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Virginia Democrats are moving forward with plans to gerrymander their way to four more congressional seats — but they need help from the state’s top court. After a lower court blocked Democrats’ efforts to amend the state Constitution and redraw federal congressional lines ahead of this fall’s midterm elections, the Virginia Court of Appeals requested the Virginia Supreme Court weigh in. That puts the fate of the map — and potentially congressional control after the 2026 midterms — in the hands of a group of justices that observers say can be hard to predict. Political and legal experts in Virginia…

In Vinland Saga, they speak of a faraway place, “a warm and fertile land, untouched by slave-raiders nor the flame of war” — where even the weary might find peace. Tolkien wrote of a similar “far, green country,” glimpsed on the edge of the world. As the plane slipped below the clouds, I thought of both. Sri Lanka stretched out in shades of green that seemed to multiply the longer I looked. A beautiful unbroken sweep of deep, restless, and endless green, cut only by the blue breath of the Indian Ocean and clouds brushing the horizon. From up here,…

A former prime minister and cricketing icon losing his eyesight behind bars, protests for meeting him continuing, an economy in shambles, surviving on debt, rising unrest in western provinces, tensions with its neighbours India and Afghanistan, the US threatening its third neighbour Iran and a failing economic corridor—once billed as the saviour of the country—are all indicators of a collapsing state. Added is the sectarian violence within, targeting minority Shias, Hindus and Christians. Attacks in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the suicide bombing in the Shia Mosque in Islamabad, all in recent days, indicate the instability within.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADYet…

Aiming to establish an unassailable lead over Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur’s India would draw confidence from a strong bowling performance in the rain-hit opening win when the two sides square off in the second and penultimate T20 International in Canberra on Thursday (February 19, 2026). It was a commanding display from seamer Arundhati Reddy, whose four-wicket haul rattled the hosts and spearheaded a superb bowling effort as Australia were unable to bat out their 20 overs and were bundled out for a below-par 133. The bowlers enjoyed a solid workout as the long series, also featuring three ODIs and a one…

President Donald Trump on Thursday continued to personally attack Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt over a debacle regarding the upcoming annual governors’ weekend in Washington. “We will soon have a Governor in Oklahoma who knows how to accurately write a Press Release to the Public, in this case, to state that I invited, not happily, almost all Democrat Governors to the Governor’s Dinner at the White House,” Trump wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post. “Stitt, a wiseguy, knew this, but tried to get some cheap publicity by stating otherwise.” Trump’s latest criticism against the Republican comes after Stitt, who serves…

At 37, Divya Surepalli stepped into a category that barely exists on the civilian sporting map of India. In 2024, she became the first licensed civilian woman skydiver from Andhra Pradesh, joining fewer than 20 women nationwide who have pursued the sport beyond a one-time tandem jump. Some in this small cohort are licensed; others are still working toward it. The number alone explains how narrow the route remains.Divya, who has her roots in Visakhapatnam, holds a postgraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from Germany. Skydiving had stayed with her as an idea for years, long before it became a plan.…

February 12 – the day Bangladesh held its 13th national elections – will be remembered as the day the countrymen refused to be re-engineered.In a region where external powers often assume that smaller states can be nudged, pressured, or recalibrated to suit broader strategic designs, the people of Bangladesh delivered a reminder: electoral legitimacy in this country flows from the streets upwards – not from diplomatic drawing rooms in Washington, London, Beijing, or Islamabad.STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADThe decisive popular backing for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the clear rejection of Jamaat-e-Islami marked a pivotal moment in the country’s…

Image for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images A 65-year-old umpire died while several players were injured after a swarm of bees attacked them during a cricket match in Unnao district, police said on Thursday (February 19, 2026).A top office-bearer of the Kanpur Cricket Association, which organised the game, confirmed the incident that took place at Sapru Maidan in the Shuklaganj area on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) evening.According to police officials, Manik Gupta from Kanpur was officiating as the umpire of the cricket match when a swarm of bees suddenly attacked the players and officials present on the…

Rahm Emanuel is embarking on a three-day swing through the crucial swing-state of Michigan this weekend. But he’s not just dropping in to help boost down-ballot Democratic candidates — he’s also visiting some trade schools to unveil yet another policy proposal. The moves raise the question: Is he presenting the planks of a larger platform that he can run on for president? Or is he headfaking a run to build buzz and draw interest to his ideas, redirecting the field to where he thinks the party’s intellectual center of gravity should be? “I’m going to continue to lay out changes…

One of Kerala’s enduring gifts to the world is banana chips or kaya varuthathu or upperi as it is known in different parts of the State. It tops the list which has appam, avial and fish curry. Today, there are also tapioca, beetroot, potato, sweet potato, and colocasia, but it is banana chips that most people ask that friend, family or colleague to bring back from Kerala. These make for the best sort of edible souvenirs!  One chips, many varieties Unlike in the past when there was just the plain, salted variety, today there are several options: sweet (made from ripe…