BRICS News

Cunha may also face two more charges of bribery and perjury in the Supreme Court, Brazil’s Prosecutor General said [Xinhua[
Speaker of Brazil’s House of Representatives (Chamber of Deputies) Eduardo Cunha, once the strongest instigator and supporter of the impeachment proceedings against former President Dilma Rousseff, was himself expelled from chambers late Monday on charges of lying about having a secret Swiss bank account and other allegations related to the Petrobras scandal.

World powers accuse North Korea of pursuing a nuclear and ballistic weapons program in violation of UN sanctions [Xinhua]
China has lashed out at the United States for comments made by US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter criticizing Beijing for not doing enough to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and actions.
The two countries traded barbs over the weekend after South Korea detected what it said was the North’s fifth nuclear test last week.
Statements from Washington about Beijing’s capacity to control North Korea have usually been diplomatic.

Both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI data showed solid growth maintained in August [Xinhua]
Chinese stocks dipped on Monday on fears of an US Federal Reserve interest rate hike, and  despite positive economic data over the weekend.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.85 per cent to close at 3,021.98 Monday, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng plummeted 3.36 per cent to close at 23, 290.60.
The Shenzhen component index closed 2.8 per cent lower at 10,461.58.

China and Russia have increased their joint naval exercises, such as the China-Russia “Joint Sea” drills last year [Xinhua]
China and Russia today begin week-long joint naval exercises in the South China Sea.
The drills, which will include exercises in amphibious landing, anti-submarine maneuvers, defense and rescue, and involve “navy surface ships, submarines, fixed-wing aircraft, ship-borne helicopters, marine corps and amphibious armored equipment” were scheduled in July.

Visiting Vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang (5th L) meets with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, Myanmar [Xinhua]
China’s ties with neighbor Myanmar are rapidly improving.
A statement from China’s Central Military Commission earlier this weekend praised the strengthening of mutual trust between the two countries and the growing exchange and cooperation with the Myanmar army.

Early on Friday, it looked like the talks would collapse [Xinhua]
Hostilities in the Syrian civil war will cease nationwide at sundown on September 12, the US and Russia’s top diplomats said early Saturday, and humanitarian assistance will immediately resume to aid besieged civilians on the brink of starvation and disease.

File photo of US Secretary of State John Kerry with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who are meeting in Geneva in another bid to reach Syria consensus [Xinhua]
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told reporters that he hoped a last-ditch effort by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry can reach a breakthrough in their talks on Syria today.
“We are all hoping for positive conclusions. The discussions are addressing complex, delicate and difficult issues,” de Mistura said.

Beijing called a recent international tribunal ruling on South China Sea ‘a farce’ [Xinhua]
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called on neighboring countries to concentrate efforts to resolve conflict and dispute through direct negotiation and consultation.
During his speech at the 11th East Asia Summit in Vientiane, Laos late on Thursday, Li said that the best formula for peaceful resolution of South China Sea issues was through last year’s Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) agreed by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In late June, India successfully launched a record 20 satellites with one rocket from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota [Xinhua]
In what has become a rapidly developing space program, India’s Space Research Organization successfully launched yet another weather satellite into orbit late Thursday.
The ISRO GSLV F05 rocket was initially delayed for less than an hour as engineers double checked their systems but launched at 4:50 local time from Sriharikota in the eastern state of Andhra Pradesh.
It was carrying the advanced weather satellite INSAT-3DR.

The Paralympics are traditionally held after the Olympic Games conclude [Xinhua]
The Rio Paralympic games opened Monday night in Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracana stadium carrying messages of love and humanity, amidst ongoing political troubles in the South American nation.
Newly appointed Brazilian President Michel Temer was there to inaugurate the ceremony, while protests against his appointment broke out in multiple cities across the country.