BRICS News

Abe, right, is hoping he and Putin can resolve a 71-year old territorial dispute when they meet in Japan next month [Xinhua]
Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko and Russian Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka agreed late on Friday to jointly work on projects in Russia’s far eastern regions.
Russia’s far eastern regions lag behind in development and Moscow is looking to use Japanese companies to upgrade infrastructure in that area.

The Secretary-General called the entry into force of the Paris Climate Agreement a “historic moment” [Xinhua]
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as hailed the entry into force of the Paris Climate Agrement and its speedy ratification by 96 countries around the world.
“Today we make history in humankind’s efforts to combat climate change,” Ban told a gathering of activists combating climate change at UN Headquarters in New York.

Li and Kucinskis witnessed the signing of numerous agreements. Li also visited Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan on his Eurasian tour [Xinhua]
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang landed in Latvia on Friday in what is the first such visit to the country since it declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Li’s will stay in Latvia for three days and is scheduled to meet with leaders from 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries during the “16+1” summit.
The EU will attend the 16+1 meeting as an observer.

Will the ANC pressure Zuma to step down as some quarters say this needs to happen after the Public Protector’s report? [Xinhua]“The President [is] to appoint, within 30 days, a commission of inquiry headed by a judge solely selected by the Chief Justice who shall provide one name to the President.” Page 353 of the Public Protector report on State of Capture
The report into “State Capture”(when private interests covertly influence the government’s decision-making apparatus) by the former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, was released just before 5pm on November 2.

The ICC bitterly criticised the South African government for not arresting Sudanese President Bashir during the 25th African Union Summit in Johannesburg in June 2015 [Xinhua]South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha on Thursday submitted a bill to the parliament to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the official agreement which created the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been linked to a condition known as microcephaly: infants born with undersize heads [Xinhua]
Scientists in Brazil will unleash millions of genetically modified mosquitoes that will target disease-carrying members of their kind in a bit to combat the Zika virus.
The mutant insects will mate with the females and spawn babies that are genetically predisposed to die faster than normal.

Russia says it will beef up its defenses against a NATO build-up along its western borders [Xinhua]
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday that the US and NATO are building up their offensive capabilities on Russia’s western borders, near Belarus.
Russia and Belarus will join forces to strengthen their mutual security in the face of the complexity of the situation, the minister told the two countries’ top military brass.

Brazil must diversify its trade portfolio to include certain industrial areas where it can truly compete on a global level [Xinhua]
Brazilian Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told local media this week that the economy is ripe for reforms, which could include a proposed cap on government spending, in order to restore long-term growth.
Latin America’s biggest economy has contracted significantly this year, with economists expecting Brazil’s gross domestic product to contract 3.3 per cent this year.

Malaysia’s procurement of military naval vessels from China is a boost for their mutual defense in Southeast Asia [Xinhua]
Malaysia may be following in the footsteps of the Philippines as it becomes the second South Asian country to agree to hold bilateral talks with China on means to resolve any dispute regarding the South China Sea.
The issue of the South China Sea and its territorial disputes played a central role and talks between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his visiting counterpart Prime Minister Najib Razak who arrived in Beijing today.

Rescuers say they will continue to search for the missing “as long as there is hope”. Chinese authorities have been trying to enforce new mining regulations and safety principles as deaths continue due to illegal activities [Xinhua]
Rescuers in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing are still trying to account for 20 missing miners feared traped after a gas explosion killed 13 others on Sunday. There are a reported two bodies that have so far been unaccounted for, but may be among the missing.