NEW DELHI (AP) — The Group of 20 Summit, hosted by India earlier this month, couldn’t have gone better for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His pledge to make the African Union a permanent member became reality. And under his leadership, the fractured grouping signed off on a final statement. It was seen as a foreign policy triumph for Modi and set the tone for India as a great emerging power.

MANILA, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of installing a "floating barrier" in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Manila's coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources "strongly condemn" China's installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.

UNITED NATIONS, September 24. /TASS/: Western sanctions are aimed, directly or indirectly, against virtually all the remaining countries of the world and should be lifted immediately, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergey Aleynik told the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

"Unilateral coercive measures, imposed by the West are aimed against the rest of the world, directly or indirectly. They should be lifted immediately. This is necessitated by the common sense and shared interests of all humankind," the top Belarusian diplomat said.

23 September 2023; MEMO: The Turkish Central Bank has, once again, hiked interest rates in the country, pushing its policy rate up five points to 30 per cent, in a continued effort to curb soaring inflation, AP reports.

According to the report, the Bank said, on Thursday, that the increase was necessary in the face of services inflation and surging oil prices. It means that the country’s interest rate is sitting at a level not seen since 2003.

DUBAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Authorities in Iran have neutralised 30 bombs meant to go off simultaneously in Tehran and detained 28 terrorists linked to Islamic State, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, citing the intelligence ministry.

"Some of the members are of Islamic State (IS) and the perpetrators have a history of being affiliated with Takfiri groups in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Kurdistan region of Iraq," Iran's intelligence ministry added in a statement.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Air defense systems near the Kleshcheyevka settlement in the Donetsk People's Republic shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter," the ministry said.

23 September 2023; MEMO: The US State Department has approved a potential $500 million deal to provide maintenance support for Saudi Arabia’s fleet of combat vehicles, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced yesterday.

The deal would cover spare parts, components and repair services for vehicles, including Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles operated by the Royal Saudi Land Forces.

23 September 2023; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority (PA) has rejected the “hateful and provocative” speech made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.

This came in a statement issued by the PA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

UNITED NATIONS, September 24. /TASS/: The US government plans to set up a military base on a territory of Guyana and Venezuela in order to exacerbate the dispute between the two nations and plunder energy resources, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said.

22 September 2023; MEMO: Türkiye's tech giant, Turkish Aerospace Inc (TAI), will carry out new missions in the country and abroad with various satellites besides its responsibilities in the national communications satellite Turksat 6A.

TAI Space Systems Deputy General Manager Selman Nas told Anadolu that the company developed an operational satellite for another customer by using the competencies gained in making communications satellite Turksat 6A.

23 September 2023; MEMO: The government of South Africa has exempted Palestinian citizens holding Palestinian passports from entry visas to South Africa.

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/: Ka-52 and Mi-28 helicopters of Russia’s Southern Military District have taken out some Ukrainian troops in the Zaporozhye area, the Russian Defense Ministry told TASS.