Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj has qualified for the men's 50m backstroke final at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. He finished third in his heat in 25.37 seconds, and was joint-ninth across all three heats. Teammate Rishabh Das clocked 25.41 seconds, finishing fourth in his heat, and is a reserve for the final. In sepaktakraw, India began their three-regu series against Japan in Group B with a 2-0 win. India's wushu contingent, however, had a tough day with several losses.

Iran has sealed a French language centre in Tehran, citing security and licensing concerns, deepening tensions with Paris. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said a court order from the Tehran prosecutor's office led to the closure. Iranian authorities accused the centre of activities against national security, including building networks and helping skilled Iranians leave the country. France called the move "unjustifiable and unacceptable" and said it would summon Iran's ambassador. The row follows Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's "crocodile tears" jibe at France over Mahsa Amini's death. The two foreign ministers are due to meet on Tuesday at the UN. (PC: India Today)

India won silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Monday. Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane finished with a team total of 1890.1. China took gold with a world record 1899.0, beating their own mark by 0.6 points. South Korea claimed bronze with 1884.2. In qualification, Rudrankksh placed third with 631.8 and Himanshu seventh with 630.0, so both go into the individual final. Parth missed out, finishing 10th with 628.3. The medal follows India's silver in the women's team event, won by Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod. (PC: NDTV)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called Sunday's state election results a "disaster" for his Christian Democratic Union (CDU), but said he will not step down. Exit polls in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern showed the CDU falling below the 5% threshold needed to stay in parliament. The far-right AfD led with about 38%, ahead of the centre-left SPD on 36%. In Berlin, the CDU was projected at 20%, behind Die Linke on nearly 26%. Speaking at party headquarters, Merz said "the reforms have to come" and promised to push on with economic, tax and welfare changes. The vote comes two weeks after the CDU's support halved in Saxony-Anhalt. (PC: BBC)

Tata Sons has reappointed N Chandrasekaran as chairman for five more years, but Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata has called the move illegal. The board voted 4-1 after a meeting of about three hours in Mumbai on September 17. Noel Tata was the only director to oppose it. He said his veto was wrongly overridden on the basis of a legal opinion. The Trusts say Chandrasekaran's August 12 decision not to seek another term was accepted and is final. Reports say the Trusts will try to remove him as a director at the annual general meeting.

India will face Pakistan in both the women's and men's table tennis team events at the Asian Games on Monday, September 21, at 6:30 AM and 3:30 PM respectively. Shooting offers early medal chances, with the men's 10m air rifle team and individual finals, plus the first day of skeet team events. The women's hockey team meets Indonesia, while the men's kabaddi team plays Japan and the badminton team opens against Bangladesh. Suchika Tariyal plays a traditional MMA semifinal, Sumit begins his boxing campaign, and Indian swimmers feature in heats and possible finals. (PC: India Today)

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is in "deciding mode" over the Iran war and warned that very big things could happen soon if Tehran does not behave. He reportedly outlined three options: wiping Iran out, letting it collapse economically, or making a deal. Trump also said he would probably be open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is expected at the UN General Assembly in New York. His remarks came after Iran sent seven conditions to Washington through Qatar, including an end to the war on all fronts, release of frozen funds and lifting of the naval blockade.

Four people, including three children, were killed in an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region, local authorities said. A mother and her two three-year-old children died when a drone hit their home, while a girl later died in hospital. Officials said 31 sites were damaged across five districts. The attacks came as Ukraine launched a mass drone strike on the Moscow region on the final day of Russia's parliamentary election. Moscow's mayor said more than 1,600 drones were intercepted, and at least three people were killed and a major refinery was damaged. Both sides continue long-range strikes as the war enters its fifth year. (PC: X)

The UN human rights office says Russian authorities were behind 89 per cent of verified conflict-related sexual violence cases in Ukraine. Its report documents 1,004 cases between February 2022 and July 2026, involving civilians and prisoners of war. The remaining 11 per cent were attributed to Ukrainian authorities. Most victims were men, while women and children were affected mainly in occupied territory. The UN says the true figure is likely higher because of underreporting and Russia's refusal to grant access. Russia declined to comment, while Ukraine welcomed the report. UN rights chief Volker Türk said the violence must stop immediately. (PC: India Today)

Iran has warned that American warships anywhere in the Indian Ocean would come under attack if the war restarts. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, claimed Iran has raised its hypersonic missile speed from Mach 6 to Mach 10. He said Iran would answer any new US attack with more numerous and more painful strikes. Iran's military also warned that any country supporting a US attack would be seen as complicit. Tehran says it has sent its conditions to Washington through Qatari mediators, including an end to the US naval blockade, while tensions continue around the Strait of Hormuz.  (PC: BBC)