Here are the top news for the day from The Hindu’s Morning Digest, on February 22, 2026

Trump raises U.S. global tariff rate from 10% to 15%

President Donald Trump said on Saturday (February 21, 2026) that he was raising the global tariff he wants to impose to 15%, up from 10% he had announced a day earlier. Mr. Trump said in a social media post that he was making the decision “Based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday,” by the U.S. Supreme Court.

India ‘studying’ U.S. tariff moves: Commerce Ministry

While the Supreme Court of the United States has struck down the reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on various countries, including India, several other tariffs remain in place that continue to hurt various sectors, trade analysts and export data show. In a February 20 ruling, the Court held that Mr. Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on other countries exceeded his authority as President, and so struck down the duties. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it had “noted” the U.S. Supreme Court’s judgement, but did not clarify what would happen to India’s interim agreement with Washington.

Comparing separation of powers jurisprudence between India and U.S. based on recent SCOTUS ruling 

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), in a 6:3 ratio judgment, declared that President Donald Trump overreached his authority to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 during peacetime. Mr. Trump criticised the Supreme Court for being “very unpatriotic and disloyal to the Constitution”, suggesting the ruling was influenced by “foreign interests”.

Nearly 8% of voters removed from final electoral lists across six States and three U.T.s in SIR second phase

Nearly 8% of voters have been removed across nine States and Union Territories in the final electoral rolls published after the second phase of the special intensive revision (SIR). While the final lists of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, and Goa were published on Saturday (February 21, 2026), that of Gujarat were released on February 17 and Puducherry and Lakshadweep on February 14.

Akhilesh questions removal of NSG cover, accuses BJP government of ‘playing’ with his security

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday (February 22, 2026) accused the BJP government of “playing” with his security and sought an explanation for the withdrawal of the National Security Guard (NSG) cover provided to him. In a statement issued from the SP headquarters, the former Chief Minister said the government must clarify the reasons cited in his security cover review that led to the withdrawal.

Five school teachers held in Odisha for ‘raping’ 13-year-old girl

Five teachers of a private school were arrested on Saturday (February 21, 2026) for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, police said. The arrests were made after the father of the class 7 student and the district child welfare committee lodged separate complaints at the Rajkanika police station, alleging that the accused teachers had raped the minor, a senior officer said. The parents of the student approached the district child welfare committee after their daughter accused the teachers of abusing her sexually for a long period, he said.

IED recovered behind police post in Amritsar

The Punjab Police found an improvised explosive device behind a police post in Amritsar district, even as the BJP slammed the “steadily deteriorating security situation” under the AAP government. Acting on specific information, the Rayya police post in charge, Guriqbal Singh, recovered the explosive from behind the chowki on Friday (February 20) night, an official said. The official said that the area was cordoned off after the recovery, and a bomb disposal squad was called to the spot.

Pakistan says it struck militant hideouts along Afghan border after surge in deadly attacks

Pakistan said that it had carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan, targeting hideouts of militants it blames for recent attacks inside the country. Islamabad did not say in precisely which areas the strikes were carried out or provide details. There was no immediate comment from Kabul.

JPMorgan concedes it closed Trump’s accounts after January 6 attack

JPMorgan Chase acknowledged for the first time that it closed the bank accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump and several of his businesses in the political and legal aftermath of the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, the latest development in a legal saga over the controversial practice of “debanking.” The acknowledgement came in a court filing submitted this week in Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the bank and its leader, Jamie Dimon. The President sued for $5 billion, alleging that his accounts were closed for political reasons, disrupting his business operations.

Ghislaine Maxwell fights release of more Epstein documents, calling disclosure law unconstitutional

Lawyers for imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are fighting the requested release of 90,000 pages related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell, saying a law used to force the public release of millions of documents is unconstitutional. The lawyers filed papers late Friday (February 20, 2026) in Manhattan federal court to try to block the release of documents from a since-settled civil defamation lawsuit brought a decade ago by the late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell. The Justice Department recently asked a judge to lift secrecy requirements on the files.

Alcaraz downs Fils to win Qatar Open, extends perfect start to the year

World number one Carlos Alcaraz cruised past ​Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2 6-1 ‌to win the Qatar Open ​on Saturday (February 21, 2026) and ⁠extend his perfect start to the year. Alcaraz, whose second trophy of ‌2026 came 20 days after he completed the ‌career Grand Slam at ‌the ⁠Australian Open, dictated the ⁠match from the outset and won a remarkable 89% of his first-serve ​points while ‌never facing a break point during the 50-minute encounter.

India will be up against it if de Kock gets going

It was only a couple of months back that South Africa played a white-ball series in India after blanking the home side in the preceding Test series. That T20I series was not only a good warm-up for the World Cup but also gave both teams an idea about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Don’t forget that South Africa are still smarting over that defeat in the World Cup final in Barbados in June 2024 and are thirsting for revenge.

Published – February 22, 2026 07:18 am IST