Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the dwindling population growth in Odisha, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) state head Mohammad Nadeem Noor said that the demographic transition will have a toll on economic development of the state. “The state’s population growth rate has been constantly declining since 1971. Earlier, it accounted for 4 per cent of the country’s total population which has come down to 3.5 per cent,” he pointed out. Noor was having a conversation with corporate and CSR heads on demography and development, organised by the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD ..read more

Bhubaneswar: A ‘lungi versus dhoti’ debate emerged in Odisha politics after Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hit out at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for appearing in a video message wearing a lungi. While BJP leaders claimed dhoti was the culture of Odisha and not lungi, those of the BJD highlighted the importance of lungi and how weavers in Sambalpur would benefit from its promotion. Patnaik, in a video message urging people to vote for the ‘conch’ symbol of his party in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, was seen wearing a blood-red lungi and a white tee shirt. The video w ..read more

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of elections, the BJP Wednesday unveiled a ‘chargesheet’ against the nearly 25-year-old BJD government in the state, accusing it of being involved in corruption and irregularities. Accusing the BJP of levelling ‘malicious and defamatory content without evidence’, the BJD moved the Election Commission against the ‘chargesheet’ and claimed it violated the model code of conduct. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav released the 50-page ‘chargesheet’ and alleged that the BJD could not provide drinking water supply, set up more cold storages and increase farmers ..read more

Aries: All eyes may be on you today — for your looks, skills, or even your funky bag! Make hay while the sun shines, and charge your batteries with all that attention. You can get some decent work done with that energy, says Ganesha. Taurus: You may tend to feel frustrated when the results are not the way you expected, feels Ganesha. You must still work hard and finish whatever you undertake today. You will discuss some vital issues with a close friend and relive cherished secrets with your life partner. Gemini: You will lend your innovative and imaginative spark to your initiatives, which wi ..read more

New Delhi: Rishabh Pant dazzled with an unbeaten 88 as Delhi Capitals defeated Gujarat Titans by four runs in the Indian Premier League here Wednesday. Invited to bat, Pant (88 not out of 43 balls) and Axar Patel (66 off 43 balls) scored contrasting fifties to power Delhi Capitals to 224 for 4. In reply, Sai Sudarshan (65 off 29 ) and David Miller (55 off 23) scored fifties but couldn’t take GT over the line, finishing at 220 for 8 in their 20 overs. Earlier, Axar and Pant stitched a 113-run partnership to steady the innings after medium pacer Sandeep Warrier (3/15) ran through the top three ..read more

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday named sprint legend Usain Bolt as the ambassador of the upcoming T20 World Cup to be played in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29. Jamaica-born Bolt had created history at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where he won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m races in world record times. Bolt currently holds world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m with times of 9.58 secs, 19.19 secs and 36.84 secs. Bolt was delighted about his new role as the World Cup comes to his home. “I am thrilled to be an ambassador for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World ..read more

New Delhi: Skipper Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel forged a blistering century stand en route to quickfire individual half-centuries to power Delhi Capitals to a solid 224 for 4 against Gujarat Titans in an IPL match here Wednesday. Pant and Axar stitched 113 off just 68 balls for the fourth wicket with their counter-attacking batting after DC were down 44 for 3 in 6 overs. While Pant led from the front, remaining unbeaten on 88 off 43 balls (5X4s, 8X6s), Axar made 66 off 43 balls studded with five fours and four sixes. Sent into bat, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Parthiv Patel got DC off to a flying st ..read more

Passengers at Netaji Bus Terminal in Cuttack ..read more

New Delhi: The government has extended the term of RBI Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar for a period of one year, the central bank said in a statement. “The Central Government has re-appointed Shri T Rabi Sankar as Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, for a period of one year with effect from May 03, 2024, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” it said. Sankar was appointed as the RBI Deputy Governor in May 2021 for a period of three years. He joined the RBI in 1990 and worked in various positions at the central bank. He was Executive Director of the Reserve Bank before being elevate ..read more

Berhampur: A POCSO court in Odisha’s Ganjam district Wednesday sentenced two men to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment each for raping a 15-year-old girl last year. Prabhat Kumar Rajguru, judge of a special POCSO court in Berhampur, also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the two convicts, who hailed from the same village as that of the survivor in Bhanjanagar police station area of Ganjam district, special public prosecutor Narayan Panda said. The convicts, aged 35 and 25 years, will undergo an additional six months in prison if they fail to pay the fine amount. The court also recommended th ..read more