CAPE TOWN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The South African parliament issued a statement Saturday on the success of the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, hailing the outcomes of this "historic" summit as a "testament" to the visionary leadership and unwavering commitment of the BRICS nations.

"The 15th BRICS Summit outcomes encapsulate a robust spirit of international collaboration, underscoring multilateralism, peaceful conflict resolution, and the pursuit of sustainable development," said the statement.

MANILA, Aug 27 (NNN-PNA) – Saola intensified into a super typhoon at dawn today, threatening to dump heavy rain and severe winds in the northern Philippines, the Philippine state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said, Saola could bring heavy rain in mountainous areas, which could trigger flooding and landslides.

26 August 2023; MEMO: Hundreds of thousands of Syrians demonstrated, in various Syrian governorates, to demand the overthrow of the Assad regime, and to hold the criminal Bashar al-Assad accountable.

According to Aramme news agency correspondent, demonstrations took place in the cities and towns of northern Syria on August 25th after Friday prayers.

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — The continued strength of the U.S. economy could require further interest rate increases, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday in a closely watched speech that also highlighted the uncertain nature of the economic outlook.

Powell noted that the economy has been growing faster than expected and that consumers have kept spending briskly — trends that could keep inflation pressures high. He reiterated the Fed’s determination to keep its benchmark rate elevated until inflation is reduced to its 2% target.

TOKYO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Tests of seawater near Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant have not detected any radioactivity, the environment ministry said on Sunday, days after authorities began discharging into the sea treated water used to cool damaged reactors.

Japan started releasing water from the wrecked Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, sparking protests in Japan and neighbouring countries, in particular China, which banned aquatic product imports from Japan.

TORONTO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Canada's second-quarter GDP report, due on Friday, is likely to show a sharp slowdown in economic growth, a Reuters poll of economists showed, which could lead the Bank of Canada to pause its interest rate hikes despite recent hotter inflation data.

The GDP report will be the last major piece of domestic data before the Canadian central bank makes its next policy decision on Sept. 6. It is expected to show the economy growing at a 1.1% pace in the second quarter, down from 3.1% in the first three months of the year, and below the BoC's 1.5% estimate.

DAMASCUS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Syria on Saturday denied U.S. and French allegations that the country used chemical weapons near Damascus in 2013.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry vehemently condemned recent statements from the French Foreign Ministry and the spokesperson of the U.S. National Security Council about Syrian government forces' involvement in chemical attacks on Syrian soil, calling them "false accusations and fabricated incidents."

GROZNY, August 27. /TASS/: Russian forces repelled an attempted attack by Ukrainian troops in the Kleshcheyevo area in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Sunday.

"Back to the news from the Kleshcheyevo area. <…> A new video shows the results achieved by the Akhmat special unit jointly with the soldiers <…> of the army corps under the wise command of my dear brother, General Apty Alaudinov <…>. These are the deplorable results of the Ukrainian army’s attempt to attack this morning," Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country’s role as the G20 host this year would focus on highlighting the concerns of the developing world, and has proposed the African Union to become permanent members of the forum.

“We have a vision of inclusiveness and with that vision, we have invited the African Union to become permanent members of the G20,” Modi said on Sunday as he addressed the Business 20 Summit in New Delhi.

Hawaii  (AP) —In the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows -- those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact.

Videos and images analyzed by The Associated Press confirmed those wires were among miles of line that Hawaiian Electric Co. left naked to the weather and often-thick foliage, despite a recent push by utilities in other wildfire- and hurricane-prone areas to cover up their lines or bury them.

BEIJING, Aug 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo arrived in Beijing late on Sunday for a four-day visit aimed at boosting business ties between the world's two largest economies while declaring American national security trade measures off-limits for debate.

"If you wanted to put a tagline to the trip and the mission, it’s protect what we must and promote where we can," Raimondo told reporters on Friday before departing for China. "I'm not going to pull my punches next week when I am there but I intend to be practical."

25 August 2023; MEMO: The Danish government will ban public desecration of the Quran, the country’s Justice Minister said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Peter Hummelgaard said the government will introduce a bill to ban the burning of religious scriptures in public places, Ekstra Bladet newspaper reported.