dilip Cherian The death of Rakesh Mehta, former Chief Secretary of Delhi, is deeply saddening. But beyond the shock of a respected former civil servant taking such a drastic step lies a more uncomfortable truth: we rarely know what is happening behind the composed exterior of people we believe we know well. Mehta had an accomplished...

Aries: You may feel empty and completely down-and-out today. Ganesha says that this may make you feel a bit more inclined to spirituality. Meditation and prayer will engage more of your attention. You will also make considerable material progress. Taurus: In all probability, you will discuss certain sacred issues with your beloved today, predicts Ganesha. In the...

Bhubaneswar/Jagatsinghpur: Odisha's Opposition BJD Friday condemned the alleged vandalisation of a statue of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik near the Siali Beach in Jagatsinghpur district, and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits. A delegation of the party led by its district unit president Prashant Muduli met the Jagatsinghpur SP, and expressed concern over "police inaction even...

Bhubaneswar/Baleshwar: Odisha's DGP in-charge Vinaytosh Mishra said that a case was registered Friday in connection with the appearance of five baby orangutans in a forest in Baleshwar district and expressed confidence that the authorities will find out the wildlife trafficking racket involved in the case. The special task force has been questioning three people at Digha in...