Ending speculation over India’s official entry for the best foreign film category at the 97th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India (FFI) in Chennai selected Kiran Rao-directed Laapataa Ladies for submission.

Expressing her gratitude to “the selection committee and to everyone who believed in the film”, Rao in her social media post wrote: “It is indeed a great privilege to be selected from among such amazing Indian films this year — who are equally worthy contenders for this honour.”

Set in the heartland, Laapataa Ladies tells the coming-of-age story of two newlywed brides, who are mistakenly exchanged during a train ride to their in-law’s homes. The film produced by Aamir Khan Productions emerged as the top choice for India’s Oscar entry out of 29 movies which were under consideration. Khan in his media statement said he was “proud of Kiran and her entire team” and hoped that the film would be “able to win the hearts of the members of the Academy”.

Two Russians on Friday set a record for the longest continuous stay on the International Space Station, according to Russia's space agency.

Roscosmos said Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub broke the old record of 370 days, 21 hours and 22 minutes, which was set in September 2023 by Russians Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin and American Francisco Rubio.

Chub and Kononenko will add several days to their total before their scheduled return to Earth on Monday.

The 59-year-old Kononenko holds other space duration records, including the most cumulative time in space 1,110 days over the course of five missions by the time he lands in Kazakhstan next week.

International wrestler Sangram Singh made his mark in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world by winning his debut fight at the Gama International Fighting Championship in Tbilisi.

Singh won in a mere minute and thirty seconds against Pakistani fighter Ali Raza Nasir, who is seventeen years younger than him. Fit India icon and Commonwealth Heavyweight wrestling champion. Among the eleven competing nations, this incredible accomplishment represents the fastest win ever registered by an Indian fighter in the 93 kg division.

Anticipating a smooth transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts, Commonwealth heavyweight wrestling champion Sangram Singh's performance exceeded expectations in his MMA debut for the India versus Pakistan match.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22 announced that India will open new consulates in two American cities — Boston and Los Angeles, PTI reported. He was addressing Indian Americans in New York's at the Nassau Veterans Coliseum.

Modi said this comes amid long-pending demand for consulates in these cities from the fast-growing Indian American community, the report added.

“Friends last year, I had announced that our government had plans to open a new consulate in Seattle. It is now operational. I had asked for suggestions from you for two more consulates. I am happy to announce that after reviewing your suggestions, India has decided to open two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles,” Modi stated.

Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik has been appointed as the new Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General, ARY News reported, quoting ISPR on Monday.

The newly appointed head of ISI, who succeeded Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, will assume command of the Pakistani intelligence agency on September 30.

Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik is currently serving as an Adjutant General at the general headquarters in Rawalpindi.

The newly-appointed chief has previously led the Infantry Brigade in Waziristan and the Infantry Division in Balochistan in the past, reported ARY News.

Haifa Day was celebrated today in New Delhi to honour the martyrs of the Battle of Haifa. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of Israel to India Reuven Azar hailed the relationship between the two countries. He praised how both the countries have repealed sovereignty and established democracies.

Indian Soldiers, who were part of World War I in 1918 from the British Indian Army fought the battle of Haifa. The battle was a decisive victory for the Indian soldiers, who defeated the Ottoman Empire and their German allies.

Under a transformative collaboration with the US, India will get a national security semiconductor fabrication plant that will produce chips for use in military hardware and next-generation telecommunications.

The India-US joint project was announced following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Wilmington on Saturday.

A joint fact sheet on Modi-Biden talks said the two leaders "hailed" the semiconductor project as a "watershed arrangement".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said Quad is committed to a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. In his opening remarks at the Quad Leaders Summit in Delaware, US, the Prime Minister stressed that Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner, and to complement. Mr Modi added that the Quad Summit is taking place at a time when the world is surrounded by tensions and conflict, and the Quad countries working together on the basis of shared democratic values is very important for the entire humanity.

Prime Minister stressed that the grouping is not against anyone and supports rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful resolution of all issues. He said that a free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific is a shared priority and a shared commitment of Quad countries. The Prime Minister said that together, Quad countries have taken many positive and inclusive initiatives in areas like health, security, critical and emerging technologies, climate change, and capacity building. Mr Modi further expressed his happiness in organising the QUAD Leaders Summit in India in 2025.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pledged 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries and assistance with radiotherapy treatment and capacity building to help battle cancer during the Cancer Moonshot event being held in Wilmington, Delaware, as part of the Quad Summit.

"These 40 million vaccine doses will become a ray of hope in the lives of crores of people. As you can see when the QUAD acts, it is not just for nations. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach," PM Modi said while addressing the attendees.

He noted the numerous efforts being made in India to battle sickness, including the world's largest health insurance scheme to make medicines affordable and accessible to everyone.

In a step towards improving understanding of the genetic variations of cancer in the Indian population, the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) foundation has launched a portal that expects to be a repository of information on multiple aspects of cancer. “The portal will be the first in India to offer data that includes DNA, RNA, and protein profiles of breast cancer patients, integrated with clinical outcomes,” Suveera Dhup, Chief Operating Officer, ICGA Foundation, said.

“Historically, cancer treatments in India have been based on Western data sets. However, cancers in Indian patients can differ significantly at the molecular level,” Shekhar Mande, former Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and associated with the initiative, said, adding, “Creating a repository of this sort and openly sharing this data, we are empowering researchers, clinicians, and innovators to collaborate, explore new frontiers, and drive transformative breakthroughs in cancer treatment.”