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 ■ ■ DHARMAPURI l sunday l september 13, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l 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 CAG alleges major scam in issuing driving licences in TN B ANB U SELV AN @ Chennai Flagging major irregularities in the issuance of driving licences, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has alleged that as many as 10,060 two-wheelers were used for conducting driving tests for issuing licences to operate private buses, omni buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles in Tamil Nadu. The CAG report tabled in the Assembly on September 8 was based on a field audit conducted at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) between July 2024 and April 2025 and analysis of official data from the VAHAN and SARATHI portals and other relevant records. The CAG noted that vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 12,000 kg are classified as Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs), and RTO officials are required to assess applicants’ skills and knowledge to operate such vehicles competently while issuing driving licences. Buses, trucks, lorries, and other such vehicles are categorised as Heavy Motor Vehicles. However, the audit found that 37,462 vehicles belonging to other categories — including cars, jeeps, vans and 10,060 two-wheelers — were used in driving tests conducted for issuing HMV licences. The state transport department, in its reply to the audit in August last year, said it would seek explanations from the officials concerned. However, no report had been submitted to the audit authorities as of December last year, the CAG said. However, the audit report did not specify in how many of these cases HMV licences were eventually issued.  P5 Serious concern over rise of unilateral tariff Declaration condemns 1 New Delhitariffs, calls carbon border unilateral adjustment mechanisms protectionist, demands fairer global trade rules 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 TN rice bowl in trouble, 96% dip in Mandatory listing only kuruvai harvest in Nagapattinam Heart option for Tata Sons Break RBI blow to Noel tata WITH THIS ISSUE PLUS 12 P AGES Mohamed Salahudeen B @ Nagapattinam 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. Reflecting a critical agricultural crisis in the state, kuruvai paddy harvest in Nagapattinam district is set to plummet by 96% this year. Official forecasts indicate that paddy procurement will drop from 1.30 lakh metric tonnes last year to a mere 5,000 metric tonnes this year. Nagapattinam is part of the delta region, which is collectively called the ‘rice bowl of Tamil Nadu’. Hit by lack of Cauvery water for irrigation due to the delay in the opening of Mettur Dam, the overall kuruvai cultivation area in the district had fallen from nearly 30,000 hectares last year to just 1,720 hectares this year. Weak rainfall and saline groundwater have also affected cultivation area and output. Owing to the expected decline in harvest, the number of Direct Procurement Centres (DPC) has also witnessed a drop in the district. Only 12 DPCs will be opened for kuruvai paddy procurement this year compared to more than 120 DPCs last year, official sources said. Six DPCs have already been opened and 270 metric tonnes have been procured so far, sources added. The procurement season will run from September to December, depending on the demand from farmers. It may be noted that Nagapattinam depends largely on Cauvery irrigation for cultivation as groundwater in many parts of the district is either inadequate or too saline. Only a few pockets with access to usable groundwater managed to raise the crop this season. Official sources said Tirumarugal block accounts for almost all of the 1,720 ha under kuruvai this year, as it is the only block with adequate groundwater resource.  P5 E x p r ess Re a d DMK holds stir against CM’s remark Chennai: The DMK on Saturday organised statewide protests condemning CM C Joseph Vijay for his Assembly remarks targeting party chief MK Stalin and ex-CM Karunanidhi, with party leaders, including A Raja and PK Sekar Babu, launching personal attacks against the TVK chief and ministers | P4 Anthropic boss for slowing AI pace New York: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Saturday called on artificial intelligence (AI) firms to slow down the development of the powerful technology, amid mounting worries over the risks of “superintelligent” computer systems. His views were seconded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman | 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 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 sportpersons 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 part-time professionals and part-time players. Juggling their work and game, the found their way into Asiad. 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 Bride killed, groom injured in road accident on wedding eve E x p r e s s N e w s S e r vi c e @ Madurai Tragedy struck a young couple just 24 hours before their wedding when a fatal road accident claimed the life of a 26-yearold bride-to-be and left the groom hospitalised. M Mariya Belsiya was riding pillion with her fiancé, S Jeba Bastin, on a bike when a car hit their vehicle on the Dindigul-Madurai NH near Vadipatti in the wee hours of Saturday . Mariya of M Mariya Belsiya, SattayanayS Jeba Bastin akanur in Dindigul was scheduled to marry 29-year-old Bastin of Vellakodu, a defence sector employee, at a church in Dindigul on Sunday . According to police, the incident occurred when the two were on their way to Madurai from Dindigul. Mariya was supposed to appear for a nursing examination at a private college for a vacancy at Madurai AIIMS. They left on a bike from their locality to the exam centre around 3 am. As the couple was approaching Sanampatti near Vadipatti, a car, which was on its way to Madurai from Coimbatore, allegedly suffered a tyre burst.  P5