1.The Annual High School Certificate Examination (or Class X exam), 2025 for regular and ex-regular students will begin February 21 and end March 6 next year, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) announced, Thursday.

2.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered a one-rupee hike in mid-day meal (MDM) price per student and waived food fees for students of 455 school hostels in the state, Thursday.

3.Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi Thursday flagged off 10 battery-operated vehicles to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), aiming to provide a more comfortable and sustainable means of transport for temple visitors..

4.Diabetes has become a global concern with a whopping 828 million people suffering from the condition worldwide. With 212 million diabetics living in 2022, India has the highest number in the world, according to the latest study published in the journal Lancet.

5.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will inaugurate the fair at 5:30pm, Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said adding that Ambassadors and High Commissioners from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Bhutan, Singapore, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nauru, Solomon Island, New Zealand, Fiji, Timor Leste and Brunei are likely to grace the mega event.

6.The State Film awards for the year 2020, 2021 and 2022 were declared by Odia Language, Literature & Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj here at Sanskriti Bhawan, Thursday.

7.Odia fi lm world for the year 2020. Senior cinematographer Srinivas Mohapatra and veteran comedian Jayiram Samal will receive the prestigious honour for the next two years.

8.2020 Best Film: Sahid Raghu Sardar Best Director: Rakesh Samal for Romeo Raja, 2021 Best Film: Pratikshya and Dalcheeni Best Director: Suresh Patnaik for Trushna, 2022 Best Film: DAMaN Best Director: Sudhanshu Mohan Sahoo for Mayavee

9.India Thursday said it will pursue an extradition request with Canada for Arsh Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, the de-facto chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force, following his arrest in that country.

10.The Karnataka cabinet Thursday decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged irregularities in the purchase of equipment and medicines during COVID19 pandemic when the BJP was in power in the state, based on the interim report submitted by Justice Michael D’Cunha Commission.

11.Police have detained a 42-year-old scooter rider after seizing `1.5 crore cash from his possession in Maharashtra’s Nagpur city, offi cials said Thursday.

12.The Centre Thursday reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur’s six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam, with the Union home ministry asserting that the decision was taken given the “continuous volatile situation” there due to the ongoing ethnic violence.

13.The Supreme Court Thursday stayed the Jharkhand High Court verdict which directed the CBI to enquire into the alleged irregularities in appointments and promotions made in the state legislative Assembly.

14.Keeping in mind the demands of aspirants, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) Thursday postponed the Review Offi cer and Assistant Review Offi cer exams, and announced that it will hold the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) preliminary exam-2024 on the old pattern on a single day.

15.The wholesale price index (WPI) infl ation rose to a 4-month high of 2.36 per cent in October as prices of food items, especially vegetables, and manufactured goods turned dearer, showed the government data released Thursday.