England’s Will Jacks (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Will Jacks produced a blistering all-round display as England cricket team defeated Italy national cricket team by 24 runs to book their place in the Super Eights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in their Group C fixture at Eden Gardens on Monday.Asked to bat first, England surged past the 200-mark for the first time in this edition, finishing on 202 for 7. The charge was led by Jacks, whose explosive unbeaten 53 came off just 22 balls and included four sixes and three fours. His late assault rescued England after they had slipped to 105/5. Sam Curran added a valuable 25 from 19 balls as the pair combined for a rapid 54-run partnership off only 25 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Phil Salt had set the tempo with 28 off 15 balls, helping England cross 50 inside five overs. However, Jos Buttler’s lean run continued as he departed for three, dismissed by Grant Stewart. Salt later fell to Ali Hasan, while Jacob Bethell (23 off 20) and Harry Brook (14 off 9) also failed to convert starts. Tom Banton contributed a fluent 30 off 21 before holing out to Manenti.Italy’s chase began in dramatic fashion. Jofra Archer’s searing opening over at 146kph reduced them to 1/2, soon becoming 22/3. Anthony Mosca fell first ball, while JJ Smuts edged to first slip. Harry Manenti followed, leaving Italy reeling.Yet the debutants responded bravely. Ben Manenti launched a stunning counterattack, smashing 60 off 25 balls, including a 22-ball fifty — the joint-fifth fastest of the tournament and joint-second fastest by an Associate batter in its history. He hammered five sixes and four fours, taking 21 runs off one Jacks over. Justin Mosca supported well with 43 off 34 as the pair added 92 in 48 balls to revive hopes.Jacks broke the stand by dismissing Ben, caught by Banton, before Adil Rashid removed Justin. Grant Stewart then reignited the contest with 45 off 23, striking two sixes off Archer and three against Rashid.However, Curran halted the surge with two wickets in two balls on his way to 3/22, while Jamie Overton claimed 3/18. Italy were bowled out for 178 in 20 overs, and England advanced with their Super Eights spot secured.

Representative image (AI-generated)

NEW DELHI: A civil court in Karnataka on Monday sentenced three men to death for sexually assaulting an Israeli tourist and murdering a youth in Koppal district last year.The Gangavathi Civil Court pronounced the quantum of punishment, awarding capital punishment to the convict: Mallesh alias Handi Malla, Sharanabasava and Chaitanya Sai. The court had found them guilty on February 7 and had reserved its order on sentencing for February 16.According to the prosecution, the crime took place near Sanapur on March 6 last year and had drawn international attention, casting a shadow over tourism in the region.Public Prosecutor Nagalakshmi said that the incident occurred when a homestay owner took a group of tourists: Pankaj from Maharashtra, Bibhas from Odisha, Daniel from the United States, and an Israeli woman, for stargazing near the Tungabhadra canal under the limits of the Gangavathi rural police station at around 10.30 pm.At that time, the three accused allegedly arrived on a motorcycle and picked up a fight over a financial dispute.“With an intention to rape these women, the convicts pushed the three men into the canal. To ensure that they do not come out, they threw stones on them. Later, they gang raped the home-stay owner and the Israeli national,” Nagalakshmi told reporters.She said Bibhas Kumar died due to drowning in the canal. “Pankaj did not know how to swim but Daniel saved him,” she added.After the assault, the accused allegedly fled the spot with mobile phones, cash and a camera belonging to the victims.“It was a case of gang rape, murder, attempt to murder, robbery and extortion. Hence the Judge Sadananda Nagappa Naik under section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita gave them capital punishment. For the gang rape, the court ordered imprisonment till their last breath,” the public prosecutor said.She added that the convicts have the right to appeal against the sentence in a higher court.

The rivalry between India and Pakistan is often described as more than just a game; it is a high-stakes emotional rollercoaster that brings two nations to a standstill. On Sunday (February 15), the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo became the epicentre of cricketing nerves as these titans clashed in the 27th Match of Group A in the T20 World Cup 2026. While the atmosphere in the stadium was electric, the aftermath in the streets of Pakistan told a much darker story of heartbreak and outrage.

Angry Pakistan fans break television following loss to India in T20 World Cup 2026

For many fans, cricket is a source of national pride, but when that pride is wounded, the reaction can be visceral. Following Pakistan’s disappointing performance against their arch-rivals, the frustration boiled over into a scene that has unfortunately become a recurring motif of the rivalry.

Soon after the final ball was bowled, a video began circulating rapidly across social media platforms, capturing a group of supporters in a state of absolute fury. In the footage, which has since gone viral, a group of men can be seen hauling a large television set into an open courtyard.

The scene escalated quickly as the crowd began pelting stones at the TV screen, shattering the glass before eventually smashing it to pieces with heavy objects. The raw emotion in the video highlights the crushing weight of expectation placed on the Pakistan team. For these fans, the loss wasn’t just a mark on the points table; it was a perceived surrender on the biggest stage of all, leading to a physical venting of their sporting grief.

Here’s the video:

just another day in Pakistan#INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/2AhvM7d13Q

— ηᎥ†Ꭵղ (@nkk_123) February 15, 2026

Also WATCH: Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav lose cool at Kuldeep Yadav during IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 showdown

India’s commanding victory against Pakistan

The destruction off the field was a direct reflection of the dominance on it. India’s 61-run victory was orchestrated by a sensational performance from Player of the Match Ishan Kishan, whose explosive 77 off 40 balls anchored the Indian innings.

India’s innings was a tale of two halves. Despite losing Abhishek Sharma for a duck in the first over, Kishan launched a brutal counter-attack, smashing 4 fours and 11 sixes to bring up India’s 50 in just 5.6 overs. Supported by Tilak Varma (25) and a late cameo from Suryakumar Yadav (32), India reached a formidable 175/7. Pakistan’s Saim Ayub was the surprise pick of the bowlers, taking 3/25, but the target of 176 proved to be a mountain too high for a fragile batting lineup.

Pakistan’s chase never found its rhythm, beginning with a disastrous Powerplay. Hardik Pandya struck in the very first over to remove Sahibzada Farhan for 0, followed shortly by Jasprit Bumrah dismissing Saim Ayub and Salman Agha in quick succession. By the end of the 6th over, Pakistan was reeling at 38/4.

Babar Azam’s uncharacteristic struggle (5 off 7 balls) ended when he was cleaned up by Axar Patel, leaving the middle order exposed. Despite a brief resistance from Usman Khan (44), the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav tightened the noose. The innings finally folded in the 18th over for just 114 runs. With this win, India moves comfortably to the top of Group A, while Pakistan faces a daunting task to keep their World Cup dreams alive

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Fans celebrate Ishan Kishan’s heroics as India hammer Pakistan to secure Super 8 spot

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Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav (ANI Photo)

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lauded skipper Suryakumar Yadav for bringing sharp match awareness into India’s game after their commanding 61-run victory over Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo.Gavaskar underlined how Suryakumar stepped up in contrasting pressure situations. He recalled the game against USA, where India were reeling at 77 for 6 before Surya guided them out of trouble. Against Pakistan, he walked in at 88/2 and anchored the innings through to the 19th over, compiling 32 from 29 balls with three boundaries as India posted 175/7 in 20 overs to seal a Super 8 berth.

“You have to play according to the situation, and that is what Captain Suryakumar Yadav has done. He has led from the front. In the match against the USA, when India were in trouble at 77 for 6, Surya bailed the team out and here against Pakistan, when he came out to bat, India were at 88-2, and then he batted till the 19th over, scoring 32 runs. Yes, he didn’t bat at a high strike rate, but he ensured that the wickets didn’t fall, keeping hold of one end.““So, the rest of the team understands that in T20 cricket, you don’t want dot balls. You want to reduce them, but you also don’t want to throw your wicket away trying to hit sixes. Being aware of the match situation, ground conditions, and even which way the wind is blowing is important, and Suryakumar Yadav has brought that awareness into this Indian team,” Sunil Gavaskar said on JioStar.The win extended India’s dominance over Pakistan in T20 World Cup contests to 8-1.After opting to bowl first, Pakistan struck early when Abhishek fell for a duck. Ishan’s explosive 77 and Tilak’s composed 25 steadied the innings, but India slipped to 126/4 with Hardik Pandya departing for nought. Suryakumar then combined with Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh to ensure a strong finish despite testing conditions. Saim Ayub’s 3/25 was the standout bowling effort for Pakistan.Pakistan’s reply never gathered momentum. Early breakthroughs from Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel reduced them to 34/4. Usman Khan fought with 44 off 34 balls, striking six fours and a six, but India dismissed Pakistan for 114 in 18 overs.Axar returned 2/29, while Hardik (2/16), Bumrah (2/17) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17) shared the wickets.India sit comfortably atop Group A with three wins from three, Pakistan are third with two wins and a defeat, and USA occupy second place with two victories and two losses.

CBSE Class X and Class 12 will start tomorrow, 17th February 2026. The Central Board of Secondary Education has also issued an official notice with a stern warning against fake news and counterfeit claims. It specifically refers to the speculations of question paper leakages on social media.The Central Board of Secondary Education has reported that there have been elements in the past years who have tried to pass misinformation at the time of examination. These messages were usually accompanied by fake information that there was a leakage of the Class X or Class XII question paper. In other instances, fake question papers were shared on the internet and passed off as genuine.The Board has made it clear that this is not the case and that they are trying to confuse people. Rumours have the potential to interfere with the focus of students.CBSE has cautioned that unwarranted panic might occur because of believing, sharing, or forwarding unverified messages. When students must be calm and focused in order to get ready, rumours may as well ruin preparation and cause anxiety.The Board has asked parents, students, and the schools to be responsible and not access unverified information on social media sites.

Existence of good security measures

The Board has assured the stakeholders that there is a tight arrangement to see that the examinations are run smoothly, securely, and fairly. According to it, there are strong mechanisms that have been implemented, as had been done in the past years, to uphold the integrity of the exam process.CBSE has also made the statement that if any misinformation is spread or the examination process is disrupted, then it will be addressed most sternly as per relevant rules and regulations.

Relied on official sources only

In order to get genuine updates and clarifications about the Class X and Class XII board exams, CBSE has recommended that the concerned parties only use official communication channels:The official site: https://www.cbse.gov.in

The official site of the Board provides contact information.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump

Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal on Monday announced that a delegation of Indian officials will travel to the United States next week to finalise the legal terms of an interim India-US trade agreement that is expected to be signed and implemented in March.Joint Secretary in the commerce ministry, Darpan Jain who is India’s chief negotiator for the talks, will lead the delegation to Washington on February 23.

On the progress of negotiations, Agrawal said that the virtual engagements between the two sides are already underway. “There have been virtual engagements going on (with the US) and next week, the chief negotiator will be leading a delegation to the US to finalise the legal framework towards the legal agreement that work will carry on next week in Washington,” he said.He added that the recently released joint statement between India and the US lays down the broad contours of the interim deal, which now need to be translated into a legally binding agreement. “The joint statement lays down the contours of the deal. Now the contours of the deal has to be translated into a legal agreement, which will be signed between the two sides,” he told reporters.Earlier this month, India and the United States announced that they had finalised a framework for an interim trade agreement aimed at making trade more reciprocal and mutually beneficial. Under the framework, US tariffs on Indian goods will be reduced from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. The reduction is expected to cover sectors such as textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber products, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal goods and select machinery. After the successful conclusion of the interim pact, tariffs on products like generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts are also set to be removed.On the Indian side, New Delhi has agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on several US industrial goods and a range of agricultural and food products, including dried distillers’ grains, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits. However, the government has maintained that sensitive agricultural and dairy sectors such as wheat, rice, maize, milk, poultry and certain vegetables will remain protected.The framework also reaffirms the commitment of both countries to advance negotiations on a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in February 2025 following months of trade tensions.The commerce ministry also released updated trade data, highlighting overall growth in exports. India’s total exports of merchandise and services in January 2026 stood at USD 80.45 billion, up from USD 71.09 billion in January 2025.Imports during the same period rose to USD 90.83 billion from USD 76.48 billion a year earlier, pushing the overall trade deficit to USD 10.38 billion compared to USD 5.39 billion last year.Agrawal said that the cumulative exports from April to January of the current financial year are estimated at USD 720.76 billion, compared to USD 679 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year. “It is an estimated growth of 6.15% and increased around approximately USD 40 billion dollars,” he said.

NEW DELHI: By now, the pattern is familiar. Just when Congress is trying to project discipline and a message of unity ahead of an election, Mani Shankar Aiyar re-enters the scene, picks up the mic, and leaves the party embarrassed.Congress was once again forced into damage control on Monday after Aiyar launched a sharp attack on the party leadership, a day after praising the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala, led by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.Things escalated rapidly when Aiyar, speaking to ANI, dismissed the authority of the current Congress leadership and declared: “I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajivian, but I am not a Rahulian.”Invoking BR Ambedkar’s description of dissent as being “a part but apart”, Aiyar positioned himself as an ideological insider with the right to rebel. The tone, however, soon turned confrontational.Targeting Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, Aiyar said: “I have absolutely no respect and complete contempt for Pawan Khera… He is not a spokesperson, he is a parrot.”

He went further, adding: “If Pawan Khera is going to expel me, I will happily go outside and kick his backside after I have left.”Within hours, Congress moved to publicly sever any association with his remarks.

Congress responds: Not our man

Khera issued a statement on X distancing the party from Aiyar’s comments: “Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar has had no connection whatsoever with the Congress for the past few years. He speaks and writes purely in his personal capacity.”Communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh followed up by reaffirming the party’s confidence in the United Democratic Front (UDF), saying: “Let there be no doubt. The people of Kerala will bring the UDF back for more responsible and responsive governance.”

What triggered the row

The controversy stemmed from remarks Aiyar made on Sunday at a public event in Kerala. Addressing chief minister Vijayan, he said: “I must fall at your feet, CM Vijayan, and request you to pick up the baton that the Congress has dropped.”For a Congress trying to regain lost political space in Kerala, with Assembly elections just a couple of months away, the optics were damaging. The party found itself defending its relevance while one of its most recognisable faces appeared to publicly endorse a rival.

A day later, Aiyar said his remark had been blown out of proportion, calling it just “half a line” in his speech.“It was only half a line in that speech which has been blown out of proportion,” he said.However, he maintained that the Vijayan-led LDF government was doing outstanding work.“As a Congressman, I want the UDF to win. As a Gandhian, I am obliged to tell the truth, irrespective of what I wish. I am not a voter in Kerala, but I think he is going to get another term,” Aiyar told PTI.

A pattern, not a one-off

The Congress’s discomfort with Aiyar is not new. His statements have time and again left the party red-faced.On April 4, 2014, at a public meeting in Delhi, Aiyar mocked then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, saying: “This chaiwala should come here and serve tea.”The remark was immediately seized upon by the BJP. Modi, who was the prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, embraced the label, transforming it into a narrative of aspiration versus elitism. For a Congress already struggling under anti-incumbency, the comment became emblematic of what the BJP called its “entitled mindset”.This was not an isolated incident.Three years later, on December 10, 2017, during the Gujarat Assembly election campaign, Aiyar referred to Modi as a “neech aadmi”. Though he later clarified that the phrase referred to social conduct and not caste, the BJP framed it as an insult to Gujarati pride. Modi turned it into a rallying cry.The Congress suspended Aiyar, but the political damage had already been done.

Rajiv Gandhi, history and embarrassment

Even after being sidelined, Aiyar continued to create discomfort for the party. In 2022, his remarks about Rajiv Gandhi’s academic failures at Cambridge and Imperial College London reopened old wounds, at a time when the Congress was already battling sustained BJP attacks on the Gandhi family.Aiyar had said: “When he [Rajiv Gandhi] became Prime Minister, I was very surprised. I thought he was an airline pilot and failed at Cambridge. It is very difficult to fail at Cambridge because the university, to maintain its image, ensures that everyone at least passes. However, despite that, Rajiv Gandhi failed.”He added: “After that, he went to Imperial College in London and failed there as well. Then I thought, how can such a person become the Prime Minister of the country?”Senior Congress leaders publicly criticised Aiyar. Then Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole labelled him “mentally unstable” and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot dismissed him as sarfira (crazy). Yet, once again, the party stopped short of a clean break.

BJP plays on Aiyar’s remarks

Aiyar’s latest remarks once again handed the BJP fresh ammunition.The BJP alleged that neither Congress leaders nor its alliance partners accepted Rahul Gandhi as their leader.BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told IANS that a series of recent developments pointed to a growing crisis of confidence in Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.“In the morning, I saw a news report from Kerala where Mani Shankar Aiyar expressed low confidence in Rahul Gandhi, suggesting he would not be able to lead the Congress to victory. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress raised the slogan ‘Remove Rahul, bring Mamata, save the INDIA bloc.’ And now in Assam, Bhupen Borah, the former state Congress president, has reportedly left the party,” he said.Poonawalla claimed these episodes together showed that faith in Rahul Gandhi was steadily eroding. “One thing is clear — no one has confidence in Rahul Gandhi. He has lost 95 elections and has no mandate,” he said, adding that several alliance partners were increasingly keeping their distance.“The Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, leaders like Supriya Sule, Omar Abdullah and Hemant Soren — all of them are distancing themselves from Rahul Gandhi,” he alleged.He went on to describe Rahul Gandhi as a “non-performing asset” for the INDIA bloc.Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai also stepped up the attack, linking Aiyar’s remarks to what he described as ideological confusion within the Congress.“Mani Shankar Aiyar, who is from Tamil Nadu, has for years insulted Prime Minister Modi, including calling him a chaiwala. The Congress chose to keep him in the party. Now, when he goes to Kerala and endorses Mr Vijayan, it shows the broken ideologies under which both the Congress and the Communists are operating,” Annamalai said.Claiming a tacit understanding between the Congress and the Left, he added: “Since the Congress knows it cannot win and the BJP is surging in Kerala, I see this statement as an underhanded deal between the Congress and the Communists. What happened in Thiruvananthapuram will be repeated across Kerala.”