Net gains for Satwik and Chirag in China Indian doubles duo displays grit and experience to beat He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in three games to clinch China Masters title in Shenzhen. The Indians had finished runners-up on two occasions (2023 and 2025) in the recent years. They finally broke the jinx to get over the line on Sunday. Given that this was just their second tournament since their return from injury, it’s a massive shot in the arm for the pair. Now, they will look to defend their crown in the Asian Games Hard-fought victory BEngaluru l monday l september 07, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION Shot in the arm before Asian games Like their previous three ties in the competition, the World No 5 pair was thoroughly tested but they kept their calm in key moments to come out on top. When the score was 17-17 in the final game, the Indians reeled off five straight points to seal the deal. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy after their win on Sunday | badminton photo | P11 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 India backs UN, 5 dead as 50-yr-old Delhi hostel collapses draws red line on J&K, Ladakh U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi Says proposed world map must depict the 2 UTs in line with India’s official map J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi india has drawn a clear line on the depiction of its territory , stressing that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh must be shown in accordance with the country’s official map after it backed a United Nations General Assembly resolution seeking to correct distortions including the relative size of the African continent on commonly used world maps. The External Affairs Ministry on Sunday clarified that India’s vote in favour of the United Nations General Assembly resolution did not amount to an endorsement of any particular map, projection or representation of national boundaries. “Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable. Our position on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The clarification assumes significance because the UN initiative has prompted a discussion over how the world is represented on maps, includ- ing the relative size of continents and the way territories and boundaries are depicted. India stressed that the resolution does not seek to settle questions of political cartography . “The resolution neither adopts nor authenticates any particular world map, nor does it address political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names,” the MEA said. It added that India’s vote “does not constitute endorsement of any specific map, projection, or depiction of national boundaries.” New Delhi’s position follows its explanation of vote at the UN General Assembly earlier, when it supported the broader principle of using equal-area map projections but explicitly distanced itself from endorsing the equal earth projection. Indian diplomat Raghoo Puri said, “The resolution should be understood as supporting the broader use and consideration of equal-area map projections and not as endorsing the Equal Earth projection, or any other specific map projection.” A 50-year-old five-storey building collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan area in the vicinity of Delhi University’s south campus on Sunday afternoon, leaving five persons dead and several injured. The structure, which was being used as a paying guest accommodation, collapsed at around 1.30 pm. Officials said 10 people were rescued so far. Local residents claimed 50 people could still be trapped under the debris. Prior to the collapse, repair work was underway in the basement of the structure, police said.Victims were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre where some were in critical condition. According to sources, the building was vacated around a year ago over safety concerns. ISRO ‘privatisation Claims baseless’ Amid widespread reports of a possible privatisation of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the space research body released a public statement on Sunday, deeming the claims to be “baseless and incorrect”. “ISRO will continue to remain India’s principal institution for advanced space research... ,” the statement said | P5 Rescue work on near the structure in Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday | parveen negi However, a few months back, PG accommodation was started in the building. According to police, a PCR call was received at South Campus police station at 1.34 pm on the collapse of ‘Hostel Daze’ near Nanakpura Gurdwara. “This was a 40- or 50-year-old building, comprising a basement and five upper floors, and it was used as a PG accommodation,” a police official said. Locals claimed that the collection of water over days of rain in the basement had weakened the building’s foundation, leading to its eventual collapse. Densely packed buildings, marked by heavy student presence and narrow, congested bylanes, lined with eateries and PG accommodations, often leave the area with little room for movement. Eight fire tenders and multiple rescue teams from various departments were rushed to the spot, officials said. No immediate official confirmation has been provided regarding the total number of people trapped, rescued, or injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah expressed condolences and shock at the tragedy. saying, “The collapse of a building at Satya Niketan is distressing. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.” A high-level probe has been ordered. express read Tech glitch: Flight to London returns to KIA Bengaluru: A London-bound flight, carrying around 270 passengers, had to return to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Sunday after a technical issue was detected. The issue was detected shortly after takeoff and the flight was made to circle over Tumakuru for over half-an-hour before landing safely at KIA | P2 `11,639cr push to develop border villages New Delhi: The Centre has decided to turn paramilitary outposts along international borders into buyers of local produce. The move is part of a `11,639 crore push to keep villages populated along sensitive frontiers under the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP). Overall, 2,616 villages are covered under VVP | P8 ed probe Paying cash at toll booths? You could be funding a scam S u m i t K u m a r S i n g h @ New Delhi IF your FASTag fails to scan and you pay cash at a highway toll plaza, that money may never reach the National Highways Authority of India. The Enforcement Directorate has found it can disappear into a parallel network of fake receipts and private accounts. On Sunday the ED said toll op, erators used unauthorised mobile apps, including “Mobdata” and “Any to generate counter,” feit receipts for cash-paying vehicles. The collections never entered NHAI’s official books. The practice, investigators found, was systematic across plazas in several states.The scam largely hits drivers of older vehicles, trucks and commercial fleets yet to shift fully to FASTag. Even motorists with valid tags are sometimes forced to pay cash when barriers or scanners fail, with the cash diverted. ED teams raided locations in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan on September 2 as part of a money-laundering probe. The case began with a complaint from Lucknow and an FIR dated January 1, 2025. An Enforcement Case Information Report followed on May 19 last year. Investigation centres on large-scale fraudulent collection at Atraila toll plaza in Mirzapur and other plazas nation- wide. In January 2025, UP police exposed an illegal app at the Atraila Shiv Gulam plaza to collect tolls from vehicles without sufficient FASTag balance and conceal the money from NHAI. Forensic examination of seized devices showed the unauthorised apps were deployed at around 100 plazas. Digital records pointed to unauthorised receipts running into crores. Intermediaries and some NHAI-entrusted toll operators are under the scanner. Searches have so far recovered about ` 1.03 crore in cash.