BRICS News

Russia has vetoed several draft resolutions on Syria which it says are unfair and biased, often following “fabricated” evidence [Xinhua]The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on a new resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, following reports of heavy fighting and mass casualties near the capital Damascus.
Russia had called for the Security Council to meet to discuss the resolution, while Kuwait and Sweden called for a vote.

“This is the challenge of our time, to build a South Africa in which all people have a decent standard of living, access to economic opportunities and opportunity to pursue their dreams.” – Malusi Gigaba Budget Speech February 2018
Minister of Finance Knowledge Malusi Nkanyezi Gigaba says South Africa must confront and overcome a number of challenges if it is to sustain growth [GCIS]

Brazilian flagship social welfare programs like Brasil Sem Miséria and Bolsa Família, have brought millions out of poverty, but reforming such initiatives would cap government spending, analysts say [Xinhua]
The Brazilian Central Bank (Banco Central do Brasil) said this week that economic activity has surged in the country, reaching a pace that was both unexpected and the fastest in four years.

Surface-to-surface ballistic missile Prithvi II lifts off from a road mobile launcher at Chandipur in Odisha. It was successfully tested on February 7, 2018 [Image: DRDO, India]
The Indian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that it had successfully tested an intermediate range surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The 20-meter long Agni-II, which weighs 17 tons and can carry a payload of 1,000 kilograms over 2,000 kilometers, plays a central role in India’s nuclear deterrence and defense systems.

Lavrov previously said that there are many possible avenues of cooperation between Russia and the US in Syria [Xinhua]
In a deja vu warning, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is warning the US that its actions in Syria will break up the country.
Four years ago, Lavrov accused the US and its invasion of Iraq of plunging the entire Middle East into chaos.
“We warned long ago that the adventurism the Americans and the British started there would not end well,” he said at the time.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani (left) has told India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the two countries are strategic partners [Image: BRICS2015]
India and Iran have just completed a round of negotiations which saw the two countries boost their economic ties despite Washington’s pressure on Tehran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was in New Delhi this weekend to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sign nine new trade agreements.
The agreements include the development of the strategic port of Chabahar in Iran.

“Send me” is his call as he invokes the legacies of South African icons Nelson Mandela, Albertina Sisulu and Hugh Masikela
Ceremonial parade ahead of the State of the Nation Address in South Africa, February 16, 2018 [GCIS]
As analysts told The BRICS Post in mid-December, the recall of President Jacob Zuma by the African National Congress (ANC) will be the first test of its new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Both China and India have called on industrialized nations to do more to combat climate change and curb carbon emissions [Xinhua]
India will not shrink away from its responsibility to protect the environment, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a World Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi on Friday.
“Respect for nature is part of India’s culture. We consider Earth our mother. India believes in growth but is also committed to protecting the environment,” he said.

In May 2017 Cape Town only received 6 mm compared with 60 mm in May 2014
Many countries in Africa are facing severe drought and water shortages [Xinhua][/caption]Cape Town’s Day Zero, when the taps run dry and residents have to queue for 25 litres (l) of water each per day, has been pushed out to June from an earlier expected April as residents have cut their consumption and there has been some rain.

Trade ties have significantly improved and tensions over the South China Sea have eased since Xi called Duterte’s October 2016 visit to Beijing a “milestone” in China-Philippine relations [Xinhua]
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to begin work on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, the media in the Philippines reported Wednesday.