MUMBAI: All vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have been diverted to the old Mumbai-Pune Highway following a gas tanker overturn in the Khandala Ghat section. However, traffic continues to remain congested on the ghat on Wednesday.Traffic on the expressway was paralysed overnight after the tanker overturned, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and causing massive congestion on both carriageways.Vehicles remained stationary near the accident site for several hours amid traffic chaos that lasted over 12 hours, leaving passengers, including women and children, without food, water, and toilet facilities.The highway traffic police have appealed to motorists to avoid travelling on the expressway until normal traffic movement is restored.The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India’s first 6-lane wide concrete, access-controlled tolled expressway, spans 94.5 km, connecting Mumbai, Raigad, Navi Mumbai, and Pune.According to the expressway control room, the gas tanker overturned on the highway around 5 pm on Tuesday.The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district when the tanker, allegedly travelling at high speed, lost control due to the slope and overturned. Soon after the accident, gas was found leaking from the tanker, causing panic among motorists, an official said.The tanker was carrying propylene gas, which is highly flammable. As a precaution, police immediately closed traffic towards Mumbai to prevent any untoward incident.Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for about a 2-km stretch. However, normal movement could not be restored due to a continuous gas leak from the tanker, resulting in long queues and crawling traffic even for Pune-bound motorists, an official at the expressway control room said.The impact was severe on motorists, with several passengers stranded for hours.“People have been stuck and desperately waiting for help. Please do something,” wrote X user VyasKarn.A conductor of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus told PTI around midnight that their vehicle had been stationary for over six hours near the accident site, leaving passengers without food, water, and toilet facilities.Many motorists voiced their frustration on social media, with some describing the expressway as a “parking lot” and advising others to avoid travel unless necessary.“Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a literal parking lot right now. Traffic crawling for hours near Lonavala and Khandala due to a truck overturn. If you absolutely don’t have to travel, don’t,” wrote X user pranav_72.Pune-bound motorists were also inconvenienced due to the traffic snarls.“Started my journey from Andheri West around 7 pm via cab. Will be reaching Pune around 3.40 am. Worst traffic experience I ever had,” another X user, Sohit Manik, wrote.The Maharashtra Highway Traffic Police have advised motorists to avoid the Mumbai–Pune Expressway until regular traffic movement is restored.The tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section on the Mumbai-bound corridor near the Adoshi tunnel, according to a statement from the highway traffic police shared by a spokesperson of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).A highly flammable gas leaked from the tanker after the accident, and all agencies concerned were working at the site on a war footing to contain the situation, the statement said.The Mumbai-bound carriageway was closed in the interest of vehicle and commuter safety, leading to traffic congestion on both the Mumbai and Pune-bound lanes of the expressway, it added.(With agency Inputs)

Oracle has publicly defended its partnership with OpenAI after reports emerged that the company could slash up to 30,000 jobs to fund AI infrastructure spending. The software giant said the stalled Nvidia-OpenAI investment deal has “zero impact” on its financial relationship with Sam Altman’s company, adding that it remains “highly confident in OpenAI’s ability to raise funds and meet its commitments.““The NVIDIA-OpenAI deal has zero impact on our financial relationship with OpenAI. We remain highly confident in OpenAI’s ability to raise funds and meet its commitments,” Oracle posted on X through its official account.The clarification came after a bruising weekend for OpenAI’s partner network. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking to reporters in Taipei following what local media dubbed the “trillion-dollar dinner,” said his company would still back OpenAI—just not to the tune of $100 billion. “No, no, nothing like that,” he said when pressed on the figure that had been circulating since September.

Oracle’s reassurance sends stock tumbling

Wall Street wasn’t reassured. Minutes after Oracle’s post went live, the stock started sliding. It closed down 2.79% at $160.06. Venture capitalist Alex Kolicich captured the mood on X: “This is literally bank-run language.”Rather than calming nerves, the statement reminded investors how deeply Oracle has bet on AI. The company has racked up $58 billion in debt over just two months—$38 billion for data centres in Texas and Wisconsin, another $20 billion for a New Mexico campus. Total debt now tops $100 billion. Since peaking in September 2025, Oracle’s market cap has been cut in half, wiping out roughly $463 billion.

TD Cowen flags potential layoffs of up to 30,000

Investment bank TD Cowen reported this week that Oracle is considering workforce reductions affecting 20,000 to 30,000 employees. The cuts would free up $8 to $10 billion in cash flow—funds the company badly needs to deliver on a $300 billion OpenAI contract that TD Cowen estimates will require $156 billion in capital spending and around 3 million GPUs.Lenders are getting nervous too. Several US banks have quietly stepped back from Oracle-linked data centre projects. TD Cowen noted that interest rate premiums on Oracle debt have roughly doubled since September, and some planned data centre leases have stalled after private operators failed to secure financing.

Nvidia confirms $100 billion OpenAI deal was never finalised

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Nvidia’s proposed $100 billion investment in OpenAI had hit a wall, with some inside the chip giant expressing doubts. Huang confirmed in Taiwan that the September agreement was non-binding and never closed. He has also privately criticised what he views as a lack of discipline in OpenAI’s business approach and voiced concern about rising competition from Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, WSJ reported.Separately, Reuters reported that OpenAI has been shopping for alternatives to Nvidia’s inference chips since last year. The ChatGPT maker has held discussions with AMD, Cerebras, and Groq. Seven sources told Reuters that OpenAI is unhappy with how quickly Nvidia’s hardware handles certain workloads, particularly around coding tasks.

Circular financing model faces mounting scepticism

The turbulence has put a spotlight on the circular economics underpinning the AI boom. Nvidia invests in companies that spend the money buying Nvidia chips. Oracle builds data centres for OpenAI, then charges OpenAI to use them. It all works until one party slows down—and suddenly everyone feels it.Sam Altman pushed back on the coverage with his own X post: “We love working with NVIDIA and they make the best AI chips in the world. We hope to be a gigantic customer for a very long time. I don’t get where all this insanity is coming from.”But the numbers remain daunting. OpenAI has committed to roughly $1.4 trillion in compute, power, and infrastructure spending while generating just over $20 billion in annualised revenue. The plan hinges on continuous fundraising at rising valuations. Amazon is reportedly in talks to invest up to $50 billion in the current round; SoftBank has already contributed $22.5 billion.Oracle, meanwhile, is asking new customers to pay up to 40% of contract value upfront and is said to be weighing a sale of Cerner, the healthcare software unit it bought for $28.3 billion in 2022. The company has not commented on the layoff reports.

Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath has shared bold set of predictions for the T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking on The Fast Bowling Cartel YouTube channel, McGrath moved away from traditional safe bets to highlight a new era of T20 dominance. His forecasts focus on a blend of tactical spin mastery and the fearless aggression of the next generation. By backing specific subcontinental stars and predicting a high-stakes rematch of the 2024 final, McGrath has provided a comprehensive roadmap for the upcoming tournament.

Glenn McGrath shares his bold predictions for T20 World Cup 2026

1. T20 World Cup 2026: Leading wicket taker

McGrath has officially backed Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to finish as the leading wicket-taker of the 2026 tournament, citing his unmatched efficiency in the shortest format. Rashid enter the World Cup as the all-time leading wicket-taker in T20I history with 187 wickets in just 111 matches. McGrath specifically highlighted Rashid’s career economy rate of 6.02 and a remarkable bowling average of 13.59 as the factors that make him tough to beat compared to traditional pacers. With 2 five-wicket hauls and 9 four-wicket hauls already to his name, Rashid is expected to lead the Afghan attack as he nears the historic milestone of 200 T20I wickets during this event.

Also READ: Kapil Dev rips apart Pakistan for boycotting India’s T20 World Cup game; blames them for ‘killing generation’

2. T20 World Cup 2026: Highest run scorer

For the highest run-scorer, McGrath has placed his bets on India’s Abhishek Sharma, the current World No. 1 ranked T20I batter. McGrath’s prediction is driven by Sharma’s astronomical career strike rate of 194.74, which is currently the highest in T20I history for any player with over 30 innings. The 25-year-old opener has amassed 1,297 runs in just 38 outings, including 2 centuries and 8 fifties. McGrath pointed to Abhishek’s ‘Player of the Tournament’ form from the 2025 Asia Cup, where he scored 314 runs, and his recent blitz against New Zealand (averaging 45.50 at a strike rate of 249.31) as proof that he will be the most dominant force at the top of the order in 2026.

3. T20 World Cup 2026: Finalists and winner

McGrath has predicted an India vs South Africa final for the 2026 edition setting the stage for a repeat of the 2024 summit clash. Despite the high-pressure nature of a one-off final where ‘anything can happen,’ McGrath has officially backed India to successfully defend their title and come out on top. He views the Men in Blue as the ultimate ‘team to beat,’ specifically noting their superior balance of world-class spin options and the clinical pace of Jasprit Bumrah. While he respects South Africa’s ability to reach the final for a second consecutive time, McGrath believes India’s familiarity with subcontinental conditions, given the tournament is hosted by India and Sri Lanka, gives them the definitive edge to secure the trophy.

Also READ: Ricky Ponting explains why Australia will make it to the semifinal of T20 World Cup 2026

The sell-off in IT stocks was triggered by an announcement from US-based AI startup Anthropic. (AI image)

IT stocks crash! Shares of Indian IT majors Infosys, Wipro, HCL Tech, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Persistent Systems tanked in opening trade on Wednesday, dragging Sensex down by over 100 points. The decline was due to concerns about the growing impact of artificial intelligence which intensified following Anthropic’s launch of new workplace productivity tools. The negative sentiment mirrored weakness on Wall Street, where the technology-heavy benchmark Nasdaq declined 1.4 per cent, erasing nearly $300 billion in market capitalisation across the sector.Shares of major IT companies, including Infosys, Wipro, HCL Tech and Persistent Systems, slid as much as 6 per cent in early trade.

Why are IT sector stocks crashing?

International brokerage Jefferies said in a February 2 report that it has cut back its allocation to the information technology sector as part of a reshuffle of its India model portfolio. Following the revision, the IT sector now carries a weight of 5.6 in Jefferies’ India portfolio, well below the 9.7 weighting assigned to the sector in the MSCI India index. The brokerage’s guarded approach comes amid persistent foreign portfolio investor selling, with overseas funds having withdrawn about $34 billion from Indian equities over the last 16 months, a period during which IT stocks have faced some of the heaviest pressure.

US IT sector stocks crash

US equities also reflected the technology-led weakness. The S&P 500 declined 0.84 per cent to settle at 6,917.81, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.43 per cent to 23,255.19. The Dow Jones Industrial Average proved relatively more stable, closing 0.34 per cent lower at 49,240.99. Among major stocks, Nvidia and Microsoft fell by nearly 3 per cent each. Alphabet slid 1.2 per cent ahead of its earnings announcement on Wednesday, and Amazon slipped 1.8 per cent before releasing its quarterly results on Thursday.

What Anthropic has said

Addressing market concerns, Anthropic clarified that its newly launched plugin is not intended to offer legal advice. “AI-generated analysis should be reviewed by licensed attorneys before being relied upon for legal decisions,” the company said. In addition to the legal-oriented tool, Anthropic unveiled a series of open-source offerings designed to automate a wide spectrum of professional activities, ranging from sales functions to customer service operations.Anthropic, established in 2021, was founded by chief executive Dario Amodei along with several former employees of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

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NEW DELHI: Defending champions India will walk into the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as firm favourites, and few voices carry more weight on the subject than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The former India captain, who famously led the side to the inaugural T20 World Cup title in 2007, believes the hosts have all the ingredients required to go deep in the tournament, while also underlining the fine margins that can undo even the strongest teams in the shortest format.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, open their campaign against the United States at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. The top-ranked side arrives on the back of a dominant 4-1 series win over New Zealand, extending their run to nine consecutive bilateral T20 series victories and reinforcing their status as pre-tournament favourites on home soil.

Explaining why Team India stands out, Dhoni said: “It’s one of the most dangerous teams. You know, they would have already started, batting or bowling. But what all is needed in a good team and everything is there. They have the experience. Especially when it comes to this format, the experience is vast. They have played under pressure. Whoever is playing, whatever roles they are playing in the team, they have been in that situation for a considerable period of time.”However, Dhoni was quick to point out his biggest concern ahead of the tournament. “What worries me again, I hate dew. Dew changes a lot of things. So even when I was playing something that really scared me was dew where the toss becomes crucial and all of that,” he said. “If you are playing 10 matches with some of the best teams, we will come out as winners more often than not if the conditions remain, condition is neutral and all of that.”Dhoni also highlighted the unpredictability that defines T20 cricket. “The problem is when some of your players have a day off and somebody from the opposition has a brilliant day. And it can happen in T20 cricket,” he said, stressing the importance of timing and luck. “Whether it happens in a league stage, whether it happens in the knockout stage, that’s where all the prayings are needed. Nobody should get injured. Whatever roles are given, people should accomplish their roles for the team.”He signed off with a familiar note of caution: “And if that’s the case, I don’t want to jinx it by saying anything but it’s one of the most dangerous teams.”

India’s Axar Patel celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips during the fifth and final T201 cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. (PTI)

TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: In April 2024, on the sidelines of a Delhi Capitals event in the national capital, Axar Patel was asked about his chances of making it to the T20 World Cup. “Aapko toh maloom hai ki main har World Cup se pehle injured ho jaata hoon (You guys know my history, I get injured before every World Cup),” pat came the reply from the India all-rounder. It brought a smile to everyone’s lips but after a while, when it sank in, one could sense the pain behind Axar’s comment.Axar’s childhood friend Keval Patel bursts into laughter while sharing the text he sent his buddy after the 32-year-old injured his bowling finger attempting a return catch in the first T20I against New Zealand.

“Maine usko message kar diya tha ki bhai dhyaan se, abhi World Cup hai, bahut lamba cricket hai (laughs). I messaged him to be careful, the World Cup is ahead, and there is a lot of cricket,” Keval tells TimesofIndia.com from Nadiad in Gujarat.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Behind the laughter, one could sense the tension that had gripped Axar’s close circle back home. Keval had seen a similar script unfold in 2023 when Axar got injured and missed the ODI World Cup at home. And he was not ready for another heartbreak.The absolute low of 2023 was followed by a dream run for Axar as he featured in the title-winning 2024 T20 World Cup squad, played a stellar knock in the final, and followed it up with a Champions Trophy title in 2025.

Axar Patel with his childhood friend Keval Patel (Special Arrangements)

In between, Axar became a father with the arrival of ‘Chota Patel’. Axar and his wife were blessed with a baby boy in December 2024 and, in Keval’s words, the toddler is the heartbeat of the entire clan. A group that once spent its time playing PlayStation now spends it with Haksh.“Hum jaise pehle baithte the, abhi bhi waise hi baithte hai. Abhi wo chota Patel ko leke aata hai to usme zyaada time chala jaata hai. Hum ab chotu ke saath hi khelte rehte hai (We still sit the same way, but now Axar brings his son along and all the time goes there. We keep playing with him),” says Keval.While Axar’s close circle has watched many of his games from the stands, it will be a World Cup debut of sorts for his son. Keval plans to take ‘Chotu’ to the ground for one of the matches. “Maine bahut match dekhe hai. Chotu ne bhi Delhi Capitals ka IPL match dekha hai. But is baar World Cup mein ‘Chota Patel’ ka entry hoga. Abhi kaunsa match dekhna hai, wo decide nahi hua hai, but Axar ko bol diya hai ki hum saath mein match dekhne aayenge (I have watched many matches. ‘Chotu’ has also watched a Delhi Capitals IPL game. But this time, it will be his first World Cup. We haven’t decided which match yet, but Axar knows we will be there together),” Keval shares.Axar flies under the radar most of the time, but his contributions with both bat and ball make him an integral part of the side. He remains the underrated cog in a star-studded Indian line-up. Brick by brick, the 32-year-old has grown in stature. He is the captain of Delhi Capitals and the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in India’s T20I set-up.“Axar has been with us since 2019. He is an excellent reader of the game. He is a fun-loving character who keeps things light, but not many have noticed his game-reading skills and the way he thinks about cricket,” Venugopal Rao, Delhi Capitals’ director of cricket, tells this outlet.

Axar Patel of Delhi Capitals plays a shot during the 2025 IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders at Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 29, 2025, in Delhi, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

Rao also revealed how Axar won the captaincy race despite the presence of experienced campaigners like Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul.“When captaincy was discussed, Rahul was there and Faf was there, but everyone was convinced about Axar because even the Indian team had started taking note of his leadership abilities,” says Rao.Rao’s first meeting with Axar came when the all-rounder was making waves in the age-group circuit for Gujarat and was known as the “Jayasuriya of Nadiad” because of his strokeplay.He recalls a fascinating episode from the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season, when Axar was thrown into the deep end in a crucial fixture against Delhi. Rao and then Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel, agreed on the need to include a left-arm spinner against a star-studded Delhi batting line-up featuring Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia.“I remember discussing it with Parthiv. We knew Axar from the age-group circuit and felt a left-arm spinner was essential. I scored a hundred, Parthiv got a half-century, but it was Axar who stood out. He took six wickets in the first innings and made vital runs to give us the first-innings lead,” Rao recalls.

Axar Patel of India bats during game four of the T20 International Series between Australia and India at People First Stadium on November 06, 2025 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The performance did not go unnoticed. Axar was picked by the Punjab Kings at the IPL auction and soon earned a national call-up. Months later, he made his ODI debut for India against Bangladesh in June 2014.“He made an immediate impact. He did well against a strong Delhi side and got his rewards. There was no looking back after that,” Rao adds.From the teenager Rao saw in 2013 to the match-winner he has worked with at Delhi Capitals, much has changed. Yet, much has remained the same. Axar has matured significantly, but his mantra of keeping things simple remains intact.“With the greatest cricketers, it’s about how simple they keep things. Axar has mastered that and has only matured with time,” explains Rao.

India’s Axar Patel during a visit at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, in Thiruvananthapuram.

Back in Nadiad, little has changed. He is still the same Axar Keval grew up with. Having lived through the highs and lows of his childhood friend’s career, Keval says one thing has never changed: Axar’s humility.“Bahut hi down-to-earth banda hai. Kuch bhi change nahi hua hai. Field ke bahar wo wahi Axar hai jo pehle tha(He is very down-to-earth. Nothing has changed. Outside the cricket field, he is still the same Axar as before),” says Keval.During the 2023 ODI World Cup, Axar was confined to watching matches on television. His friends sensed the turmoil he must have been going through. Their plan was simple: PlayStation, card games and plenty of laughter to keep his spirits up.“Hum jaante the wo andar se bahut dukhi hoga. Itna bada stage hai. Hum log roz saath baithte the aur usko distracted rakhte the. Pura din saath rehte the (We knew he was sad on the inside. It was a huge stage. We would sit everyday and distract him),” Keval says.

Axar carries the air of someone who has endured more than his share of misfortune. For over a decade, he has lived in Ravindra Jadeja’s shadow and missed major tournaments due to injuries. Yet, his tenacity has kept him going. A self-made cricketer, he has squeezed every ounce of his talent.He has won ICC titles, but this time, he will have a new supporter in ‘Chota Patel’ cheering from the stands. Axar now has the task of making his son’s first World Cup memorable by helping India lift the trophy once again.

Mumbai: The Union Budget 2026-27 has exempted basic customs duty on 17 critical cancer drugs to reduce treatment costs, but it seems to offer little more than a “grim reality check” for patients’ families. According to an analysis by public health researchers, even with the tax break, the annual cost for these medicines, considered path-breaking, can still range from over several lakhs to as much as Rs 1 crore.For instance, one of the drugs exempted includes Ribociclib, which is used for the treatment of breast cancers that are advanced, metastatic, or even high-risk early-stage, and costs Rs 24,355 per strip of 21 tablets. The clinical dose is 600mg per day, which is often split between three tablets of 200mg in a day. As per calculations by the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatment, the tablets needed per cycle are 63, or three strips, which translates to expenditure of Rs 73,065 per month and nearly Rs 9.5 lakh a year. Even with the waiver, this is still a little over Rs 8.5 lakh. The treatment could last for three years.India reports more than two lakh breast cancer cases annually, with Maharashtra accounting for 10% of them, according to the past National Cancer Registry.Speaking to TOI, K M Gopakumar, co-convenor of the access group, said that a large number of women are either deprived of these medicines or are put on alternative medicines that are not of the same scientific advancement. In some cases, the families decide to bear this out-of-pocket expense and fall into debt traps. “This makes the customs waiver just for optics. Generics are far in the future for many of the exempted drugs. The Patents Act allows the govt to intervene and make the companies reduce the price by warning them generics would be permitted earlier, but there is no will,” said Gopakumar.The only time this happened for cancer medicine was in 2012, when sorafenib was issued a compulsory licence, bringing the cost of this liver and renal cancer drug down to Rs 8,800 from 5,500 USD (around Rs 2.8 lakh).While Tata Memorial Hospital allows for most drugs at 30% less than the market price, director Dr Sudeep Gupta noted that these 17 medicines are still close to the market price as they are on-patent. “These medicines are considered superior because the side-effects are less and efficacy is higher. But in India we still have less expensive alternatives that are pharmacologically equivalent to them,” he said.Dr Gupta added, “The govt move is still welcome because we are trying to make it affordable. For someone on long-term treatment, it is still a substantial reduction in the price.”