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January 7, 2026 — It is day four of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. England has lost one of its openers in the very first over of its second innings, and finds itself 179 runs adrift with the threat of another chastening defeat looming large. At the fag end of an arduous tour that has elicited questions about everything from their preparation to philosophy — Australia retained the urn at the earliest possible opportunity in Adelaide, and was 3-1 ahead going into the final Test — the visitors could be excused for harbouring thoughts about the…

Amid the LPG shortage across the country owing to the war in West Asia, e-commerce platforms and retailers in major cities have seen a surge in demand for induction cooktops as people look for replacements due to the gas supply disruption.While prices for electric cooktops have gone up, supplies largely remained available on e-commerce platforms and retail stores though the inventory is going down at a fast clip.Weighing in on the increase in demand, Rajendra Gandhi, Managing Director of Stovekraft, a home appliance company which owns cookware brand Pigeon, said the firm is seeing a four-fold spike in the average…

Annual gross domestic product (GDP) is the sum of the final value of all goods and services produced during a year, net of material inputs. It is the most widely used measure of a country’s economic size. GDP, or the economy’s gross value added (GVA), is an estimate prepared using a wide range of data on physical outputs and their prices, and this involves numerous statistical procedures. The estimates broadly follow the global templates of the UN System of National Accounts (UNSNA). The latest revision, with base year 2022-23, follows its 2025 edition.Roughly every five to ten years, the base…

TNCA Secretary U. Bhagwandas Rao. | Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary U. Bhagwandas Rao on Wednesday hailed the State’s u-23 side for completing a rare double this season – maiden Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy title, and the BCCI men’s u-23 State-A Trophy.“We are absolutely thrilled. It’s an extremely rare double. I think this team has done exceptionally well,” he said at the NPR College Cricket Ground here.“If I want to summarise, Tamil Nadu has many shining stars (achievements). This is definitely one of them, and I’m sure we will see a lot of it in…

M Chinnaswamy Stadium. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28.The key fixture was part of the first phase schedule (March 28 to April 12) announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday (March 11, 2026). The rest of the tournament schedule will be released after the State Assembly election dates of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam are announced. Following the opening encounter, the Mumbai Indians go up against the Kolkata Knight…

Tamil Nadu captain Boopathi Vaishnakumar. | Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN Tamil Nadu’s maiden Col. C. K. Nayudu Trophy triumph marked the culmination of a memorable u-23 season, with the side also clinching the BCCI men’s u-23 State-A (One-Day) Trophy to complete a rare double.Coach Guru Kedarnath called the achievement “unmatched.” He described Wednesday’s title win as an “unbelievable feeling,” particularly after the team navigated a long and fragmented campaign.The tournament was held in two phases — Oct. 16 to Nov. 5, and Jan. 23 to Mar. 12. The State-A Trophy was held in between, from Nov. 9 to Dec. 1.…

Representational image. | Photo Credit: AP Uncertainty surrounding the ongoing conflict in West Asia has begun to disrupt summer travel season, forcing many residents to cancel or rethink long-planned international holidays. Travel operators say bookings have slowed sharply, particularly for routes through the Gulf, while anxious families are either choosing alternative destinations or shelving their plans altogether.Ratiranjan Shah of Ticket 2 Escape said international travel demand has dropped in recent weeks. “Demand for foreign travel has fallen by nearly 40-50%, whether it is flight tickets or complete tour packages,” he said. “People are hesitant not only about the Gulf but…

Tamil Nadu players celebrate with the C.K. Nayudu Trophy after beating Maharashtra in the final at Natham in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday, 11 March 2026. | Photo Credit: G. KARTHIKEYAN Tamil Nadu clinched its maiden Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy title, chasing down 66 to beat Maharashtra by seven wickets on the third day of the final at the NPR College Cricket Ground here on Wednesday.In doing so, it completed a double, having already lifted the BCCI men’s u-23 State-A (One-Day) Trophy this season.Earlier in the day, Kiran Karthikeyan’s influence continued after his innings. Having been the last man…

The women riders on ‘Ride for a Cleaner Himalayas’ during a break | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Seven women riders from Northeast India, aged between 21 and 46, are on a ‘Ride for a Cleaner Himalayas’. The eight day ride began on March 8 will end on March 15. The journey supports and spreads awareness about the Himalayan Fringes Project, in collaboration with the Royal Enfield Social Mission, an initiative of the non-profit Further & Beyond, supported by the Indian Army. The purpose-led expedition focuses on building waste-free mountain communities. By working closely with villages, the initiative encourages practical, locally…

South Africa’s players leave the field after they lost the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 first semifinal cricket match against New Zealand. The team was stranded in India amid the West Asia war | Photo Credit: PTI The ICC on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) expressed sympathy for the international players stranded in India after the T20 World Cup but lambasted “uninformed and unhelpful” suggestions that “anything other than safety” is driving the travel plans that have been thrown haywire by the West Asia conflict.The war, which began with the American and Israeli bombing of Iran last month, has led…