TUESDAY 01 SEPTEMBER, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard US, IRAN TRADE STRIKES IN WEST ASIA FLARE-UP US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran swiftly vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack. PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Thanks for the memories, Leo Messi S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Bengaluru AS a sports journalist, you never wish for some sentences to actually be written. One of those sentences will finally have to be written. Lionel Messi has announced his international retirement. The greatest footballer of the 21st century— perhaps of all time—will no longer wear the famous Argentina jersey, a jersey he wore with pride for over 20 years. There will be no Messi, L on team sheets in the next Argentina game. There will be no Messi, L in the next Copa America. There will be no Messi, L at the next World Cup, a World Cup Argentina will be one of the co-hosts of. In an emotional post across his socials, the 39year-old wrote: “It was a decision that hurt— and still hurts deep down—but I understand that the time has come.” Of course this day was bound to come. No athlete has ever managed to defy the laws of Father Time. But this one will hurt everybody whose lives he touched. Football will continue to be played by millions and watched by billions. The World Cup will go on without Messi, L. Argentina may find another superstar within the next 20 years (they found Messi 20 years after Diego Maradona). But for people of a certain age, Leo will always be numero uno.  PAGES 12 END OF ERA I swear I always gave everything, not just in the last few years when we won everything but before that too. HERE’S A QUICK GLANCE AT MESSI’S CAREER STATS WITH ARGENTINA... 207 125 Matches Goals 68 Assists MAJOR TITLES FIFA World Cup: 2022 Copa America: 2021, 2024 Ballon d’Or: 8 times (2009-12, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023) Lionel Messi Move from endless war to 1 in 3 voters removed from draft list end of war: Modi to Putin E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi Both closely coordinating positions at big multilateral forums: Putin J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to move from an “endless war to end of war”, stressing that every day of conflict “pushes humanity back” while calling for all outstanding issues to be resolved peacefully . Meeting Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Modi said India supports every effort aimed at peace. “Every day spent in the war pushes humanity back. And every step taken towards peace fills humanity with new hope and enthusiasm,” Modi told Putin. “We will have to move from endless war to end of war, which is very important for the well-being of humanity. As soon as possible, all issues will be resolved peacefully he said. ,” Framing India’s position as a message of peace, Modi added: “This is the call of humanity. This is the message of India. This is the message of the land of Gandhi and the land of Buddha.” His remarks came as the two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and discussed the Ukraine conflict, with Modi noting that the issue has featured prominently in their previous meetings. “We have always discussed Ukraine. Last time, when we met, you told me about all the EXPRESS READ Two gunned down in Shamli encounter The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday gunned down two alleged shooters involved in the murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan during an encounter in Shamli. Police said the duo was among the four shooters who allegedly killed Baliyan five days ago. P4 No boarding stamp for int’l tourists from today Beginning September 1, the airports will discontinue the system of stamping the boarding passes of international passengers. The Bureau of Immigration said, “International travellers can use e-boarding passes on their smartphones during immigration.” PM Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin chat in a car in Bishkek on Monday | AP/PTI Economic ties Prime Minister Modi said the two sides had made progress in expanding economic ties since Putin’s previous visit to India, recalling the success of the bilateral business forum. He said the two countries were working to expand economic cooperation topics in detail. As you know, India supports all efforts for peace and will continue to do so,” Modi said. He also pointed to the upcoming BRICS summit that India will host, saying Putin would have an opportunity to discuss issues related to peace and global cooperation. “Today you will have the op, portunity to discuss all these issues. After a few days, India is organising the BRICS summit,” Modi said, adding that Putin’s visit would strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation within BRICS. Putin highlighted the expanding scope of India-Russia relations, pointing to growth in trade, tourism, education, multilateral cooperation and sharp rise in the number of Indian students studying in Russia. “We also have active mutual tourist flows, which have seen 16% growth,” Putin said. India and Russia, he added, were also closely coordinating their positions at major multilateral forums, including the UN, BRICS, the G20 and the SCO. “Today, we have a good chance to compare our notes and outline future cooperation when it comes to the development of RussianIndian relations.” DELHI’S draft electoral roll was published on Monday with more than 47 lakh out of 1.45 crore voters—nearly one in each three—at the start of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise. According to the new list, the national capital has 97.53 lakh electors who submitted their enumeration forms. The draft roll was published after house-to-house distribution and digitisation of enumeration forms, which began on June 30 and ended on August 17. The 2025 Assembly election roll had 1,55,24,858 electors, whereas the SIR began with 1,45,10,299 electors, putting the difference between the 2025 roll and the draft roll post-SIR at 57.71 lakh. INDIA on Monday rejected the Court of Arbitration award on the Indus Waters Treaty asserting that the tribunal was “illegally constituted” and hence its pronouncements would have no bearing on India’s sovereign decisions. The External Affairs Ministry said the arbitration body was established by the World Bank in “patent breach” of the terms of the 1960 treaty . India, the MEA said, has never recognised the legal existence of the tribunal and has consistently refused to participate in its proceedings. “This so-called Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India’s sovereign decisions,” MEA said. “Its pronouncements, now or in the future, will have no effect on India’s actions in connection with the projects being undertaken by India... India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force,” it added. The MEA statement came after the Hague-based Permanent 1,45,10,299 Electors who found place at the start of SIR drive 1,55,24,858: Electors who were in the voter list for Delhi Assembly election 2025 During the enumeration stage, booth-level officers collected 97,53,577 completed enumeration for ms, for ming 67.22% of the electorate at the start of the exercise. Election authorities placed the remaining 47,56,722 electors in categories covering those who shifted permanently, were absent or otherwise not found, dead, and those enrolled at multiple places or identified as duplicates. According to the draft list, 49,88,993: Male electors in the draft roll 47,64,137: Female electors in the draft list 447: Third-gender electors in draft roll, down from 1,261 in 2025 men account for a larger share of the decline as their numbers fell from 83,49,645 in 2025 to 49,88,993 in the draft roll, a reduction of 40.25%. The number of female electors fell from 71,73,952 to 47,64,137, or 33.59 %. Women now account for 48.85% of the draft electorate, compared to 46.21% in the 2025 roll. The difference between male and female electors has narrowed from 11.76 lakh to 2.25 lakh. Curiously the number of , HORRIFIC SEPT TO BE HOTTER AND DRIER, SAYS IMD The forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for September for the southwest monsoon indicates that it will be drier and hotter than usual | P7 India rejects Court of Arbitration’s ‘illegal’ Indus Waters Treaty award J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi SIR FALL 97,53,577 Delhi voters included in the draft electoral roll Court of Arbitration said the Indus Waters Treaty remained fully in force and that India must continue to meet its obligations under the agreement, including restrictions governing the design and operation of hydroelectric projects on the western rivers. “India must observe its obligations under the Treaty, including those relating to the design and operation of its hydro-electric projects on the Western Rivers,” the arbitration court said. The tribunal also rejected the position that India could suspend the treaty saying Del, hi had no justification for ending or suspending the pact. 17-YEAR-OLD GANG-RAPED ON MOVING BUS IN NOIDA, DUMPED IN KASHMERE GATE N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi IN CITY... DRAWING a comparison with the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving bus by its driver and conductor in Greater Noida earlier this month and later abandoned about 42 km away in Kashmere Gate. The incident came to light on August 4, when the girl told Kashmere Gate police that she had been raped inside a bus in Noida. During the inquiry police found that the , girl had travelled from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh to her cousin’s house in Noida Sector 63. The incident allegedly took place while the bus was travelling from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida towards Noida Sector 63, a senior police officer said. The girl lives with her family in Mainpuri. She had left home after her mother scolded her. It was raining heavily that day and she mistakenly got off at Pari Chowk. Still some distance from her cousin’s house, she was looking for another vehicle when she saw the bus and stopped it. When she asked the conductor about its route, he told her that the bus was going towards Noida Sector 63. She boarded the vehicle. Instead, the bus travelled to Kashmere Gate, where the girl was allegedly abandoned in the Ring Road area. After getting the girl medically examined, police registered a case. With the help of CCTV footage, they traced the bus and arrested the two accused, identified as driver Kuldeep, 39, and conductor Sandeep, 26. CONTINUED ON P4 3-yr-old raped 3-yr-old pvt school student assaulted by a staff in Bawana; On Aug 19 the child’s family noticed injuries to her private parts; On Aug 24, she identified the accused 10-yr-old dies 10-year-old student of a govt school in Vinod Nagar died, with her family alleging she was made to stand in the sun for failing to bring a book ‘Can’t presume...’: SC declines order on plea seeking bar on Sept 5 CJP protest S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi REFUSING to ban the protest march called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on September 5, the Supreme Court on Monday said it presumes that everybody will behave in a peaceful and lawful manner. A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and justices Joym- alya Bagchi and V Mohana heard an application by retired Delhi Police officer, Rajendra Singh, seeking the court’s direction that large-scale demonstrations are not held in sensitive areas of the national capital without prior permission. The applicant argued that with international dignitaries coming to Delhi on September 12-13, the march should be postponed till September 15. He referred to the AI Summit incident and asked, “People stripped and danced... Is the demand of CJP urgent? Is police conducting raids? Can’t they wait till BRICS summit come to an end?” However, the CJI said, “We have no reason to preempt that anything untoward will happen. We will at least, as of now, presume everybody will behave in a peaceful manner.” The court will hear the matter on September 10. In a related development in the same case, the SC agreed to hear on Tuesday a plea filed by Delhi Police seeking quashing of 13 FIRs registered against students who participated in the NEET paper leak protests as also registering a fresh case against 2,873 individuals who were present during the stir to probe their role in the violence during the protests. The bench took note of an interlocutory application filed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta under Article 142 of the Constitution. Request to quash 13 FIRs in July 20 protest case Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “We want to move an IA (interlocutory application). It’s regarding that protest for quashing of FIRs... We are invoking Article 142 (of the Constitution).” Given the larger public interest, the application sought the quashing of 13 FIRs. third-gender electors fell from 1,261 in 2025 to 447 in the draft roll, a reduction of 64.55%. The draft also has about half as many first-time voters in the 18 to 19 age group as compared to the 2025 roll. Their numbers have fallen from 2,08,302 in 2025 to 1,03,870 now, a 50.13% dip. Among electors aged 85 years and above, the number has fallen from 1,09,941 in 2025 to 40,871, or by 62.82%. The draft roll separately lists 189 electors aged 100 years and above. Among the deleted voters, the largest category is those of permanently shifted, absent or others, at 43,32,775 electors, or 29.86% of the starting figures. Another 2,82,412 electors, or 1.95%, were reported dead, while 1,41,535, or 0.98%, were identified as duplicates. P3 PM takes a dig at ‘doomsayers’ as Q1 GDP grows 7.8% amid war P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi INDIA’S economy grew 7.8% in the first quarter (Q1) of FY27, beating the 7% growth forecast by most analysts amid geopolitical tensions and supplychain disruptions. Data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday showed the real (inflation-adjusted) GDP, measured at constant 2022-23 prices, stood at `81.36 lakh crore in the AprilJune quarter compared with `75.46 lakh crore in the yearago period. At current prices, nominal GDP rose 10.3% to `88.27 lakh crore from `80 lakh crore a year earlier. The real GDP growth in Q1 was, however, lower than the 8.6% recorded in Q4 of FY26. The robust numbers gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi an opportunity to hit out at critics. “Doomsayers were doomed and India bloomed…yet again!” he said in a post on X. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also welcomed the better-than-expected growth. “Nominal GDP in Q1 of FY 2026-27 is estimated to have grown by 10.3%, while Real GVA has recorded growth of 8.2%. The credit for this strong performance goes to the people of India and their hard work. Reforms undertaken by the NDA Government, together with an agile management of the economy, are bearing results,” she said in a post on X. The growth was driven by three key components—private consumption, public and private investment, and exports. “The standout number is the 11.9% growth in gross fixed capital formation. It was more than double the 5.8% recorded a year earlier. Together with 9.2% manufacturing growth and strong capital-goods production, this suggests that the investment cycle is becoming more tangible,” said Rumki Majumdar, economist, Deloitte India.