Minor girl raped in Odisha, accused held
Bhubaneswar, June 15: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man in a forest in Odisha's Angul district, police said on Friday. The accused has been was arrested.
The incident took place on Thursday afternoon while the girl was looking after her family's goats grazing in a field in Khamar area.
"Accused, Guru Badra, found her alone in the forest and raped her. We arrested the accused on Friday after the family members lodged a complaint," said Khamar police station inspector-in-charge Santosh Kumar Mirdha.
The victim narrated the ordeal to her parents after she returned home, following which her family members filed an FIR at Khamar police station.
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Middle East crisis: Oil prices cross $83 per barrel as Strait of Hormuz disruption hits supply
New Delhi: Global crude oil prices rose sharply on Thursday, crossing $83 per barrel, following Iran’s move to shut down the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Oil prices have increased by more than 2 per cent due to concerns over supply disruptions in the region, which is a key route for global energy shipments.
A sustained rise in crude prices could significantly affect India’s import bill. Government estimates indicate that an increase of $1 per barrel in crude oil prices for a full year could raise India’s import bill by around Rs 16,000 crore.
However, government sources said India remains in a relatively comfortable position in the short term. The country currently has crude oil reserves sufficient for about 25 days, along with an additional 25 days’ supply of petroleum products, including shipments already in transit to Indian ports.
India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements from the Middle East, with much of the supply traditionally passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.
Officials said India has strengthened its energy security in recent years by diversifying its sources of crude oil imports. Supplies have increasingly been sourced from countries such as Russia, African nations and the United States, reducing dependence on Gulf routes.
As a result, a portion of India’s oil imports now bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
India spent about $137 billion on crude oil imports in the financial year ending March 31, 2025. In the current financial year, from April 2025 to January 2026, the country spent approximately $100.4 billion to import 206.3 million tonnes of crude oil.
