BRICS News

The Russian military previously fired cruise missiles against ISIL targets from Tu-160 strategic bombers [XInhua]
Long-range bombers took off from an air base in Russia and wiped out Islamic State command and control bases in Syria’s eastern Deir e-Zor province, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday.
The Russian air force carries out sorties against Islamic State targets on a nearly daily basis since September 2015, but long-range bombing operations are not as frequent.

Oil prices continue to waver above $50 a barrel, improving prospects for Russia’s economic recovery [Xinhua]
Russia’s economy ministry on Monday said that GDP growth fell by one per cent in December from the same time last year.
In October, the economy contracted by 0.6 per cent but grew in November by a revised 0.9 per cent.
For 2016 as a whole, GDP fell 0.6 per cent from 2015.
According to forecasts by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the UN, Russia’s economy has beaten the effects of US and European Union sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

The African Union is to choose Dlamini-Zuma’s successor as well as decide on Morocco’s readmission into the organization [Xinhua]
Hailing the economic progress of some nations on the continent, African Union (AUC) chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma praised the great changes pushing members of the organization toward development and socio-economic integration.
Dlamini-Zuma said during her opening speech at the 28th AU summit in Addis Ababa that Ethiopia, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Rwanda are amongst the fastest-growing economies in the world

China’s deep space exploration plans include a Mars landing, and a flyby of the planet Jupiter [Xinhua]
China, which is already working to send its first probe to Mars by 2020, now says it has plans for deep-space exploration including sending a spacecraft to Jupiter.
The spacecraft will fly by Jupiter, the China National Space Administration said on Monday.
China hopes to collect rock and soil samples as well as explore Mars surface by 2020.
Last week, the Space Administration announced that it had shortlisted eight names for the first Mars probe.

Nominal GDP growth in China is expected to surge, a leading investment bank says [Xinhua]
A Chinese bank, the China International Capital Corp (CICC), said on Sunday that the country’s nominal GDP is forecast to grow in Q1 2017 as economic activity improves.
Nominal GDP differs from real GDP in that it does not account for inflation.
China’s nominal GDP growth in 2016 was eight per cent, whereas its real GDP growth was 6.7 per cent, well within government expectations.

Egyptian airports must upgrade their security measures if Russian tourists are to return, Moscow officials have said [Xinhua]
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich has said that flights between Russia and Cairo will resume soon following cessation of travel in the wake of a downed Russian airliner over the Sinai.

Putin said that Russia is looking forward to better relations with the US [PPIO]
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are to speak on Saturday, sources from both countries have confirmed.
Putin called Trump after the November election win but the two leaders have yet to have a discussion about global affairs and mutual ties.

Russia has intensified the airstrikes against Islamic State and Al Nusra Front forces [Image: Russian Defense Ministry]
For the second time in as many weeks, Russian and Turkish fighter jets carried out a joint operation against Islamic State forces in the town of Al Bab in Syria, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said late Thursday.

Partly to discourage refugees seeking to come to the US as he curbs immigration avenues, Trump wants to create safe zones for them in Syria [Xinhua]
Russia is calling on the US to consider all possible aspects and dangers associated with creating a safe zone for refugees within Syrian terrtory.
The statement from the Kremlin on Thursday came a day after US President Donald Trump said in a TV interview that part of his limiting Muslim immigration and refugees coming to the US would be to create a safe zone in Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow that political stabilization in the Middle East will aid in joint efforts to destroy the Islamic State [MFA, Russia]
All players in Syria should combine efforts and cooperate on destroying the Islamic State together, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Fresh from the Syria talks held in Astana, Kazakhstan, which Russia said was a concrete step forward to resolving the Syrian war, Lavrov has called on both the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition to jointly battle the Islamic State.