4.4 magnitude quake hits northern Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): A 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of north and northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the second tremor to hit the country in as many days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake that struck at 9:30 am (local time) originated at a depth of 14 kilometres with its epicentre located 11 kms northeast of Burhan, Attock, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad.
Tremors were felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Saturday morning quake came less than 24 hours after a 5.9 magnitude temblor struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, with tremors felt in several cities, including Peshawar and Islamabad, on Friday.
The epicentre of that quake at 6:09 pm (local time) was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region at a depth of 101 kilometres.
Earthquakes are common in northern Pakistan due to its location in the Himalayas where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Earlier, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Balochistan province on February 13 but no loss to life or property was reported there too. Its epicentre was 86 kms northeast of Khuzdar town of the province.
The quake was preceded on the same day by another tremor of magnitude 3.8 that struck 75 kms southeast of Khuzdar at a depth of 33 kms.
The worst quake the country suffered was in 2005, which killed about 74,000 people.
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Indian govt weighs impact of US Supreme Court tariff ruling: Comm Min
New Delhi (PTI): The Indian government is studying the developments on the US tariffs and their implications, the Commerce Ministry said on Saturday.
"We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday (Friday). US President Donald Trump has also addressed a press conference in this regard.
"Some steps have been announced by the US administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications," the ministry said.
In a major setback to Trump's pivotal economic agenda for his second term, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 verdict written by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that the tariffs imposed by the president on nations around the world were illegal and that he had exceeded his authority when he imposed the sweeping levies.
Later, Trump's proclamation, dated February 20, said: "I impose, for a period of 150 days, a temporary import surcharge of 10 per cent ad valorem on articles imported into the United States, effective February 24, 2026".
The US had imposed a reciprocal tariff of 25 per cent on India in August.
Later, an additional 25 per cent was imposed for buying Russian crude oil, taking the total tariffs on India to 50 per cent. Earlier this month, both countries agreed to finalise an interim trade deal, under which Washington will cut down the tariffs to 18 per cent.
So far, the punitive 25 per cent has been removed. The remaining 25 per cent exists.
After the proclamation, the tariffs on Indian goods will now be 10 per cent. The 10 per cent levy is over and above the existing MFN or import duties in the US.
In the wake of the US Supreme Court's decision on tariffs, Trump said there is no change in the trade deal with India and emphasised that the India deal is on.
To finalise the legal text for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement, the Indian team is scheduled to meet its counterparts in Washington from February 23, 2026.
During 2021-25, the US was India's largest trading partner in goods. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total exports, 6.22 per cent in imports and 10.73 per cent in bilateral trade.
In 2024-25, the bilateral trade touched USD 186 billion (USD 86.5 billion exports and USD 45.3 billion imports).
