IndiGo, the country’s largest airline is set to go on a hiring spree, bringing over 1,000 pilots on board. This comes after the aviation giant faced massive operational disruption last December, when the company was forced to cancel more than 5,000 flights within seven days.The fresh intake will span trainee first officers, senior first officers and commanders. A recruitment notice shows the carrier is also ready to accept applicants without time on the Airbus A320, the workhorse aircraft across its network, ET reported.Under the updated framework, the number of landings permitted between 12 am and 6 am has been limited, while the mandatory weekly rest period for pilots has gone up.A review carried out by the irectorate General of Civil Aviation concluded that the airline had neither hired in line with the new rules nor accelerated its training capacity. This, the probe noted, resulted in pilots being stretched through repeated reassignments, lengthier duty spans and greater use of deadheading, in which crew are moved as passengers to operate flights elsewhere.

Stepping up expansion

A senior official, as cited by ET, maintained that IndiGo is now lining up a steady supply of cockpit crew to keep pace with rapid aircraft additions. The airline’s in-house system is currently upgrading about 20–25 first officers to captain each month. Now, alongside hiring, the carrier has begun adjusting its network planning to create more breathing space in daily operations. From almost no buffer in December, the margin has been raised to 3% this month. Standby crew availability has also been lifted to a minimum of 15%.Fleet expansion is continuing at a brisk rate, with roughly four aircraft joining the airline every month on average.Training remains a long lead activity. Trainee first officers require around six months before they are cleared to operate, while promotion to captaincy demands at least 1,500 hours of flying, though airlines may prescribe stricter benchmarks.While the regulator’s baseline requirement is three sets of pilots per aircraft, including one captain and one first officer, IndiGo’s intense utilisation levels push its need to well over twice that figure.Figures placed during the inquiry into the December episode showed the airline needed 2,422 captains but had 2,357.

DGCA findings

After the disruption, the watchdog stepped in with temporary relaxations, suspending night-duty restriction rules until February 10.In its assessment, the DGCA said there was an overriding focus on maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft, and network resources, which significantly reduced roster buffer margins.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that the airline structured its crew schedules to extract the longest possible duty hours, leaning heavily on deadheading, tail swaps and stretched work patterns while leaving very little room for recovery. It noted that such planning weakened roster integrity and hurt operational resilience.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 witnessed a dramatic early breakthrough when Netherlands pacer Kyle Klein produced a fiery moment that quickly went viral. During the USA vs Netherlands clash, Klein dismissed Shayan Jahangir with a peach of a delivery and followed it up with a ‘You can’t see me’ celebration — famously associated with WWE superstar John Cena. The animated send-off added extra spice to an already intense contest.

Kyle Klein’s iconic John Cena celebration after removing Shayan Jahangir

The moment came on the fifth ball of the third over. Charging in with rhythm, Klein bowled a 132.9 kph delivery that was fuller than a length and angled into the right-hander. There appeared to be just a hint of movement off the surface, enough to create uncertainty.

Jahangir, looking to break free, planted his feet and attempted an ambitious cross-batted swing. However, his feet remained cemented to the crease and the bat came down too late. The ball beat him on the outside edge and crashed into the stumps, sending the bails flying. It was a classic fast-bowler’s dismissal — pace, angle, and precision combining perfectly.

As the stumps lit up, Klein turned towards the batter and performed the iconic ‘You can’t see me’ hand gesture, reminiscent of Cena’s trademark move. The celebration instantly grabbed attention from fans and commentators alike, adding theatre to the contest.

Here’s the video:

Also READ: Fans erupt as Blessing Muzarabani’s bowling brilliance propel Zimbabwe to historic win over Australia in T20 World Cup 2026

USA recover to post commanding total

Despite the early setback, USA recovered brilliantly to put up a formidable total of 196/6 in their 20 overs. The innings was anchored by a splendid knock from Saiteja Mukkamalla, who played with maturity and flair.

Mukkamalla smashed 79 off 51 deliveries, striking five boundaries and four towering sixes. He paced his innings expertly, accelerating through the middle overs and keeping the scoreboard ticking under pressure. His ability to find gaps and clear the ropes at crucial junctures gave USA the momentum they needed.

Adding late fireworks was Shubham Ranjane, who delivered a powerful unbeaten cameo. Ranjane hammered 48 off just 24 balls, including three fours and two sixes. His calculated aggression in the death overs ensured USA finished strongly, turning a competitive score into a daunting one.

Bas de Leede leads Dutch bowling effort

For the Netherlands, Bas de Leede emerged as the standout bowler. The all-rounder picked up 3 wickets for 37 runs in his four overs, providing crucial breakthroughs at important stages of the innings. His variations and control kept the American batters in check whenever partnerships threatened to grow too large.

However, the Dutch bowlers struggled collectively to contain USA’s aggressive approach, especially in the final five overs where the run rate surged dramatically.

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Junaid Siddique, Aryansh Sharma sizzle in UAE’s thrilling win over Canada

Mumbai: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is designing post-retirement income products to outperform conventional annuities while sustaining the double-digit accumulation returns under the National Pension System, chairman Sivasubramanian Ramann said.Addressing the PFRDA Retire Smart India event in association with TOI, Ramann said the brief goes beyond tweaks. “The biggest challenge that PFRDA has got is to put a pension account in each Indian’s hand,” he said, as the regulator pushes corporate adoption.Current rules require 20% of corpus to buy insurer annuities, which are often criticised for modest, inflexible payouts. The regulator is weighing alternatives. “We have to create a product which goes beyond what we call the accumulation phase,” Ramann said, signalling fixed-period, structured payouts rather than life-only streams.The proposed Minimum Assured Return Scheme offers predictable, risk-averse returns. Sponsors cover shortfalls; subscribers share surpluses. Higher fees and defined lock-ins may support long-term sustainability, creating a capital-protected retirement option for new and existing investors.To widen reach, the regulator is going digital-first with low-friction onboarding through UPI apps, targeting informal and self-employed workers. Platform tie-ups with food delivery, ride-hailing, and home services firms aim to enable small, regular contributions for long-term savings by workers “we typically see at our doorstep”.On performance, even conservative NPS options delivered about 9.3% annual returns over a decade, while others posted double digits. An expert committee is charting a future asset-allocation roadmap, including exposure to new asset classes over time.Succession planning is being tightened. Recordkeeping agencies will enable seamless nominee transfers. On tax treatment, he said, “By some unfortunate circumstance, if you do not survive in this world up to 85, you are very well placed within NPS to transfer those assets from your account to your successor’s account.” Such transfers avoid capital gains because “NPS is not a capital asset, it is income.”Speaking to the media, Ramann said that to improve returns, the regulator is looking at allowing new asset classes and is even considering permitting participation in project loans. The PFRDA launched the NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme in Jan as a pilot project to integrate pension savings with healthcare needs. It allows subscribers to save for medical emergencies and save on insurance costs by opting only for a top-up cover over the Swasthya corpus.Ramann said that the focus has pivoted toward private-sector, self-employed and informal workers, while easing features for existing subscribers. There has been some tweaking of the govt pension, and employees can now opt for higher equity exposure under auto choice. Voluntary subscribers face a lower mandatory annuity purchase of 20% versus 40% earlier. The system now recognises 15 years as “long-term savings,” allows participation till 85, and adds a partial-withdrawal window.

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday frowned on Himachal Pradesh HC’s repeated interference in the state govt’s decisions and said it appeared that the high court was not allowing the elected govt to function. SC warned that it would view such interference seriously in future.Despite these oral remarks, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the HC had rightly rejected the Himachal govt’s reliance on the ongoing delimitation process to seek postponement of local body elections by six months. “Pendency of delimitation exercise cannot be a ground to seek postponement of elections,” the bench said.It also said the HC was right in saying that holding timely elections to urban local bodies, municipalities and nagar panchayats had been mandated by the Constitution. There are around 3,500 gram panchayats, 90 panchayat samitis, 11 zila parishads and 71 urban local bodies in HP, the majority of which go to polls this year.Taking into consideration the logistics and problems of accessibility to remote areas in winter, the bench extended the HC’s April 30 deadline for completion of local body elections by a month to May 31.Appearing for the petitioner, on whose plea the HC had asked the delimitation exercise to be completed before Feb 28, senior advocate Maninder Singh told the bench that the high court had set the deadline keeping in mind the fact that nation-wide Census work would commence from May 1. It was the state election commission that had cited this fact before SC, he said.For the state govt, senior advocate V Giri said the HC should have kept the logistics in mind while setting the deadline for completion of civic body elections.The CJI-led bench in its order said, “The direction by the HC that elections to local bodies are required to be held after the expiry of their tenure as per constitutional mandate does not warrant any interference.”“However, having regard to logistic difficulties, we modify the time schedule and direct that all preparatory work be completed before March 31 instead of Feb 28. Elections shall be conducted within eight weeks thereafter, that is positively before May 31. No application for extension of time will be entertained,” the bench said.

Mumbai: The Mira-Bhayander flyover, part of Metro Line 9, will undergo a mandatory third-party road safety audit before opening to traffic, after which Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to operationalise it in phases with only one lane in each direction beyond Golden Nest Circle, officials said.The arrangement will remain in place till the required Development Plan (DP) land is handed over by the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) for widening of the ramp section.

The flyover forms a key component of the Dahisar East-Mira Bhayander Metro Line 9 double-decker corridor carrying both metro and road traffic. According to MMRDA, the structure has been constructed as per Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards and approvals granted during 2020-21, and the lane configuration was part of the original sanctioned design.Up to Golden Nest Circle — one of the busiest junctions in the Mira-Bhayander belt — the flyover will function with a full 2+2 lane configuration to ease congestion at the junction. Beyond the circle, however, limited right-of-way, railway proximity and pending DP land acquisition restrict ramp width, and the approved plan provides a 1+1 lane arrangement in that stretch. Officials said the phased opening is an interim traffic arrangement aligned with site constraints until MBMC hands over additional land.The project had sparked controversy after motorists pointed out that the double-decker flyover appeared to suddenly narrow into two lanes, raising fears of a bottleneck. Authorities clarified that the narrowing is temporary and consistent with the sanctioned design.MMRDA has made third-party road safety assessment compulsory for its road projects over and above IRC compliance norms, and the flyover will open only after implementation of recommendations made in the audit.Traffic engineering provisions include merging transition zones, lane delineators, crash barriers, height restriction for heavy vehicles, reflective signage and rumble strips, all to be executed at the contractor’s cost.The design also includes a proposed 970-metre elevated arm crossing the Western Railway line towards Bhayander West, which will be taken up once land becomes available. Once fully completed, the flyover is expected to ease congestion along Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road and improve connectivity between Mira Road and Bhayander, officials said.

Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan (PTI Photo)

Following his match-winning knock against Namibia in the ICC T20 World Cup clash in Delhi, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan opened up about the advice he received from all-rounder Hardik Pandya after losing his BCCI central contract in 2024. Kishan revealed how Hardik urged him not to dwell on the setback but to make the most of every opportunity in domestic cricket.Kishan’s explosive 24-ball 61, along with Hardik’s blazing 28-ball 52 and two wickets, powered India to a commanding 93-run win over Namibia. After the game, the two shared a light-hearted conversation about their performances and the tough phase Kishan endured following the loss of his contract over alleged lack of commitment to red-ball and domestic cricket.

Interestingly, Hardik himself was navigating a challenging period in early 2024. After returning to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans — where he had led the side to an IPL title — he was appointed MI captain. The decision triggered heavy backlash from sections of fans loyal to former skipper Rohit Sharma, with loud boos and criticism greeting Hardik at several venues.During this period, Hardik and Ishan spent considerable time together, bonding and training extensively. Determined to respond with performances, Kishan piled on the runs in domestic cricket. He began with a century for India-C in the Duleep Trophy, followed by 38 in the Irani Cup. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, he struck a century for Jharkhand. He also impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 316 runs in seven matches in the latter at an average of over 45 and a strike rate exceeding 128, including a hundred.Kishan carried that momentum into the IPL, scoring 354 runs in his debut season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, including a century against Rajasthan Royals. A stint with Nottinghamshire in County cricket saw him register two fifties. He then led Jharkhand to their maiden SMAT title, topping the charts with 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and two fifties. A breathtaking 39-ball 125 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Karnataka further strengthened his case for national selection.His return to India’s T20I squad against New Zealand proved fruitful, as he emerged as the second-highest run-getter with 215 runs at an average of 53.75 and a strike rate of over 231, including a century and a fifty. Notably, there was marked improvement in his off-side play and six-hitting ability.When he brought up his maiden T20I century against New Zealand in Kerala, Hardik was at the non-striker’s end, sharing an emotional hug as Kishan reached the milestone.Reflecting on his time away, Kishan said that although he is “not the kind of person to stay quiet”, Hardik advised him to let his bat do the talking.“I am usually not the kind of person who will keep quiet, but because I was in touch with him and he was like, ‘It’s up to you whether you want to talk to somebody about it or go negative about it. It is in your hand’. And that was playing cricket and scoring runs. And doing well in whichever tournaments I was playing in. Credit also goes to him (for helping him in his India comeback),” said Kishan.Hardik, meanwhile, recalled Kishan’s century against the Kiwis with pride, highlighting the journey they have shared.“The rhythm in which you smashed it, the way the ball left your bat, I was extremely happy. For the last two years, you have worked really hard behind the scenes, kept quiet. Even when the opportunity did not come, you were still smiling, keeping the spirit high and working hard,” said Hardik.“Hard work is supposed to happen when no one is watching. And that is the actual benefit. No matter what happens in life, do not be a crybaby. Get up in the morning, work hard, put your head down and sleep. Again, repeat it. He has taken the torch, responded with the bat, and I am really proud of it,” the all-rounder concluded.

Valentine’s Day has a way of sneaking up on us every year. One minute you’re minding your business, and the next minute your phone is full of heart emojis, couple photos, and people declaring their undying love on Instagram. And whether you’re madly in love, secretly crushing, happily single, or somewhere in between, this day still makes you feel something.

Valentine’s Day has a way of sneaking up on us every year. One minute you’re minding your business, and the next minute your phone is full of heart emojis, couple photos, and people declaring their undying love on Instagram.

And whether you’re madly in love, secretly crushing, happily single, or somewhere in between, this day still makes you feel something. So if you’re staring at your phone thinking, “What do I even say this year?” Relax. I’ve got you. Here’s a big, honest, no-cringe collection of Valentine’s Day wishes and messages you can send in 2026. For your partner. Your crush. Your best friend. Even that one person who drives you mad but still owns a tiny piece of your heart.

For your partner (the one who knows all your moods)

And some days you don’t need poetry. You just need to say what’s real.

For your crush (aka butterflies with anxiety)

Crushes are awkward. Let them be awkward. That’s half the charm.

For your best friend (your emotional support human)

Friendship deserves this day too. Honestly, sometimes more

For long-distance love (when love lives on screens)

For the one you love quietly

For yourself (because yes, you count)

Short and sweet texts (when you just need one line)

Valentine’s Day doesn’t need grand speeches or perfect words. Half the time, the simplest message is the one that hits the hardest. And it doesn’t have to be romantic to be real. Love shows up in friendships. In quiet support. In staying. In choosing someone again and again, even on the boring days. So send that text. Drop that message. Say the thing you’ve been holding back. Because one honest line can mean more than a hundred fancy words.