India’s women’s and men’s table tennis teams beat Pakistan 3-0 at the Asian Games, while players from both sides exchanged handshakes and smiles before and after their matches. Indian women players Sutirtha Mukherjee, Sreeja Akula and Syndrela Das greeted Pakistan’s Aleena, Fatima and Kalsoom Khan before their Group F tie and repeated the gesture after each match. The men’s teams also shared warm handshakes, with Pakistan’s Muhammad Khan and India’s Harmeet Desai smiling after a missed shot, while Muhammad later patted Payas Jain’s back. The report contrasted table tennis with cricket, where India has maintained a no-handshake approach since the Pahalgam attack.

Vedaant Madhavan narrowly missed the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final at the Asian Games after India finished ninth among 13 teams with a time of 7:24.32. The Indian quartet of Vedaant, Sajan Prakash, Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aneesh Sunil missed eighth-placed Qatar by 0.2 seconds. Vedaant later wrote that he missed the final by 0.2 seconds and was the best Indian by 0.5 seconds. His father, actor R. Madhavan, shared the update with a gratitude emoticon. Vedaant will compete in the 200m freestyle on September 23 and 200m backstroke on September 25. Meanwhile, Srihari Nataraj finished 10th in the 50m backstroke final, while China’s Jiayu Xu set a Games record. (PC: NDTV)

Asian Games-bound Indian cricketer Vipraj Nigam is facing allegations of sexual assault and exploitation under the pretext of marriage by a Hyderabad-based woman. She alleged that Nigam took her to a Noida hotel on July 29, 2025, where he raped and assaulted her; a case was registered on December 16, 2025. On Sunday, she reportedly waited outside Nigam’s home for hours, seeking to meet him while he was in Japan. Nigam’s father spoke to her by phone, promising they would talk after a week. Nigam had filed a complaint alleging she threatened to implicate him falsely. Both have filed cases against each other. Nigam is set for India’s debut against Japan. (PC: X)

Indian scientists and collaborators have reconstructed a 250-year history of Antarctica’s Maud Rise Polynya, tracing its activity back to 1774. Led by researchers from the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the study used a 122-metre ice core drilled at Djupranen Ice Rise in East Antarctica. Analysing snow and chemical layers, researchers identified 25 years with evidence of polynya activity, including three major events comparable to the 1974-76 opening, which exceeded 300,000 square kilometres. Findings show that openings occurred in clusters rather than regularly, suggesting atmospheric and ocean conditions combine to trigger them. The study may improve understanding of Antarctica’s climate and ocean circulation. (PC: X)

A video showing a group of men assaulting a boy and molesting his female friend on a road in Bihar's Jamui has triggered widespread outrage. Both victims are Class 10 students who were returning from coaching classes. Police have arrested three people, including minors, and registered cases under the POCSO and Juvenile Justice Acts. Minister Shrawon Kumar said isolated incidents do happen and promised strict action, drawing criticism from the Opposition. Tejashwi Yadav said girls are unsafe in the state, while Rahul Gandhi called the video deeply disturbing. Tej Pratap Yadav threatened a hunger strike. LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti rejected the "Jungle Raj" charge. (PC: X)

Google will start sharing details of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases and repeat offenders with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and a company spokesperson has confirmed the move. Until now, US-based platforms, including Google and Meta, reported such cases only to the US non-profit NCMEC, which then passed details to local law enforcement, often causing delays. Google said it has proposed putting the information-sharing into practice. Meta made a similar commitment after a BBC Eye investigation found Instagram running paid ads promoting child abuse material in India. Officials say more steps will be needed to strengthen child safety online. (PC: HT)

More than 3,000 Yemeni refugees have reached Djibouti in recent days, fleeing a sharp escalation in fighting along Yemen's Red Sea coast. The UN estimates over 120,000 people have been displaced. The Houthis made a rapid advance toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait this month, prompting hundreds of Saudi air strikes. The Houthis have also fired drones and missiles at south-western Saudi Arabia. Families crossed the narrow strait by boat and now shelter at Markazi camp in Obock. "We fled to save our children," said fisherman Ibrahim Issa. A 2022 UN-brokered truce has collapsed. Refugees say they will return only if peace does. (PC: BBC)

IIT Bombay has begun replacing ceiling fans in hostel rooms with wall-mounted ones, and the first batch has reached campus. The move comes days after the death of Sahil Wakode, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student, at his hostel on September 18. The institute says the change is part of a planned hostel renovation and is not linked to the recent deaths. Wakode's family has alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination. Police have booked former Dean Suryanarayana Doolla under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and for abetment to suicide, and students have protested. NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande questioned whether such a step could fix deeper problems. (PC: India Today)

Allu Arjun and director Atlee's upcoming film 'Raaka' has set a Guinness World Record for the "Most People Motion-Captured in Real-Time." A total of 37 performers were captured at the same time. Producers Sun Pictures announced the news on Monday, September 21, sharing that Allu Arjun and Atlee received the official certificate. Guinness lists the record as achieved in Mumbai on September 15. The makers had teased fans for days with a poster carrying only the number "37." The announcement came on Atlee's birthday. The film's first look, released on Allu Arjun's birthday, showed the actor in a rugged, warrior-like avatar. (PC: X)

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed a First Amendment lawsuit to restore their White House access. Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the outlets of writing lies about him. On Saturday, reporters Betsy Klein of CNN, Akayla Gardner of MS NOW and Cheyenne Haslett of Politico were denied entry, and the Secret Service seized their press passes. The outlets have asked a federal judge for a temporary restraining order to restore the passes immediately. In a joint statement, they said the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes. Trump has suggested more restrictions on other outlets may follow.