AI Image hyderabad l sunday l october, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE 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 18 killed in kolkata Stampede Russia-related curbs on India Sudden downpour results in human crush after pandal gates collapse; PM announces ex-gratia At least 18 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. Eye-witnesses said many revellers on the lane outside rushed to take shelter inside the pandal after it began pouring. Those inside the pandal could not come out. As a result, people got trapped and tumbled on top of each other on a makeshift staircase, leading to the stampede. Hospital sources said the deceased included four men, 13 women and one child. All 18 were declared dead on arrival at Calcutta Medical College in Bowbazar, while more than 30 others are admitted. 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. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal reached the Calcutta Medical College to take stock. BJP MLA Bijoy Ojha is the chairman of the pandal committee while Debdeep Adhikari, CM’s nephew, is a member. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and announced an ex gratia of `2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and `50,000 for the injured. 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 magistrate who 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 reg- istered. Dipke was released after signing a bond undertaking not to disturb peace for one year. Bora was released after completing formalities related to her detention under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act. “I was detained at Mandi House and kept here (at the police station) the whole night, until 5 am. Why are you (police) carrying out these illegal detentions,” she said. s u b h e n d u m ai t i @ Kolkata But US retains the right to withdraw waiver 1 P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi WITH THIS ISSUE Grain of Truth PLUS 12 P AGES Sugar not to be diverted for ethanol fuel blending this year, says Centre over shortfall fears | P7 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. 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 regular discussions with the US administration. “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: P12 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 Delhi protests Dipke granted conditional bail, Neha Bora freed 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 Express Read KCR diverted Godavari: MP The Congress on Saturday alleged thta not only funds and jobs were given to the Kalvakuntla family, but Godavari water was aalso diverted to KCR’s farmhouse Telangana seeks full MSP cover amid drought E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Pointing out that Telangana is reeling under drought conditions linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao has urged the Union government to procure agricultural produce at MSP without imposing a 25% limit on the quantity of certain crops purchased from farmers. He also sought increased financial assistance for drought relief, irrigation and crop diversification, stating that drought conditions prevailed in 315 mandals of Telangana. Nageswara Rao participated in a video conference on the ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ convened by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan. The minister said the programme would be implemented from October 22 to November 30, with support from national agricultural institutes and university staff. He said the state government had issued instructions to officials to conserve water and ensure the timely supply of water and electricity to protect crops. Nageswara Rao called for the provision of drip irrigation facilities and seeds for interim crops to help farmers cope with Student killed, 20 injured as pole falls at Dandiya event E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad A student, Sona, was killed and nearly 20 others were injured after an electric lighting pole fell on students during a Dandiya event at Maturi Venkata Subba Rao Engineering College (MVSR) in Nadergul on Saturday evening. The incident occurred around 7.30 pm, after the programme began and a large number of students had gathered at the venue. Adibatla Inspector S Ramesh confirmed the death of one student and said that another was admitted to a private hospital in critical condition. The injured students were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment after police and emergency services were alerted. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the student’s death and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family . He directed officials to ensure proper medical care for the injured students and identify those responsible for the accident for strict action. drought conditions. He also sought increased funding under VB-G RAM G for the construction of farm ponds, water conservation works and land development. He called for rationalising subsidies on fertilisers, pointing out that the existing subsidy structure favoured urea and encouraged its excessive use. Nageswara Rao sought the Centre’s support for the procurement of all major crops in full to promote crop diversification. He said awareness programmes must be acc o m p a n i e d by f i n a n c i a l assistance and assurances of a market for farmers’ produce. Greener pastures Thummala has asked the Centre to increase funding under VB-G RAM G. He sought rationalising subsidies on fertilisers, pointing out that the existing subsidy stru-cture favoured urea and encouraged its excessive use at the expense of other fertilisers Children have fundamental right to internet access: SC s u c h i t r a ka 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 Constitution. Our children, irrespective of their age, enjoy the same rights ... the safety of our children and their freedom are not at odds with each other.” 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 UD AYA N K I S HORE @ New Delhi All India Students’ Association leader Neha Bora was released from detention on Saturday morning, while Cockroach Janta Party 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