NEW DELHI: A sitting judge of the Madras High Court, making a striking claim, said that those who do not accept spiritual Gurus as divine are “barbaric.”Justice GR Swaminathan declared that those who dismiss the reverence for gurus as unworthy(Ayogya), fools (muttal) and barbarians (kaattumurandi) are, in fact, the real barbarians themselves, LiveLaw reported.“In Tamil Nadu, there are certain rationalists who call us unworthy(Ayogya), fools (muttal) and barbarians (kaattumurandi) for treating Gurus as Gods. But I am saying, those who are saying so are the real unworthy(Ayogya), fools (muttal) and barbarians (kaattumurandi),” he said.The remark, made in Tamil during a “Guru Vandanam Utsavam” organised by the Hosur Satsangh, followed an anecdote of the judge’s personal spiritual experience, which, according to him, changed his understanding of faith.Recalling an incident from his daughter’s graduation trip to Punjab, he said that he and his wife were warned against travelling at night, though they still went ahead with the journey. “The roads were misty, visibility was poor, and then — the car tyre got punctured,” he said.His wife knew how to change the tyres; thus, she, along with the driver, worked to fix it in the freezing fog while he was chanting “Gurunatha” for about 30 minutes.“That chant gave me strength,” he said, describing it as a moment of helplessness that drew him closer to his belief in the guiding power of a guru.Justice Swaminathan then built on this experience to make a larger spiritual point. “God is abstract,” he said. “But a Guru is the living presence of God. You cannot touch the feet of God — but you can touch the feet of your Guru.”It was after this reflection that the judge took aim at what he described as Tamil Nadu’s self-styled rationalists claiming they are the ones who are barbaric, unworthy and fools.The judge had recently made headlines for another remark — that he would “carry Sanatana Dharma close to his heart” for the rest of his tenure.

RANCHI/NEW DELHI: Families of the victims are devastated after seven passengers aboard an air ambulance were killed on Monday evening when it crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district while travelling from Ranchi to Delhi.Relatives have expressed deep grief and shared heart-wrenching accounts of the tragedy.Father of doctor devastated after son dies“My son was a doctor. He told me he was going to Delhi with patients, but later I learned the aircraft had crashed and my son is no more. I sold my farmland to educate him.”Brother mourns nursing staff member who died in crashA relative of one of the deceased said, “My younger brother, Sachin Kumar Mishra, was everything to me. He was like my own child. He was my whole life and my entire world. Since my father is no more, he was my only support. He worked as a nursing paramedical staff member for many years. For the past two to three years, he had been working in an ambulance service. We had advised him many times to take a hospital job instead and not take such a big risk. I asked him to stay with me. He was the foundation of my life — my everything. Without him, my life feels completely incomplete. Somehow, I educated my younger brother and supported him. At a very young age, he started working to support the family, even though he did not have to. He began earning only because he saw the family’s difficult situation. Otherwise, today my brother would have been living with me.” Another relative spoke about the death of Sanjay Prasad, who had been severely burned in a domestic accidentThe relative said, “Sanjay Prasad had suffered severe burns. He was admitted to a hospital. There was no improvement in his condition during treatment, so we wanted to shift him to Delhi. In that process, we arranged a private jet, but it crashed. He had a small hotel, and a gas cylinder there had exploded, which caused the fire. That was how he got badly burnt. My demand to the government is that the system is extremely weak. Even when we go to private facilities, the arrangements turn into hardships, and today that hardship has turned into death. Our home has been completely destroyed. Not just one home—many families have been ruined. The government here is incapable and is doing nothing. If proper treatment had been available in Ranchi itself, we would not have had to take him to Delhi. And in the process of taking him to Delhi, this tragedy happened, my entire family has been wiped out. Our very existence has been shattered. There are two children who have now become like orphans. What will happen to them, I do not know.”

Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren expresses condolencesIn a post on X, former Chief Minister and BJP leader Champai Soren expressed grief over the incident. “I pray for the deceased individuals, including the crew members aboard the plane, from Marang Buru (the supreme tribal deity), and for strength to their families during this difficult time,” he posted.According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.

As Pakistan faced England in their high-stakes T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on February 24, 2026, the spotlight was firmly on the struggling former captain.

Despite the batting conditions appearing favorable for a stabilization role, Babar Azam’s inability to shift gears has once again placed his T20I future under intense scrutiny. After their opening Super 8 fixture against New Zealand was washed out, Pakistan entered this game needing a statement performance, but instead, they faced a middle-order collapse that left fans and former cricketers questioning the team’s tactical core.

Babar Azam castled by Jamie Overton during PAK vs ENG Super 8 game

The highlight of Babar Azam’s ‘flop show’ was a laborous 25 runs off 24 balls, an innings that lacked the boundary-hitting intent required to counter England’s disciplined attack. Entering the crease after early blows, Babar attempted to ‘anchor’ the innings, yet he struggled to find the gaps, finding the boundary just twice off the pace of Jofra Archer before retreating into a shell against the spin of Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson.

The pressure finally reached a breaking point in the 11th over when Jamie Overton returned to the attack. Attempting a ‘nothing shot’ across the line to a delivery that demanded more respect, Babar was completely beaten as the ball crashed into the top of his off-stump. This dismissal at 73/3 sucked the momentum out of Pakistan’s innings just as they were looking to build a platform for a competitive total.

Here’s how fans reacted:

BABAR AZAM I AM SICKK OF YOUUU!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

— ‎شاہ زیب بخاری (@iSyedShahzaibB) February 24, 2026

This team does not look having the intent to win.Once again poor team selection.Continuing to give opportunities to Saim is suicidal.Salman Agha does not even deserve to be in the team as a batsman and we have him as a captain.Babar Azam once again proved he is a bad choice for…

— Ali Mumtaz (@aliimumtaz) February 24, 2026

In bhojpuri commentary they are cooking Babar azam with words like ‘ fielder become lazy when babar is on strike’, ‘England is playing with 12 players’, ‘ Babar playing to increase his runs’, etc etc 😭😭

— Manjit🇳🇵 (@CricManjit) February 24, 2026

Pakistan has 11 players in the team. 10 plays for Pakistan, Babar Azam plays against Pakistan.

— Sunil The Cricketer (@1sInto2s) February 24, 2026

Good bye babar azam, i think it’s enough. Enough of chances and enough of everything.#PAKvENG #T20WorldCup2026 #Super8 #Cricket #MatchDay #CricketFans

— Nauman (@MNaumanFazal) February 24, 2026

Another shit T20 knock by King Babar Azam

— Gappistan Radio (@whyteknight07) February 24, 2026

– Babar misjudged the pace!!!!

— Asif Khan (@mak_asif) February 24, 2026

That should be the end of Babar Azam’s career.

— Sam Mathad (@sameermathad) February 24, 2026

Release Imran khan, arrest babar Azam https://t.co/9lMwRnWIQA

— Usman (@usmann_01) February 24, 2026

Aik tu saim ko allrounder bannay kay chakkar mai main kaam kharab karwa deeya dosra agha kya toss kay leyeh hai team may 🤷🏽
Upar say babar azam adil say bachay tu overton ka shikar hogai this team only depends on Sahibzaida farhan

— Najeeb ul Hasnain (@ImNajeebH) February 24, 2026

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Here’s why Faheem Ashraf is not playing today’s PAK vs ENG Super 8 game

Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman ignite Pakistan’s charge in Pallekele vs England

In a high-stakes Super 8 encounter at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on February 24, 2026, Pakistan have managed to recover from early setbacks to put England’s bowling unit under immense pressure. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Pakistan’s innings stuttered early as Jofra Archer and Dawson removed Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha within the powerplay.

However, the momentum shifted dramatically through a resilient partnership between Babar and Sahibzada Farhan, with Farhan taking the lead to smash a blistering half-century off just 37 balls. Even after Babar was bowled by Overton for 25, Pakistan refused to slow down, as the experienced Fakhar Zaman joined Farhan to launch a ruthless assault in the middle overs.

The duo has already plundered several massive sixes, propelling Pakistan past the 120-run mark in the 16th over with significant acceleration. As the match progresses toward the death overs, the ‘Men in Green’ look poised to set a formidable target, while England’s Harry Brook is searching for a breakthrough to stem the flow of runs on a surface that is beginning to reward aggressive stroke-play.

Also READ: Former cricketer explains why Zimbabwe pose a bigger threat to India than West Indies in T20 World Cup 2026

Mumbai: In India’s third charter aircraft accident this year, a Pawan Hans helicopter carrying 7 persons ditched in shallow waters near Maya Bunder in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday morning. Unlike the 2 other fatal accidents involving non-scheduled operators, all passengers and crew in the Pawan Hans crash were safe.The Pawan Hans Dauphin N3 helicopter (VT-PHY) took off from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) at around 8.30 am for Rangat and onward to Maya Bunder, said Pawan Hans in a statement. The aircraft landed at Rangat at about 9.05 am and departed again around 9.10 am for Maya Bunder.“The helicopter ditched about 300 metres short of the Maya Bunder helipad in shallow sea water at around 9.30 am. There were 5 passengers with 2 crew on board,” the company said, adding that all were on board and were “safely retrieved”.An aviation source said, “Officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and Pawan Hans reached the islands today; some will reach by tomorrow. The AAIB initiated an investigation.”The aircraft, a Eurocopter Dauphin (S365), operating with call sign PH2, was commanded by Capt Anil Janu, with Capt T P S Gulia as co-pilot.The helicopter reportedly maintained an altitude of 2,500 feet after departure from Rangat for Mayabunder. “The last known position of the aircraft before ditching was near Dhobidera, close to Mayabunder,” said a source.Over 12 hours before this accident, another crash occurred in Jharkhand in which an air ambulance operated by Redbird Airways crashed and killed all the 7 people onboard.Less than a month ago, on Jan 28, a Learjet aircraft operated by VSR Ventures crashed during landing at Baramati airport, killing Maharashtra’s then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and 4 others. Apart from accidents involving non-scheduled operators, there was another accident involving a flying club, Redbird Aviation. Earlier this month, a Cessna 172 (VT-EUC) belonging to Redbird Aviation, a flying training organisation, crash-landed in Vijayapura after it ran out of fuel. The instructor and the trainee pilots sustained serious injuries but survived.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan star Babar Azam continued his poor run in the T20 World Cup, and his latest flop against England sparked a wave of memes on social media. Batting first against England at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, Babar scored 25 runs off 24 balls before getting bowled by Jamie Overton while trying to play a big shot.

His slow innings added to criticism over his form and strike rate in the tournament. And it also became the reason for using him as a meme template on social media platforms.Pakistan managed 164/9 in 20 overs, with Sahibzada Farhan top-scoring with 63. England’s bowlers, including Overton, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, and Adil Rashid, kept things tight and picked up key wickets.Earlier, Pakistan coach Mike Hesson had explained Babar’s role in the team, saying he was brought back to provide stability in the middle order rather than fast scoring in the powerplay.“I think he’s well aware that his strike rate in the powerplay in (T20) World Cups is less than 100. So clearly, that’s not a role that we think we need here. We think he’s a fine player through the middle, if required, particularly if we’re in a little bit of trouble. Or, as we saw against the USA, once he gets himself set, he can increase his strike rate at that point. So, we brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he certainly brings that for us,” he said ahead of Pakistan’s opening Super 8 match against New Zealand. Despite this, fans mocked Babar’s struggles online, turning his latest dismissal into a meme trend as his nightmarish World Cup campaign continued.

D Gukesh and Vladimir Kramnik (Photos by agencies)

World chess champion D Gukesh has spoken out strongly against cheating allegations that have been floating around the chess world, especially those made by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Ahead of the Prague International Chess Festival, the 19-year-old made it clear that while he is completely against cheating, he does not agree with how accusations are being made publicly without proof.

“Obviously, I’m against any kind of unfair play or unethical play. I have never done that, and I really hope nobody does that, and it’s a kind of problem that we have been seeing lately. About Kramnik exactly, I think what he has been doing is obviously, I’m not supportive of that,” the 19-year-old added in pre-tournament press conference. Gukesh said that in recent years, players and fans have become overly suspicious, turning cheating into a bigger issue than it really is.“Many people has been paranoid for last couple of years. I think people are making bigger problem that it actually is,” he added.He added that Kramnik’s repeated allegations are harmful to the sport and called for a calmer atmosphere.“And yeah, specifically about Kramnik’s allegations, I don’t support most of it. And I think there should be more harmony and peace in chess.”The controversy comes amid growing criticism of Kramnik, who has accused several players of cheating online without providing solid evidence.Many top names in chess, including Viswanathan Anand and FIDE officials, have spoken out against this trend, echoing Gukesh’s call for unity and fairness in the game.Gukesh is heading into the Prague International Chess Festival looking to bounce back after mixed results at the World Cup and Tata Steel Masters. Seeded second, he will face tough competition from players like Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Despite not being at his best recently, Gukesh is currently India’s highest-ranked player.

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