World updates in a glance 
US President Barack Obama has exuded confidence in defeating his Republican rival Mitt Romney in the upcoming presidential polls, though conceding that it could be a closely contested one.
“If the election were held today, I think it would be close but I think we’d win. And we now have 99 days left. If I can say that every single day for the next 99 days, then we will be able to embark on the next phase of this journey,” Obama said at a campaign event in New York on Monday.
Seeking his re-election, Obama said he has to complete his unfinished agenda in the second term.
“If we can stabilise Europe, position ourselves on education, on science and technology, on energy, and a few other pieces of unfinished business like comprehensive immigration reform, then there’s no reason why America should not thrive in the decades to come,” he said.
“We also have to get through a campaign, though. And right now, the economy is still rough enough for enough people that this is going to be a close election.”
But we are going to have to make sure that we can get our message out effectively,” Obama added.