Union minister of communication Jyotiraditya Scindia

NEW DELHI: Union minister of communication Jyotiraditya Scindia strongly criticised a planned visit by Vivek Banzal, director (CFA) of the BSNL Board, to Prayagraj, which came under scrutiny for its highly detailed itinerary involving nearly 50 officials and extensive arrangements.Scindia condemned Banzal’s instructions as a “violation of established rules” and said a show-cause notice has been issued in response to the case.“I have made it very clear that this is improper and a violation of established rules and traditions. It is unacceptable to me. It is shocking. A show-cause notice has already been issued to the Director with a seven-day response period. We will take appropriate action,” Scindia said, as quoted by ANI.The proposed two-day visit, scheduled from February 25-26, was called off after the itinerary went viral on social media. Around 20 tasks were assigned to officials to manage every aspect of the trip, including transport, accommodation, and personal arrangements for Banzal.The office order detailed a tightly planned schedule, including bathing at the Sangam, a boat ride, and visits to Bade Hanuman Mandir, Akshayavat, and Patalpuri temples. ‘Snan’ kits were to include towels, undergarments, slippers, combs, mirrors, soap, shampoo, and oil — six male kits and two female kits in total. One bed sheet was also to be arranged for general use at the ghat. Hotel and Circuit House arrangements included dry fruits, fruit bowls, towels, toiletries, and shaving kits.A senior BSNL officer in Prayagraj, speaking on condition of anonymity to PTI, said the incident appeared to be “an attempt to tarnish (our) image” and declined to comment further.BSNL India, in a post on X on Saturday, stated, “BSNL has standing instructions in place regarding the manner in which official visits are to be handled. An instance of non-adherence to the same has been taken note of. The instance noted is not in conformity with the professional standards and values of BSNL. Appropriate action has been taken against the concerned. Further, instructions have been issued reiterating strict adherence to extant instructions. BSNL employees are reminded to strictly adhere to prescribed conduct rules and instructions in this regard.”

Suryakumar Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: India must stop overthinking match-ups and urgently return to selecting their best XI if they are to keep their T20 World Cup campaign alive, according to former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Following India’s crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa in the Super 8 stage, Ponting issued a blunt assessment ahead of their must-win clash against Zimbabwe in Chennai, urging the team management to simplify their approach.

“Listening to the commentary, the reason Axar didn’t play is because of the left-handers in the opposition side. But there’s still some right-handers there. It just comes down to the art of the captain of being able to use Axar at the right time,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.India’s decision to leave out Axar Patel raised eyebrows, especially with spin expected to play a major role on Indian surfaces. Ponting stressed that team balance must take priority over tactical match-up theories.“I would be going back to the basics. I’d be just looking at their lineup. Who’s our best XI for the conditions in Chennai?” he said.Ponting also threw his support behind bringing back wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, highlighting his ability to trouble all batters regardless of match-ups.“If it has Kuldeep Yadav in it, that’s the other one that I’d be thinking about bringing back because it doesn’t matter with him if it’s left-hand or right-hand. He can bowl wrong ones and spin the ball away from the outside edge.”Former India coach Ravi Shastri echoed similar views, insisting that experience and bowling depth were critical at this stage.“They have to bring him back. You need that experience,” Shastri said of Axar. “What you’re missing out on is that you’re not giving yourself that extra option of a bowler, which I think is important.”With their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread, India now face a simple but urgent task — pick their strongest XI and deliver immediately.

(AP photo)

The United States overpowered Russian and Chinese military tech presence in Venezuela and successfully ousted and captured the sitting president from a fortified complex in Caracas, President Donald Trump claimed, as he flaunted American military strength and taunted rival power centers in Moscow and Beijing.Trump mocked the Russian and Chinese military technology used by Venezuela, saying it failed to prevent leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife from being taken into custody by US forces under Operation Absolute Resolve.

Delivering the longest-ever State of the Union address, Trump took a sharp jibe, saying, “This was a major military installation, protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese military technologies. How did that go for them?”“American armed forces overwhelmed all defences of the enemy to end the reign of dictator Nicolas Maduro and bring him to justice,” he said. “This was an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the US and a bright new beginning for the people of Venezuela.”Trump also underlined what he described as collaboration from the government of Venezuela following the operation.He also invited Venezuelan opposition politician Enrique Márquez, who had been held as a political prisoner and was recently freed under an amnesty effort by the interim Venezuelan government following Maduro’s ouster, to the address as a surprise guest.The strike under Operation Absolute Resolve, demonstrated that US weapons and equipment remain highly effective, according to some regional officials and defence analysts. The United States deployed more than 150 aircraft and integrated electronic attack systems alongside other non‑kinetic capabilities to suppress Venezuelan defences and secure the capture of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their fortified compound in Caracas.Both Maduro and Flores were flown to the United States to face federal charges, including narco‑terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, in a rare and unprecedented legal action against a sitting head of state.According to Indo-Pacific Defense Forum, Beijing sold its JY‑27A radar to Venezuela and other countries, promoting it as capable of detecting stealth aircraft. The Chinese government claimed the long-range radar was reliable, mobile, and resistant to jamming, with the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation stating it could detect stealth aircraft at nearly 400 kilometers.During the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Maduro, however, the radar failed to detect American fighter jets and helicopters, allowing special operations forces to reach Caracas without resistance, according to Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.Venezuela had also invested about $2 billion in Russian S‑300 air defense missiles, support radar, and communications systems linked to the Chinese radar, along with Pantsir‑S1 gun-missile hybrids designed to counter drones and helicopters. Analysts reported that neither the S‑300s nor the Pantsir‑S1 fired during the operation.The episode can be seen as a failure for Chinese- and Russian-made defense systems in the scenario, particularly for Beijing, which markets its high-tech military equipment to foreign buyers.

MUMBAI: Four men from Wasseypur in Jharkhand were arrested Tuesday night for threatening a Borivali-based jeweller by posing as Lawrence Bishnoi gang members and demanding Rs 30 lakh. They have no connection with Bishnoi gang. The accused had left threat calls and messages on the jewellery store’s mobile number , warning that if money wasn’t paid “the jeweller would meet the same fate as Baba Siddiqui.”The four accused have been identified as Riyazuddin Bashir, 29, Mohammad Fayaz Mansuri, 27, Mohammad Ashraful, 36, and ⁠Mohammad Arbaz Ansari , 27. The police laid a trap for the accused and asked the jeweller to pretend he would pay them gold coins. When the men arrived to collect the gold coins, they were held. The accused were held from different locations in Mahim, Bandra and Jogeshwari. Police said the accused were involved in similar cases of extortion and threats at Vile Parle and DN Nagar which have solved with their arrest.On Feb 18, the jewellery store’s mobile number received a text from an internation number around 7.20 am. The text said, “Rs 30 lakh firauti tumko dena hai Lawrence Bishnoi giroh ko, agar manage na kiya toh jaise Baba Siddiqui ko mare hai, waisa hi tumko bhi maarenge…” Further, the text said that the money was to be arranged within 24 hours for Lawrence Bishnoi gang America, else the jeweller and his family would be gunned down. The store’s staff conveyed the text to the owner.Thereafter on Feb 19, a WhatsApp call was received on the store’s mobile number. The call was made from an international number. The caller asked why money had not been arranged and dared the staff to record the conversation. The caller reiterated death threats and said “nobody from Borivali would be able to save them”. The caller hung up. He called again sometime later, but the store staff did not answer. The store’s mobile phone then received a text which said the jeweller would be gunned down soon. The staff informed the store owner but nobody took the threats seriously.On Feb 21, fresh threats were received on the store’s mobile number at 3.10 am. At this, the store staff replied that they can pay up Rs 1 lakh at the most and they dont want to get involved any further. At this, the caller responded over text that “Rs 10 lakh is used by kids for buying cigarettes” and the jeweller should be ready to pay with his life. The staff bargained with the caller and asked for his bank account details to pay Rs 4 lakh. He said he would get back the next day as it was late at night. The store owner then asked the staff to lodge a police complaint.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

JPMorgan Chase shares fell moe than 4% this week as part of a broader sell-off in financial services stocks triggered by investor worries about artificial intelligence disrupting traditional payment systems. As reported by Wall Street Journal, a Citrini Research report suggested that AI could reshape the economy and undermine companies that profit from processing transactions, sending American Express down by 7% and Mastercard nearly 6%, and Visa more than 4%.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon pushes back

As reported by WSJ, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has dismissed the panic and said that fears about AI were exaggerated. “In my view, we’ll be a winner,” Dimon said at JPMorgan’s annual investor day in New York. “We always have the strategy to use technology to do a better job for customers, and we’re quite good at it.” Dimon, wearing a cast after treatment for arthritis and bone spurs, emphasized that the bank sees AI as an opportunity, not a threat.

JPMorgan says: CEO Jamie Dimon’s inclusion in Donald Trump’s $5 billion lawsuit is ‘fraudulent’

Recently, America’s largest bank JPMorgan and Chase accused the US President Donald Trump of fraudulently naming CEO Jamie Dimon in his $5 billion lawsuit over the closure of his accounts, arguing the move was designed to keep the case in Floria state court. As reported by Bloomberg, in a Thursday filling (February 19), the bank asked to move the case to federal court in Miami, with plans to later transfer it to New York. JPMorgan said Trump’s claim that Dimon directed the bank to ‘blackist’ him and his businesses was not supported under Florida’s unfair trade practices law. The bank believes that Dimon was “fraudulently joined” to avoid federal jurisdiction.

For the uninitiated, Trump sued JPMorgan and Dimon in January this year, seeking at least $5 billion in damages for allegedly ‘debanking’ him and his companies for political reasons. His legal team insists that Dimon personally directed the bank to backlist Trump, his family, and businesses, causing “overwhelming financial and reputational harm.”

HUBBALI: Until last Thursday, Paul Garwood had never heard of Hubballi. When he discovered it was a potential venue for the Ranji Trophy final, the London-based banker searched for the town, studied its geography, applied for an Indian visa and booked his ticket.At a time when interest in domestic cricket often takes a back seat, the Englishman’s decision to fly across continents to watch a Ranji final stands out — particularly with the ICC T20 World Cup underway.

As Paul landed in the north Karnataka city and prepared to watch his first domestic match in India, he was brimming with quiet excitement.“I’m a cricket and an Indian nut from the south of England,” said Paul, who hails from Suffolk. “I started coming to India three or four years ago and watched matches in Indore and Dharamshala. And here I am in Hubballi to watch the Ranji Trophy final, which I’m very much looking forward to.”A confessed connoisseur of Indian cuisine — with a particular fondness for south Indian fare — Paul sees his trips as a blend of cricket and culture.On choosing the Ranji final over the T20 World Cup, he said. “I’d love to have seen the World Cup. However, I couldn’t make the dates work. And honestly, I’d rather watch three or four days of solid cricket rather than a match that lasts 40 overs.”A club-level spinner who turns out for Mistley Cricket Club back home, Paul has followed India’s premier domestic competition over the past few weeks.“I’d positioned myself to be away from work and potentially watch the World Cup, and it didn’t work out. So I googled Ranji Trophy fixtures and saw that this week was the final. I was probably the only person in England following the Ranji Trophy semifinals,” he said with a laugh.With the Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir teams in the final, Paul waited to learn the host city.“When I saw the two finalists were Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir, I didn’t know where either would have their base. I thought it could be Bengaluru,” he admitted. “And when I saw Hubballi, I thought it sounded like something out of a Willy Wonka film. Then I thought, “I’ve never been this far south in India — it could be fun.”For Paul, the draw is not a particular team but the cricket itself.“I just want to see a few good days of competitive cricket,” said Paul, who has been raised on a steady diet of Indian greats with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath being among his favourites.

Paul Garwood with Rohit Sharma

Garwood’s journey is a reminder that the Love for the red cherry still travels far, in his case London to Hubballi.

Pakistan‘s journey in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has taken a dramatic downturn, and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has added fuel to the conversation. After Pakistan’s narrow defeat to England, their hopes of reaching the semifinals have been reduced to a mathematical miracle. Pathan did not hold back, taking aim at sections of Pakistan’s media, accusing them of piling unnecessary pressure on their own players.

With just one point from their first two matches — a rain-abandoned opener against New Zealand and a heartbreaking loss to England — Pakistan now find themselves relying heavily on other results and favourable circumstances to stay alive in the tournament.

Taking to social media platform X, Pathan criticised what he termed as ‘troll media,’ suggesting that constant scrutiny and negativity have hurt Pakistan’s ability to perform under pressure.

According to Pathan, the same voices that mock India after rare defeats often go silent when Pakistan stumble. He emphasized that this double standard creates a toxic environment for players who are already dealing with the intense expectations of a global tournament.

His comments have sparked widespread debate among fans across both nations, with many agreeing that excessive criticism and sensationalism can weigh heavily on athletes during high-stakes competitions.

“This Pakistan’s team doesn’t handle pressure well. Pakistan struggles have a lot to do with their own troll media as well. They don’t genuinely support the team,they constantly put them under tremendous pressure. It’s all about “reach” for them. They flood Indian social media timeline when India loses (which is rare), but disappear like mice when their own team loses. N here we don’t even care when they don’t play us. Unless we are working on that particular game,” wrote Pathan on X.

This Pakistan’s team doesn’t handle pressure well. Pakstan struggles have a lot to do with their own troll media as well. They don’t genuinely support the team,they constantly put them under tremendous pressure. It’s all about “reach” for them.

They flood Indian social media…

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 24, 2026

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Shaheen Afridi reveals reason behind Pakistan’s defeat against England in Super 8 clash

Pakistan’s campaign hanging by a thread

Pakistan’s path to the semifinals is now extremely complicated. Even if they win their final group-stage match against Sri Lanka, they can reach a maximum of three points. Meanwhile, England have already confirmed their semifinal berth with four points.

The remaining qualification battle appears to be between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, both of whom still have two games in hand. For Pakistan, it is no longer just about winning — it is about hoping other results fall perfectly into place.

Such scenarios are never comfortable for teams. Instead of controlling their destiny, Pakistan now wait anxiously on outcomes beyond their influence.

Also READ: What does Jofra Archer’s ‘C’ celebration mean? England pacer sparks buzz after Saim Ayub’s wicket in T20 World Cup 2026

CHATRA: A family sinking in debt after a medical emergency required them to hire an air ambulance for Rs 8 lakh. A young pilot days away from going on leave for a close friend’s wedding. An anaesthetist who stepped in for a colleague at the last moment.These are some of the stories that lie buried in the debris of the Delhi-bound Beechcraft C90 charter that crashed into a forest in Jharkhand’s Chatra on Monday evening, killing all seven people on board. The aircraft had taken off from Ranchi less than 30 minutes earlier, ferrying hotel owner Sanjay Kumar to Delhi’s Ganga Ram Hospital for treatment of burns suffered in an LPG cylinder explosion on Feb 16. Among the seven crash victims were Sanjay’s wife Archana Devi and the couple’s teenage nephew Dhruv Kumar. The family had taken loans and borrowed from relatives to fund Sanjay’s treatment.

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The family had taken loans and borrowed from relatives to fund Sanjay’s treatment after the accident at his roadside hotel, which he jointly ran with his brother. In 2004, Maoists killed Sanjay’s father.Sanjay and Archana’s two teenage sons — Shivam (13) and Shubham (17) — have barely uttered a word since the latest tragedy to befall their family. Their greatgrandfather, Baleshwar Sahu, breaks down every time someone talks about Sanjay.A relative said the family paid Rs 6 lakh in advance for the air ambulance flight and borrowed Rs 2 lakh from someone in Latehar.“Who could have imagined they were paying for a journey to death rather than life,” a relative said.The family of 34-year-old anaesthetist Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, posted at Ranchi Sadar hospital, said he wasn’t supposed to be on that flight until a request came in at 5pm. “He didn’t think twice. For him, the patient always came first,” a relative said.Vikas, a native of Bihar’s Aurangabad, had been part of multiple air evacuations. “I spoke to him minutes before the aircraft took off. Main barbad ho gaya (I am finished),” his father Bajrangi Prasad Gupta said.Dev Sahay Bhagat, an executive engineer with the rural works department in Chatra, was in his native village of Luti when he received news of the crash. One of the two pilots was his son Vivek Vikas Bhagat, 28. Vivek, who had logged 1,700-odd flying hours, had applied for leave from Feb 27 and was “excited” about a friend’s upcoming wedding, his family said.The co-pilot of the aircraft, Savrajdeep Singh, was a resident of Amritsar with over 300 flying hours to his name. A five-member technical team from aviation regulator DGCA and three officials of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) arrived in Jharkhand on Tuesday to investigate the crash near Simaria in Chatra district. The district administration sealed the site till the team’s arrival. The state govt has also ordered its own probe into the incident.In Kolkata, ATC officials said the pilots didn’t send out any distress call before the aircraft went off the radar at 7.34pm Monday. Minutes before the crash, the captain sought permission for “a deviation due to inclement weather”, they said.

Axar Patel with teammates. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: India’s crushing defeat to South Africa may have dented their semi-finals hopes, but former head coach Ravi Shastri believes the setback could be the “shake-up” the title favourites desperately needed — provided they respond immediately.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking ahead of the must-win Super 8 clash against Zimbabwe, Shastri warned that another slip could push India to the brink of elimination.“You win 12 matches on the trot, there’s bound to be an off day. And I’m glad it has come early. It might just be the shakeup India needed,” Shastri said. “It might also make them rethink their strategy as to the composition of the side going ahead.”

India’s 76-run loss ended a dominant run and left them with no margin for error. Shastri made it clear that the team must quickly learn and adapt.“They would have learned from that last experience that they’re not going to take things for granted because in this Super Eight if you lose one more match, then you’re really putting yourself under serious pressure,” he cautioned.ALSO READ: What India must do to stay alive at T20 World CupAxar Patel’s return key to revivalShastri stressed that India must urgently strengthen their bowling options, calling for the immediate return of vice-captain Axar Patel.

“They have to bring him back. You need that experience. I would say play both,” he said, referring to Axar and Washington Sundar. “Give yourself that extra option. Because on a given day, you’re bound to have one bowler who’s going to have an off day.”He also dismissed concerns about batting depth if Axar returns.“If eight batters can’t do the job in T20 cricket, then something’s wrong, especially with that kind of firepower,” Shastri said. “Where you’re missing out is you’re not giving yourself that extra option of a bowler, which I think is important.”For India, the equation is simple now. The warning signs have arrived. The shake-up has happened. Their semi-final fate will depend on how quickly they respond.