HYDERABAD l saturday l september 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l LATE CITY EDITION SC seeks timeline for FSSAI’s food warning label rollout Supreme Court has asked FSSAI to come up with more clarifications on its planned labels of nutrients of concern — fat, sugar and salt ‘clarify threshold levels of nutrients’ sc for nutritional literacy in schools Food Safety and Standards Authority of India proposed phased implementation of front-of-package labelling (FoPL) on packaged foods high in added saturated fat, added sugar and salt. The bench asked FSSAI how it proposed to identify sweetened beverages which fall under Phase I; and what are threshold levels of the specific nutrients for such beverages ■ ■ A bench of justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran also asked the Centre how it plans to increase nutritional literacy in schools while flagging that children are under risk of unhealthy eating behaviours The bench said FSSAI should revisit its design of the FoPL labelling keeping in mind consumer behaviour and online sale of food products 10 days time granted to fssai to file its affidavit on the sc’s queries 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 1 Modi suggests study to remove the bloc’s top 10 trade barriers, supporting 100 startups a year to expand into other BRICS markets and creating 1,000 new business partnerships annually 2 3 Maritime security mandatory for expanding global trade, says PM, warning economic growth and supply-chain resilience could not be separated from the security of shipping routes Putin highlights BRICS’ growing economic weight relative to G7, saying the former accounted for over 40% of global GDP over the past five years, compared with 29% for the G7 4 Modi holding Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s hand and walking side-by-side along with other global leaders showed not just solidarity, it sent a loaded message to the US Big PM push for BRICS trade integration Security, peace, minerals widen ties with Russia P U S H PI TA D E Y @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for a threepillar strategy to deepen trade within the expanded BRICS grouping, while stressing that stronger economic integration would depend on secure sea lanes, open supply routes and the safety of seafarers as geopolitical conflicts increasingly disrupt global commerce. Addressing the BRICS Business Forum here, Modi urged the BRICS Business Council to identify and remove the bloc’s top 10 trade barriers, support 100 startups every year to expand into other BRICS markets and create 1,000 new business partnerships annually with progress reviewed every year. , “As BRICS enters its third decade, I would like to urge the BRICS Business Council: Can you prepare a report on removing the top 10 trade barriers among BRICS nations? Can we support 100 BRICS startups annually to scale up in other BRICS markets? Can we forge a thousand new partnerships among our businesses? We should review our progress on these three parameters every year,” Modi said. At the same time, Modi placed maritime security at the heart of his vision for expanding global trade, warning that economic growth and supply-chain resilience could not be separated from the security of shipping routes. This carries significance as conflicts in West Asia and the Black Sea have disrupted shipping routes, raised freight Global trade can and insurance costs and exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains. only progress if Modi’s proposals came against a sea lanes are broader backdrop of rising protectionsecure, supply ism, sanctions and geopolitical fragmenroutes remain tation, with emerging economies seeking to build more resilient trade and open, and investment links within the Global seafarers are safe. South. His pitch was to move BRICS toIndia is a staunch wards measurable economic supporter of integration. freedom of “The economic strength of BRICS has grown at nearly twice the pace of the navigation and rest of the world,” Modi said, describing safety of seafarers BRICS nations as emerging hubs for inNarendra Modi novation and solutions. The economic agenda unfolded alongside a sharper geopolitical message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who criticised sanctions and what he described as coercive economic pressure. Putin also sought to highlight BRICS’ growing economic weight relative to the Western-led G7. “Over the last five years, more than 40% of the world GDP has been produced by the BRICS countries, whereas the contribution of the so-called G7, the Group of Seven—I don’t know why they call that the Group of Seven—stands at only 29%,” he said. Putin stressed that Russia is not working against anyone. “What we are doing is not against anyone. We are in favour of our interests,” he said while calling for greater cooperation in infrastructure, logistics, finance and technology . on p9 Xi jinping’s first bilateral trip in seven years today Gauhati High Court upholds talaq-e-hassan E x p r ess N e ws Se rv i c e @ Guwahati THE Gauhati High Court has ruled that talaq-e-hassan is a valid form of divorce and is not prohibited in India. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury passed the order on September 8 after hearing a petitioner, Rakibul Bhuyan, who sought registration of his divorce pronounced through talaq-e-hassan, where a husband pronounces the word talaq once a month over three straight months. According to the petitioner, he got married in 2016 but his wife left him and returned to her parental home in 2018. Despite efforts by the petitioner, she did not return to her husband’s house. Later, the man pronounced talaq-e-hassan on three different days in March, April and May this year in the presence of witnesses. The petitioner argued that following the pronouncement of the third talaq-e-hassan, the marriage had become void. However, the state government submitted that since the 1935 Act for divorce registration had been repealed and the post of Registrar of Muslim Marriages and Divorce abolished, the petitioner’s divorce could not be registered under the repealed law. jayanth ja c ob @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks hand-in-hand with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian along the red carpet of the BRICS Business Forum. Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also seen in the picture | PTI India, Iran seek long-term ties J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA and Iran have agreed to pursue a long-term, ‘win-win’ approach to their bilateral relationship as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in West Asia. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, was the second interaction between the two leaders in two weeks. They had met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek on August 31. “From Bishkek to Delhi, the productive discussions continue,” Modi said after the meeting. He said the two sides discussed the India-Iran friendship and agreed on the need to take the relationship forward with a Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the existing global financial system remains vulnerable because of its concentration on a limited number of currencies. He called for a stronger shift toward local currencies in BRICS trade long-term perspective. The escalating situation in West Asia figured prominently in the discussions. “The prevailing situation in the region was also discussed. India remains steadfast in its commitment to the pursuit of enduring peace,” Modi said. According to the official readout, Modi reiterated India’s India lines up 15 bilateral engagements in three days Revanth: No question of privatising polytechnics E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday ruled out privatisation of polytechnic colleges, saying they were brought under the Young India Skill University (YISU) only to improve the career prospects of students. Participating in a discussion on education in the Assembly, Revanth welcomed a debate on the proposed Telangana education policy and said the government would consider members’ suggestions. The policy he said, , should equip Telangana students to compete globally and focus on quality education for Gen Alpha and Gen Beta by adopting the best practices worldwide. On the concerns over polytechnic colleges and Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs), the chief minister said the government was willing to reconsider its decisions after discussions with students and other stakeholders. A committee had been formed to examine their concerns. “The talk of privatisation of polytechnic institutions is false. The three-year diploma course will be continued as it is,” he said. He assured students of lateral entry into engineering Local currency pitch consistent position that all issues in the region must be resolved through “dialogue and diplomacy”. He underscored the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability while safeguarding free, dom of navigation and commerce and the safety and well-being of seafarers. Speaking at the BRICS Business Forum, Pezeshkian called for greater use of national currencies in trade among BRICS members. “One of the most important steps is to expand the use of national currencies in trade among the members,” he said, stressing that the move should be accompanied by mechanisms for managing currency risks and enabling reciprocal settlements. Modi gifts Putin a Russian translation of Thirukkural PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said “dialogue and diplomacy” remained the way forward to resolve conflicts as he and Russian President Vladimir Putin reviewed an expanding India-Russia agenda spanning maritime security, critical minerals, industrial partnerships and civil nuclear cooperation. Modi said India was ready to assist in peace efforts. In a post on X after the meeting, Modi said the two leaders discussed closer trade ties, including implementation of the Programme for Economic Cooperation 2030, as well as cooperation in infrastructure, energy, technology, defence and culture. Prime Minister According to the official readout, the leaders “shared perspectives on key reonce again gional and global issues of mutual interreiterated that est, including the conflicts in West Asia dialogue and and the Black Sea region which have imdiplomacy was pacted maritime trade and the safety and security of Indian seafarers.” the way forward The talks also covered the broader Inin resolving dia-Russia strategic partnership. The two conflicts and leaders “agreed to remain engaged ... to India stood ready further strengthen the Special and Privito assist in peace leged Strategic Partnership between the two countries”, which they said continefforts ued to show “significant growth”. Trade MEA readout and economic diversification are expected to shape the next phase of the relationship. India and Russia are working towards a $100 billion bilateral trade target by 2030, even as the sharp increase in Russian energy imports has widened the trade imbalance. The economic agenda is moving beyond oil and defence. Rail and tunnelling cooperation is being explored as part of an industrial push. Critical minerals is another strategic priority Officials said . the two sides are looking at cooperation across exploration, processing and recycling. Both countries are also examining a potential steel value-chain partnership, spanning raw materials to finished products. Civil nuclear cooperation remains another key pillar. Discussions also covered nuclear fuel-cycle cooperation and life-cycle support for existing Russian-designed reactors in India, while keeping alive talks on a second Russiandesigned reactor site. unified digital payment system call for the bloc Russia exploring services, pharma import from India 22-A issue Refused to comply initially Sack Ponguleti, order judicial probe: Harish Police placed Mallesh under surveillance and asked him to come to Hyderabad on September 7 and 8, but he did not comply. His wife later confronted him, following which he allegedly confessed. She and her father took him to a nearby police station in Nagarkurnool district E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad CM A Revanth Reddy addresses the Assembly in Hyderabad on Friday courses and said there would be no threat to staff job security or fee hikes. Polytechnic students would receive a monthly stipend of `2,500 and YISU students `2,000. Revanth said the government was seeking AICTE recognition for the YISU and urged polytechnic students to visit ATCs to understand the proposed changes. He said Tata Group had signed an MoU with the state government to invest `4,000 crore in developing 59 polytechnic colleges. The government had also alienated 282 acres of land for new ATCs, he said. The chief minister accused the BRS of spreading misinformation about the reforms and trying to turn students into “sacrificial lambs” for political gain.  Continued on p4 Demanding the immediate resignation of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and a judicial probe into the Section 22-A prohibited lands issue, BRS MLA and former minister T Harish Rao on Friday alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s brother A Tirupathi Reddy had secured an illegal nala conversion. The Siddipet legislator made the allegation while giving a PowerPoint presentation on lands included in the list of prohibited properties. He also alleged that affected families were being asked to pay 30% commission for corrections, and charged that Revanth was “A-1” and Srinivasa Reddy “A-2” in the alleged irregularities. He alleged that Tirupathi Reddy had obtained the nala conversion through the Bhu Bharati portal.  continued on p4 State bans non-dairy paneer for 1 year | p3 DGP CV Anand inspects a rifle recovered in the Bollaram armoury theft case, in Hyderabad on Friday | Vinay Madapu Bollaram armoury theft: Ex-havildar held after confessing to wife, says DGP Ch i tha l u r i Re v anth @ Hyderabad A former Army havildar, who police said was disgruntled over his early removal from service, was arrested after confessing to his wife that he had broken into the military armoury at the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment, in Bollaram and stolen 12 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, police said. Bollaram police of the Malkajgiri commissionerate arrested 37-year-old Upputholla Mallesh. He had served as a havildar with the 20 Battalion and is a resident of Jangam Reddy Pally in Amrabad, Nagarkurnool district. Addressing the media on Friday DGP CV Anand said, “Pri, ma facie, it appears that he might have stolen the ammunition after being removed from service. But he did not steal it to sell it. However, the motive has not been established yet.” According to the DGP , Mallesh conducted a recce of the armoury on August 28 and 29, assessing its security, lighting and CCTV coverage and identifying an appropriate time to enter. On August 30, around 11 pm, he left his residence in Balajinagar near Bollaram on a scooter, entered the Army premises through Kargil Gate and reached the armoury He broke . the lock and removed 12 weapons, keeping them at a nearby location, Anand said. He then went to another building, a few metres away, where ammunition was stored. Mallesh spent nearly an hour trying to break its lock. During this time, a guard heard a sound and noticed activity near the armoury, but as it was dark he could not see anyone and left the spot. “It took Mallesh a little longer — about an hour — to break that lock,” Anand said. Mallesh entered the building, identified the ammunition boxes and removed as much ammunition as he considered necessary piling the boxes outside.  ,  continued on p5