BRICS News

Police in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek cordoned off the Chinese embassy compound as its employees and staff were evacuated [Xinhua]A number of countries have condemned the suicide bombing at the Chinese Embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday.
Three local staff from Kyrgyzstan were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital when the bomber rammed his vehicle into the gate of the embassy compound. The driver of the vehicle was killed instantly, the deputy prime minister of Kyrgyzstan said.

Tuesday’s gains break a three-week snap of sluggish trading in Asian markets [Xinhua]
Asian stocks opened mostly higher on Tuesday buoyed by new data which appears to show that the US economy is growing in strength.
A report from the US Department of Commerce late Monday showing that consumer spending had grown for the fourth consecutive month lifted shares in Shanghai where the Composite Index rose 0.03 per cent at press time, but still shy of its August 15th monthly high.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong rose 0.53 per cent in morning trade to 22,943.34.

Rousseff contemplates her fate as she attends her impeachment trial on August 29 [Xinhua]
Dilma Rousseff, the embattled president currently suspended and on trial for allegedly misrepresenting the federal budget during her 2014 reelection, today told the Brazilian Senate that she had committed no crime and defended her record during public office.
She is facing charges of doctoring accounts to hide the size of the public budget deficit and has been suspended since early May while investigations continued.

Turkey’s bazaars have been hotspot destinations for Russian tourists and traders [Xinhua]
Russia has fully lifted a travel ban which had prohibited its citizens from using charter flights to Turkey.
The ban came into effect following Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian SU-24 fighter jet in Syrian air space last November.
The incident caused a significant rift between Ankara and Moscow and led to Russian President Vladimir Putin slapping trade sanctions on Turkey.

Concept artist’s depiction of the red planet where China’s Mars rover will land [Xinhua]
Is there a space exploration race among BRICS nations?
On Sunday, India became only the fourth country in history to employ scramjet engines in the launch and propulsion of space rockets.
Scramjet technology relies on hydrogen as fuel while oxygen from the air is used as an oxidizer to burn the fuel. Combustion occurs externally while the craft is moving at supersonic speeds.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is pleased that China has invited a record number of African and developing countries to the summit next week [Xinhua]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised China’s organization of the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou saying he is happy that Beijing has steered the meeting to the promotion of green growth in support of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and aligning it with sustainable development.

The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has called the probe an attack on Gordhan and warned of dire consequences for the economy [Xinhua]
Controversy and high drama in South African politics took a sharp turn earlier this week when the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as ‘the Hawks’) summoned Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to answer questions in relation to a probe of a purported surveillance unit established while he was head of the country’s tax authority.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have routinely met in recent years to iron out a mutual approach to ending the Syrian conflict [Xinhua]
US Secretary of State John Kerry took a more cautionary position regarding peace efforts to end the Syrian Civil War on Friday when he met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.

Lula has insisted he is innocent of graft allegations and said that his detention in March was politically motivated [Xinhua]
Brazil’s police inspector Marcio Adriano Anselmo said on Friday that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, members of his family and three other people had been indicted on a number of charges stemming from alleged financial irregularities, declaration of assets in addition to money laundering and graft.

Inflation remains at near 9 per cent while interest rates are at 14.25 per cent, their highest in 10 years [Xinhua]
Weather president Dilma Rousseff emerges victorious from her impeachment trial, which began yesterday, or is forced to resign, the next challenge that awaits any Brazilian government is how to tackle the continuing epidemic of unemployment.
According to the Ministry of Labour, there are currently 11 million workers unemployed.