The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 produced another thrilling contest as England overcame a spirited challenge from Italy in the 29th Group C fixture at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. England’s 24-run victory was shaped by explosive batting from Will Jacks and a decisive all-round display by Sam Curran.

England post 202/7 after aggressive batting display

Opting to bat first, England posted an imposing 202 for 7 in 20 overs, maintaining a run rate above ten per over. The innings saw contributions from multiple batters, though it lacked a traditional anchor.

Philip Salt set the tone with a brisk 28 off 15 balls before falling to Ali Hasan. Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell chipped in, but wickets at regular intervals prevented England from fully dominating the powerplay.

The middle overs saw Tom Banton and Harry Brook attempt to consolidate, but Italy’s bowlers struck back to keep the contest alive. However, the turning point arrived when Will Jacks unleashed a late assault. Remaining unbeaten on 53 off just 22 deliveries, Jacks hammered boundaries at will, finishing with a staggering strike rate above 240. His fearless hitting in the death overs ensured England crossed the 200-run mark.

21-ball fifty for Will Jacks 🔥#ENGvITA #WillJacks #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/9bjL8VcJjO

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) February 16, 2026

Sam Curran also played a vital role with the bat, contributing a quickfire 25 off 19 balls before being dismissed.

Also READ: Janhvi Kapoor, Ajay Devgn and other Bollywood celebs react to India’s thumping win over Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026

Italy respond with fighting spirit

Chasing 203, Italy showed remarkable resilience. After early setbacks, Justin Mosca anchored the innings with a well-crafted 43. However, the real momentum shift came through Ben Manenti’s explosive 60 off 25 balls, which brought Italy firmly back into the game.

Grant Stewart further intensified the chase with a blistering 45 off 23 deliveries, keeping hopes alive deep into the innings. At one stage, Italy appeared poised for an upset, especially after crossing 130 in the 15th over.

When pressure mounted, Curran stepped up. The left-arm pacer delivered a decisive spell, claiming three important wickets for 22 runs in his three overs.

Curran removed Grant Stewart at a critical juncture, halting Italy’s charge. He also accounted for Marcus Campopiano and Gian Meade, triggering a collapse that derailed Italy’s chase.

Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer supported with timely breakthroughs, but it was Curran’s control under pressure that swung the match decisively in England’s favour. Italy got all-out for 178 on the last ball of their innings.

With this win, England have reached the Super 8 stage of the competition.

England are through to the Super Eights ⚡#ENGvsITA #T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/kHOwkZQ2Ui

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) February 16, 2026

Also WATCH: Frustrated Pakistan fans vandalise TV screen after humiliating loss against India in T20 World Cup 2026

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Polished white rice may soon get a healthy makeover, as CSIR–NIIST’s designer rice aims to transform a household staple into a protein- and micronutrient-rich food while reducing its glycaemic impact.The CSIR–National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR–NIIST) is set to hold a technology transfer ceremony, “CSIR–NIIST Tech Connect: From Lab to Market,” on February 18 at Anusandhan Bhawan, CSIR headquarters, New Delhi, an official release said.The event will formalise the transfer of several indigenously developed technologies to industry partners.The ceremony will include the release and transfer of a low glycaemic index (GI), protein- and micronutrient-enriched designer rice. CSIR–NIIST said the rice is intended to provide higher protein, a lower glycaemic response, and added nutrients such as iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12. The technology will be licensed to Tata Consumer Products Ltd and SS Soul Foods, Tamil Nadu. Dr C Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR–NIIST, received the Tata Transformation Prize 2024 for developing the rice, reported news agency PTI.Other technologies to be transferred include a coffee crema technology that supports stable foam formation, and a bio-based cardanol polyol modified polyurethane dispersion for leather finishing and metallic coatings.Post-harvest technologies, including osmotic dehydrated fruit bites and a ready-to-cook vegetable mix developed using Refrigerated Adsorption Dehumidified Dryer (RADD) technology, will also be part of the transfer. CSIR–NIIST said these innovations help retain nutrients and extend shelf life.The institute will also showcase JAIVAM, an engineered microbiome for rapid aerobic composting, two plant-based leather alternatives made from agricultural biomass, and a project MoU for low-sodium salt formulations designed to reduce sodium content by up to 86 per cent while maintaining taste, the release added, news agency PTI reported.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Centre over the accuracy of video transcripts submitted against detained climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and said translations must be precise, especially “in the era of Artificial Intelligence.”A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and PB Varale asked the government to place on record the actual transcripts of Wangchuk’s speeches after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for his wife Gitanjali Angmo, argued that certain statements attributed to the activist were never made by him.

Addressing Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, the bench said, “Mr Solicitor, we want an actual transcript of the speech. What he relied upon and what you say are different. We will decide. There should be an actual transcript of what he says. You may have your reasons.”The top court further observed, “At least, whatever he stated, the true translation should be there. Your translation goes on for 7 to 8 minutes, but the speech is for 3 minutes. We are in the era of Artificial Intelligence; precision is at least 98 per cent for translation.”Sibal questioned the authenticity of the translated material placed before the court and said, “Wangchuk continued his strike and also continued to provoke youth by taking reference of Nepal. Where is this line coming from? This is a very unique detention order — you rely on something that does not exist and then you say it is based on subjective satisfaction.”In response, Nataraj told the bench that there is a separate department that prepares transcripts and said, “We are not experts in it.”The matter will now be heard again on Thursday.The apex body is hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Wangchuk’s wife, seeking a declaration that his detention under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, is illegal. The NSA allows the Centre and state governments to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India.” The maximum period of detention under the law is 12 months, although it can be revoked earlier.Wangchuk, a climate activist known for his work in Ladakh, was detained on September 26 last year, two days after violent protests in Leh over demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule status left four people dead and around 90 injured. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail.Earlier hearings saw sharp exchanges between the Centre and the court. The government has justified the detention, alleging that Wangchuk made inflammatory speeches, attempted to internationalise the issue of Ladakh and drew comparisons with Chinese and Pakistani provinces. It also claimed that he tried to instigate youth and referred to protests in Nepal and Bangladesh, including “Arab Spring-like agitations.”Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the bench that all procedural safeguards under the NSA were “scrupulously complied with” and that Wangchuk was being treated fairly in jail. “This court is dealing with a person who is instigating people in a border area, adjacent to Pakistan and China, where regional sensitivity is involved,” Mehta had said.On the issue of health, Mehta told the court that Wangchuk had been medically examined 24 times since his detention. “We have examined his health periodically 24 times. He is fit, hale and hearty. He had some digestive issues; he is being treated. There is nothing to worry about, nothing alarming. We can’t make exceptions like this,” he said.He added, “The grounds on which the detention order was passed continue. It will not be possible to release him on health grounds. It may not be desirable either. We have given utmost consideration.”However, Angmo has argued that the violence in Leh on September 24 cannot be attributed to Wangchuk’s actions or statements. She told the court that Wangchuk had himself condemned the violence on social media and had described it as the “saddest day” of his life, saying it would lead to the failure of Ladakh’s peaceful “tapasya” of five years.In earlier proceedings, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre whether there was any possibility of rethinking the detention and had directed authorities to place the original file related to the detention before it. The court had also directed that Wangchuk be examined by a specialised doctor and that the medical report be submitted.

BENGALURU: India has emerged as the second-largest market for Claude, reflecting the country’s rapidly expanding AI ecosystem and technically sophisticated developer base. Nearly half of Claude usage in India centers on computer and mathematical tasks, including building applications, modernizing legacy systems, and deploying production-grade software—underscoring the depth of engineering engagement across the market.Anthropic has also opened its office in Bengaluru.“India represents one of the world’s most promising opportunities to bring the benefits of responsible AI to vastly more people and enterprises,” said Irina Ghose, managing director of India at Anthropic. “Already, it’s home to extraordinary technical talent, digital infrastructure at scale, and a proven track record of using technology to improve people’s lives. That’s exactly the foundation you need to make sure this technology reaches the people who can benefit from it most.”India is home to over a billion people who speak one of over a dozen officially recognized languages. However, AI models have historically demonstrated stronger performance in English than in many Indic languages. Six months ago, Anthropic launched a company-wide initiative to address this disparity by curating higher-quality, more representative training data across 10 of India’s most widely spoken languages: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Urdu.This effort has already led to measurable improvements in model fluency, with ongoing work focused on further enhancing multilingual performance.Anthropic is now collaborating with Karya and the Collective Intelligence Project to develop rigorous evaluation benchmarks that test model performance on locally relevant tasks. These evaluations span domains such as agriculture and law and are being designed in partnership with domain experts from leading Indian nonprofits, including Digital Green and Adalat AI.The evaluations will assess real-world utility in Indian contexts and are expected to inform future model improvements for Indic language speakers and sector-specific applications.

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