Ananya Mishra

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field first against seven-time champions India in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup semifinal in Dubai. Both teams retained their unchanged playing XIs, with the winner set to face Sri Lanka or Pakistan in the final.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has called for greater investment in clinical trials and research and development in India’s pharmaceutical sector. He urged regulators to adopt global best practices and advised the industry to diversify its supply chains to reduce dependence on limited countries or companies for critical imports.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi has directed that ST and SC students will not have to pay admission fees in government medical and engineering colleges, with the fee waiver extending for six months after admission.

Odisha Government will implement the Adaptive Resilience Investment in Coastal Systems on Economics (ARISE) Project to address coastal erosion, climate change impacts and sustainable development challenges along the state's 573-km coastline. The project, being developed with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and OSDMA, will focus on scientific coastal protection, climate-resilient tourism, blue economy opportunities, sediment management and advanced monitoring systems.

The BJD has opposed the proposed privatisation of Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, alleging that the profitable public asset is being handed over to a private entity under the PPP model. The party demanded withdrawal of the proposal and warned of agitation if the decision is not revoked.

Odisha has climbed from 13th to seventh position nationally under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, emerging as one of India's fastest-growing rooftop solar markets. The state has recorded 1.74 lakh installations against more than 3.12 lakh applications, with the conversion rate rising from 37.1 per cent to 53.4 per cent.

A fresh low-pressure area has formed over the Bay of Bengal, prompting the IMD to issue a red warning for extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha. Around one lakh people have already been evacuated from flood-hit areas.