BRICS News

Major cities in Brazil, China and India are witnessing rapid urbanization [Xinhua]
The Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur will next week host the Ninth Session of the World Urban Forum to discuss the challenges societies as more people move to the cities.
The forum titled, Cities 2030, Cities for All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda, will focus on the efforts of major countries, such as China, India, and Brazil to overcome the challenges posed by rapid urbanization.

There is nothing the American public treasures more than appearance.
When Trump made his way to deliver a mediocre State of the Union address in front of some of the most ineffective employees our country possesses, he knew all he had to do was appear Presidential.
And the results are in: According to a CBS survey immediately after his speech, 75 per cent of those who watched approved of the one-hour self-congratulatory session.
Any person with even a sliver of knowledge regarding American history would have bet in favor of this outcome.

The European Union says it is committed to the nuclear deal with Iran even if the US isn’t. In this file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif, left, and EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Federica Mogherini met in Vienna, Austria during negotiations over the agreement[Xinhua Archive]
The BRICS Post interviewed Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American analyst on Middle East affairs, about US Donald Trump’s pressure on Iran to renegotiate the 2015 nuclear agreement as well as the recent street protests there.

Putin at a meeting with heads of security and intelligence services of CIS states on 10th July, 2014 at the Kremlin, Moscow [PPIO]
A number of senior Russian political figures have strongly condemned a list drawn up by the US Treasury Department which includes lawmakers and businessmen with close ties to the presidency who may be targeted as part of future sanctions against Moscow.
The list of more than 200 people includes 43 aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin, such as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Temer is trying to push a package of spending cuts through parliament and other measures to lift Brazil out of its worst recession in decades [Xinhua]
Despite ongoing political turbulence following a slew of corruption charges aimed at sitting and previous leaders and lawmakers, Brazil’s economy appears to have bandaged itself and started to grow again.

Netanyahu has dismissed UN Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to halt illegal settlements in the West Bank but has hailed Trump’s Jerusalem decision as historic [Xinhua]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss developments in the Middle East.
His trip will last only five hours.
He is likely to press Putin on recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as urge the Russian president to curb Iran’s influence in Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomes US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Moscow on 12 April 2017 [Image: MFA, Russia]
Russia has protested a new set of US sanctions and said that they are not only illegal but will counter Washington’s goals in Europe.
On Friday, the Trump administration said that the Treasury Department had slapped Moscow with more sanctions in response to what it said was “Russia’s occupation of Crimea” and the continued crisis in the Ukraine.

China’s surveillance ship “Haijian 27” arrives at waters around the Islands that China claims as Diaoyu and Japan as Senkaku [Xinhua]Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono that Tokyo should exert all efforts to boost bilateral ties with Beijing.
Kono, who is in Beijing on a two-day trip, is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the signing of a peace treaty and reestablishment of ties between the two countries after World War II.

But that ship has sailed, remaining TPP members may tell Trump in Davos
The TPP has not been popular among many Republicans and some sectors of the US workforce, giving Trump the ammunition to proceed with withdrawal. People attend a rally protesting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Maui, Hawaii, the United States, July 29, 2015 [Xinhua]
US President Donald Trump has told US news network CNBC that he could rethink his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership if the member nations could offer the US a better deal.

China reclaimed a number of islands in the South and East China seas from Japanese domination during World War II [Xinhua]
China has dismissed a Japanese government exhibit which showcases Tokyo’s claims to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday told reporters at a regular press briefing that the islands are Chinese regardless of Japan’s protests.