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WINE, VINES & A PERFECT GETAWAY

A long-awaited one-day vineyard getaway from Bengaluru is finally possible now; and it's as delightful as it is unexpected and affordable...

Boy who evolved as a match-winner

BACK then, few would have imagined a young boy from West Mambalam, Chennai, who enjoyed playing tennis ball cricket with his father Ravichandran, would one day go on to play for his state and then take 537 wickets for India in Tests.

Halep gets wildcard for Oz Open qualifier

SIMONA HALEP was handed a wildcard for Australian Open qualifying on Wednesday as the two-time Grand Slam champion attempts to ramp up her return to tennis following a doping ban.

PKL: Tamil Thalaivas rout Warriorz 60-29

MOEIN SHAFAGHI and Himanshu dished out superb performances as Tamil Thalaivas thrashed Bengal Warriorz 60-29 in their Pro Kabaddi League match here on Wednesday.

EVENTFUL CONTEST BEFORE RAIN FORCES A DRAW

IN the end, the result only seemed fitting. On a day that saw eight wickets fall in 24.1 overs in just over five hours and multiple rain and thunderstorm breaks, India and Australia shook hands to call it a draw at 3.25 PM (local time).

Navy's Kiran sails past stars to corner nat'l glory

UP against two established rivals, Navy's Kiran Ankush Jadhav held his own to come out on top in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event of the ongoing national shooting championship at the MP State Academy Shooting range in Bhopal on Wednesday.

Vinicius, Bonmati FIFA Best players of the year

REAL Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior won the FIFA Best men's player of the year award at a ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, while Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati picked up the women's prize for the second time.

Sensex sheds 2k points in 3 sessions ahead of Fed decision

AFTER recovering over the past three weeks following two months of selling, domestic equity market is once again under pressure as investors adopt a cautious stance ahead of the crucial Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting outcome on Wednesday night.

GIC buys majority stake in AHH for $150 mn

AHH sees growth in specialty healthcare enterprises

Infosys inaugurates new campus in Kolkata

IT services company Infosys on Wednesday announced the inauguration of its new development centre (DC) in Kolkata.

Govt appoints Rama Mohan Rao as SBI MD

THE government has appointed Rama Mohan Rao Amara as the fourth managing director of State Bank of India, the country's largest lender informed the exchanges on Wednesday.

GST Council may lower tax rate on insurance premium

THE 55th GST Council meeting in Jaisalmer is likely to take a decision on tax rate on insurance premium, as per finance ministry sources.

Sebi tightens norms for SME IPOs

Tighter norms include higher profitability threshold, lower cap on OFS proceeds for listing

Centre's net direct tax collection rises 16.5% to ₹15.82 lakh crore till Dec 17

THE central government's net direct tax collection for 2024-25 has soared 16.5% to ₹15.82 lakh crore till December 17, 2024, thanks to healthy personal income tax collections even as growth in corporate taxes remained moderate.

Mobikwik, Vishal Mega Mart, Sai Life Sciences make blockbuster market debut

FINTECH firm One MobiKwik Systems made a blockbuster debut on the stock exchanges on Wednesday as its shares got listed at ₹440 apiece on the NSE, a significant premium of 57.71% against the issue price of ₹279.

Sunita's stay in space just got extended

NASA's two stuck astronauts just got their space mission extended again.

IMF flexible on rigid state revenue tax, says Lankan prez Dissanayake

PRESIDENT Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Wednesday announced that Sri Lanka has achieved flexibility with the IMF on its rigid state revenue tax regime, something that was part of his election promise.

Lawmakers in Iran push for softening tough hijab bill

IRANIAN lawmakers have asked to amend a bill that would impose tougher penalties on women who refuse to wear the mandatory hijab, local media reported on Wednesday.

Uzbek man held for senior Russian general's murder

Suspect promised reward of $100,000, plus residency in EU: FSB

US eases H1-B rules for special skills

THE outgoing Biden administration has relaxed rules for H-1B visas that will make it easier for American companies to hire foreign workers with special skills and facilitate a smoother transition from F-1 student visas to H-1B visas, a move that is likely to benefit thousands of Indian tech professionals.

Nitish face of NDA in Bihar elections: JD(U)

THE JD(U) on Wednesday said that the NDA would contest the Bihar assembly elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, irrespective of what formula was decided for the polls.

SP legislator moves HC against arrest in Sambhal chaos

SAMAJWADI leader and MP from Sambhal Ziaur-Rehman Barq has moved Allahabad High Court seeking protection from arrest in a case registered against him for Sambhal violence.

HC adjourns pleas on ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday adjourned two petitions seeking direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake further surveys at Gyanvapi mosque premises.

Cong leader dies after falling sick in teargas shells

AN Assam Congress leader died after falling sick due to the tear gas shells thrown at party workers during the \"Raj Bhavan Chalo\" march in Guwahati on Wednesday.

MP's tribal districts top list of malnourished kids

UNDERWEIGHT & FAMISHED

Paper leak: HC rejects plea against blacklisting of J'khand exam agency

A day after staying the results of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination, the Jharkhand High Court rejected a petition challenging the blacklisting of the agency that conducted the examination.

Diljit's Chandigarh concert exceeded noise level limits

THE Chandigarh administration told the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday that the noise levels exceeded the prescribed limits during Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh's concert here on Saturday and that \"strict action\" has been recommended against the violators.

Believe it or not! Gujarat tantric goes to govt hospital ICU to cure patients

AN occultist gained access to the ICU of a government hospital in Gujarat, one of Asia's most renowned hospitals, and performed rituals to \"cure\" a patient, triggering outrage among the public.

Oppn turns heat on govt over Shah remarks, seeks apology

AS the political row over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar escalated on Wednesday, the Opposition parties demanded the minister's resignation.

Robust framework in place to counter drug trafficking: Govt

THE Centre on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that it has been taking measures jointly with state governments to strengthen the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other enforcement agencies to ensure effective implementation of the anti-drug law to curb trafficking of the banned substances across India's borders with other countries.