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 ■ ■ visakhapatnam l sunday l september 13, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION The existing pyramid of privilege structure in global governance must give way to a platform of partnership where every country has a voice, every member has a stake — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister BRICS countries should... oppose the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, reject violations of other countries’ sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs — Xi Jinping, Chinese President A police official keeps vigil outside Bharat Mandapam as security arrangements were beefed up for the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday | PTI Let us establish instruments to manage national currency risks and reciprocal settlements in the bloc since current financial system is vulnerable to political shocks — Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian President We express serious concern over deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full IAEA safeguards, in violation of international law — New Delhi Declaration India bridges Iran-UAE differences on West Asia conflict after marathon negotiations till 4 am; declaration calls for restraint while not assigning responsibility BRICS adopts landmark Delhi Declaration J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi BRICS countries on Saturday adopted the New Delhi Declaration after marathon negotiations that continued until 4 am, overcoming sharp differences over the language in the West Asia conflict, particularly between Iran and the UAE. The adoption marks a significant diplomatic breakthrough for India, the host of 18th BRICS Summit, with New Delhi playing a key role in bridging competing positions among members and ensuring that differences over West Asia did not derail the summit outcome. The declaration, while not assigning responsibility for the conflict, calls for restraint, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and respect for the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States”. “We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/ West Asia and, recalling our respective national positions, call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravat e t h e s i t u at i o n , ” t h e declaration said. It also called for greater use of “dialogue and diplomacy” towards a longterm understanding that can contribute to peace, security and stability in the region. The final declaration adopted broader language, expressing “serious concern” over deliber- on p7 ate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full IAEA safeguards, and stressing that nuclear safeguards, safety and security must be upheld even during armed conflicts. Tehran had sought an explicit reference to what it described as a unilateral attack on Iran and a violation of the UN Charter. A “clear direction from our leadership” and sustained engagement at multiple levels helped India overcome differences, India’s BRICS Sherpa Sudhakar Dalela said. Dalela said negotiations involved extensive consultations. “Engagement at various levels” eventually enabled the grouping to arrive at a consensus. “Tehran’s concern was that the reference to the unilateral attack and the alleged violation of the UN Charter should not be diluted or ‘subsumed into a generic formulation’,” a source familiar with the negotiations said. On Gaza, BRICS expressed deep concern over continued violence despite the October 2025 ceasefire and called for its maintenance and full, unhindered humanitarian access. The declaration opposed policies aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians and reaffirmed support for Palestinian self-determination, the right of return and full UN membership in the context of the two-state solution. turn Global South into a rule-shaper, urges Modi Seven Tourism Circuits along Godavari for Pushkarams U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam From ancient temples and sacred ghats to heritage landmarks and river cruises, tourists will have seven curated ways to explore the Godavari region during the Godavari Pushkarams 2027, with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department unveiling a set of themed circuits. Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh revealed the seven circuits at the IATO convention held in Vizag. The routes have been designed around different aspects of the Godavari region, including pilgrimage, temple heritage, Vaishnava and Shakti traditions, river tourism and cultural history of the delta. The ‘Sacred Godavari’ circuit takes visitors through important temples located along different branches of the river. Draksharamam, Kotipalli, Mukteswaram, Muramalla, Kundaleswaram, Ainavilli, Appanapalli, Ryali and Antarvedi are part of the route, covering the Gautami, Vriddha Gautami, Vainateya and Vasishta P4 branches.  2 Condemns Pahalgam terror attack, calls for zero tolerance on cross-border terrorism 3 Call for immediate restoration of fully functioning WTO dispute settlement system 4 Bloc-wide grain trading platform and four new farmer-focused initiatives covering seeds, agro-inputs, agro-ecology and digital agriculture endorsed 5 Declaration urges the developed world to provide finance for biodiversity conservation 6 Resolves to remain committed to aims of the Paris Agreement Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Bharat Innovates Exposition | PTI Cautious thaw in China ties on a steadier footing J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sought to put the cautious thaw in IndiaChina ties on a steadier footing, stressing the need to prevent differences from becoming disputes and to preserve peace along the border. Iran President, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince hold talks But the border remains a critical test of the normalisation process. PM Modi emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an “essential basis” for continued development of bilateral relations, the MEA said. Xi said China sees India as a “cooperation partner rather than a rival” and that the devel- opment of one country should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a threat for the other. Describing the recent improvement in ties as a shift from a “new start” to a “new elevation,” Xi said: “This situation has not come easily and is worth cherishing,” a readout quoted by Chinese state media said. India, UAE seek to expand strategic ties in def, space The two leaders met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, nearly a year after their previous meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. PM Modi said the relationship should be guided by “mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest” while reiterating that “differences should not become disputes.” MEA: unified payment, not BRICS currency on table Xi laid out a four-point framework for better ties. He called for an objective assessment of the relationship, economic cooperation, political wisdom in managing differences and stronger coordination on regional and global issues. The two leaders also agreed to deepen coordination through BRICS, the UN, SCO and G20. a feast of Indian flavours at gala dinner for leaders Nadda: Centre will extend support to Mandatory listing only Heart AP’s Amaravati Quantum Bio Valley option for Tata Sons Break RBI blow to Noel tata WITH THIS ISSUE PLUS 12 P AGES S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada B e n n K o c h uv e e d a n @ Mumbai IN a major setback for Tata Sons Chairman Noel Tata, the Reserve Bank of India is learnt to have rejected its application seeking to deregister as a non-banking financial company nearly 30 months after it was filed. The , RBI has now directed Tata Sons to comply with norms applicable to an NBFC in the upper layer, paving the way for its mandatory listing. In a letter to Saurabh Agarwal, CFO of Tata Sons, RBI advised the company to take actions to ensure full compliance with its guidelines and instructions. Request for The RBI first classified Tata Sons as an surrender of the Upper Layer NBFC in September 2022, with Certificate of such entities required to list within three Registration to years. The original listing deadline for Tata be classified as Sons was September 30, 2025. It had around an unregistered core investment `22,000 crore of public debt when it applied Company cannot to surrender its NBFC licence. The company be acceded to became net debt-free by March 2023. RBI’s current framework sets the threshold for inRBI letter clusion in the upper layer at `1 trillion in assets. Tata Sons had standalone assets under management of about `1.75 trillion as of March 2026. The new development is significant for Tata Group’s largest outside shareholder, the SP Group, which holds an 18.6% stake in Tata Sons and has been seeking a public listing of the holding company The group has substantial debt obliga. tions and an IPO could provide an avenue for raising funds. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has responded positively to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s proposal to accord national project status to the proposed Quantum Bio Valley in Amaravati. He assured that the Centre would extend its support to the establishment of the Quantum Bio Valley, and a technical team would be sent to Amaravati to discuss the initiative. Nadda and Naidu formally inaugurated the newly established Critical Care Block and Integrated Public Health Laboratory at the Old Government General Hospital in Vijayawada on Saturday. At a programme held at the Dr BR Ambedkar Kala Vedika, the Union Health Minister and the Chief Minister vir tually inaugurated 10 Critical Care Blocks and 12 Integrated Public Health Laboratories, established across the State at a total cost of `249 crore. The new facilities have added 500 critical care beds to the State’s healthcare infrastructure. They include state-of-theart operation theatres and ultrasound facilities, besides specialised services in cardiology nephrology neurology and , , neurosurgery . These facilities will make advanced emergency medical care more accessible to poor and middle-class families, and reduce the need for patients to travel long distances for specialised medical treatment. Nadda appreciated the Sanjeevani programme of the AP P4 government.  E x p r ess Re a d Rain likely in several parts of AP Vijayawada: A low-pressure area over south Chhattisgarh and its neighbourhood is likely to move west-northwestwards during the next 24 hours. Under its influence, several districts in North Coastal AP are likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall at isolated places on Sunday | P3 S Arabia shuts Red Sea oil pipeline Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraq led to the temporary closure of it East-West pipeline, used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. On a day Brent crude surpassed $104 a barrel, analysts said the rupture of the critical Hormuz-bypass line could strangle oil supplies for a lot of countries | P9 a si a n g a m es Engineer, marketing exec, content editor India’s teqball crew g o m e s h s @ Chennai Collect your free Telugu sri Vinayaka Vrata kalpam booklet with today’s issue Serious concern over rise of unilateral tariff Declaration condemns 1 New Delhitariffs, calls carbon border unilateral adjustment mechanisms protectionist, demands fairer global trade rules The name doesn’t ring a bell at all nor there are any trailblazing tales. Teqball it is. And the game is part of the Asian Games to be held in Nagoya from September 19 to October 4. The sport and its sportspersons are shrouded in a veil of mystery They come . from obscure and varied backgrounds. If one is a digital marketing planner, the other is a content manager and one is an engineer — a motley crew that will represent India in Nagoya. They are professionals and players. Juggling their work and game, they found their way into Asian Games. Teqball, founded in Hungary around 2014, is a fast-growing sport that combines the agility of football and nuances of table tennis. Played on a curved TT table with a football, each match is decided by a best-of-three sets, with the first to get to 12 points (From left) Quimcy Dsouza, Anas Baig and Declan Gonsalves | special arrangement winning the set. Much like table tennis, it is played in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles categories. And similar to football, the players are not allowed to use their arm or hand. The sport first came to India around 201819, but in the last few years te- qball has started to take wings, and a late addition to the Asian Games meant India will take part in three categories. The players are Anas Baig, Declan Gonsalves and Quimcy Dsouza. “We started this sport back in 2022,” Quimcy tells this daily. “We started this sport when nobody knew it, honestly For the . last four years, we haven’t been seen. We are doing this for the love of the game,” she adds.  Full story: newindianexpress.com. PLUS 12 P AGES Poultry Policy unveiled with `657-cr package E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh government has approved the AP Poultry Development Policy 2026-29 with a `657-crore package aimed at strengthening the poultry sector and empowering farmers. Speaking after meeting representatives of the Poultry Association in Vijayawada on Saturday Agriculture and Animal , Husbandry Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said, “The policy is aimed at promoting modern technology, attracting investments, increasing productivity , generating employment, and improving the overall competitiveness of poultry industry .” As part of the package, `209 crore will be allocated to foodprocessing incentives, and `296 crore for programmes to be implemented through the Animal Husbandry Department. A 4% interest subsidy will be provided on loans taken for infrastructure development in poultry farms and hatcheries, with `72 crore earmarked for the purpose over three years. The government will provide a capital subsidy of up to 25%, subject to a maximum of `25 lakh, for infrastructure required for new EnvironmentControlled (EC) poultry sheds. Existing poultry sheds will also be eligible for a subsidy of up to P4 25% for modernisation.