BRICS News

Entire cities have been destroyed by seven years of intense warfare in Syria [Xinhua]
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has called the West’s method of democratization by force a mistake and said that change must happen over time.
“Military interventions like we have seen in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya to impose democracy through fire failed to achieve their objectives,” Philippe said at the opening of the 2018 World Government Summit in Dubai.

Participants at the Mining Indaba forum are upbeat on prospects for African mining industry
Mining Indaba forum is upbeat about prospects in the mining industry
The mood at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town was the best since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis according to a wide range of participants interviewed by The BRICS Post at the sidelines of this year’s event.
South African Chamber of Mines Chief Executive Officer set the tone with the first event at the Mining Investment at 7am on February 5.

WADA has alleged that 1,000 Russian athletes were involved in doping in the 2012 and 2014 Olympics [Xinhua]
Russian lawmakers said Friday that they will seek to reform Olympic associations after 47 of the country’s athletes lost a last-minute appeal to attend the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a previous International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to bar the athletes from the Games, saying the IOC could invite or decline inviting athletes.

People wearing breathing masks are seen on a pedestrian bridge in downtown Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 22, 2014 [Xinhua]
Sales of Chinese cars increased 11.6 per cent year on year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Friday.
CAAM says the two-digit jump happened because of reduces sales between 2016 and 2017 when the government introduced new policie and sales tax mechanisms.
But the Chinese car manufacturing industry is now focused on new energy vehicles (NEVs) as a part to reduce the impact on the environment.

Beijing regularly issues color coded warning as air quality worsens in the capital and other areas [Xinhua]
In a bid to combat persistent smog and pollution in its capital city, the Chinese government will expand urban green areas in Beijing by 600 hectares.
The Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau said that would increase the total green area percentage of the city from 46.2 to 48.3 per cent.
The government will also build “five urban forests, 21 small green spaces, 10 leisure parks and 100km of healthy green ways,” Chinese news agency Xinhua has said.

US stocks plummet, pulling much of the global indices down with them
Commodity trading also plummeted after Wall Street’s sudden decline this week [Xinhua]
Oil prices have continued into their third day of decline as US stocks plunge at the fastest rate since 2016.
The US benchmark West Texas intermediate dropped 0.76 per cent to $63.66 a barrel for March. Global benchmark Brent Crude fell 0.89 per cent for April to $67.02 a barrel.

WADA has alleged that 1,000 Russian athletes were involved in doping in the 2012 and 2014 Olympics [Xinhua]
The 15 Russian athletes who recently had their doping bans lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will still not be allowed to participate in the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.
The 15 members of the national team had tested positive for illegal drugs during the Sochi Olympics in 2016.

New Coal Terminal Beira will have 20 million tons per year capacity
The biggest unions of South African coal producers include Anglo American Plc and Glencore Plc [Xinhua]India’s Essar Group, which operates Indian ports handling 82 million tons per annum (mtpa) with expansion to 110 mtpa in the near future, will be investing $440 million in creating a New Coal Terminal at Beira Mozambique, Captain Tej Nargundkar, the CEO of Mozambique, Essar Ports Limited, told the IHS South African Coal Export Conference in Cape Town South Africa.

Brazil’s unions have planned a day of struggle to protest Temer’s proposed social security reform bill. The president is already very unpopular in Brazil; polls show voters want him to be accountable for alleged corruption [Xinhua]
Brazilian President Michel Temer is facing a tide of opposition regarding his promise to reform the social security program.
Many among his supporters see the reform initiative as damaging to their relection bids in the general election next October.

Counter-sanctions imposed on food imports and an unprecedented raft of subsidies have made many areas of farming more profitable in Russia [Xinhua]
Consumer demand has driven economic growth in Russia, the Central Bank said on Friday, adding that GDP growth in the first six months should reach between 1.0 and 1.5 per cent.
This is slightly lower than an earlier forecast.
It also cited “further recovery of production activity” and near-record low inflationary expectations.