Today’s Matches 11am: Afghanistan vs New Zealand (Chennai), 3pm: England vs Nepal (Mumbai) hyderabad l sunday l february 08, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 28 l late city EDITION India captain Suryakumar Yadav rsecues team with 49-ball 84 against USA in the first game of the T20 World Cup on Saturday. India won by 29 runs | AFP | P11 7pm: Sri Lanka vs Ireland (Colombo) CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI $500 billion handshake Delhi inks favourable terms with US, both agree to phase out duties, boost mutual investments annually,” Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. INDIA and the United States set The overall tariff restructuring an ambitious target of $500 billion will be implemented in a phased in annual bilateral trade, as the manner. Zero-duty access will be two countries released a joint available only after the agreement statement on Saturday outlining is formally signed in March. On the framework of the interim market access for American proddeal. ucts, Goyal said India had adopted As part of the understanding, a c a l i b r at e d a n d s e l e c t ive India will eliminate or reduce tar- approach. iffs on US industrial goods and a “We have opened our markets broad basket of agricultural and for the US on some products like food products, including distillers’ DDGS and wines and spirits, but dried grains (DDGs), red sorghum in these cases we have also kept a for feed, tree nuts, fruits, soybean minimum import price to safeoil, wine and spirits. In guard domestic producreturn, the US will cut reers,” he said, adding that ciprocal tariff to 18% on no discriminatory measselect Indian goods such ures have been taken as textiles, leather, plas- The interim trade a g a i n s t a n y I n d i a n pact will tics, rubber, organic sector. strengthen the chemicals, home décor ‘Make in India’ by The minister clarified and certain machinery . that India has retained opening up new However, the US indi- opportunities for protection for sensitive farmers and cated that once the interagriculture and dairy im agreement becomes entrepreneurs, and segments. Only products create jobs for operational, tariffs will already being imported women and be lifted for sectors idenhave been given limited youngsters tified as aligned partners, concessions, subject to notably generics, gems quotas and minimum imNarendra Modi, PM and diamonds, and airport prices. craft parts. According to the joint With the immediate revocation statement, India has also indicat- of the 25% additional tariff, seced its intent to purchase $500 bil- tors such as textiles and apparel, lion worth of US energy, aircraft leather and footwear, plastics and and parts, precious metals, tech- rubber products, gems and jewelnology products and coking coal lery, and marine products are exover five years. pected to regain export momen“Considering the two countries’ tum in the US market. relations, diplomatic ties, and the Goyal said the marine sector is friendship between their leaders, likely to be one of the biggest discussions on a bilateral trade beneficiaries. agreement began in February “With markets now diversified 2025. The objective was to achieve and US tariffs coming down, seabilateral trade of $500 billion be- food exporters will have a double tween India and the United States benefit,” he said.  P9 P u s h p i ta d e y @ New Delhi WITH THIS ISSUE The Other Cricket PLUS 12 P AGES Small print of proposed big deal Lower or zero duty on US wine and spirits, dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil Strings attached as Don nixes 25% punitive levy J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order rescinding a punitive 25% duty on Indian imports that had been imposed over India’s purchases of Russian energy. The White House said the move followed assurances from India that it would stop directly or indirectly importing Russian oil — assertions that New Delhi has not publicly confirmed. “Specifically, India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil, has represented that it will purchase United States energy products from the US, and has recently committed to a framework with the United States to expand defense cooperation Fire guts FSL computer rooms, sparks political row S i d d h a r d h a G at t i m i @ Hyderabad A fire broke out at the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Lakdikapul on Saturday, leaving in its wake damaged digital and physical evidence linked to several cases, and prompting allegations of mischief by the Opposition parties. According to fire officials, the blaze originated at the MCB switchboard in a computer room at the far end of the first floor, possibly due to a short circuit. It gutted the seized property storage and computer rooms on the first floor of the building. Fire officials said that more than 40 computers and equipment were damaged, while pointing out that the extent of the loss was yet to be assessed. The FSL stores evidence and reports connected to a large number of cases, including high-profile ones. Late in the evening, the fire depart- Moving school bus catches fire U Ma h e s h @ Bhupalpally A private school bus caught fire while in motion on the outskirts of Jookal village under Chityal police station limits on Saturday morning. All 12 students travelling on the bus were evacuated, and no injuries were reported. According to police, the bus driver noticed smoke coming from the engine near the Jookal village culvert. He stopped the vehicle and asked the students to get down. Flames spread in the engine compartment after the students had exited the bus. The bus belongs to a private school in Chityal mandal, Bhupalpally district. It was on its way to pick up students from Thirumalapur village when the incident occurred. Chityal police and Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information and brought the fire under control. Chityal Inspector D Mallesh told reporters that a short circuit was suspected to have caused the fire. A case has been registered and further investigation is under way . Firefighters in action at the state Forensic Science Laboratory at Lakdikapul in Hyderabad on Saturday where a fire allegedly damaged digital and physical evidence linked to several cases | Vinay Madapu ment said that most of case property and FSL material was intact. Nonetheless, the fire sparked a flurry of allegations from the Opposition, with both the BRS and BJP voicing suspicion that something Reciprocal tariff down to 18% on Indian textile and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, home décor, artisanal products, and certain machinery Minimum import prices fixed on products like US apples No entry for US dried/ frozen/ canned/ provisionally preserved veggies, beans, pulses, roots & tubers, citrus fruits, berries Zero US duty on import of spices, tea, coffee, copra, coconut oil, areca nut was amiss. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said the fire raised serious questions, and alleged that the state government’s failure to issue a clear statement was fuelling doubts.  CONTINUED ON P5 Commerce minister Piyush Goyal speaks on the India-US trade deal in Delhi | PTI over the next 10 years,” the executive order said. The document added that India has taken “significant steps” to address American concerns over Russian oil purchases and to “align sufficiently with the US on national security foreign policy , and economic matters.” Despite lifting the tariffs, the executive order makes clear that relief is conditional. It establishes a formal US gover nment monitoring mechanism to verify whether India has indeed stopped importing Russian oil. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has been tasked with overseeing this process, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The order lays out a clear enforcement trigger. “If the Secretary of Commerce finds that India has resumed directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” it states, the Secretary of State — after consultations with senior Cabinet officials and White House advisers — “shall recommend whether and to what extent I should take additional action as to India, including whether I should reimpose the additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent on imports of articles of India”.