MONDAY 14 SEPTEMBER, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard E S C A L AT I O N HOUTHIS TARGET SAUDI ARABIA BASE Houthi said on Sunday they used drones and missiles to attack a southern Saudi military base fighting renewed with Yemen’s government forces PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  LADAKH GROUPS OPEN TO DROPPING STATEHOOD DEMAND, WITH RIDER The Kargil Democratic Alliance and Leh Apex Body are closely looking at the MHA’s UT-level elected body to meet aspirations of the people. The proposed UT-level body would be elected and will have legislative powers with respect to land, culture and language, forest, environment, natural resources, and any other subject reserved under Article 240. “We have agreed to discuss in principle this model of governance. If it is satisfactory, we will accept it,” said Sajjad Kargili, co-chairman of KDA | P8 PAGES 12 Don’t weaponise minerals, tech: PM Modi says BRICS must strengthen the ability to anticipate and deal with crises, calls for inclusivity in new tech adoption J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on the concluding day of the BRICS summit warned that the “weaponisation of technology and critical minerals” could hinder shared global progress, while calling for greater inclusivity in the adoption of new technologies and stronger cooperation with the Global South. Addressing the BRICS session on Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability Modi said on Sunday India’s , presidency had focused on translating these four pillars into practical cooperation, particularly as conflicts, pandemics, climate disasters and supply-chain disruptions increasingly affect economies and ordinary people across borders. “The weaponisation of technology and critical minerals can hinder our shared progress. Therefore, we have emphasised inclusivity in the adoption of technology Modi said. ,” His remarks come as critical minerals assume growing strategic importance for clean-energy systems, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies, making access to reliable and diversified supplies an increasingly important element of economic and geopolitical resilience. He said the interconnected nature of the world requires BRICS members to strengthen ON P7 their ability to anticipate and respond to crises, pointing to initiatives including an integrated early-warning system for infectious diseases, disaster-management data guidelines and a logistics supplychain cooperation framework. On innovation, he highlighted the BRICS Incubator Network, the proposed BRICS Startup Innovation Fund and the BRICS Network on Digital Agriculture, which aims to connect artificial intelligence, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure with the needs of farmers. Modi stressed that BRICS cooperation should extend beyond governments and involve entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women, youth and ordinary citizens. “Our endeavour has been to ensure that BRICS cooperation does not remain limited to governments alone,” he said, citing initiatives aimed at skills development, women’s workforce participation, social security capacity building and sup, port for small businesses. On the subject of sustainability Modi said development and , environmental protection should not be viewed as competing priorities. “In Indian civilisation, nature has been accorded the status of a mother,” he said, adding that India had long believed that development and the environment were “not alternatives to each other, but are complementary .” INDIA’S BILATERAL OUTREACH ACROSS GLOBAL SOUTH EXPRESS READ Defence ministry sets date for Tejas Mk1A The defence ministry’s annual report has set the induction timeline for the second batch of 97 Tejas Mk1A fighters between September 2027 and September 2033. The decision is announced even as the deliveries from the first order placed five years ago continues getting delayed. P7 Russia strikes train between Kyiv, Warsaw A Russian drone struck a Kyivto-Warsaw passenger train near the Polish border on Sunday, as Moscow steps up attacks in the fifth year of the war. The strike, just two kilometres from the Polish border, came days after US envoys visited Kyiv and Moscow hoping to revive Washington-led talks. P9 Xi urges member countries to defend rules-based international order, proposes five-point agenda for greater BRICS cooperation ‘Might makes right’ logic does not hold, says Xi J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Bharat Mandapam during the BRICS Summit on Sunday; Chinese President Xi Jinping waves before boarding his aircraft upon concluding his India visit | PTI Pandemics, climate disasters, and supply-chain disruptions have shown that in today’s interconnected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region Narendra Modi, Prime Minister INDIA, VIETNAM STEP UP DEFENCE, INDUSTRIAL TIES A world without rules is like a crossroads without traffic lights... Fairness and justice is a universal aspiration, and international rules must be written by all countries Xi Jinping, Chinese President MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER SINGS AT BRICS GALA DINNER BJP TO MAKE SUMMIT SUCCESS A POLITICAL ASSET FOR STATE POLLS Shah sure UCC will be rolled out in all NDA states by 2029 S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai UNION Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that he was confident the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in all 21 NDA-ruled states and Union territors before the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029. Shah was in Mumbai to launch the 30-day Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, aimed at encouraging public participation in the government’s vision of a developed India by 2047. He said the Centre had already introduced UCC in several states and expressed confidence that all NDA-led states would follow suit before 2029. Uttarakhand became the first state to pass a UCC law, in Feb- Home Minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday | PTI ruary 2024, and has fully enforced it since January 2025. Gujarat followed last year, and Assam became the first northeastern state to pass the UCC Bill, in May 2026. Madhya Pradesh is the latest to come on board, with its cabinet unanimously approving the code at a special meeting in July . The UCC laws in Gujarat, Assam and Madhya Pradesh are awaiting Presidential assent. Maharashtra, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, have set up drafting committees. Asked whether 1951 would be used as the baseline year for implementing the National Register of Citizens in Manipur, Shah said the matter was still under discussion. “We are discussing these issues with our allies and also with the political parties of Manipur. Whatever decision is taken, we will inform you,” he said. On the BJP government’s achievements, Shah pointed to the abolition of triple talaq, which he said had given Muslim women equal rights. VANDE MATARAM National song sung at int’l match for first time EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru IN a first, both the national song and the national anthem were played before the start of an international cricket match. After Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana reverberated around Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, Afghanistan’s national anthem was played. Curiously enough, even though the national song was played, for the purposes of record-keeping, Afghanistan will be the home team for the entirety of the three-match T20I CHINESE President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that “the logic of ‘might makes right’ does not hold, and should have been discarded long ago,” urging the BRICS countries to defend a rules-based international order and strengthen the voice of the Global South. Addressing the concluding session of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Xi said the world was undergoing “changes unseen in a century” as the collective rise of the Global South accelerated the shift towards a multipolar order. He urged BRICS to “seize the historical initiative” and become “an active, stabilising and positive force in international affairs”. He called on developing countries to uphold sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes, while strengthening the authority of the United Nations and pushing for reforms that ensure greater participation of developing countries in global institutions. Xi called for reform of the international financial architecture to increase the representation and voice of developing economies, and urged BRICS to support reform of the World Trade Organization and the continued development of the New Development Bank. The Chinese president said BRICS should use its ties with emerging markets and developing countries to safeguard industrial and supply chains and build a large integrated market. He proposed a five-point agenda covering artificial intelligence, trade and investment, digital industries, intelligent manufacturing, and science and technology talent. India players sing Vande Mataram at the Arun Jaitley Stadium | SAYANTAN GHOSH series (the other two matches will also be held in the national capital). This is in line with a new directive issued by the Union Home Ministry from earlier this year to celebrate the 150th year of the song. “It is not possible to give an exhaustive list of occasions on which the singing (as distinct from playing) of official version of the national song can be permitted,” the order had said. “But there is no objection to the singing of the national song accompanied by mass singing so long as it done with due respect as a salutation to the motherland and proper decorum is maintained.” Interestingly, this is not the first time of the national song preceeding the national anthem at the Arun jaitley Stadium. It’s understood that Delhi and District Cricket Association officials had this arrangement in place for all Delhi Premier League games this year. Big protest in Gurugram over waste dumping, damaged roads A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi HUNDREDS of residents from various residential societies in Gurugram took to the streets on Sunday to protest against the quality of civic amenities in the city. They alleged that Gurugram faces the problem of illegal waste dumping, damaged roads and deteriorating urban infrastructure. The protesters gathered at an intersection opposite the IFC building and raised slogans against the administration, demanding permanent solutions. One participant in the protest said, “We want to make it clear to the administration that we will not allow our beautiful city to be transformed into a garbage dump. If concrete steps are not taken soon to address the situation, this agitation will intensify Others said their pa.” tience had run out. The residents said officials provided assurances while only temporary measures were being taken to address the problems. “The city has reached its current state due to a lack of coordination among various government agencies. Citizens are no longer in a mood to accept excuses and want to see tangible chang es on the ground,” said Khusbhu, a protester. Social activist Gauri Sarin, who led the protest, said, “Residents pay taxes, follow regulations and contribute significantly to the country’s economy . In return, they are demanding a waste management system, where waste is handled systematically, drains that ensure proper water drainage and public spaces that remain genuinely safe and clean.” CRUMBLE ACCOUNTABILITY GAP IN CITY’S BYLANES TROPHY SNUB YET AGAIN Like what their male counterparts did last year, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co refused to accept Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman and Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi in Dubai on Sunday. Earlier, India women defeated holders Sri Lanka by 72 runs to win a record-extending eighth continental title | BCCI A familiar script of swift suspensions, arrests, highlevel inquiries and citywide crackdowns follows every case of building collapse, fire or deaths. However, the civic agencies and their officials escape the responsibility test | P4 Unregulated loan apps deceive blue-collar workers with real transfer of decoy funds S U M I T K U M A R S I N G H @ New Delhi A network of unregulated mobile loan applications promising instant cash, several of them running from beyond borders, are targeting the blue-collar workforce and trapping daily-wage earners in cycles of debt and extortion. A TMS investigation, involving direct interaction with individuals operating two such applications, found operators claiming to work from Pakistan, Bangladesh and a “cyber city” in Thailand. These apps sit comfortably on the Google Play Store. They disappear when regulators catch up, but resurface under a new identity offering the same services. In one case, a message popped up on a user’s phone—“instant cash”, an easy loan with minimal paperwork. Within minutes of downloading an application called Rupeeline and Rupeelaon, filling the form and sharing bank details, a small amount of `2,400 landed in the user’s bank account without any approval. What followed was a payment of `9,500 to cy- ber fraudsters and three phone numbers. Threat calls were made from Pakistani nationals claiming to work out of a “cyber city” in Thailand. Thereafter, a payment of `9,500 was made through the Rupeeline app where the fraudsters kept open the window. The payment gateway of the application was blocked. A number was then given to make the payment, after being shown all the documents—bank account details, Aadhaar card, PAN card and the loan application. The payment went out via UPI to the number 6209792382. CONTINUED ON P3