AMERICA 'NEEDS AN ADULT' IN WHITE HOUSE: MICHELLE OBAMA

US First Lady Michelle Obama took a dig at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, saying America "needs an adult in the White House" and not a person who is "erratic and threatening".

"When making life-or-death, war-or-peace decisions, a president just cannot pop off or lash out irrationally. No, we need an adult in the White House, I guarantee you," she said at an election rally in support of Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia as she made a strong pitch for the 68-year-old Democratic presidential candidate.

Michelle, without mentioning Trump, 70, said the US needs someone who is compassionate.

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VIACOM 18 LAUNCHES NEW FREE BOLLYWOOD FILM CHANNEL IN UK

Indian broadcasting major Viacom18 on Thursday (Sept 29) launched a new free-to-air Hindi movie channel for the UK market. 'Rishtey Cineplex' is aimed at showcasing offerings from Viacom18's wide library of films as well as newly acquired movies from across genres, starting with box-office hits like 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Airlift'.

"Rishtey Cineplex, Viacom18's first premium Hindi movie channel, has curated an impressive repertoire of titles from across cinemas of India. "It is our endeavour, as a future ready organisation, to take Indian cinema, as a holistic entertainment package, to our loyal viewers in Europe and North America; allowing us to further strengthen our presence in the regions," said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18.

"Indian films now have a universal appeal, as a result of which they taste tremendous success in International markets," Raj Nayak, CEO, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18, said.

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HIGH ALERT IN GUJARAT AFTER SURGICAL STRIKES ACROSS INDIAN LOC

High alert has been sounded in the west Indian state of Gujarat in the wake of the surgical strikes carried out by the Army on terror bases across the LoC, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said. The state shares land and sea boundary with Pakistan.

"Following surgical strikes, high alert has been sounded in entire Gujarat, specially the border districts police and coastal police stations have been alerted to increase vigil after our armed forces' successful operation," he said.

Three districts of the state -- Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan -- share boundary with the neighbouring country. People in major cities in Gujarat welcomed the surgical strikes by bursting crackers and distributing sweets.

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NEW JERSEY TRAIN CRASH KILLS THREE, INJURES MORE THAN 100

Three people were killed and more than 100 injured, some critically, when a commuter train derailed and plowed through Hoboken station in New Jersey during the morning rush hour on Thursday (Sept 29), US media and atransit official said.

Citing medical officials, U.S. media reports said three people were killed. Well over 100 people were hurt, many of them critically, Jennifer Nelson, a spokeswoman for train operator New Jersey Transit, told reporters at the scene. She did not confirm any fatalities.

Dramatic pictures posted by commuters showed a train carriage that appeared to have smashed right through the station concourse, collapsing a section of the roof, scattering debris and wreckage and causing devastation.

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BRITISH LAWMAKER SAYS PM MAY HAS ‘NO IDEA’ WHAT TO DO ABOUT BREXIT

Prime Minister Theresa May's government has no idea what to do about Brexit and Britain risks sowing serious political and economic uncertainty unless it makes its policy clear soon, a senior British lawmaker said.

The June 23 vote took many investors and chief executives by surprise, triggering the deepest political and financial turmoil in Britain since World War Two and the biggest ever one-day fall in sterling against the dollar.

Britain's allies fear that its exit from the EU could mark a turning point in post-Cold War international affairs that will weaken the West in relation to China and Russia, undermine efforts towards European integration and hurt global free trade.

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INDIA AND 3 OTHERS PULL OUT OF SUMMIT AS TENSIONS WITH PAKISTAN MOUNT

India sent a strong message of sour relations with neighboring country Pakistan on Tuesday (Sept 27) as it pulled out of a key regional summit to be held in Pakistan citing an increase in cross-border terrorist attacks, as tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalates.

Regional superpower India said it has conveyed its decision not to take part in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to Nepal, the current SAARC Chair.

Apart from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan have also pulled out of the SAARC Summit to be held at Islamabad in November, indirectly blaming Pakistan for creating an environment which is not right for the successful holding of the meet, resulting in its collapse

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WILL TRY TO TRIM RCOM DEBT BY 75% IN ONE YEAR: ANIL AMBANI

Grappling with mountain of debt, Reliance Communications today said it is planning to pare the Rs 426.50 billion burden by up to 75 per cent over the next one year.

Addressing the shareholders, company Chairman Anil Ambani said, "The target is to reduce debt by 75 per cent within a year and once the ongoing merger processes of MTS and Aircel with RCom are complete, it will help reduce debt by Rs 200 billion." 

Describing the three-way merger as the largest ever consolidation in the domestic telecom industry, he said this will create a formidable operator with the second largest holder of spectrum aggregating 448 MHz across the 850, 900, 1,800 and 2,100 MHz bands.

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COLORS APOLOGISES TO TANNISHTHA OVER JOKES ON SKIN TONE

After actress Tannishtha Chatterjee slammed comedy TV show for making fun of her skin tone, the channel has apologised to her, saying it has taken up the matter with the creative team of the show.

As a part of the promotions for her recently released film "Parched", Tannishtha along with director Leena Yadav and co-star Radhika Apte went to show ‘Comedy Nights Bachao’. The actress, in a lengthy Facebook post, wrote about her frustration with the way her dark skin tone was targeted by the comics on the show.

"To my utmost horror, I soon realised that the only quality they found worth roasting about in me was my skin tone. It began with 'aap ko jamun bahut pasand hoga zaroor! Kitna jamun khaya aapne bachpan se?' And went on in that direction," she wrote.

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INDIA, PAKISTAN REACH OUT TO WORLD BANK ON INDUS WATER TREATY

The World Bank, the international lender which had mediated the Indus Water Treaty, said on Wednesday (Sept 28) it was approached by India and Pakistan and it is "responding in its limited, procedural role as set out in the treaty".

"India and Pakistan have informed the World Bank that each has initiated proceedings pursuant to the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 and the World Bank Group is responding in its limited, procedural role as set out in the Treaty," a World Bank spokesperson said.

"For further details on the proceedings brought under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, your enquiry is best directed to the member governments," the spokesman said, refusing to comment any further.

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INDIA CARRIES OUT 'SURGICAL STRIKES' ON KASHMIR FRONTIER

India's military has carried out 'surgical strikes' along the de facto border with Pakistan in Kashmir to thwart a series of attacks being planned against major cities, the army said on Thursday (Sept 29).

Pakistan's military however accused India of killing two of its soldiers in "unprovoked firing" along the Line of Control that divides the disputed territory and said its troops had responded. India said its strikes targeted 'terrorists' along the frontier.

"Some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launchpads along the Line of Control," Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, the director-general of military operations, said.

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NEW YORK LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST 'ISLAMOPHOBIA'

A major public campaign to fight Islamophobia, was launched in New York on Monday (Sept 26) to stress the equal rights of the city's hundreds of thousands of Muslims.

The campaign launched in the wake of a Manhattan bomb attack blamed on a radicalized Afghan-American initially will use social media to spread the message under the hashtag #IAmMuslimNYC. 

"Now more than ever, it is important for every New Yorker to stand united as one city and reject hate and violence," said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement.

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JIM YONG KIM RE-APPOINTED AS WORLD BANK PRESIDENT

Jim Yong Kim has been re-appointed for a second five-year term as World Bank president, beginning July 1, next year, the bank announced.

"Humbled to have the honour of serving a second term as the head of this great institution. I would focus on building a more inclusive world free of poverty," Kim said in a statement.

He said the starting point for his work when he joined the Bank in 2012 was the setting of two ambitious new goals for the institution: to end extreme poverty by 2030, and to promote shared prosperity by boosting the income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population in every developing country.

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YASHVARDHAN SINHA APPOINTED INDIA'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK

Senior IFS officer Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha was on Tuesday (Sept 27) appointed as India's High Commissioner to the UK succeeding Navtej Sarna.

Sinha, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1981 batch, is currently serving as India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. Sarna has been appointed as India's Ambassador to the US.

Earlier this month, the government had appointed 1988- batch IFS officer Taranjit Singh Sandhu as the next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka to replace Sinha.

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PAKISTAN IS CARRYING OUT WAR CRIMES USING TERROR AS STATE POLICY:INDIA

In its sharpest attack on Pakistan, India on Thursday (Sept 22) called it a ‘terrorist state’ which carries out ‘war crimes’ by using terrorism as an ‘instrument of state policy’, after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif glorified Hizbul commander Burhan Wani at the United Nations.

India also strongly rejected Sharif's call for ‘a serious and sustained’ bilateral dialogue ‘without any conditions’, saying that Pakistan, which ‘seems to be run by a war machine rather than a government’, wants talks with a ‘gun in its hand’.

Strongly reacting to Sharif's remarks at the UN General Assembly session, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar described them as full of ‘threat, bluster and complete disregard of facts’ as he said glorification of Wani by him at the world forum is an act of ‘self-incrimination’ by Pakistan.

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'VISARANAI' IS INDIA'S OFFICIAL ENTRY TO OSCARS 2017

National Award-winning Tamil film ‘Visaranai’ is India's official entry in the Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars next year. 'Visaranai' was selected out of the 29 films that were in the race," Film Federation of India secretary general Supran Sen said.

The crime-thriller, produced by actor-filmmaker Dhanush, is written and directed by Vetrimaaran. It is based on the novel ‘Lock Up’ by M Chandrakumar. Featuring Dinesh Ravi, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the lead roles, the film deals with police brutality, corruption, and loss of innocence in the face of injustice. 

"Visaaranai #Anbum #amaithiyum malarathum ('Let love and peace bloom')," Dinesh tweeted in Tamil. The movie won three honours-- best feature film in Tamil, best supporting actor for Samuthirakani and best editing for Kishore Te-- at the 63rd National Film Awards, held earlier this 

year.

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RECORD 31 INDIAN VARSITIES IN TOP WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

India has improved its position in the global higher education, with a record 31 educational institutions making it to a new list of the world's top varsities topped by the University of Oxford. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is India's top institution in the 'Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2016-17' list released on Wednesday (Sept 21), up nearly 50 places from its last year's rank.

Only two Indian universities have made it to the top 400 universities' list. IISc (201-250 group), up from last year's 251-300 group, is accompanied by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay (351-400 cohort) in the top 400 table.

There is no Indian university in the coveted top 200 list. This year's list, which includes 14 new entrants, is topped by University of Oxford, the first UK university to top in the 12-year history of the table. Five-time topper California Institute of Technology came second while Stanford University was ranked third.

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INDIAN MINISTERS APPROVE RAFALE FIGHTER JET DEAL

A committee of the Indian cabinet gave its approval on Wednesday (Sept 21) to a long-delayed deal to buy 36 fighter jets from France's Dassault, as the country looks to bolster its military in the face of China's growing clout.

The highly versatile Rafale is currently being used for bombing missions over Syria and Iraq as part of international campaign against the self-styled Islamic State jihadist group. It has also been deployed in the past for air strikes in Libya and Afghanistan.

The deal, if confirmed, is a major vote of confidence in the Rafale which had long struggled to find buyers in overseas, despite heavy lobbying efforts by the Hollande administration. It is the biggest order for the Rafale after Egypt agreed to buy 24 of the jets in 2015 and Qatar purchased the same amount later that year.

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INDIA’S FORMER TEST CAPTAINS FELICITATED BEFORE START OF 500TH TEST

Former captains including Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev were on Thursday (Sept 22) felicitated by the BCCI before the start of India's 500th Test in Kanpur .

On the occasion, Uttar Pradesh governor presented mementos and shawl to former captains before the start of the first Test between India and New Zealand.

Besides Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Dhoni and Kapil, the other former India Test captains who were honoured were Ajit Wadekar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, K Srikkanth and Mohammad Azharuddin. Current captain Virat Kohli too was honoured.

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STATE OF EMERGENCY CALLED AFTER SECOND NIGHT OF UNREST IN CHARLOTTE, N.CAROLINA

One person was shot and gravely wounded on Wednesday (Sept 22) in a second night of unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina, officials said, as riot police dispersed unruly protesters after the fatal police shooting of a black man under disputed circumstances.

North Carolina's governor later declared a state of emergency amid the disturbances and said the National Guard and state Highway Patrol troopers would be sent in to help police in Charlotte restore and maintain order.

Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney initially reported that a person shot during the protest had died, but city officials later posted a Twitter message saying the individual had been hospitalized in critical condition on life support.

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BANGKOK BEATS LONDON TO BE NAMED WORLD'S TOP TRAVEL DESTINATION BY MASTERCARD

Thailand’s capital of Bangkok has beaten London to be crowned the world's most popular travel destination this year, according to an annual ranking by global payments and technology company Mastercard released on Thursday (Sept 22).

The British capital topped the 2015 ranking of global destinations, but Mastercard did not say why some of its shine had rubbed off for travellers this year. The two cities have topped the ranking for most of its history.

Tourism has been one of the rare bright spots for this country considered as Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, which has grappled with weak consumer confidence and exports after a 2014 coup the militaryl said was aimed at ending months of political unrest.

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