Bhubaneswar, Jan. 30: The crime branch of the Orissa Police on Friday filed a chargesheet against seven people for the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his aides.

A crime branch source said the chargesheet was filed in a lower court of Kandhamal District.

"Investigations will, however, continue and we may go for some more arrests in the case and file a final chargesheet later," he said.

Kesoram Industries has announced that the company will close production of tyres at its Balasore, Orissa facility to reduce expenditure and cut costs amid tight financial conditions.

B K Birla flagship Kesoram Industries is a leading manufacturer of yarn, tyres and cement and facing low demand from domestic and international market. The ongoing slowdown and liquidity problem are the major reasons cited by the company to halt production at its Orissa facility.

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 22: Orissa recently hosted a classical music festival in the backdrop of an 11th century temple in a bid to promote tourism.

Hundreds of music lovers gathered here to savour the essence of Indian classical music blended with the architectural beauty of 11th century Rajarani temple.

The three day long festival that concluded on Tuesday provided a platform to over 11 artists who showcased both classical Indian music and non traditional music.

Koraput (Orissa), Jan 20 : Terracotta art has given the artisans in Orissa a fresh enthusiasm in their lives.

Villages like Kusumi, Dashmantpur, Laxmipur, Kumbharput in the district are practising the craft to earn their livelihood.

"People here are involved in this art for past eight to ten years. It has been really of benefit. When this was not there, we had to go out to work as hired labourers. But now after this, we are earning better. We also have mini-trucks to carry out products," said Rajiv Kumar, an artisan.

New Delhi - Hundreds of tribe members, armed with bows and arrows, staged a march in India's eastern Orissa state Saturday to protest a mine planned by British firm Vedanta Resources, news reports said.

The tribe members assembled at Semelbhata village in Kalahandi district, about 600 kilometres south-east of the state capital of Bhubaneshwar. They marched for about five kilometres, shouting slogans against Vedanta and the state and federal governments, the IANS news agency reported.

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 15: The government will begin withdrawal of its Central forces from Orissa''s Kandhamal District in a phased manner from today.

The Central forces had to be deployed in Kandhmal following the communal violence between Hindus and Christians that triggered after murder of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh leader and anti-conversion leader Lakshmananand Saraswathi.