India and the United Nations launched a joint capacity-building initiative for the Global South on Sunday. The “India-UN Capacity Building Initiative” aims to share India’s development experiences, best practices and expertise with partner countries in the Global South through capacity building and training programs. The initiative was announced at the India-UN for the Global South in New York.

The India-UN initiative also complements the India-UN partnership in the form of “India-UN Development Partnership Fund” which has developed a portfolio of 75 development projects in 61 countries in the last 6 years.

Samiran Gupta, the head of policy for India and South Asia at social media platform X, has resigned, as per Reuters. This significant departure occurs in the lead-up to India's elections and amidst the company's ongoing legal battle with New Delhi regarding content removal, as per the news agency.

Reportedly, Gupta held the highest-ranking position for X, previously known as Twitter, in India, and was tasked with overseeing "critical content-related policy matters" and "advocating for Twitter's stance in response to evolving policies while supporting the local sales team," as stated on his LinkedIn profile.

Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer Marco Bezzecchi on 23 September took victory from pole position at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida and emerged as the winner for maiden Indian GP.

Spain's Jorge Martin finished second and France's Fabio Quartararo became the third to cross the finish line. The race winning trophy presented by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

Indian shooters Divyansh Singh Panwar, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Rudrankksh Patil created history as the trio smashed a world record in men's 10m Air Rifle team event to win the country's first gold medal at the Asian Games 2023. With an overall point tally of 1893.7, India shattered China's feat of 1893.3 points accomplished at the World Championships in Baku earlier this year.

In the process, Rudrankksh (632.5) secured the third spot, while Aishwary (631.6) claimed the fifth position, and thus qualifying for the men's 10m air rifle individual final, scheduled for later today. Notably, all three Indian competitors achieved positions within the top eight, with Divyansh securing the final spot. However, Divyansh will not advance to the final due to regulations permitting only two shooters from a single country. Hence, Patil and Tomar, having achieved a higher ranking, will return to the competition at 9 AM.

"France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France," Mr Macron said.

He added that military co-operation was "over" and French troops would leave in "the months to come".

The military junta which seized power in Niger in July welcomed the move.

"This Sunday we celebrate a new step towards the sovereignty of Niger," the junta said, in a statement quoted by AFP news agency.

South African jazz pianist, composer, and journalist Todd Matshikiza is celebrated in today’s Google Doodle. Illustrated by South Africa-based guest artist Keith Vlahakis, this Doodle commemorates his commissioned cantata "Uxolo" (peace), which was played by the orchestra at the 70th Johannesburg Festival on this day, September 25, 1956.

Born on March 7th, 1921, in Queenstown, South Africa, Todd Matshikiza hailed from a musical family. His mother, a singer, and his father, an organist, taught piano lessons to Todd and his six siblings during their upbringing. Matshikiza pursued his education at St. Peter’s College in Johannesburg, where he obtained music and teaching diplomas. He embarked on a career in education, teaching high school English and mathematics while also composing choral works and songs like "Hamba Kahle."

Veteran screenwriter Prayag Raj, best known for his work in Amitabh Bachchan's blockbuster hits 'Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Naseeb' and 'Coolie', has died due to age-related issues. He was 88.

According to his son Aditya, the writer passed away on Saturday evening at his Bandra residence."He passed away peacefully on Saturday at 4pm at his residence in Bandra. He had multiple ailments since eight to ten years like heart disease and age-related issues," Aditya told PTI.

NASA’s first asteroid samples fetched from deep space parachuted into the Utah desert on September 24 to cap a seven-year journey.

In a flyby of Earth, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft released the sample capsule from 100,000 km (63,000 miles) out. The small capsule landed four hours later on a remote expanse of military land, as the mothership set off after another asteroid.

Sanjeev Mantri has been appointed the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ICICI Lombard.

Mantri, who is currently an Executive Director at ICICI Lombard General Insurance, will take over his new role from December 1, 2023, or the date of IRDAI approval, whichever is later, for a period of five consecutive years.

Mantri joined ICICI Lombard in 2015 in the role of Executive Director. Prior to that he was with ICICI Bank.

The Centre on Saturday will organise India’s first lighthouse festival in Goa as part of an effort to promote the country’s lighthouses as tourist attractions, government officials familiar with the matter said.

The Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal along with Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant will inaugurate the festival from Goa’s Fort Aguada Lighthouse in Panjim, and participate in a two-hour long session– ‘Vanguards of Our Shores: Lighthouses as Testaments of India’s Past and Present’, said officials.