India’s widely used Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system faced a major disruption on Saturday morning, causing inconvenience to users nationwide. Prominent apps such as PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm were affected, preventing users from conducting essential digital transactions.

The outage hit early in the day, leaving thousands of users unable to send or receive money. As UPI has become an integral part of digital payments for individuals and businesses, the disruption severely impacted daily financial activities across the country.

According to outage tracking platform DownDetector, user complaints surged with around 1,168 reports of UPI service issues logged by noon. Google Pay topped the chart with 96 reported issues, followed by Paytm with 23 complaints. Users of PhonePe also expressed difficulty in making payments and accessing services.

Users express frustration

Social media platforms and tracking forums were flooded with posts as users voiced frustration over failed transactions. For many small businesses and daily wage earners, the temporary breakdown hampered routine operations and led to delays in payments.

While the cause of the technical glitch remains unclear, authorities and service providers are expected to release statements addressing the problem and outlining restoration efforts.

Cricket’s most animated left-hander, David Warner, just scored a record-breaking deal in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) – and no, he’s not crying over the Indian Premier League (IPL) snub. In fact, he’s laughing it off — with a captain’s cap on.

The Australian southpaw was roped in by Karachi Kings for a whopping Rs 2.58 crore, becoming the most expensive signing in PSL history. The veteran cricketer, now named captain of Karachi Kings, addressed the media ahead of his PSL debut match against Multan Sultans. And just when you thought the drama ended there, a reporter in Karachi tried to spice things up during a press conference by suggesting Warner was being trolled by Indian fans for swapping IPL glitz for PSL grit.

David Warner’s response

“This is the first I’ve heard of it. From my perspective, I want to play cricket,” Warner said, blinking like someone who just heard his name on a school gossip list. “There’s an opportunity to come to PSL… Now, I want to compete, captain the Karachi Kings, and hopefully win the trophy.”

Warner’s acquisition by Karachi Kings marked a historic moment, as he became the most expensive signing in PSL history. While many expected Warner to light up the IPL 2025, the auction tables had other plans. But instead of sulking into retirement or dancing on TikTok (again), Warner opted for a new cricketing home — Pakistan.

The PSL 10 Draft, held at the historic Hazoori Bagh in Lahore, saw Warner picked first in the Platinum category by Karachi Kings. The move not only handed him the captaincy but also broke the bank — in the best way possible.

With a glowing T20 record of 12,913 runs in 399 matches at a strike rate of 140.23, Warner’s not here to play second fiddle — he’s here to rule.

Karachi Kings squad

David Warner (C), Abbas Afridi and Adam Milne (all platinum), James Vince, Hasan Ali, Khushdil Shah (all diamond), Shan Masood, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Aamir Jamal (all gold), Arafat Minhas (brand ambassador), Tim Seifert, Zahid Mahmood, Litton Das and Mir Hamza (all silver), Fawad Ali and Riazullah (both emerging), Omair Bin Yousuf, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi and Mirza Mamoon

A powerful dust storm swept across Delhi and nearby regions on Friday evening, severely affecting air travel and stranding hundreds of passengers. The storm led to major delays at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, where at least 205 flights were delayed and around 50 were diverted from their destinations.

According to sources, the average delay in departures extended up to an hour, throwing schedules into disarray. The situation turned worse for passengers already in transit or waiting at the airport.

Several passengers took to social media to express their frustration over prolonged delays and poor communication from airlines. A passenger travelling from Srinagar to Mumbai via Delhi narrated how their connecting Air India flight was diverted to Chandigarh due to the storm and only returned to Delhi by 11 pm. “We were then made to wait in the aircraft till 4 am and asked to deboard again for another security check. It’s now 8 am, and we are still waiting,” the stranded traveller shared.

Another elderly passenger, a 75-year-old wheelchair-bound woman, said she had been stuck at the Delhi airport for more than 12 hours after their flight couldn’t land due to the storm. Social media was flooded with complaints, with many describing the airport as “mismanaged” and alleging that airlines failed to provide refreshments or adequate assistance, despite long delays.

Air India, in an advisory, confirmed delays and diversions, stating that their airport teams were working to resolve issues. IndiGo also acknowledged disruptions and cited ongoing congestion at the Delhi airport, even after weather conditions improved. The airline advised passengers to keep checking flight statuses and assured support from their ground teams.

The Delhi airport, meanwhile, issued a statement urging flyers to contact their respective airlines for updates, attributing the delays to the adverse weather.

Power outages and damage across city

Beyond the airport, the dust storm caused widespread disruption across Delhi. Fallen tree branches damaged vehicles and obstructed roads in several areas, including Narela, Bawana, Badli and Mangolpuri. Power outages were reported after trees and other debris brought down power lines, impacting electricity supply in several neighbourhoods.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an ‘orange alert’ for the day, warning of thunderstorms and lightning across Delhi.