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 ■ ■ 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 SAMBALPUR 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 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 nt 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 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 nt 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 MEA: unified payment, not BRICS currency on table UAE min, team likely to visit Odisha Mandatory listing only soon to accelerate investment: CM option for Tata Sons RBI blow to Noel tata E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar original listing deadline for Tata Sons was September 30, IN a major setback for Tata 2025. It had around `22,000 crore Sons Chairman Noel Tata, the of public debt when it applied Reserve Bank of India is to surrender its NBFC lilearnt to have rejected cence. The company beits application seeking came net debt-free by to deregister as a nonMarch 2023. RBI’s curbanking financial comrent framework sets pany nearly 30 months , the threshold for incluafter it was filed. The sion in the upper layer RBI has now directed at `1 trillion in assets. Tata Sons to comply Tata Sons had stanwith norms applicable dalone assets under to an NBFC in the upmanagement of about Request for per layer, paving the surrender of the `1.75 trillion as of Certificate of way for its mandatory March 2026. Registration to listing. The new developbe classified as In a letter to Saurabh ment is significant for an unregistered Agarwal, CFO of Tata Tata Group’s largest core investment Sons, RBI advised the Company cannot outside shareholder, company to take actions the SP Group, which be acceded to to ensure full compliholds an 18.6% stake RBI letter ance with its guidelines in Tata Sons and has and instructions. been seeking a public The RBI first classilisting of the holding fied Tata Sons as an Upper Lay- company. The group has suber NBFC in September 2022, stantial debt obligations and an with such entities required to IPO could provide an avenue list within three years. The for raising funds. Benn K o c h u v ee d a n @ Mumbai Following Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s successful business outreach to the UAE that attracted investment proposals worth over `2.43 lakh crore, a ministerial delegation from the Gulf nation is likely to visit Odisha soon to cement the investment momentum and take forward the implementation of projects across key sectors. Arriving in Delhi after his three-day visit on Saturday Ma, jhi said he has invited UAE Minister for Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri to visit Odisha as the state looks to speed up the entry and implementation of UA E - b a c k e d i nv e s t m e n t projects. Majhi said he had held detailed discussions with Al Marri on investment opportunities in Odisha and ways to facilitate the entry of UAE capital into the state. Al Marri, who is also chairman of the UAE International Investors Council and PM discusses IHC’s Odisha investment with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince The proposed $11.5-billion integrated greenfield aluminium project in Odisha, backed by UAE’s IHC, received endorsement during PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit. The project will strengthen Odisha’s position as a global aluminium manufacturing hub, they noted. P7 Council for Entrepreneurship, has agreed to visit Odisha along with his team, Majhi said. Majhi said the discussions covered investment opportunities in tourism, port development, skilled human resources development, green energy and other key projects. The UAE minister’s team had already interacted with Odisha govern- ment officials on the proposed projects, paving the way for further engagement. The CM’s visit to the UAE has resulted in investment proposals worth `2,43,162 crore. “Odisha will certainly translate these engagements into opportunities for trade, progress and employment, with the larger objective of making the state prosperous,” Majhi said. “The focus would now be on converting the investment interest generated during the UAE visit into concrete projects and employment opportunities. The government is committed to create an enabling environment for investors and facilitating project implementation in the state,” Majhi said.  Continued on P5 a si a n g a m e s 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.  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.” Full story: newindianexpress.com. 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 Exotic Gift Nandankanan Zoo gets 14 rare species from Vantara’s Trust E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar In news for taking care of five orangutan infants rescued from a forest in Balasore recently, the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) in the capital city has received 58 animals belonging to 14 exotic species, including two pairs of lemurs, kangaroos and zebras, from the Radha Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust (RKTEWT), Jamnagar in Gujarat, a part of Anant Ambani-led Vantara. The animals were received from the RKTEWT as a special donation and brought to the zoo on Saturday Sources . in state wildlife wing said the Trust will donate a dozen more rare species to Nandankanan soon, helping it to become one of the biggest zoos in ter ms of total number of species, in India. Nandankanan received four zebras (two male and two female), four kangaroos (two male and two female), six Bennett’s wallabies (three male and three female), four ring-tailed lemurs (two male and two female), four tufted capuchins (two male and two female), four scarlet macaws (two male and two female), four blue-and-gold macaws (two WITH THIS ISSUE PLUS 12 P AGES Ring-tailed Lemur Blue Wildebeest male and two female), four green-winged macaws (two male and two female), four sulphur-crested cockatoos (two male and two female), four crowned cranes (two male and two female), four scarlet ibises (two male and two female), six meerkats (three male and three female), two cassowaries (one male and one female) and four blue wildebeests (two male and two female) from RKTEWT. PCCF wildlife Prem Kumar Jha said the new arrivals will strengthen Nandankanan’s species-diversity profile and enhance its conservation-education activities.  Continued on P5 Heart Break