MONDAY With Anthropic fuming and refusing to let Pentagon into some areas of its software, the Pentagon is reevaluating its partnership with Anthropic 16 FEBRUARY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard FULL-BLOWN FIGHT BETWEEN PENTAGON AND ANTHROPIC US NUCLEAR DEAL The US military used Anthropic’s Claude AI model during its operation to capture Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Axios reports IRAN OPEN TO COMPROMISE Iran is ready to negotiate on its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for US sanctions being lifted, its deputy foreign minister has said A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 Om Birla to attend B’desh oath ceremony RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi LOK Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Bangladeshi government led by BNP’s Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Tuesday . According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Speaker’s participation underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the people of the two countries. “As neighbours united by a shared history, c u l t u re, a n d mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh’s transition to an elected government under the leadership of H E Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people,” the MEA stated. Bangladesh had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the event. The newly elected MPs are scheduled to take their oath on Tuesday morning, followed by the swearing-in of the cabinet in the evening. Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner, AMM Nasir Uddin, is expected to administer the oath to the MPs, while President Mohammed Shahabuddin is to administer the oath to the new cabinet. Rahman’s BNP won 209 out of 297 seats while Jamaat has 68 seats. NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Bolt from the Blues: Meek Pak surrender without fight @ Colombo We now have FTAs with 38 nations, an unprecedented milestone in India’s trade history, including countries of varying economic strength Narendra Modi India opener Ishan Kishan leads the charge with 40-ball 77 against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday. India’s 175 was too much, as Pakistan folded for just 114 | AP 8-1 Today’s Matches 11am: UAE vs Afghanistan (Delhi) 3pm: England vs Italy (Kolkata) 7pm: Sri Lanka vs Australia (Pallekele) 175 India continue to dominate Pakistan in T20 World Cups, extend record to 8 wins of 9 ting form to reduce Pakistan’s mix and match spinners. His batting has been thoroughly incandescent since the World Cup began: 20 off 16 against US, 61 off 24 against Namibia and, now, 77 of the most murderous runs you will see at a global event. He did edge a few but the only way you win the lottery is when you buy yourself a ticket. He bought a few and helped the team win the jackpot. Pakistan helped them by opting to bowl but it seemed likely the stage got to them. They were India's 175/5 is the highest total in T20 WC matches between these two teams never on the money and the Men In Blue didn’t need a second invitation to punish them on a night when they played like champions elect. For all the psychodrama and hype associated with this fixture, it has not been worthy of the build-up in terms of results. Long after the lights were switched off at the Premadasa, one thought dominated. This makes it six games on the trot for India against them in T20Is. Game. Set. Match. The Championship will follow at this rate. P11 INDIA AS NEXT AI HUB Modi pitched India as a global hub for digital infrastructure and AI, saying the country is ready to host the world’s data and lead the next wave of the technology revolution. His pitch came a day before India hosts the global assembly of tech tycoons, AI business leaders, policy makers, investors and innovators. PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the private sector to step in “more aggressively” and “boldly”, while hailing the latest Budget and a spate of global trade deals signed by his government as foundations for Viksit Bharat. In a wide-ranging interview with PTI, PM Modi urged the dynamic private corporate sector to invest “more aggressively” in research and development, adopt frontier technologies, deepen supply-chain capabilities and compete on quality and productivity rather than on protected margins. “Policy can only create the enabling framework,” he said. “The next phase of transformation requires a decisive response from private sector. Incentives and tariff preferences catalyse growth, but competitiveness rests on innovation, efficiency and scale.” The PM said gains of private sector must be shared fairly between workers, shareholders and owner-managers as productivity rises. “Sustainable growth requires social legitimacy Rising real wages, skill upgrade, and . stable employment reinforce domestic demand and social cohesion,” he said On India concluding trade deals with the European Union and the UK, securing tariff reductions and expanded market access for goods and services, while reaching an understanding with the US to ease tariff frictions, PM Modi said “There is a new confidence in our nation...we are a bright spot of growth even in difficult global circumstances.” On Budget 2026, the PM said it is all about strengthening the manufacturing ecosystem, expanding value addition and creating conditions for skill and scale to come together. “The end result will be Aatmanirbharta and massive job creation.” On the hike in Defence budget and military modernisation, Modi said the benefits of a decade of defence reforms were evident during ‘Operation Sindoor’, and asserted that India has to be prepared at all times to deal with security challenges. He said political stability and predictability have restored investor confidence in India. He went on to list three top priorities for the next three decades — more structural reforms, deepening of innovation in technology manufacturing and services, and simpler governance , so that citizens and businesses can operate in sync. BJP MP faces flak from Mufti, Omar for letting MPLADs funds flow to UP India, France set to firm up defence ties India and France are set to boost defence ties as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets his French counterpart in Bengaluru on Tuesday for the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue, where the two sides will renew their defence cooperation pact. P7 FAYA Z WA N I @ Srinagar Cheating scam for exam busted in C’garh An organised cheating racket targeting the national-level Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) was busted at a Raipur exam centre on Sunday and six people, all of them from Haryana, were arrested. P8 AI CITY DELHI’S ARTIFICIAL REALITY BITES IN LINE WITH DEVOTION People queue up to offer prayers at the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar, J&K, on Sunday on the occasion of Maha Shivratri and Herath festivals | PTI A BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Ali Khatana, has come under fire from National Conference and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for spending a major portion of his Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds on developmental works in Uttar Pradesh rather than in Jammu and Kashmir. Khatana, a senior BJP leader from the state and prominent Gujjar face of the party was nominated to the Ra, jya Sabha in September 2022. The MP has allocated `14.7 crore from the allocated funds. Under the MPLADS scheme, each MP is entitled to recommend projects worth `5 crore annually for the creation of community assets, such as roads, drinking water facilities and educational infrastructure. While the funds are released to district authorities for execution, and not directly handled by MPs, the choice of districts and projects rests with the parliamentarian. 94% of funds went towards works in UP Out of 176 developmental works sanctioned by the MP, 144 projects, amounting to `10.58 crores (94% of the funds), were carried out in Uttar Pradesh. In contrast, only 32 works for `94 lakh were taken up in Jammu and Kashmir. The spending pattern has drawn flak from both the NC and the PDP. Out of the 176 developmental works sanctioned by Khatana, 144 projects, amounting to `10.58 crore, which is 94 per cent of the funds, were carried out in Uttar Pradesh. In contrast, only 32 works amounting to of `94 lakh were taken up in his home state. The spending pattern of Khatana’s MPLADS funds has drawn sharp criticism from the ruling National Conference and the opposition PDP . “What is the purpose of nominating an MP from Jammu and Kashmir if 94 per cent of his development funds are spent in Uttar Pradesh? This exposes the harsh truth: J&K’s representation has been reduced to symbolism, while its people are denied their rightful share. Shameful and unacceptable. Our people deserve commitment, not BJP’s tokenism. Wake up Jammu!,” National Conference spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said in a post on X. According to the PDP youth president Aditya Gupta, “The MP spent 94 per cent of his MPLAD funds in UP. He entered Parliament from Jammu Kashmir, but his development funds went to UP ... This is the BJP model; votes from Jammu, funds for UP Jammu . wasn’t betrayed by outsiders, i t h a s a lw ay s b e e n o u r own MPs and MLAs who sold our interests.” AADHAAR CODED Every parcel of land to get own 14-digit unique identification soon A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi government has undertaken an initiative to issue an ‘ adhaar’ for every A parcel of land in the Capital. Under this, each land parcel will get a 14-digit Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN). This step forms part of the government’s move to modernise the city’s land records and freeing citizens from longstanding land disputes. The system is also referred to as ‘Bhu Aadhaar’. Describing the system as highly beneficial, CM Rekha Gupta said that it is not merely a number but a step towards the vision of ‘Digital India’ on the ground. The CM elaborated that the need to implement this system in Delhi had long been felt. The scheme originates with the Ministry of Rural Development and the Department of Land Resources, and is particularly significant for the Capital. According to Gupta, although the scheme was introduced in 2016, it could not be implemented in Delhi due to various reasons. It is now being taken up in mission mode by the IT Branch of the Revenue Department, which will also receive support from the Survey of India. The CM highlighted the extensive benefits stating that the 14-digit code will be georeferenced, thereby minimising disputes over land boundaries. For citizens, the greatest bene- However, Anthropic says mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weaponry would be off-limits for Pentagon, claims Axios A G E N C I E S @ New Delhi S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N THE rain stayed away. But so did the ‘spirit of the game’ as India and Pakistan continued their recent policy of not engaging at the toss. Suryakumar Yadav didn’t greet Pakistan’s Salman Agha. The game itself was reduced to a non-event as a dominating Indian display meant they won the game by 61 runs to advance to the Super Eight stage of the World Cup where stiffer tests will arrive. After weeks of theatrics and threats of boycott, more drama arrived even before a ball was bowled in front of a capacity crowd as the two captains refused to engage with each other. Both of them stood within handshaking distance but the hands never shook. This game of political chess was made all the more inexplicable as Wasim Akram, here on media duties, and Rohit Sharma, the World Cup ambassador, greeted each other like long lost friends. They hugged and shook hands in front of the world cricket media 10 minutes before the beginning of the first innings. By the time game started, the city came to a standstill with heightened security and loud fans from the subcontinent. All pre-match discussions were immediately put to the background as Ishan Kishan continued his coruscating bat- Anthropic too will let US use frontier AI for national security Step up, share gains with workers, PM to India Inc No handshake, no rivalry either as Ishan’s heroics and precision bowling do the job EXPRESS READ As an AI meet of global repute brings world’s who’s who to town, the capital needs clarity on its governance tech | P4  $200 million LAST YEAR, ANTHROPIC SIGNED A $200 MILLION CONTRACT WITH THE PENTAGON ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok have agreed to lift guardrails to give Pentagon full access to their products fit will be ease and convenience. Instead of navigating multiple documents to establish land ownership, a single number will provide comprehensive details of the property . Advanced technology is being deployed for the implementation of this scheme. Approximately 2 terabytes of high-quality geospatial data and drone-based Ortho Rectified Images (ORI) are being obtained from the Survey of In- dia. Through this data, accurate ULPINs will be generated for all areas of Delhi, including 48 villages already covered under the SVAMITVA scheme. Earlier, `13.207 million had been allocated for the project, with financial management overseen by the IT Branch. The government will now expand the system across Delhi in a phased manner under a Standard Operating Procedure with defined timelines. KARNATAKA Indian student who went missing in US found dead EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru SAKETH Sreenivasaiah, a 22-year-old student from Bengaluru studying in the US, missing since February 10, was found dead on Saturday . The Consulate General of India in San Francisco confirmed the recovery of his body While . the exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained, it is said that his body was recovered near Lake Anza in Berkeley. The photos and videos of authorities searching for him in the lake and around Berkeley Hills were circulating on social media. As per Berkeley media reports, Saketh’s roommate, who had filed a missing complaint, identified the body Ear. lier, Saketh’s wallet and bag were found at a nearby park. The roommate shared on social media that Saketh’s mood had shifted two weeks ago, and he had started eating less and engaging less, and had simply “stopped caring” about life. The consulate said, “The consulate deeply regrets to inform that local police have confirmed the recovery of the body of the missing Indian student” It also stated that its consular officers are in direct contact with the family and will support them with all required formalities and services. However, his family members, who stay on 18th Main, D-Group Layout in Srigandadakaval in Bengaluru, continued to cling on to hope that the news is false. The family and relatives said they have not received any official confirmation directly from government authorities. The parents are applying for visas to travel to the US.