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.

Indian Navy's indigenously built warship INS Sahyadri, deployed in the Indo-Pacific, participated in the maiden trilateral Maritime Partnership Exercise with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Indonesian Navy from September 20 and 21, Ministry of Defence informed in an official release.

The trilateral exercise provided an opportunity for the three maritime nations to strengthen their partnership and improve their collective capability to support a stable, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region. The exercise also provided the opportunity for the participating navies to benefit from each other's experience and expertise. Complex tactical and manoeuvring exercises, cross-deck visits and cross-deck landings of integral helicopters were conducted for training of crew and enhancement of interoperability, the release added.

Odia scientist Dr Swati Nayak has been named the 2023 recipient of the Norman E. Borlaug Award for field research and application for her work in the field of food and nutrition.

The award, instituted by the World Food Prize Foundation, is named in honour of Nobel Laureate and Green Revolution’s chief architect Dr. Norman E Borlaug. A scientist and South Asia Lead for Seed System and Product Management at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Dr Nayak was selected for the award for her innovative approach to engaging farmers in demand-driven rice seed systems.

In a tribute to ‘Missile Man’ Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, researchers from the Marine Biology department of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) named a new species of marine tardigrade that they discovered after the former President.

Named ‘Batillipes kalami’, the new species of tardigrades was found by researchers in the intertidal beach sediments of Mandapam coast, close to Kalam’s birthplace in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.

The researchers’ move aims to honour Dr Kalam’s legacy, his unwavering commitment to science and technology, and his inspirational role in fostering scientific curiosity among young Indians.