Cyclonic storm Asani likely to weaken as it curves away from the east coast

 Coming close to North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts, it is likely to lessen in intensity into a cyclonic storm by Tuesday night

Severe cyclonic storm Asani which packed gale-force winds up to 120 kmph, is likely to curve away from the coast and run parallel to the east coast in a north-northeast-ward direction and gradually weaken, the Met office said on Monday. Coming close to North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts, it is likely to lessen in intensity into a cyclonic storm by Tuesday night. The cyclone will not make landfall either in Odisha or Andhra Pradesh but will move parallel to the east coast and cause heavy rain, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra had said in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

At least 11 fishermen from Odisha, who were stranded for around eight hours in the rough sea due to the raging severe cyclone ‘Asani’, were rescued on Monday with help of the Indian Coast Guard, an official said. The fishermen had on May 7 gone to Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam to buy a fishing boat, and while returning from there, they were stuck in the sea around 4-5 km off the coast near Sonaput in Ganjam district after tSonaput in Ganjam district after their newly-bought vessel developed some technical glitches, he said…

Hockey World Cup 2018: Bhubaneswar gears up for gala opening ceremony

Tickets for the Hockey World Cup 2018 opening ceremony and India matches have been sold out

Sports : Hockey fever has gripped Bhubaneswar city and the nation at large as 16 hockey playing nations will lock horns for World Cup glory starting November 28. The fever has reached the nook and corner of the country through ‘My Heart Beats for Hockey ‘campaign’.

Not just matches, the global event will witness a star-studded opening ceremony with Bollywood icons Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit and music maestro AR Rahman set to rock the stage. The opening ceremoby will start at 5:30 pm on Tuesday evening. Elaborate security arrangement has been made to avoid untoward incidents. Tickets for the opening ceremony and India matches have been sold out.

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The anticipation and excitement is palpable among hockey aficionados in the country and across the globe and Odisha government is also leaving no stones unturned to use the opportunity to boost tourist footfall in the state.

The 14th edition of the mega event will witness 36 matches between 28 November and 16 December with World No 1 Australia as defending champions. The opening match of the tournament will see World No 3 Belgium taking on World No 11 Canada on November 28, 2018, while host nation India will open their campaign on the same day against South Africa.

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