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Representative image. | Photo Credit: Reuters India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to a three-month high of $34.68 billion in January, marking the final month impacted by around 50% U.S. tariff on Indian exports, ‌which government officials said will be pared to 18% this week.The wider-than-expected goods trade deficit was driven by a sharp rise ‌in gold and silver imports, which pushed up total imports by ‌12% ⁠month-on-month to $71.24 billion, while exports fell 5% to $36.56 billion, data ⁠from the commerce ministry showed on Monday (February 16, 2026).U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month said he would slash tariffs on…

England’s Harry Brook during the England vs Italy T20 World Cup match in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on February 16, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters England captain Harry Brook expressed satisfaction after his side qualified for the Super 8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup after beating Italy by 24 runs in Kolkata on Monday (February 16, 2026).Brook said they’re happy to have qualified despite not playing their best cricket. He noted their batting hasn’t clicked consistently, calling T20 a “fickle game” where fortunes swing fast. Brook urged the team to stay brave and keep taking their chances.The Harry Brook-led…

Paramotoring activities in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: KR Deepak At sunrise, Rushikonda feels as if it is holding its breath. I am strapped into the paramotor harness, the sand still cool beneath my feet, when the wing catches the first clean gust. The engine steadies, the beach slips backward and in a few seconds I am gliding above the water as the coastline shimmers below me. The view feels immediate and unreal at the same time, as if the day is unfolding all at once from 400 feet above the sea.Vihang Adventures, in association with Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation…

The Indian Opposition is cacophonic about the trade deal and cut in tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking if it gives away too much agriculture access or cuts back on Russian oil purchases, but they seem to have no real understanding of what might have swung the deal. Chances are it had everything to do with the dollar and nothing to do with Indian agriculture (or Russian oil) – no matter the posts on X by the US agriculture secretary and Trump himself.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe key offer from India might have…

(From left) Raches Ella, Chief Development Officer of Bharat Biotech, José Castillo, CEO of Quantoom Biosciences (Belgium), Darrin Morrissey, CEO of NIBRT (Ireland), V. Simpson Emmanuel, president at ImmunoACT, Sai Praveen Haranath, senior V-P (Medical & Strategy) at Apollo Health Axis, Stefan Miltenyi, founder & president of Miltenyi Biotec (Germany), Madhuri Vusirikala, V-P of Actinium Pharmaceuticals USA, and Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and Purpose at FINN Partners, USA, at a panel discussion during BioAsia 2026 in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL India’s evolving role as a global manufacturing backbone for next-generation biologics came into focus during…

Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy temple in Srisailam will remain closed for over 12 hours on March 3 owing to lunar eclipse.According to Srisailam temple Executive Officer M. Srinivasa Rao, the temple doors will open at 3 a.m. on the day and Suprabhata Seva, other early morning rituals and maha mangala harathi will be performed. From 4.30 a.m. to 5.30 a.m., devotees will be allowed to have darshan of Sri Bhramaramba and Mallikarjuna Swamy. The temple doors will be closed at 6 a.m. and will open at 7.30 p.m., after which temple cleansing and samprokshana will be performed. Darshan will be…

Representational picture only Enjoy riding bicycles? Did you know the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has come up with a specific standard for helmets for cyclists, skate boarders and roller skaters — for the first time, and it is coded “IS 18808”. The move by BIS to nudge all stakeholders to promote ISI-marked helmet is crucial for a country where helmet use for non-powered vehicles is only voluntary (bicycles do not come under Motor Vehicles Act). G. Bhavani, senior director and head of Chennai branch of Bureau of Indian Standards, says BIS has brought this standard in 2025 exclusively for bicycle…

Representative image. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The rate of unemployment in the country among persons aged 15 years and above rose slightly to 5% in January this year from 4.8% in December 2025, according to a government survey released on Monday (February 16, 2026).The UR (unemployment rate) or joblessness recorded a marginal increase in January in both rural and urban areas, showed the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The data also showed a lower labour force participation rate (LFPR) as well as workers population ratio (WPR) across the rural and urban areas. The National Statistics Office (NSO) under…

Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan during a practice session on the eve of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, cricket match between Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on February 15, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan became the first player to achieve 700 T20 wickets during Afghanistan’s group-stage match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday (February 16, 2026).He got one wicket in the match, conceding 24 runs in his four overs as Afghanistan halted the UAE to 160/9…

Varanasi is awake. Even before the morning sun’s rays hit Varanasi’s ghats, the Ganga Aarthi begins. Replete with chanting of hymns, this aarthi, an everyday ritual, is an offering to the magnificent river.On its banks, a rare quiet envelopes Assi Ghat. Someone is chanting ‘Om’. A few yards away, someone else is offering a surya namaskar to the rising sun. This quaint ghat gets its name from the legend of Devi Durga throwing down her sword (‘asi’ in Sanskrit) after slaying demon-brothers Shumbh-Nishumbh, thus creating a river named Asi; it is considered among the most sacred in this town. These…