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Karnataka player KL Rahul who scored unbeaten 86 runs on the last day of Ranji Trophy Semifinal match against Uttarakhand at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday (February 19, 2026). | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Karnataka entered the Ranji Trophy final after a hiatus of 11 years, advancing by virtue of a first innings lead from their drawn semifinal match against Uttarakhand in Lucknow on Thursday (February 19, 2026).Karnataka will face Jammu and Kashmir in the title clash at Hubballi from February 24.Resuming the fifth and final day from their overnight 299 for six, Karnataka lost the remaining…

President Donald Trump didn’t just take his feud with Maryland governor and possible 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful Wes Moore into the gutter this week. He turned to the toilet. In a series of social media posts Monday and Tuesday, Trump blasted Moore for what he deemed an inept response to a sewage spill that sent hundreds of millions of gallons of raw waste into the Potomac River beginning four weeks ago. “There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,” Trump…

India recorded the 75th most powerful passport in the world’s most powerful passport list, enabling visa-free travel access to 56 countries, revealed a latest report on Global Passports Index by Henley and Partners. Indian passport made an upward momentum of 10 rank in comparison to 2025’s position at 85. Despite the growth, India will see a reduction of one country in visa-free travel this year. Significantly, India’s rank is shared by four countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, and Mauritania. A passport index reflects a country’s strength in foreign policy, as well as its order in global politics. Since…

Dubai is a multi-cultural wonderland that offers something for connoisseurs of every conceivable palate. In fact, the sheer scale of Dubai’s culinary options can overwhelm even a veteran traveller’s itinerary.To help you navigate this global banquet, here is a personal selection of dining landmarks for your upcoming journey to Dubai: Bikers Cafe, a place to fuel your soul with classic bikes and vintage memorabilia while you refuel your body with scrumptious food. | Photo Credit: Sankar Narayanan E.H. Bikers CafeSometimes a name says it all. And the nomenclature Bikers Cafe — for Dubai’s first motor-themed cafe — does a near-perfect…

If you have travelled to Europe even once, you are bound to encounter a stale joke. It is about how European powers waged wars against indigenous populations in the global South to own and exploit spice plantations, but the spices – except for pepper – never found their way into European cuisine. It is a tongue-in-cheek truism about the blandness of European food and having lived for about a decade in Germany, I can confirm there is truth to it.But things were looking up for us one autumn day in Rotterdam.“Karaa ide,” said my Bangalorean friend digging into her smashed…

Starting late October, when the Theyyam season begins, the sacred groves of northern Malabar stir to life. In these groves and ancestral family homes of Kannur and Kasaragod, Theyyam performances are an annual ritual. Performers in elaborate crimson gear blend movements of Kalaripayattu and dramatic fire rituals.Up until the season ends in May, the entire region of northern Malabar opens up — sharing its beliefs, heritage and storied legends with the world. Anyone – irrespective of caste, religion or nationality — can watch the performances and partake of the offerings at these shrines. It is this shared sense of community…

On a Sunday morning at Aqsa Fatima’s farmhouse near Shamshabad Airport, Hyderabad, guests sip fresh coconut water plucked straight from the surrounding trees. On the expansive lawn, banquet-style tables are laid with flowers that, like the coconuts, appear to have been sourced from the farm itself. One by one, diners arrive for a traditional Hyderabadi breakfast: khichdi, khatta (a Hyderabadi special tangy dal), keema (minced meat curry), khagina (egg dish), papad, naan (bread), paya (lamb trotters), and more. Bhojanam Banter’s Onam spread | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement This is Dakhni Dastarkhan, is Aqsa Fatima’s (a hobby chef) ticketed dining experience…

Brian Bennett’s measured fifty and Sikandar Raza’s raw power propelled Zimbabwe to a facile six-wicket win over a fancied Sri Lanka as the Africans entered the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup with a clean slate, here on Thursday.Chasing 179 on a rather sluggish surface, Zimbabwe needed pragmatism and force in equal measure, and those elements were offered to them by Bennett (63 not out, 48 balls) and Raza (45, 26b) respectively.Zimbabwe scaled down the target in 19.3 overs.Both the teams have already entered the Super Eights from Group B, and African outfit can be proud their show in…

Shivam Dube credits all the work done in training in helping him become a better all-rounder. Here he is seen in action during The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Cricket match between India and Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday February 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine that Shivam Dube would be so pivotal to India’s T20I set-up. It took hard work, self-belief and trust for the 32-year-old to emerge from Hardik Pandya’s shadow as an all-rounder in his own right. “It’s been a…

For a brief while around tea break on the final day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here, Karnataka players resembled a pack of moody school children who were denied their favourite toy.Uttarakhand was 184 for six in pursuit of 827, an impossible target Karnataka had set in the morning. The latter, having secured the first-innings lead, was in no need of an outright win.A handshake was initiated and out came the presentation flex boards, only for the umpires to turn into strict parents and not call off play.The officials reckoned that Karnataka could force a…