BRICS News

China’s got the long-term arc and it’s playing everybody, says US Senator Elizabeth Warren
US Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday praised Chinese leaders for their forward-thinking agenda in mapping out a way to the future.
During a segment of CBS This Morning, Warren was asked to comment on US President Donald Trump’s North Korea initiative.
But the senior Democrat, who has been critical of Trump’s presidency, said she doesn’t believe he has a strategy behind his North Korea initiative.

A peace treaty, including resolution of the Kuril Islands dispute, has eluded both countries [Image: PPIO]
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that finalizing a peace treaty with Japan would be in the best interests of both countries.
His statement came shortly after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who is in St Petersburg. Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) but flew to Moscow to meet with the Russian president.

The two leaders are trying to salvage the Iran nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump announced that he would be withdrawing from the deal [PPIO]
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in St Petersburg, Russia on Thursday and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Konstantinovsky Palace for what some have said would be difficult talks.
The two leaders are expected to discuss multiple crises including US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the war in Syria, as well as the crisis in Ukraine.

Much has been said about US President Donald Trump leaving the Iran deal: that this is in blatant disregard of basic rules of the international law on treaties and that this is the behavior of the bully, profoundly disrespectful towards the other partners in the treaty – France, Great-Britain, Russia, China and Germany.
And last, but not least, that this comes down to a declaration of war against Iran.
In many ways this is indeed a historical setback.
The consequences of Trump’s decision will be felt for decades to come.

File photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russia has sold more arms to India than any other country [Image: PPIO]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sochi, Russia today for informal talks with Russian President President Vladimir Putin in a visit billed as “further strengthening the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia”.

Focus is on “hidden gems” to promote small business sector
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom highlighted continental tourism data rather than South African data. There were exhibitors from 23 African countries [PREUSS]
Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban saw greater participation than last year as Africa looks to cash in on the growing interest in the BRICS member countries of a trip to see the unspoiled and largely untapped African scenery, in particular the “hidden gems” that are off the beaten track.

Russia’s modern supersonic and high-altitude weapons will force the West to take it seriously, Putin has said [PPIO]
Russian President Vladimir has said that a global balance of power is a necessity to ensure security and stability around the world.
During a meeting with Armed Forces commanders and defense industry executives on Tuesday, the Russian president lauded his country’s development of new weapons systems as deterrents.
One such new program is the S-500 surface-to-air anti-missile system which builds on the success of the S-400 system currently in use.

The UN Security Council is expected to meet to investigate the high number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza on Monday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday a historic great day of peace in acknowledgement of the US embassy formally opening in Jerusalem as scores of Palestinian protesters were killed and injured in Gaza.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that the Israeli military killed 52 Palestinians during demonstrations protesting the inauguration of the embassy in Jerusalem. Another 2,400 were injured it added.

World leaders including Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have warned Trump that his protectionist policy is a lose-lose for the world [PPIO]
A number of prominent economists, including 14 Nobel prize winners, have warned the Trump administration that protectionist measures such as tariffs won’t only end in trade wars, particularly with China, but could lead to the type of depression which broke global markets in the 1930s.

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all believe that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal should be preserved [PPIO]
As media pundits line up to speculate whether US President Donald Trump will renege on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, members of the UN Security Council who worked to achieve it are rallying to ensure it is not scuttled.