Direct flights between New Delhi and Ulaanbaatar have started, cutting travel time between India and Mongolia to around five hours. The first flight arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday morning. The route will operate once a week, every Monday, and will be run by Mongolia’s Hunnu Air. Earlier, travellers needed to take connecting flights through cities such as Hong Kong, Beijing or Incheon. The new service is expected to support tourism, medical travel and business. It could also boost trade by allowing faster cargo movement. Both countries offer free visas and e-visas to their citizens.  

Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda won gold in the women’s trap event at the 2026 Asian Games. She scored 28 out of 30 in the final, missing only two shots. Her score set a new Asian record. China’s Sun Yungong won silver, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze. Dhanda also became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the women’s trap event. The 26-year-old shooter is from Haryana. She started shooting after being inspired by her cousin Lakshya Sheron. Dhanda had earlier won gold at the ISSF World Cup and Asian Championships. This is India’s fifth gold at the Games.  

Indian applicants faced an average wait of 346 days for US non-immigrant visa interviews in 2025, according to a US Government Accountability Office report. India received 1.45 million applications, handled by only 68 consular officers. The high demand and limited staff have caused long delays. B1/B2 visa applicants face the longest waits. Current estimates range from about 6.5 months in Kolkata to 12 months in Hyderabad. Mumbai has a wait of around 11.5 months, while New Delhi has about 10 months. The standard visitor visa fee is $185. A new $250 Visa Integrity Fee may also apply.  

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India-US relations have faced “bumps” over trade talks, tariffs and differences on terrorism. Speaking in New York, Jaishankar said India’s concerns about terrorism must be better understood by its partners, including the US. He said a lack of “understanding or appreciation” could affect bilateral ties. Jaishankar also said trade talks were complicated by India’s large number of small producers and changes in US tariff rules. He stressed India’s policy of maintaining ties with several countries. His comments came days after he criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, calling it a “serial practitioner of terrorism.”  

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the Congress Working Committee meeting on Tuesday. He accused the CEC of acting under pressure from the Modi government. Kharge also called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation on moral grounds.   The demands came amid controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Kharge called for greater transparency in voter data and an independent probe into serious irregularities. He also demanded that voters whose names are deleted should get information and a chance to appeal. The Election Commission has said internal differences are part of normal institutional discussions.

US President Donald Trump has denied reports that he was considering sanctions relief and access to frozen funds for Iran. Axios reported that Trump was considering the move in exchange for steps on Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump called the report “untrue” and a “hoax,” saying, “I offered them NOTHING!” CNN also reported that Trump was open to sanctions relief, but said any deal would require progress on nuclear issues. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was open to talks with Washington. He said Iran would not accept “bullying or coercion.” More talks are expected this week.  

The Delhi High Court has directed that a message from a trial judge be given to a 10-year-old rape survivor alongside compensation awarded to her family. The girl was seven when she was raped in Delhi in 2023. During the trial, she had expressed a wish that the accused remain in jail until he grew old. The trial judge subsequently sentenced the convicted man to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. According to the report, the accused has appealed against his conviction and sentence. A division bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dinesh Bhatt heard the appeal on September 22, 2026, and described the trial judge’s message as one of encouragement. (PC: X)

Two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, arrived in Atlanta from China on Sunday under a renewed agreement between the Chinese and US governments. Both born in 2020, the pandas departed Chengdu aboard a dedicated FedEx Boeing 777 and will live at Zoo Atlanta for 10 years. Their arrival was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his summit with US President Donald Trump. The loan was among the few concrete outcomes of the state visit, which produced expressions of goodwill but no resolution of longstanding bilateral differences. Atlanta’s previous pandas returned to China in 2024. The new pandas will spend about a month in quarantine before their public debut. (PC: AP)

Twenty-one farmers in Gujarat’s Morbi were booked after protesters allegedly burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on September 17. The action came amid protests against power transmission towers and lines passing through agricultural fields and disputes over the government’s compensation formula. More than 9,000 farmers later held a demonstration at the Morbi Collectorate on Friday, joined by farmers from other districts. Notices were also served on landowners affected by the 765 kV Halvad Transmission Line and an 800 kV transmission line. The September 23 notices asked landowners to appear before a Market Rate Committee to nominate a land valuer, failing which the government would proceed with the valuation process. (PC: The Indian Express)

The United Arab Emirates confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The Emirati state news agency WAM said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them. Israeli officials said the meeting also focused on regional challenges, particularly Iran. The visit came amid controversy over reports that bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu before Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, a claim Netanyahu’s office denies. The meeting was confirmed as Netanyahu faces pressure ahead of October’s Knesset elections. Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, with ties subsequently expanding despite regional developments. (PC: AFP)