With three Rajya Sabha seats from Orissa going to fall vacant on April 3, the race for grabbing the hot seats has just begun.

A day after the Centre put on hold the launching of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opposing the proposed amendment to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Act, 1957.

The Orissa government on Saturday decided to regulate the visit of foreign tourists and researchers to the areas inhabited by the “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups” (PVTRGs) such as the Bondas and Dongaria Kandhas.
According to an order of the chief minister’s office, no foreign tourists and researchers intending to visit the areas inhabited and frequented by the PVTGs will do so without the “permission” from the district magistrate.

BJD MLA from Keonjhar Sadar Subarna Naik was on Monday arrested for assaulting a female home guard on duty.
Mr Nayak was forwarded to jail after his bail petition was rejected by the local court.

The five-phase panchayat elections in Orissa came to an end on Sunday with the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) bagging more than two-thirds of the zila parishad seats.

Orissa chief minister and Naveen Patnaik on Saturday alleged that the Centre was not “forthcoming” in sharing information on important decisions, including the ones taken on national security.

Hitting out at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram over the issue of setting up anti- terror body NCTC, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday accused the Centre of not sharing information on

Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who on Monday had termed conferment of powers on the proposed National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to arrest and carry out searches under the Unlawful Activit

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa seems to be well ahead of its two main rivals — the Congress and the BJP — in the ongoing panchayat elections.

At least eight bogies of the Durg-Puri Express jumped off the track between Nuapada-Lakhna in Bolangir district tonight, railway sources said.

"The derailment of the train took place at about 9 pm. W