South Africa players celebrate the wicket of India’s Tilak Varma on Sunday. The Proteas beat India by 76 runs to hand them their first loss of the T20 WC | AfP hyderabad l monday l February 23, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION 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 India delays negotiators’ US visit amid tariff uncertainty RS polls: KCR throws a spanner in Cong plans I r e d dy S r i n i vas R e d dy India, US trade negotiating teams were to begin talks in Washington on Monday P U S H P I TA DEY @ New Delhi THE scheduled visit of India’s trade negotiating team to the US this week has been postponed in the wake of the US Supreme Court striking down the sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on various countries, said an official with the Ministry of Commerce. The Indian delegation, led by Commerce Ministry Joint Secretary Darpan Jain, was supposed to depart for Washington on Sunday and the three-day talks were to begin on Monday. After final negotiations, both sides were expected to conclude the text of the interim trade agreement. According to the commerce ministry the , decision to reschedule the visit of the Indian team was taken by both sides after assessing the latest developments and their implications for the negotiations. “The next date of the visit to the US is yet to be decided,” said an official. On Friday in a major setback to US Presi, dent Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs imposed by Trump on nations around the world were illegal and that the president had exceeded his authority when he imposed the sweeping levies by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Hours after the adverse verdict, Trump announced a 10% tariff on imports from all countries, including India, effective February 24 for 150 days. A day later, he increased the across-the-board tariff to 15%. The US had imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on India in August 2025. Later, an additional 25% duty was slapped for buying Russian crude oil, taking the total tariffs on India to 50%. Earlier this month, India and the US agreed on a framework to finalise an interim trade deal, under which Washington would cut down the reciprocal tariffs from 25% to 18%. The additional 25% penal duty was also removed. Under this plan, the US was to bring down the tariff to 18% on Indian exports. However, in light of the Supreme Court verdict, there is a question mark on the effective rate. Trump’s remark that “nothing changes for India” added to the confusion. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had previously said that the interim trade agreement between India and the US was expected to be signed in March and implemented in April. JeM top gun among three terrorists killed F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar SECURITY forces on Sunday dealt a major blow to militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad by killing three of its Pakistani militants in encounters in the dense forests of Chatroo in Kishtwar of J&K. The gunfight broke out in the Passerkut area of Chatroo forest after a joint operation by army police and CRPF act, ing on intelligence under Operation Trashi-I. Preliminary assessments by security forces suggest that one of the deceased is Saifullah, a notorious JeM commander. He had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir nearly five years ago and had masterminded a flurry of deadly attacks on security forces, including one in July 2024 that left four soldiers dead. Saifullah had escaped a number of encounters in the past. “Troops of CIF Delta in close coordination with J&K police, and CRPF re-engaged militants at approximately 11 am in challenging terrain,” an Army spokesperson said. Two AK-47 rifles and other warlike stores were recovered from the encounter site. Sources said militants were hiding inside a mud house located on the foothills. Today’s Match 7pm: Zimbabwe vs West Indies (Mumbai) 1 New date after evaluation Sources said the visit has been put off to give both sides time to evaluate the latest developments and their implications. The meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient date 2 Confusion over rate Trump’s remark that ‘nothing changes for India’ after the US Supreme Court verdict added to the confusion among Indian exporters about the effective tariff rate 3 ‘Negotiating blocs needed’ Countries affected by US tariffs should form ‘negotiating blocs’ instead of negotiating with Trump, said Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, suggesting ‘unionisation’ of those suffering from US tariffs US must treat all countries equally: Lula E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday urged the US not to spark a ‘new Cold War’ and called for all countries to be treated equally signalling a desire to reset , relations ahead of his planned visit to Washington next month. “I want to tell US President Donald Trump that we don’t want a new Cold War. We don’t want interference in any other country We want all countries to be treated . equally Lula said at a press conference in ,” New Delhi, where he wrapped up a threeday visit to India. Lula said his agenda would focus on trade, immigration, investment, and academic ties. Relations between Brasília and Wa s h i n g t o n h ave Brazil President Luiz been tense in recent Inácio Lula da Silva months, with disputes ranging from tariffs on Brazilian exports to disagreements on foreign policy . The Brazilian leader, known for his Leftist positions and has often clashed with Trump on trade and foreign policy stressed , dialogue over confrontation. “We don’t want to interfere in any country; we want all nations to be treated fairly he said. ,” In recent months, the Trump administration eased some tensions, exempting key Brazilian exports from a 40% tariff imposed last year. Lula described the thaw in relations as a step toward global stability . Lula’s visit to India also focused on strategic partnerships, with both countries agreeing to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths. The two nations signed a series of agreements covering trade, technology, and innovation during the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. @ Hyderabad Congress 66 MLAs BRS 37 MLAs BJP 8 MLAs AIMIM 7 MLAs CPI 1 MLAs Total strength of the Assembly 119 MLAs The ruling Congress, which has till now believed that it would easily bag the two Rajya Sabha seats from Telangana in the impending elections, was jolted out of its complacence on Sunday when reports emerged that BRS supremo and former ch i e f m i n i s t e r K C h a n drasekhar Rao has decided to field at least one candidate. The reports naturally unsettled the Congress leadership, which had assumed that it would be a straightforward race for two seats falling vacant at the end of April. With the election schedule now out, and an inkling of KCR’s plans emerging, the Congress now knows that the election will be a contest of arithmetic, alliances and nerve. Sources in the BRS said KCR is considering fielding a familiar face. On paper, the BRS has the support of 37 MLAs, according to Assembly records. This includes 10 MLAs who allegedly crossed over to the ruling Congress and whose dis- qualification cases are still under scrutiny. The Speaker has already rejected petitions against eight of these 10 MLAs, while two cases remain pending before the Tribunal. The arithmetic points to the fact that the BRS needs the backing of four more MLAs to cross the threshold required to secure a Rajya Sabha seat from the state. Discussions are said to be under way with other parties to bridge this gap. The Congress, which heads the government in the state, has 66 MLAs and the support of one CPI legislator. Until recently the party believed , that the BRS would stay out of the race or fail to attract external support. The decision by the BRS leadership to contest has altered that calculation and placed the spotlight on defected MLAs who continue to claim loyalty to their former party . Focus has now shifted to the stand of the AIMIM and the BJP both of which could prove , decisive. The AIMIM has seven MLAs and the BJP eight, making their roles in the numbers game critical. continued on P4 Sky Sting Israel missile part of pm’s visit agenda India is likely to advance discussions on procuring the Israeli-origin ‘Sky-sting’ beyond-visual-range-air-to-air missile during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel | P7 AI push: Only 21% govt schools have computers M e g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad At a time when AI is the buzzword, the gap between policy intent and classroom reality is shocking — only 21% of government schools in Telangana have computer facilities despite the state introducing coding and artificial intelligence (AI) into the curriculum for Classes 1 to 9. Midway through the academic year, regular classes in coding, AI and related digital subjects have largely not begun in government and local body schools, teachers said. While digital textbooks have been distributed and new subjects formally notified, implementation has been held up by a lack of trained teachers, inadequate infrastructure and poor internet connectivity . According to teachers, training programmes conducted for handling coding and AI were limited to about two days, which they said was insufficient for practical teaching. “The subject exists on paper, but there is no real hands-on exposure for students,” a teacher said, pointing to outdated or insufficient computer systems in many schools. As part of the curriculum rollout, a separate textbook with about 15 chapters has been designed for Classes 6 to 9. Under the plan, mathematics teachers are expected to handle coding and data science, physical science teachers are expected to handle artificial intelligence and physical computing, and English and social studies teachers design thinking and digital citizenship.  continued on P5