THE SUNDAY WORLD THINKING DAY Vol. 37 No. 22 | Sunday, February 22, 2026 32 Pages | `5 & for Pune `7 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition Weekend Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq on writing born from struggle GOOD LIFE Live Smart Finfluencers replacing advisors? From benefits to safety, everything you need to know about fish oil Sunday Read For Deepa Mehta, age doesn’t dent curiosity Delhi reading fall-out fine print Commerce ministry is ‘studying all these developments for their implications’ Vidhi Santosh Mehta MUMBAI India on Saturday reacted cautiously to the US Supreme Court’s judgment which did away with tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it was studying the implications. “We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday. President Trump has also addressed a press conference in that regard. Some steps have been announced by the US Administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications,” the ministry said. The statement came after US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a new 10 Trump raises global tariff to 15 per cent Late on Saturday night, US President Donald Trump revised the worldwide tariff rate to 15 per cent, up from the 10 per cent he had imposed just a day earlier. The move came after the US Supreme Court on Friday struck down his sweeping global tariffs. In response, Trump had signed an executive order in the Oval Office to impose a 10 per cent tariff on foreign goods, saying it would be “effective almost immediately”. Taking to Truth Social, Trump sharply criticised the court’s ruling and announced the increase. 4See also | P11 percent global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act, saying “nothing changes” for India despite a recent court ruling that struck down certain tariffs imposed under the Inter- national Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). “Nothing changes. They'll be paying tariffs. And we will not be paying tariffs,” Trump said, referring to India. He said the deal with India has reversed the earlier arrangement. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | World Tariff change for 150 days Washington: The White House on Friday confirmed that a newly announced 10 per cent global tariff will temporarily replace earlier tariffs and reset previously negotiated trade agreements to the same rate for 150 days starting February 24. A White House official said the change to a 10 per cent tariff was temporary. "This is, however, only temporary as the Administration will be pursuing other legal authorities to implement more appropriate or pre-negotiated tariff rates," the official stated. 4Contd on | Nation Spotlight on Lutnick’s family firm FPJ News Service MUMBAI A recent Supreme Court decision striking down President Donald Trump’s tariffs has triggered fresh scrutiny over potential gains for the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of the key architects and strongest defenders of the tariff policy. WIRED reported that Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm Lutnick led for 30 years before joining the Cabinet, was allowing traders to buy the rights to potential tariff refunds. Months before the ruling, WIRED reported that Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm Lutnick led for nearly 30 years before joining the Cabinet, was allowing traders to buy the rights to potential tariff refunds. The firm is now headed by Lutnick’s sons, Kyle and Brandon, both Cong escalates deal attack Police draw FPJ News Service MUMBAI The political fallout from the US Supreme Court’s dramatic decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs reverberated across India on Saturday, with the Congress launching a fierce attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accusing him of compromising AI TRAINING MUST IN UP Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW India’s national interest through the interim India-US trade deal. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the court verdict had exposed what he described as the Prime Minister’s “betrayal” and “surrender”. In a sharply worded post on X, Gandhi said Modi was in no position to renegotiate the agreement and would capitulate again under press- PTI 4Contd on | Nation The US, UK, China, and France are among 88 countries and international organisations to endorse 'New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact', with its adoption marking a significant milestone in global cooperation on artificial intelligence, an official release said on Saturday. On the principle of 'Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya' -Welfare for all, Happiness for all -- the declaration under- parallel to Nepal stir FPJ News Service MUMBAI scores that the benefits of AI must be equitably shared across humanity. It emphasises strengthening international cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagement, respecting national sovereignty, advancing AI through accessible, and trustworthy frameworks. The declaration is structured around seven key pillars, that represent the foundation of global AI cooperation. Alleging that the protest was staged on the lines of the recent Gen-Z agitation in Nepal to defame India before an international audience, Delhi Police on Saturday secured five days’ custody of four Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers arrested during the AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam, even as a Patiala House Court rejected their bail pleas. Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narsingh were remanded to police custody after they were detained on Friday while wearing Tshirts bearing the slogan “India US Trade Deal Compromised” at the summit venue. Delhi Police argued that the accused deliberately raised anti-national slogans at a highprofile international event in a calculated attempt to embarrass the country. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastav told the court the protest was part of a larger conspiracy and required custodial interrogation to identify other participants who allegedly fled the spot. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation 88 nations adopt AI summit declaration NEW DELHI The Uttar Pradesh government has made artificial intelligence training mandatory for more than 1.7 million officers and employees across 63 state departments as part of its push to modernise the bureaucracy under Mission Karmayogi Bharat. An order issued by the Principal Secretary, Appointment and Personnel, said technical proficiency is no longer optional and will now be treated as a compulsory skill for government staff. ure. “The PM is compromised. His betrayal now stands exposed. He can’t renegotiate. He will surrender again,” Gandhi wrote. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the timing of the agreement, arguing that Modi had rushed into the deal to protect his political image. Top court lays down detailed order FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Supreme Court has issued a comprehensive set of directions across the country to ensure proper enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, which will come into force from April 1, 2026. The Court flagged poor compliance with the 2016 Rules, particularly the failure to segregate waste into wet, dry and hazardous categories in both urban and rural areas, and pointed to massive dumpsites in metropolitan cities. A bench of Justice Pankaj PAN-INDIA SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Mithal and Justice SVN Bhatti passed the order on February 19 while hearing a civil appeal filed by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation against a National Green Tribunal order imposing environmental compensation of Rs 1.80 crore and Rs 121 lakh for alleged lapses in complying with waste management norms, Live Law reports. During the hearing, Justice Bhatti remarked, “A place which is 400 years old, they make millions and billions. We have places as ancient as 2000 years in our country, and still no tourists.” Justice Mithal shared his experience in Srinagar, saying, “I was in Srinagar, I never found any water bottle in the lake or anywhere. They used to maintain it. People used to go for a picnic in the garden, they would eat, but wind up by cleaning everything. 4Contd on | Nation in their twenties. According to documents viewed by WIRED, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the firm’s investment banking subsidiary, told clients it was willing to exchange tariff refund rights for 20 to 30 per cent of what companies had paid in duties. 4Contd on | Nation ‘We’ll get back to the same tariffs level’ Agencies: The US Supreme Court has taken away President Donald Trump’s leverage with its decision to strike down tariffs imposed under a law meant for use in national emergencies, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday. “The Supreme Court has taken away the President's leverage, but in a way, they have made the leverage that he has more draconian because they agreed he does have the right to a full embargo,” Bessent told “The Will Cain Show” on Fox News. He said the administration would still reach the same tariff levels, Reuters reports. “We will get back to the same tariff level for the countries. It will just be in a less direct and slightly more convoluted manner,” he said. Trump reacted to the court’s ruling on Friday by saying he would invoke other laws to collect tariffs. He also announced a blanket 10% tariff on imports from all other countries. 4Contd on | Nation Budget session sans opp leaders F or the first time in the history of the Maharashtra Legislature, the Budget Session will commence on Monday with the posts of Leader of the Opposition in both the State Assembly and the Legislative Council lying vacant. On March 6, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will present the state budget for 2026–27 in the Assembly, while his deputy, Ashish Jaiswal, will table it in the Council. The month-long Budget Session will also mark the first appearance of Dy CM Sunetra Pawar. 4See also | Mumbai Clamour for refund Agencies: The US Supreme Court left a $133 billion question unanswered: What's going to happen to the money the government has already collected in import taxes now declared unlawful? With the mid term campaign season swinging around the question will see political amplification. “The empty merits of sweeping trade wars with America's friends were evident long before today's decision,” Sen Mitch McConnell, the former longtime Senate Republican leader, said in a statement, adding that tariffs raise the prices of homes and disrupt other industries im- portant to his home state of Kentucky. Democrats, looking to win back control of Congress, intend to make McConnell's point their own. At a news conference Friday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump's new tariffs “will still raise people's costs and they will hurt the American people as much as his old tariffs did.” “The American people paid for these tariffs and the American people should get their money back,” Sen Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, said on social media. 4Contd on | Nation Historic win in Adelaide I ndia Women scripted history by clinching a 17run win over Australia in Adelaide, sealing a 2-1 T20I series triumph — their first against the Aussies in a decade. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a superb 82 off 55 balls, while Jemimah Rodrigues added 59 to power India to 177. In reply, Australia were restricted to 159/9, with Shreyanka Patil (3/22) and Shree Charani (3/32) starring with the ball. 4See also | Games