Dharamsala: A classic 47-ball 92 by Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar’s breezy fifty powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 241/7 against Punjab Kings in a rain-interrupted IPL match here Thursday. The butterfingered Punjab fielders were guilty of dropping catches as Kohli and Patidar capitalised on the reprieves to put on 72 off 32 balls after they were invited to bat. Kohli, who was dropped on 0 and 10, made PBKS pay as he timed the ball nicely, used his feet and wrists to bring up his sixth IPL fifty this season. Patidar, who was also given two lives, provided the early momentum as he slammed ..read more

Koraput: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Thursday said there is a need for the BJP’s “double-engine” government in Odisha to accelerate the pace of development. Addressing an election rally at Laxmipur in Koraput Lok Sabha constituency, he said Odisha is rich in mineral resources, and has forests, fertile land and water resources, still, the BJD government has failed to develop the state despite ruling it for 24 years. “So, there is a need for a double-engine government of the BJP here for speedy development,” Sai said. Referring to Chhattisgarh, he said that the BJP ruled the state for 15 yea ..read more

Berhampur: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday urged voters not to support dishonest and unscrupulous candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state. Addressing three election rallies in Gopalpur, Aska, and Phulbani under Berhampur, Aska, and Kandhamal Lok Sabha seats, where polling is scheduled for May 13, Patnaik interacted with the public to gather feedback on his government’s welfare initiatives. Patnaik, also the president of the regional outfit BJD, gauged public opinion on himself, asking the gathering, “Is Naveen Patnaik a good man?” to which the cr ..read more

Traffic chaos on Vani Vihar – Acharya Vihar stretch in Bhubaneswar   Denizens cross a Bhubaneswar street at a traffic signal   Devotees in Bhubaneswar offer prayers before logs meant for Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra chariot construction in Puri ..read more

Nabarangpur: A hardcore Maoist was killed in a gun battle with the Special Operation Group (SOG) jawans and District Voluntary Force (DVF) inside a forest in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district Thursday. Police sources said the encounter took place inside Raigarh forest in Nabarangpur district during a combing operation jointly conducted by the SOG and the District Voluntary Force. As the security forces advanced into the forest, the Maoists opened fire at them leading to an exchange of fire in which the Maoist was killed. The Red rebels, in the wake of mounting attacks from the security forces, fl ..read more

New York: Donald Trump’s defense attorneys grilled Stormy Daniels Thursday on the transaction at the center of the former president’s hush money trial, pressing her on why she accepted a USD 1,30,000 payment to keep quiet about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump instead of going public.   “Why didn’t you do that?” attorney Susan Necheles asked, wondering why Daniels didn’t hold a news conference as she had planned to tell reporters about the 2006 encounter, which Trump denies ever happened. “Because we were running out of time,” Daniels said.     Did she mean, Nechele ..read more

New Delhi: Air India Express cabin crew Thursday decided to withdraw their strike and the airline agreed to reinstate 25 staff who were terminated from service, according to sources. A section of the cabin crew started reporting sick from Tuesday night to protest against the alleged mismanagement at the airline, forcing cancellation of more than 170 flights and impacting thousands of passengers at various airports. The decisions to end the strike and withdraw the termination letters were agreed upon during a conciliation meeting between the representatives of cabin crew and the airline manage ..read more

Dharamsala: Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to bowl first in their Indian Premier League match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru here Thursday. Liam Livingstone came in for Kagiso Rabada in the Punjab Kings XI, while Lockie Ferguson is playing in place of Glenn Maxwell for RCB. Teams: Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson Punjab Kings: Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Sam Curran (c), Liam ..read more

Pune: The Pune police have registered a case against a female engineering student from the city for allegedly clicking pictures of girls in her hostel and sharing them with her male friend, an official said Thursday. The girl and her male friend have been booked for voyeurism, the official. The official said the accused girl is a second-year student of a well-known college in the city’s Shivajinagar area and lives in its hostel. The institute had received complaints about the girl clicking photos of her hostel roommates and sharing them with a male friend outside the campus, he said. The inst ..read more

Malkangiri: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Thursday said the BJP will ensure free pilgrimage of five lakh people from Odisha to Ayodhya’s Ram temple if the party is voted to power in the eastern state. Addressing an election rally at Kalimela here, the senior BJP leader also took a swipe at the ruling BJD for naming villages with numbers in Malkangiri district. “In Assam, I have decided to take one lakh people to Ayodhya, and the state government will bear the cost. As Odisha is bigger than Assam, 5 lakh people should get this facility. A new BJP chief minister will facilitate this ..read more