sambalpur l sunday l october 18, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION FSSAI proposes ban on fructose, sucrose in infant food products The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India proposed a ban on adding fructose and sucrose in food products for infants up to six months old Aim is to curb early exposure to sugar Currently used as carbohydrate source According to a statement from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, emphasis is on minimising exposure to added sugars during the earliest stages of life. “The proposed restriction seeks to ensure that infant nutrition products meet the nutritional needs of this age group without unnecessary addition of sucrose and fructose,” the ministry observed ■ ■ Under the current provisions, lactose and glucose polymers are the preferred sources of carbohydrates. Sucrose and/or fructose could be added only when required as a carbohydrate source Multiple studies have shown that early exposure to sugar creates a preference for sweetened food, leading to health issues later in life 60 days The draft notification is open for public scrutiny 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 Trump waives 17 killed in pandal stampede Russia-related curbs on India Heavy rain in Kolkata leads to human crush after pandal gates give away; several injured s u b h e n d u m a i t i @ Kolkata 1 But US retains the right to withdraw waiver P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi WITH THIS ISSUE Grain of Truth PLUS 12 P AGES Govt: No diversion of sugar for ethanol fuel blending The Centre has decided not to divert sugar for ethanol fuel blending this year, in order to create a sugar buffer next year to control prices | P7 Dipke granted conditional bail, Neha Bora freed U D AYAN KISHORE @ New Delhi All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora was released from detention on Saturday morning, while Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was granted conditional bail later in the day by a local court, after he signed a peace bond. Both were detained by the Delhi Police on Friday ahead of the Lehra do Tiranga protest at Connaught Place. Dipke was arrested in a fresh case for violating a peace bond furnished by him on October 10. He was produced before a special executive magistrate court, which imposed various conditions on him while granting him relief. On October 10, he was detained inside a flight at Delhi airport along with CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. A case for breach of peace was registered. Dipke was released after signing a bond undertaking not to disturb peace for one year. He was made to sign another peace bond on Saturday . Bora was released after completing formalities related to her detention under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act. The US has waived punitive tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, temporarily relieving India of the threat of additional duties of up to 100% over its purchases of Russian crude. In an executive order signed on October 16, President Donald Trump invoked national interests to waive key tariff penalties under the new Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The waiver suspends the additional duties days before they were scheduled to take effect on October 18. The move provides temporary relief to India, one of the largest buyers of Russian crude, but the threat of tariffs remains as Washington retains the authority to withdraw the waiver. Trump’s move comes days after he announced that the US would import diesel from Russia, in a bid to bring down domestic fuel prices ahead of the November midterms. The US administration would continue to monitor imports of Russian-origin crude oil and natural gas by other countries and keep the President informed. The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by 262 votes to 159 on September 16. The legislation empowers the President to impose additional tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas. India and China, both major buyers of Russian crude, would have been among the countries most exposed to the proposed tariffs. India is particularly vulnerable because it imports more than 88% of its crude oil requirements. Russia emerged as its largest supplier ever since the war in Ukraine began. This newspaper had on Friday reported that India was confident it would remain protected from US sanctions over its purchases of Russian oil and gas, with government officials indicating that Washington is unlikely to penalise New Delhi. They said India was in re gular discussions with the US administration. “From what we sense, the US government will not put sanctions on India. We have been in touch with the US team and India’s standpoint has already been conveyed regarding the challenges that could arise because of that,” an official had said.  Yo-yo diesel diplomacy: P9  2 3 I have submitted to the Congress a certification that the issuance of such a waiver at this time is in the national interests of the United States Donald Trump, US President Temporary relief The US, however, retains the power to impose additional duties of up to 100% on goods from major buyers of Russian energy 500% levy provision The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 also provides for a 500% tariff increase on Russian goods 1. Footwear scattered at the stampede site in Kolkata; 2. Kin of victims at the Calcutta Medical College; 3. A patient being stretchered into the hospital | special arrangement Kids have fundamental right to internet access, rules Supreme Court s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y @ New Delhi DEclaring that access to and use of the internet is a ‘fundamental right’ for every individual, including children, the Supreme Court has directed the Central government to create a national database for detection and removal of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM) on digital platforms. A bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran suggested introducing “child mode” for social media accounts, with greater emphasis on parental consent and oversight. “We have no hesitation in saying that the right to access and use the internet is a fundamental right of every individual under Article 21 read with Article 19(1)(a) of the CONTINUED ON P5 Constitution. Crackdown on subscriptionbased sexual content The Supreme Court has taken serious note of lapses by social media platforms in curbing sexually explicit visual content depicting minors and directed that every intermediary must ensure no such material is offered, hosted, uploaded or promoted through a paywall or subscription, either directly or indirectly seventeen people were feared dead and many others injured after a downpour led to a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening in Central Kolkata near Mahajati Sadan. Police authorities are yet to confirm the casualties. The tragedy occurred inside the Chorbagan Puja pandal around 7 pm. As it started raining, the crowd waiting outside the Puja pandal rushed forward, and some of them fell on the road, leading to the stampede-like situation, a police officer said. “At least 25 people were taken to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital in serious condition,” he said. A television report said 17 people were declared dead on arrival at Calcutta Medical College in Bowbazar police station area, while more than 30 others were admitted. West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal have reached the Calcutta Medical College to take stock. This is perhaps the first incident of stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in West Bengal. Health Minister Saradwat Mukherjee and senior officials also rushed to the hospital. Disaster management personnel have been deployed at the site. “Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the stampede at the Chorbagan puja pandal. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured and for strength and courage for their families during this difficult time,” former chief minister Mamata Banerjee said. PM to launch RBI data centre on Oct 25, Prez to visit 3 days later E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) greenfield data centre and enterprise computing and cyber security training institute at Info Valley-II near Jatni on October 25. This was announced after a meeting presided over by chief secretary Anu Garg to review preparations for the visit of the prime minister as well as President Droupadi Murmu’s two-day visit to Mayurbhanj on October 28 and 29. Official sources said, spread over 18.55 acres, the new facility will serve as a secondary/backup data centre to the RBI’s primary facility in Navi Mumbai (Kharghar), enhancing national financial data security, currency management, payment and settlement systems and business continuity The data centre will . fill the need for cutting-edge facilities for research and capacity building in emerging areas of banking and cyber security for RBI, they said. Former RBI governor Shaktikanta Das had laid the foundation stone for the data centre on March 22, 2023. According to tentative itinerary the , chief secretary’s office said that the prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Bhubaneswar at around 4 pm on October 25. His programme will be for one hour at the inauguration site. After that he will return to Bhubaneswar and leave for New Delhi. President Murmu will arrive in the state on October 28 and travel from the Dandabose Airstrip in Rairangpur to the Maa Kichakeshwari Temple at Bahalda. She is expected to visit the Laxmi Mandap at Mahuldiha and her residence in CONTINUED ON P5 Rairangpur.