tirupati l thursday l september 10, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l anantapur EDITION Nagoya faces extensive flooding ahead of asian games in Japan With less than 10 days to go for the continental event, the central Japanese city was hit by extensive flooding after record rainfall venues and athletes unharmed: Mayor 400 athletes and staff briefly evacuated Record rain flooded dozens of roads and homes, stranding pedestrians but athletes who have arrived early for the Games were unharmed, Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa assured on Wednesday. “We are not worried about the conditions of the venues and we believe there is no problem holding the Asian Games as planned,” Hirosawa told reporters ■ ■ Hirosawa said about 400 athletes and staff who are staying in converted shipping containers were briefly evacuated to higher ground during the heavy rain He said there were a number of leaking roofs but nothing more serious around the dozens of Games venues Sept 19 is when the event is scheduled to begin. It will end on October 4 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 Crude tops $100 as US-Iran war gets nastier Modi, Xi bilateral Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps extends ‘restricted zone’, adding parts of Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea RA K E SH K U M AR @ New Delhi in a major escalation in the West Asia war, Iran on Wednesday attacked several oil tankers trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz besides US military targets in the region, sending alarm bells across the region and beyond and pushing oil prices past $100 a barrel. Iran claimed that it attacked 20 ships and US military targets in Jordan in retaliation to the sinking of five Iranian crude oil carriers by the US military on Tuesday. Tehran also extended the ‘restricted zone’ beyond the Strait of Hormuz into parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, warning that any passing vessels could be ‘sanctioned’. British maritime agency confirmed Iran’s claim, saying several vessels in the Gulf region were on fire. “Reports indicate Combo videograbs of US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces firing missiles to blow up an Iranian crude oil carrier | CENTCOM 1 2 The CENTCOM attack came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles The US warship successfully evaded the IRGC’s attacks twice over two days. It then destroyed five of IRGC’s crude oil carriers the vessels were subject to disabling fire as part of ongoing military activity it said. ,” The US said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in response to Iran’s missile attacks on a US Navy warship. On Tuesday, Iran-backed Houthi rebels had attacked oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Following the fresh escalation, the international Brent crude benchmark breached $100 a barrel for the first time 3rd anniversary of arrest Naidu: I’m committed to value-based politics tice or proven charges. Refusing to let personal rancour dictate the State policy, Naidu emphasised that his 48Asserting that he remains year political journey and decdeeply committed to value- ades of executive experience— based politics, poverty allevia- having first assumed the office tion, and the State’s of Chief Minister 31 development rather years ago—have althan political retribuways been guided by tion, Chief Minister N a steadfast commitChandrababu Naidu ment to public Despite decades has stated that while service. of malicious allegations and exacting vengeance He reiterated that legal hurdles, no takes only a minute, despite decades of he deliberately choos- charge against me malicious allegations has ever been es patience and demoand legal hurdles, no proven in court, cratic restraint in charge against him serving as a governance. has ever been proven testament to Addressing a masin court, serving as a my integrity sive public gathering testament to his as part of the ‘Mee integrity . Nara Chandrababu Bhoomi-Mee Hakku’ Naidu, Chief Minister To ensure his famiprogramme at Panduly remained financialvaripeta in P Gannavaram con- ly independent of politics, he stituency on Wednesday, the had established a family busiChief Minister recalled the ness 36 years ago, and handed events of September 9, 2023, its management entirely to his when he was arrested at mid- wife during his tenures as Finight in Nandyal by the previ- nance Minister and Chief MinP6 ous regime without prior no- ister.  E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ P Gannavaram (BR Ambedkar Konaseema) 3 The destroyed carriers were M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in Gulf of Oman and M/T Derya near Kharg since July It also pushed the In. dian crude basket, comprising Sweet grade (Brent Dated) and Sour grade (Oman & Dubai average) crude oil to $108.91 per barrel on September 8. For India, which imports more than 88% of its crude oil requirement, any rise in international prices is bad news. The war has already inflated India’s import bill for crude and gas, which touched $63.37 billion during April-July—a 56% increase on a year-on-year basis. For context, crude imports accounted for over 50% of the total oil import bill during the period. According to reports, a $1 increase in crude prices for a year may lead to `18,000 crore rise in the total import bill. Prashant Vasisht, senior vice-president at ICRA, warns that crude oil prices could rise further if the current geo-political situation persists. He said several countries including China were tapping their strategic reserves for consumption and their return to the market could increase demand and, therefore, prices. US suspends Cognizant’s green-card filings amid visa fraud investigation PAD M I N I DHR U VARA J @ Bengaluru THE US Department of Labor has suspended IT services company Cognizant’s permanent labour certification, or PERM, filings, as part of a probe into alleged misuse of employmentvisa programmes. Announcing the decision through social media platform X late on Tuesday night, US Labour Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito wrote: “Cognizant’s PERM filings are suspended… Threats to American workers will NOT be tolerated.” In a separate post, he said: “We’re following facts, fraud and finances. Handcuffs await.” US authorities have not disclosed the specific allegations against Cognizant, how many cases are affected, or how long the suspension will last. Cognizant, founded in Chennai, has not publicly commented on the suspension but sourc- What’s PERM? PERM is a key step towards employment-based greencard sponsorship. Before hiring a foreign worker, an employer has to state that there are no qualified and available US workers and the hiring will not affect US workers in any way es said the action does not mean the green-card applications of the firm’s employees have been rejected. Curiously, the suspension came a day after Cognizant announced that it would hire 1,500 Vizag zoo Animal ‘escapes’ expose chinks in enclosures US college graduates this year. CEO Ravi Kumar S said: “We are hiring American graduates, standing up new American job categories for the AI era, and putting Cognizant’s capital and leadership behind a national coalition built to make sure this transition works for workers.” Cognizant has historically used the system extensively. Records show 589 Cognizant PERM cases were certified in fiscal 2023 and 741 in fiscal 2024. The development could be a cause of concern for Indian technology professionals, who already face some of the longest employment-based immigration queues in the US. Cognizant is also a major US employer of H-1B workers. US Citizenship and Immigration Services data shows 3,510 approved H-1B petitions for Cognizant as of June 30, 2026, compared with 9,413 in 2020. on BRICS Summit sidelines on Sat J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi 350+ meets Under India’s chairship this year, over 350 meetings and engagements have been held to strengthen BRICS grouping Open session An open session on “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”, is scheduled to begin at 10.50 am, the MEA said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a bilateral meeting on September 12 in the second half of the day, sources said. Xi will arrive in India on September 12, according to sources, as New Delhi hosts the BRICS Leaders’ Summit 2026. Prime Minister Modi will host a gala dinner for leaders of BRICS member countries on Saturday evening at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, as India hosts the two-day summit. The dinner, scheduled for 7.30 pm on September 12, will be part of a packed first day of the summit, which will bring together leaders o f B RI C S m e m b e r countries for discussions on strengthening multilateralism and promoting more inclus i v e g l o b a l governance. T he summit programme will begin on Saturday after noon with the arrival of BRICS leaders at Bharat Mandapam. The leaders will then participate in a closed session on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism” at 2.35 pm. The session is expected to focus on ways to strengthen multilateral institutions and make global governance more representative and inclusive, amid discussions on the evolving international order. Following the closed-door session, the leaders will visit the “Bharat Innovates Exhibition”, which will showcase India’s innovation, technology and development capabilities. The leaders are also scheduled to participate in a family photograph and a joint tree plantation programme at the summit venue, adding ceremonial engagements to the first day’s proceedings. Lanka Won’t let its soil be used against India Lankan Prez Dissanayake assured defence minister Rajnath Singh that his country would “never allow its territory to be used for any activities inimical to India’s security” | P9 TTD provides `2L insurance cover to Tirumala pilgrims for natural death U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu takes part in the ‘Mee Bhoomi–Mee Hakku’ programme at Machavaram in Konaseema district on Wednesday | Express E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park’s record of around 137 births of animals of various species in recent times has brought appreciation for its conservation efforts, but concerns over enclosure maintenance and the alleged escape of animals have raised questions over their safety and upkeep. Sources familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that a few animals brought from other zoos are no longer accounted for. They attributed some of the alleged escapes to poor fencing and gaps in enclosures. Two water monitor lizards brought from Alipore Zoological Garden, Kolkata, in 2019 are among those reportedly unaccounted for. While four are expected to be housed at the zoo, sources claimed only two are currently present, with the remaining two suspected to have escaped. Likewise, of the two red sand boas brought from Kanpur Zoological Park in September 2025, only one is reportedly P6 present in the new reptile enclosure.  @ Tirumala Brahmotsavams booklet released In a landmark decision in temple administration across the country the Tirumala Tirupati , Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board has announced a pioneering Group Life Insurance Scheme offering `2 lakh relief to the families of pilgrims who die due to natural causes while visiting the hill shrine. Earlier, the TTD provided insurance coverage solely to pilgrims who died in accidents within Tirumala or along the Ghat roads leading from Alipiri. The 2026 Brahmotsavams booklet containing details of Salakatla and Navaratri Brahmotsavams at Tirumala was released at Annamayya Bhavan on Wednesday. TTD Chairman BR Naidu, EO Muddada Ravichandra and Trust Board members jointly released the booklet. Salakatla Brahmotsavams will be held from September 15 to 23, while Navaratri Brahmotsavams will take place from October 12 to 20 express read Stone laid for slum project Visakhapatnam: Ponguru Narayana, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, laid the stone for an insitu slum redevelopment project at Velampeta Lakshmi Nagar on Wednesday. Under the project, 177 families will get new houses at their existing location | P6 TTD Chairman BR Naidu and EO Muddada Ravichandra speak to media at Tirumala on Wednesday | Express In a major departure from this legacy practice, the board has now extended protection to cover natural deaths—such as sudden health emergencies P6 during pilgrimage. SC suggestion 3rd language: Consider exempting Class 6 students this year, CBSE told S U CHITRA K ALYA N M OHA N TY @ New Delhi Th e S u p re m e C o u r t o n Wednesday asked the Central Board of Secondary Education to consider a one-time exemption for Class 6 students from the three-language policy . A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joym- alya Bagchi and V Mohana said implementation from the next academic year is fine, but the current Class 6 batch could be exempted. “Consider Class 6 for this year... If they can be given some accommodation,” the court told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The court made the observations after hearing a batch of petitions challenging the CB- English question: Govt has an issue with it, says SG Responding to a mention on English as a non-native language, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “That we have an issue with.” Justice Bagchi had on August 20 expressed reservations about treating English as a “non-native language”, adding it requires a constitutional analysis SE’s May 20, 2025 circular on implementing the three-language formula for Classes 6-10 under the National Education Policy 2020. As per the circular, all the CBSE students must learn three languages, at least two of them Indian languages. Class 6 students who studied only two languages till Class 5 now need to take a third language. Multiple petitioners from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka said any mid-session change would cause huge chaos and a lot of difficulties. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal told the court that textbooks had been purchased, sections allotted, but teachers were unavailable. The SG, appearing for the Union, told the bench that he would consult the concerned officials on extending the existing accommodation to Class 6 students. The court asked CBSE to file a comprehensive affidavit by September 16 on the exemption.