Bhubaneswar, Feb 21 (IANS) Road traffic remained disrupted across Odisha Thursday, the second day of the two-day countrywide strike called by major trade unions against central government economic policies, police said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 20 (IANS) A two-day nationwide strike called by major trade unions hit normal life across Odisha on the first day of the stir Wednesday, disrupting road and rail traffic, officials said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 19 (IANS) A Biju Janata Dal MP Tuesday submitted three private member's bills in parliament seeking decriminalisation of politics.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 19 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi met party leaders in Odisha Tuesday and asked them to suggest ways to revive the Congress's fortunes as it has been out of power in the state since 2000.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 19 (IANS) Industry body Assocham Tuesday urged central trade unions to withdraw the Feb 20-21 two-day-strike as the economy would lose Rs.15,000-20,000 crore due to the disruption.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi met grassroot party leaders in the state Monday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 (IANS) Thousands of party workers and leaders greeted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and gave him a rousing welcome in Odisha, where he arrived Monday on a two-day tour, police said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 (IANS) State-owned National Aluminium Co. Ltd. (NALCO) has increased prices of all its products by Rs.5,000 per tonne, a senior company official said Sunday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 (IANS) More than five lakh devotees Sunday took a holy dip in Odisha's temple town Konark and offered prayers to the sun god on the occasion of Magha Saptami.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 16 (IANS) Maoist activities have flourished in the states where the Congress is not in power, union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said Saturday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 16 (IANS) Non-Congress political parties, including the state's ruling Biju Janata Dal and the opposition BJP, Saturday organised separate protests in Odisha against the latest diesel and petrol price hike, police said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 16 (IANS) Police Saturday rescued the chairman of the ARSS Group Subash Agarwal and his cousin from Andhra Pradesh, hours after they were kidnapped from Odisha, an official said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 15 (IANS) Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) Friday said it was hopeful of getting bauxite for its refinery in Odisha's Kalahandi district.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 15 (IANS) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a report from Odisha on the allegation that construction activities have been undertaken illegally along the beach of the state's Puri town, a complainant said Friday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 14 (IANS) The BJP and the Congress Thursday boycotted Odisha Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare's address on the first day of the state assembly's budget session.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 14 (IANS) A woman sarpanch (village head) was arrested for the torture of four people, three of them women, over witchcraft in Odisha's Sundergarh district, taking the total arrests in the case to four, police said Thursday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 12 (IANS) At least three people were arrested in Odisha's Sundergarh district Tuesday for parading three women and an elderly man naked in a village for allegedly practising witchcraft, police said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 12 (IANS) Rahul Gandhi will pay a two-day visit to Odisha Feb 18-19, his first to the state after being elevated as the Congress party's vice-president, a party leader said here Tuesday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 11 (IANS) In an attempt to win the hearts of women in the state, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday announced financial assistance for one lakh women's self help groups in the state.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 11 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday reinstated party legislators Prabhat Ranjan Biswal and Bibhuti Bhusan Balabantaray, who were suspended for their involvement in anti-party activities.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 10 (IANS) Human rights activist Dandapani Mohanty, who was arrested Friday in Odisha for his alleged links with the Maoists, has been charged with sedition, a police officer said Sunday.

Cuttack, Feb 10 (IANS/CMC) West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira says her team can ill-afford to make mistakes and face an uphill task to get through the supers six phase of the ICC Women's World Cup.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 9 (IANS) People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Saturday condemned the arrest of Dandapani Mohanty, who negotiated with the Maoists and helped the Odisha government to resolve two abduction crises in the past.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 8 (IANS) Social activist Dandapani Mohanty, who negotiated with Maoists and helped the Odisha government to resolve two abduction crises in the past, was Friday arrested for his alleged link with the Left-wing rebels, police said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 8 (IANS) Posco India Friday said it was hopeful of getting the land soon for its proposed steel plant in Odisha even as the state government said the land takeover has been suspended temporarily due to protests at the site.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 8 (IANS) The Odisha government Friday decided to temporarily suspend land acquisition for Posco's $12 billion steel project in its Jagatsinghpur district due to protests at the site, an official said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 7 (IANS) Vedanta Group Thursday inked a two-year sponsorship agreement with discus thrower Krishna Poonia, the first Indian female athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal, a company official said.

Cuttack, Feb 7 (IANS) India finished their ICC Women's World Cup on a high as captain Mithali Raj led the hosts to a six-wicket win over arch rivals Pakistan at the Barabati Stadium here Thursday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 6 (IANS) A private member's bill introduced in the last winter session of parliament to seek strict tobacco control measures in India has received support from Odisha's MPs and health experts, a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP said Wednesday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 6 (IANS) Authorities Wednesday said they would continue to take over land for Posco's $12 billion proposed steel plant in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district despite protests by villagers.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 5 (IANS) An anti-displacement leader Tuesday launched an indefinite hunger strike in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district to protest the take-over of land by the authoroties for Posco's $12 billion steel plant.

Cuttack, Feb 5 (IANS) South Africa's Marizanne Kapp sent Pakistan crashing out of the ICC Women's World Cup after the 23-year-old from Port Elizabeth struck her maiden ODI century at Barabati Stadium here Tuesday to secure a Super Sixes berth for her team.

Cuttack, Feb 5 (IANS) International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Dave Richardson Tuesday praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for their hosting of the ongoing Women's World Cup.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 5 (IANS) Footage of a man protesting the Posco steel plant being beaten by a government land officer in Odisha has triggered outrage with activists and politicians Tuesday demanding strong action against the culprit.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 4 (IANS) Land acquisition for Posco's $12 billion steel plant in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district passed off peacefully Monday under heavy police deployment, an official said.

Cuttack, Feb 4 (IANS) Sune Luus replaced Dinesha Devnarain in the South African squad for the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup here Monday.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 4 (IANS) Land acquisition for Posco's $12 billion steel plant in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district passed off peacefully Monday under heavy police deployment, an official said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 3 (IANS) Odisha Sunday resumed land acquisition for steelmaker Posco's $12 billion project in Jagatsinghpur district, more than over a year after the process was halted due to villagers' opposition, official said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 2 (IANS) Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday launched a Rs.1 per kg rice scheme for poor people in Odisha from the Maoist dominated district of Malkangiri, an official said.

Bhubaneswar, Feb 1 (IANS) Fearing an attack, the Pakistani women's cricket team has been lodged at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack city, officials said Friday.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 31 (IANS) The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has filed a contempt petition in the high court against Odisha speaker for not complying with its directions on four legislators who defected to the state's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) last year.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 30 (IANS) State-run National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has registered a net profit of Rs.119 crore for the third quarter of 2012-13 fiscal, up 133 per cent against Rs.51 crore achieved during the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal, the company said Wednesday.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (IANS) Heavy security has been deployed at Barabati stadium in Cuttack after protests against holding World Cup matches with Pakistan's women's cricket team in the city.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (IANS) Global infrastructure major GMR group Tuesday said the first unit of its 1,050 mega watt (MW) power plant in Odisha has been synchronised with the central grid.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 28 (IANS) Security personnel Monday unearthed a Maoist dump in Odisha's Rayagada district and recovered three land mines totally weighing 50 kg, along with several other items, police said.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 26 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday chose the Republic Day to announce his government's decision to provide a kilo of rice for Rs.1 to the poor from next month.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 24 (IANS) Normal life was hit in Odisha's Cuttack as schools, colleges and shops were closed after a shutdown called by right-wing Bajrang Dal to oppose staging of a match of Pakistan's women cricket team in the city.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 23 (IANS) Police and security forces Wednesday unearthed a Maoist dump in Odisha and recovered arms and explosives, an official said.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 23 (IANS) The state administrative tribunal in Odisha has quashed the dismissal order served by the state government on a police officer in connection with the gang-rape in Pipili area of Puri district, a lawyer said Wednesday.

Bhubaneswar, Jan 22 (IANS) The Bajrang Dal has called for a shutdown in Cuttack Thursday to protest the staging of World Cup matches of the Pakistan women's cricket team in the city.