MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/: Russia has agreed with OPEC+ countries on a new deal to reduce supplies of its oil to foreign markets, which will be published next week. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak said this at a meeting held by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Yes, we have reached an agreement. But we will publicly announce the main terms next week," he said, answering Putin's question whether the government managed to agree with OPEC partners on reducing Russian oil supplies to foreign markets.

DAMASCUS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amir-Abdollahian jointly warned on Wednesday the United States against its reported military buildup along the Syrian-Iraqi border.

In a press conference held in the Syrian capital of Damascus, the two ministers expressed concerns over the apparent U.S. efforts to amass forces and allied rebel groups along the Syrian-Iraqi border, from the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah to the southeastern region near the U.S. base in al-Tanf.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The ouster of Gabon’s president by mutinous soldiers appears to have been well organized and capitalized on the population’s grievances against the government as an excuse to seize power, analysts said.

Soldiers on Wednesday ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family has ruled the oil-rich country in Central Africa for more than five decades. The coup leaders accused Bongo of irresponsible governance that risked leading the country into chaos and said they put him under house arrest and detained several Cabinet members.

KYIV, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Ukraine told critics of the pace of its three-month-old counteroffensive to "shut up" on Thursday, the sharpest signal yet of Kyiv's frustration at leaks from Western officials that say its forces are advancing too slowly.

Nearly three months since launching a much vaunted counteroffensive using hundreds of billions of dollars of Western military equipment, Ukraine has recaptured more than a dozen villages but has yet to penetrate Russia's main defences.

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss issues that will be reviewed at the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Considering that presidents Putin and Erdogan prepare for their next meeting, I believe that we can review issues that will be up for their discussion in detail," the Russian Foreign Minister said during the talks with Fidan.

JAKARTA, Aug 31 (NNN-ANTARA) – At least five people reportedly died and more than 20 others injured, after a pickup truck fell off a cliffside, in the Indonesian province of Central Java, last night, a local official said.

According to the preliminary investigation report, released today, the truck, which was carrying 44 people, plunged over a 30-metre cliff, after it lost power while driving uphill and ended up rolling backwards in the Kebumen district at around 8:15 p.m. local time.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A nighttime fire ripped through a rundown apartment building mainly occupied by homeless people and squatters in Johannesburg early Thursday, leaving at least 74 dead, officials said. Some people threw babies out of third-story windows to others waiting below in the desperate scramble to evacuate, witnesses said.

NIAMEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Niger's ruling junta has ordered police to expel France's ambassador, a move marking a further downturn in relations, and one that authorities in Paris said the army officers who seized power in Niamey last month had no authority to make.

The coup's leaders are following the strategy of juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in distancing themselves from the region's former colonial power amid a wave of anti-French sentiment.

DUBAI, Aug 31 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will send 140 athletes to the 19th Asian Games, hosted by Hangzhou, China, from Sept 23 to Oct 8.

The UAE National Olympic Committee announced yesterday that, its delegation includes 102 male and 38 female athletes. They will compete in events such as shooting, equestrian, athletics, swimming, cycling, archery, judo, taekwondo, karate, jiu-jitsu, fencing, boxing, wrestling, basketball, rugby, sailing, rowing, chess, golf, esports, and triathlon.

BEIJING/ HONG KONG Aug 31 (Reuters) - China issued its highest typhoon warning on Thursday as Super Typhoon Saola, packing winds of more than 200 kph (125 mph), headed towards the southeastern coastline, threatening Hong Kong and other major manufacturing hubs in nearby Guangdong province.

BEIJING, Aug 31 (APP): China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Thursday.

With connectivity as the priority, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to provide a new platform for international economic cooperation and inject new impetus into the development of all countries as well as global economic growth, Wang said during his regular briefing held at the International Press Center.

BERLIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Germany's labor market continues to weaken as the economy is stagnating. The country's unemployment rate climbed slightly to 5.8 percent in August, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) said on Thursday.

The number of jobless people in Europe's largest economy rose by 79,000 month-on-month to just under 2.7 million in August. The figure was 148,000 higher than a year ago, according to BA.