England go on top of Group 2 with four points after beating Pakistan, on Tuesday, by two wickets at the Pallakele International Cricket Stadium. A Harry Brook century helped the three lions to win the game against Salman Ai Agha’s side. England became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Brook who promoted himself at No.3 played a captain’s knock of 100 off 51 deliveries as he showed controlled aggression and delivered a captain’s knock on one of the most important matches for England, where other batters failed to get many runs. Will Jacks played a crucial knock of 28 runs off 23 balls and was more of an anchor.

Pakistan qualification scenario revealed

After this loss Pakistan’s qualification scenario for the semi-final has been jeopardized. With one loss against England and one washout in the first game against New Zealand, without a ball being bowled. They currently have one point and sit second in the league table. A win for Pakistan in their next game against Sri Lanka will not confirm their berth to the last four.

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Other than that, they have to keep an eye on the remaining two games in Group 2 with New Zealand playing England and Sri Lanka playing New Zealand. Sri Lanka and New Zealand may overtake the Men in Green with two wins each. That means the Kiwis and the Island nation cannot win more than one match.

If Mitchell Santner’s side beat co-hosts on February 25, they cannot beat England on February 27. Next Sri Lanka needs to win against the Black Caps. Pakistan will not want the Kiwis to beat the three lions by a large margin. This means that the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match on February 28 will determine who advances to the semifinals.

Pakistan’s batting has been flop

Coming to the match, Pakistan won the toss elected to bat first. Shaheen Shah Afridi made a comeback to the side, with Faheem Ashraf sitting out. Pakistan lost Saim Ayub early as he was dismissed by Jofra Archer.

The Pakistan batters once again failed to get big runs, except Sahibzada Farhan, who has been the leading run scorer for the side and in the tournament as well with 283 runs. He scored 63 off 45 balls, with no other batter scoring past 30 runs.

Pakistan failed to perform against quality opponents

While chasing, England lost the two openers inside three overs, Phil Salt getting out on the first ball, and Jos Buttler went back after scoring two runs. Harry Brook promoted himself from No.5 to No.3 when the three lions were struggling, the skipper took his time and almost finished the match with 10 needed off the last three overs.

Pakistan at the very end turned it around picking two quick wickets in the 19th over. However, Salman Ali Agha’s side failed to get over the line, as it has been a problem against quality opponents, they have failed to keep up the momentum of the game despite having early wickets in the game.

Also Read: Fans go berserk as England beat Pakistan; compare Harry Brook with Virat Kohli

NEW DELHI: Jolted by two crashes involving small charter aircraft within a month that killed 12 people, India may soon rank non scheduled operator permit (NSOP) or charter and private jet operators based on their safety record.While this ranking is proposed to be released on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) website, operators will now mandatorily have to disclose “critical safety information on their websites, including aircraft age, maintenance history, and pilot experience.” This will be done to ensure people are “fully informed about the standards” of the aircraft they charter.Also, there will now be stricter penalties for operators violating norms regarding aircraft or crew utilisation. While pilots found violating flight duty time limitations (FDTL) or attempting to land below safety minima may face license suspensions of up to five years, operators not meeting compliance standards will have their licenses suspended.The regulator Tuesday met all NSOP or charter/private jet operators to “address a recent surge in aviation incidents” and emphasise on “critical need for increased focus on safety.” Non-adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), inadequate flight planning, and training deficiencies were identified and the primary cause of accidents at this meeting.Following the meet, the DGCA issued “new measures aimed at enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toward safety compromises within the NSOP sector.” These include:Prioritising safety over commercial interests: The regulator has directed that safety must supersede all commercial considerations, charter commitments or VIP movements. It reaffirmed that the pilot-in-command’s decision to divert, delay, or cancel a flight for safety reasons is final and must be respected by operators without commercial consequences.Enhanced oversight and accountability: Apart from DGCA doing safety ranking of NSOPs and the latter disclosing their fleet and crew information, the regulator will The authority will conduct increased random cockpit voice recorder (CVR) audits and cross-verify fuel records, and technical logs to detect unauthorised operations or falsifying of data.”Accountable managers and senior leadership will be held personally responsible for systemic non-compliances, safety lapses cannot simply be blamed on pilots,” the regulator says. There will now be increased monitoring of older aircraft and those undergoing ownership changes. NSOPs that run their own maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities will be audited. “Those found lacking adequacy will be required to outsource maintenance to approved organisations.”The regulator has found weather-related accidents are “often the result of poor judgment rather than unpredictability of weather.” Operators are mandated to establish real-time weather update systems and strict compliance of established SOPs. Additionally, recurrent training for pilots must have greater emphasis on weather awareness strategies and decision-making in uncontrolled environments.To address systemic weaknesses in decision-making and to ensure operational discipline, the regulator is implementing several immediate measures. A senior official who was at the meeting said: “The message is clear to NSOP operators: Either operate with 100% compliance of all norms or surrender your licence and go home. They have to fall in line or be out of business.”

NEW DELHI: Global communications company Viasat on Tuesday said societies cannot function without reliable access to space, describing satellite communications as the “dual use oxygen” that supports missions ranging from weather forecasting to early warning systems.“Without assured, resilient global SatCom, we would all be in the dark,” Ben Palmer, President of Viasat Commercial, said while addressing the opening plenary session at the DefSat 2026 conference held at New Delhi’s Manekshaw Centre on Tuesday. Highlighting the strategic importance of assured spectrum access and resilient satellite communications, Palmer underscored the role of these technologies in safeguarding national security and sustaining economic stability.Palmer stressed on the necessity of assured connectivity across alternate orbits and radio frequency bands. He also said, “We’re looking at ways to ensure govts have access to assured connectivity via alternate orbits and alternate radio frequency spectrum. We are innovating to deliver cyber and EW resilience, access to different spectrum and new ways to deliver these key enabling capabilities.”The three-day dialogue, which convenes military leadership, policymakers, and industry partners, focused on the future of space-enabled security. The discussion also addressed the increasing use of uncrewed systems in modern conflict.Palmer pointed to recent developments in Ukraine as evidence of how such platforms achieve military effects without risking personnel. He explained that Viasat is focused on developing compact terminals, some no larger than a coffee cup, to provide beyond line-of-sight communications for tactical uncrewed platforms.Regarding India’s strategic position, Palmer acknowledged the govt’s approach to space sovereignty as “long term, strategic and wise”. He said that India’s resistance to market dominance by others in international fora helps maintain freedom of choice. “The grand strategic approach which the Govt of India is adopting to assure its space sovereignty is impressive. This isn’t just about ‘Make in India’ and assuring freedom of operation, it’s also about the responsible, pragmatic approach that India has adopted,” he said. Viasat, which recently integrated Inmarsat, continues to partner with local institutions like BSNL to build domestic capabilities.Besides exhibition by defence and space startups at Manekshaw Centre, DefSat 2026 witnessed eminent military, defence, space and cyberspace experts as part of panel discussions. Building on the success of its first three editions, collectively drawing 500+ participants from 20+ countries, 80+ speakers and representation from 60+ organisations, DefSat 2026 (Feb 24–26) on Day 1 featured a broad agenda spanning operational doctrine, industrial collaboration, technology resilience and geopolitical partnerships. Subba Rao Pavuluri, president, SIA-India, said, “The DefSat 2026 conference underscores a critical strategic reality: an estimated 70–80% of modern military operations today rely on space-based capabilities, underscoring the rising centrality of space in India’s national security architecture. Day One marked a strong turnout as the conference witnessed 600 registered military leadership, govt officials, diplomats, global industry representatives, startups, academia, and strategic experts.”

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi flaunts new Rs 22 lakh car

NEW DELHI: Fourteen-year-old cricket prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to make headlines with his record-breaking performances and growing list of rewards. After a sensational IPL 2025 season, he was gifted a brand-new car for winning the “Striker of the Season” award. The top model of the car costs over Rs 22 lakh in Delhi.

Vaibhav has recently been honoured for his performances at the ICC U19 World Cup, where India became champions. He met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and received Rs 50 lakh as a special reward for his achievements. Meanwhile, the BCCI also announced a Rs 7.50 crore reward for the Indian Under-19 team after they won the 2026 U19 World Cup.In the World Cup final against England, Vaibhav played a match-winning knock of 175 runs off just 80 balls, helping India win their sixth U-19 World Cup title. Watch Sooryavanshi receiving the car: He hit 15 fours and 15 sixes and reached his century in just 55 balls, one of the fastest in tournament history. He finished the tournament with 439 runs and was named Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Tournament.He first grabbed global attention in IPL 2025 when he smashed a 35-ball century, the fastest by an Indian and the second-fastest in IPL history. He also became the youngest centurion and debutant in IPL history. Rajasthan Royals signed him for Rs 1.1 crore, making him the youngest player ever bought in the league.Vaibhav is already India’s leading U-19 ODI run-scorer and has broken several youth cricket records with his aggressive batting style. He is now preparing for the 2026 IPL season and is expected to be one of Rajasthan Royals’ key players.

NEW DELHI: In a major preventive health push against cervical cancer, the Centre is set to roll out a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive for 14-year-old girls later this month, offering the shot free of cost at govt health facilities across the country.The campaign will target girls turning 14 each year, covering an annual cohort of approximately 1.2 crore adolescents across India. The vaccination will be voluntary and provided at designated govt health centres.Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, which causes nearly 80,000 new cases and over 42,000 deaths annually. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, particularly 16 and 18, accounts for more than 80% of cases.The move follows sustained emphasis at the highest level. PM Modi has repeatedly highlighted cervical cancer prevention, calling for vaccination, early screening and affordable treatment, including at the Quad Cancer Moonshot event in Sept 2024.Unlike routine immunisation under the Universal Immunisation Programme, the HPV drive will be conducted as a special campaign on designated immunisation days and tracked through the U-WIN digital platform to ensure rapid coverage.The vaccine, Gardasil, protects against HPV types 16 and 18, along with 6 and 11. Gavi has committed 2.6 crore doses, with about 1.5 crore already delivered. Officials estimate roughly almost 1.2 crore doses will be needed annually to cover girls turning 14 each year.Globally, over 500 million doses of the vaccine have been administered.Dr Abhishek Shankar from the department of radiation oncology at AIIMS described the rollout as a historic step that strengthens India’s push to eliminate cervical cancer, protect lakhs of girls from a preventable disease and reduces the future treatment burden in line with the WHO elimination goal.Dr Pragya Shukla, head of clinical oncology at Delhi State Cancer Institute, said, “vaccination before sexual debut is critical, as HPV infection is silent and irreversible, and the vaccine is safe and proven”.India’s single-dose strategy is backed by global evidence.

NAGPUR: An Artificial Intelligence-driven cheating racket during the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC Class 12) examinations was busted last week in the once Maoist-hit Gadchiroli district, known for its backwardness and low internet penetration. Education department sources said the political science, chemistry and physics papers were likely compromised. The racket using ChatGPT unfolded at an exam centre in Chamorshi on February 18.A surprise raid by a flying squad led by zilla parishad chief executive officer (CEO) Suhas Gade exposed the racket. Arriving just minutes before the exam ended around 4.55pm, the team caught the exam centre staff with chits, which turned out to be answers generated from ChatGPT.

While the squad was collecting chits strewn in the premises, they noticed the peon, Suraj Kelzarkar, making a suspicious entry. His mobile phone was seized and a scrutiny revealed he had forwarded question papers to a teacher at the same school, Mahendra Kirme.An inquiry unearthed that questions were photographed or relayed out of the hall, fed into ChatGPT for instant, accurate responses, printed nearby, and smuggled back to students for mass copying. This ‘hi-tech’ method replaced traditional copying techniques, marking a new low in exam fraud.ZP CEO Gade stated he was conducting checks when he stumbled upon chits with answers written on them. “We formed a probe committee under the education officer. Actions were initiated to suspend four persons,” he said.Vasudev Bhuse, education officer (secondary), stated the matter was already reported to the HSC board. “School teacher Sushil Lanjewar, exam centre conductor Mahendra Burlewar, another teacher Mahendra Kirme and a peon Suraj Kelzarkar have been named in an FIR. While Lanjewar has been suspended, action will be taken against other accused too,” said Bhuse.Gadchiroli, once a hotspot for Maoist activities, was striving to improve schooling and youth opportunities, making this malpractice particularly alarming as it erodes trust in the system meant to uplift backward areas.