US stocks traded with modest gains in tentative trading on Friday after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, a move that had previously contributed to market volatility, AP reported. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 128 points, or 0.3 per cent. The S&P 500 gained 0.4 per cent, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.5 per cent, supported by a 2 per cent rise in Alphabet shares. Friday’s move puts the Dow on course for a modest 0.1 per cent gain for the period. The S&P 500 is tracking a weekly rise of 0.7 per cent, and the Nasdaq looks set to halt its five-week slide with gains exceeding 1 per cent.Earlier in the session, markets had drifted as investors reacted calmly to economic data that underscored the challenges facing the Federal Reserve but did little to alter expectations for interest-rate policy.The S&P 500 later held a 0.1 per cent gain after swinging between gains and losses. The Dow slipped 19 points, or less than 0.1 per cent, as of 9:59 am Eastern time, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.2 per cent.Treasury yields also showed limited movement following the reports, which highlighted the difficult balancing act confronting the Fed as it navigates slowing economic growth alongside persistent inflation.One report showed the US economy expanded at a 1.4 per cent annual rate toward the end of 2025, down from a 4.4 per cent surge during the summer and “a bummer of a number,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.A separate report indicated that the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge accelerated to 2.9 per cent in December from 2.8 per cent in November. An underlying measure, seen by economists as a better predictor of inflation trends, rose to 3 per cent from 2.8 per cent.The Fed faces a difficult policy choice because it lacks tools to simultaneously address slowing growth and elevated inflation. It could lower interest rates to support the economy — as it did last year and as President Donald Trump has been urging — but doing so risks worsening inflation.Fed officials said at their most recent meeting that they want to see inflation decline further before supporting additional rate cuts.Following the data releases, traders continued to expect at least two rate cuts by the end of the year, according to CME Group data, though some shifted expectations for when easing could begin to slightly later in the summer.The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.07 per cent from 4.08 per cent late Thursday, while the two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed policy, held steady at 3.47 per cent.Among individual stocks, Akamai Technologies fell about 10 per cent, one of the market’s sharpest declines, despite reporting stronger-than-expected results for late 2025, as its profit forecast for the upcoming year disappointed investors.The company said it plans to spend a larger share of revenue on equipment and investments, highlighting rising computer memory costs linked to shortages created by the artificial intelligence boom.Comfort Systems was among the gainers, rising 5.4 per cent after reporting stronger quarterly profits than analysts expected. Chief executive Brian Lane said the company is seeing “unprecedented demand.”In overseas markets, European indexes posted modest gains following a mixed session in Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.1 per cent after reopening following Lunar New Year holidays, while South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.3 per cent to a record high, led by defence contractors such as Hanwha Aerospace amid increased global military spending.

US president Donald Trump

In a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade war, the US Supreme Court ruled on Friday that his sweeping unilateral tariffs on imports worldwide violate federal law, derailing a cornerstone of his foreign policy and economic agenda. In a 6-3 verdict, the court held that the tariffs went beyond the scope of the law, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the majority opinion.“The president asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope,” Roberts wrote for the court, reported CNN. “In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it.”The emergency authority Trump attempted to rely on, the court said, “falls short.”In his opinion, Roberts brushed aside an argument from the administration that the president had power to use tariffs to regulate commerce. That was an issue that came up during the oral arguments last year as Trump suggested the president had inherent authority to issue the tariffs.“When Congress grants the power to impose tariffs, it does so clearly and with careful constraints,” Roberts wrote. “It did neither here.”

Decision impacts some, but not all of Trump’s tariffs

The judgment is expected to offer major relief to economies worldwide.The country-wide tariffs Trump imposed on most of the world will be affected by Friday’s decision.The ruling centres on Trump’s use of a 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), that gives the president the power to “regulate” trade in response to an emergency.Trump first invoked it in February 2025 to tax goods from China, Mexico and Canada, saying drug trafficking from those countries constituted an emergency.He deployed it again in April, ordering levies from 10% to 50% on goods from almost every country in the world. He said the US trade deficit – where the US imports more than it exports – posed an “extraordinary and unusual threat”.The unaffected tariffsThe industry-specific steel, aluminium, lumber and automotive tariffs, which were implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, citing national-security concerns.The legal challenge to Donald Trump’s tariff regime has emerged as a crucial test of the limits of presidential power, with the court’s decision likely to have far-reaching consequences for the global economy.On January 12, 2026, Trump wrote on Truth Social that if the Supreme Court were to rule against the United States on tariffs, the country could face repayments amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. He added that this estimate would exclude potential compensation claims from countries and companies that had invested in new plants, factories and equipment to sidestep tariff payments.Including such investments, he warned, the financial burden could run into trillions of dollars, creating a situation that would be extremely difficult for the country to manage and possibly take years to calculate and settle. He also argued that a ruling against the tariffs would deal a severe blow to the United States’ national security-driven trade policy.

Read the full judgment

Growth in India’s eight core infrastructure sectors slowed to a two-month low of 4 per cent in January, according to official data released on Friday, reflecting weakness across most key industries. The growth rate stood at 5.1 per cent in January 2025 and 4.7 per cent in December 2025, PTI reported.Crude oil and natural gas production recorded negative growth during the month, while output of refinery products remained flat, the data showed.Growth in coal and cement production also moderated to 3.1 per cent and 10.7 per cent, respectively, compared with 4.6 per cent and 14.3 per cent recorded in January 2025.However, fertiliser, steel and electricity output registered positive growth during the month under review.During the April–January period of the current fiscal year, core sector growth slowed to 2.8 per cent, lower than the 4.5 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.Commenting on the data, Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA Ltd, said the slowdown was broad-based, with seven of the eight sectors witnessing deterioration in their year-on-year growth performance.“Given the trends in core output, IIP (Index of Industrial Production) growth is likely to slow down in January, although we expect the growth in the non-core part of the IIP to continue to outperform core industries’ output, as was the trend in Q3 FY2026,” she said, PTI quoted.She added that ICRA expects IIP growth to ease to about 5.5 per cent in January 2026 from 7.8 per cent in December 2025, while still remaining higher than core sector growth for the month.

Mumbai: CM Devendra Fadnavis launched AI tools and oversaw the signing of agreements for AI implementation in various sectors in Maharashtra at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi on Friday.Fadnavis announced the launch of Shiksha Saathi, an AI-powered WhatsApp-based assistant for Anganwadi workers across the state. The AI-enabled tool, developed by Rocket Learning in collaboration with Open AI, will provide guidance on developmental milestones and early learning, national curriculum-aligned practices, activities rooted in Aadharshila standards, and everyday strategies to foster positive learning environments.The CM also launched the app ‘Kumbhdoot: AI Agent for Every Pilgrimage’, developed to provide guidance and assistance to devotees attending the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik.He also presided over the exchange of a letter of intent (LoI) between the GoM and Sarvam AI to build sovereign AI infrastructure at scale for deployment across the state. In a social media post, Fadnavis said, “Its key focus areas include strengthening AI foundations across education, health, agriculture, welfare delivery, and public administration; advancing research, innovation, and technological development; promoting skill development and training in emerging AI domains; and building a sovereign AI-optimised compute capacity of 20 MW, scalable up to 50 MW.”An LoI was also exchanged between the state govt and Open AI for collaboration in governance and innovation. This would include an AI Sandbox for government projects: development and piloting of up to 12 AI solutions across priority sectors such as agriculture, health, education, judiciary, IT, and urban and rural development. It would also include the Maha Open Space Sandbox Facility for exploring a physical facility for training, research, and innovation, as well as workshops, hackathons, and expert convenings, which would involve continuous engagement with Maharashtra’s AI and innovation ecosystem through events and collaborative programmes. Besides, it would include the development of AI-powered applications or websites to enhance citizen service delivery at scale, leveraging ChatGPT’s advanced features and third-party integrations with ChatGPT to enable enhanced citizen services in Maharashtra.Meanwhile, Fadnavis condemned the protest by Youth Congress party workers at the India AI Impact Summit on Friday. In a social media post, Fadnavis said, “Highly condemnable, disgraceful, deplorable! It is such a shame that Congress Party has stooped down to such a new low. What they did at Bharat Mandapam today is a display of their anti-India antics which is at the peak and they’re exposed yet again. It was a systematic well-planned strategy to disrupt India’s historic moment of tech leadership before the world. Absolute Shame! We strongly condemn such incidents & demand strong action against the culprits for the brutal attempt to tarnish Bharat’s name and respect.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during a press conference in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, ahead of the Champions League soccer match against Borussia Dortmund. (AP)

LONDON: Pep Guardiola insists he “couldn’t care less” about Arsenal’s stumble letting Manchester City back into the Premier League title race.Guardiola’s side were in danger of being blown away by Arsenal after their inconsistent form left the Gunners in pole position.But second-placed City have been handed a lifeline by Arsenal’s damaging draws against Wolves and Brentford.They are now just five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand and a home match against Mikel Arteta’s men to come in April.If City win their remaining 12 matches they will be crowned champions for the fifth time in the last six seasons.But Guardiola is not getting carried away by the opportunity.Instead, he remains focused on Saturday’s visit from Newcastle, when a win would close the gap on Arsenal to two points before the Gunners face Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.“I didn’t talk about the table, or our position or something like that. I could not care less,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.“I didn’t talk about that for one second. Just Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle.“If you ask me this question with two or three games left, I will have your answer. It’s 12 games left, it’s an eternity.”Having won six titles during 10 years at City, Guardiola knows the final weeks of the season will bring more twists and turns.He also has experience of watching Arsenal let substantial leads slip away in the 2023 and 2024 title races, allowing City to snatch the trophy from their grasp.“Many things are going to happen until the end of the season. For now it is Newcastle, a rest and after it Leeds. It has always been like that,” he said.“Seventy per cent of the players are new, so they don’t have the experience to live these kinds of situations. An experience is to win tomorrow. It is only one.“Arsenal were nine points (ahead) when we had a game in hand, so whenever everybody is on the same games played then after that we will see the difference.“I understand you want to anticipate what is going to happen. That doesn’t count. It is Newcastle, that is all.”Meanwhile, Guardiola said racism remains a problem for society to cure rather than just football.Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior claimed he was racially abused by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League tie this week.The match was paused in line with UEFA regulations after Vinicius alleged he was abused after celebrating scoring.“There is a lot of work still to do. It is in the society, it is not just in football. Racism is everywhere,” Guardiola said. “You pretend that racism is just for the colour of the skin? How you behave is racism. “It’s how you pretend you are better than the other one just for many reasons.”

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif said that if the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction had taken place after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani could have received bids of more than ₹20 crore.Muzarabani has been in great form, taking nine wickets in three group-stage matches with an average of 7.88 and an economy rate of 5.91.

Blessing Muzarabani played a key role in Zimbabwe’s big group-stage wins over Australia and Sri Lanka. He took 4 for 17 in the famous win against OZs, dismissing important batters like Josh Inglis and Tim David.Kaif said that Muzarabani missed out on a huge payday because the Indian Premier League 2026 auction was held in December, before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.“It is not an easy thing to defeat Australia and then Sri Lanka in their home. The match against Sri Lanka was a sellout one as well. So, to play in front of that home ground, and on a slow pitch, where Pakistan struggled to chase 176, Zimbabwe chased down 179. Zimbabwe showed how to play on that pitch,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.“Blessing Muzarabani is an exceptional bowler. He will be targeted by IPL franchises in the future. He bowls in every phase of the game, with the new ball and the old. He is six foot eight inches; he also has height. If the IPL Auction was held after the World Cup, and the way Muzarabani is bowling now, I can tell you with guarantee that he would have fetched at least 20 crores in the IPL Auction. He is unlucky that the IPL Auction is already done,” he said of the in-form bowler.In the past, Blessing Muzarabani worked as a net bowler for the Lucknow Super Giants and in the 2025 season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed him as a temporary replacement after Lungi Ngidi was unavailable towards the end of the tournament.Kaif thinks that Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani is a more skilled and rounded bowler than the best Australian bowlers, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. He is basically saying that even though Cummins and Starc were acquired for a record-breaking amount of ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore spent on the Australian pair at the auction, Muzarabani has a better mix of skills.Mohammad Kaif says that Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani is a more rounded bowler than Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, despite the astonishing ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore spent on the Australian pair at the auction.“We have seen these Australian and New Zealand bowlers for a long time now, earning a lot of money. What has Starc done? Sure, he won those 2 important games for KKR. Remove those 2 matches, and check the other matches, he has been hit for runs in those. Whenever he has played for Delhi, he has been hit for a lot of runs. Muzarabani could do a better job than Starc,” Kaif added.

Former Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir has once again stirred the pot with a bold and controversial forecast for the T20 World Cup 2026. Just days after his ‘slogger’ dig at Abhishek Sharma, a prediction that seemed to gain weight as the opener struggled with three consecutive ducks, Amir has now claimed that the defending champions and hosts, India, will fail to qualify for the semifinals.

Mohammad Amir explains why Suryakumar Yadav’s India won’t reach T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals

Speaking on the popular show ‘Haarna Mana Hai’, Amir suggested that India’s undefeated run in the group stages is a ‘mirage’ that will be exposed under the rising pressure of the Super 8s. Amir’s primary reason for backing India’s elimination centers on a perceived fragility in their batting lineup, particularly when faced with high-quality pace and movement.

Despite India finishing Group A with a perfect record, Amir pointed out that the team has relied far too heavily on individual brilliance rather than collective stability. He argued that except for the high-octane clash against Pakistan, the Indian batting unit has looked vulnerable and ‘collapsed’ in almost every game, often being rescued by the lower order or disciplined bowling. Using his full quotes to justify his skepticism, Amir stated:

“If you see their matches, the batting collapsed in all the games, barring the Pakistan contest. The pressure will rise in the Super 8 matches. The way in which South Africa and the West Indies have been playing, they can beat any team. I don’t think India will make it to the last four.” Amir said.

MOHD AMIR HAS PREDICTED THAT INDIA WON’T QUALIFY FOR THE WC SEMI FINAL 😭😭

We’ve already seen it before, the psychological impact of Amir’s statement on Abhishek Sharma.

Now It will be very difficult for India to reach the semis after this. pic.twitter.com/Tyx0v4goWY

— 𝐀. (@was_abdd) February 19, 2026

Also READ: Here’s why half of The Hundred teams might avoid signing Pakistani players in 2026

T20 World Cup 2026: India’s dominance in the group stage and roadmap for Super 8

Despite Amir’s grim outlook, India enters the next phase as the statistically dominant side of the tournament, having topped Group A with a flawless 4-0 record and a commanding net run rate of +2.500. The ‘Men in Blue’ navigated their group stage with professional ease, defeating the USA, Namibia and the Netherlands, alongside a marquee 61-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan.

While the top order has faced criticism, the middle order, led by Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, has shown remarkable depth, often recovering from early wobbles to post match-winning totals. However, as the tournament transitions from the league phase to the Super 8s, the margin for error has evaporated, and India finds themselves in a high-stakes Group 1 alongside perennial contenders and dark horses.

India’s journey to the final four begins with a massive clash against an unbeaten South Africa on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, a match many consider a ‘litmus test’ for India’s title credentials. Following the opener, India will travel to Chennai to face Zimbabwe on February 26, a side that earned their spot by knocking out Australia and defeating co-hosts Sri Lanka. The group stage concludes with a high-voltage encounter against the West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 1. With three games in ten days across different conditions, India must balance their playing XI and address the ‘Abhishek Sharma slump’ to ensure they secure one of the top two spots and prove Amir’s ‘collapse’ theory wrong.

Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: R Ashwin reflects on India’s form, highlights bright signs before Super 8

Mumbai: Following a summons, Raj Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, appeared before a special court handling money laundering cases and was granted bail in a 2018 crime concerning Bitcoins worth over Rs 150 crore.The special trial court judge R B Rote on Jan 5, after hearing special public prosecutor Kavita Patil, took cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chargesheet in the case and summoned Kundra to court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He appeared in court and, through his advocate Prashant Patil, sought bail under the provisions of the new criminal procedural law, BNSS. The provision invoked enables an accused, previously not arrested in the case, to be released on a bail bond after the court summons him on a chargesheet being filed.

The ED case is that Kundra allegedly received 285 Bitcoins in July 2017. The ED valued them at $1 million, or Rs 6.6 crore, at the time, Patil said, adding the agency, though, adopted “arbitrarily” the value of bitcoin as on April 16, 2024, or approximately Rs 52 lakh per Bitcoin, and on that basis arrived at a figure of around Rs 150 crore.The prosecution case was that a co-accused had created an online platform and conspired with others to dupe “a number of gullible investors with a promise of a very high return in terms of earning in Bitcoin.Kundra, whose bail plea denied any role in the alleged fraud, also argued the ED’s approach was “untenable and legally impermissible, as it amounts to pick-and-choose valuation without any statutory backing”. He said a question that arose was: if the value in 2024 dropped to Re 1, would the ED attach only Rs 285?It was argued that the relevant date for valuation could only be the date on which the alleged proceeds were generated, ie July 2017, and not an arbitrary future date chosen to suit the prosecution. Kundra questioned the attachment of properties worth ₹150 crores as “grossly disproportionate, ex facie arbitrary, and liable to be set aside”.Claiming he was regular in his appearance before the ED since 2018, Kundra’s lawyer also said he was contemplating approaching the Bombay high court for quashing of the summons issued in the ED matter.