The International Conference titled 'Echoes across the Waves: Revisiting the Intersections of India and Indonesia’s Shared Cultural Heritage' is set to take place on September 14 and 15 in Bali.

It aims to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Indonesia.

This event, organised by the Consulate General of India in Bali, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Institute of Social and Cultural Studies (ISCS), the External of India, Jakarta said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his three-day trip to Iraq was aimed at promoting unity and solidarity between the two countries.

He made the remarks in an address to reporters upon his arrival in the Iranian capital, Tehran, from Iraq on Friday while elaborating on the outcomes of the visit, according to a statement released by the website of his office.

He noted that his discussions with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and other senior officials covered political, economic, cultural, and security ties, reports news agency.

The stock markets hit a new high this week as the rate-cut optimism globally has provided a positive impetus across the global markets, industry watchers said on Saturday.

The European Central Bank (ECB) this week lowered its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 3.50 per cent to boost tepid growth.

The US Federal Reserve is set to announce its interest rate decision on September 18 after a two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

Analysts said that the market focus will be on the upcoming FOMC meeting, while domestic market direction will also be influenced by domestic corporate earnings, which are forecasted to improve in Q2 FY25 on a QoQ basis.

Twenty-two people were injured in a car crash in South Korea on the first day of the five-day Chuseok holiday, the country's autumn harvest celebration, on Saturday.

An express bus collided with a guardrail and hit a median strip near a toll of an expressway in western Busan, the country's southeastern port city, at about 6:56 a.m. local time, reports.

All the 22 people on the bus, including a driver, were wounded, and four of them were seriously injured.

Two of the seriously injured were found on the opposite lane of the expressway after being thrown out of the bus due to the impact of the accident.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a funding agreement with Telesat to complete and operate Lightspeed, one of the world's most innovative satellite networks.

With a loan of 2.14 billion Canadian dollars (US$1.57 billion) from the federal government, Telesat Lightspeed will be Canada's largest-ever space programme, the Prime Minister said in a news release.

Telesat Lightspeed will expand internet and 5G networks in communities across Canada, reports news agency.

As a low-Earth-orbit satellite network, it will take less time to send and receive information and accelerate the federal government's work to connect all Canadians to high-speed internet by 2030, the release said.

Three terrorists were killed on Saturday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Police said the three terrorists were killed in the encounter in Chak Tappar Kreeri area of Pattan tehsil in Baramulla district on Saturday.

“The encounter started late last evening between the security forces and the terrorists in Chak Tappar Kreeri area of Baramulla district.

“The operation was suspended late last night because of bad light and it was resumed today morning and three terrorists have been killed in this operation.

Bulgarian law enforcement authorities have seized 124.708 kg of smuggled gold items worth US$6 million at the country's Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint, authorities said.

"This was the largest amount of contraband gold seized at the Bulgarian borders," the National Customs Agency (NCA) said in a statement on Friday.

The items were found on Wednesday in a car with Bulgarian registration, which arrived at the checkpoint at 7:30 p.m. local time and was travelling from Bulgaria to Turkey, reports news agency, citing the statement.

Naomi Osaka, the former World No.1, has announced the end of her four-year coaching partnership with Wim Fissette, marking a significant shift in her tennis journey. Osaka took to Instagram Stories on Friday to confirm the split, expressing gratitude and fondness for Fissette’s contribution to her career.

“Four years, two Slams and a whole lot of memories,” Osaka wrote in a post to her Instagram stories. “Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best.”

Osaka and Fissette’s collaboration spanned two distinct periods. Their first chapter together began during the 2019 offseason and continued through the summer of 2022.

Top Iranian and Belarusian security officials highlighted the need to strengthen bilateral political, security and economic relations, Iran's official news agency reported.

During a meeting in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Alexander Volfovich, Belarus's State Secretary of the Security Council, on Friday, called for expanded cooperation in the industrial, mining, and trade sectors, reports news agency, quoting IRNA.

Local media reports suggest that the two sides also called for enhancing bilateral relations in strategic areas and fostering cooperation between Tehran and Minsk in international arenas, including frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS.

In a significant step to boost export of basmati rice, a premier GI variety rice of India, the government has removed the floor price on export of basmati rice, a move that will ensure good returns to farmers.

According to the ministry communication, it has been decided to remove the current minimum export price (MEP) of $950 MT for issuing registration-cum-allocation certificates (RCAC) for export of Basmati rice.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) will closely monitor export contracts to prevent any non-realistic pricing of basmati rice and ensure transparency in export practices, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.