South Africa

Must flee TV, crumbling empires and mixed feelings + this day in history w/The Hoboken Four and our song of the day by Lamb on your Morning Monarchy for September 8, 2017.

Despite weakness in the construction and government services sector, is the South African economy finally turning a corner? [Xinhua]
The South African economy grew by 2.5 per cent in the second quarter after two quarters of contraction
The second quarter 2017 gross domestic product data released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday exceeded the consensus forecast of 2.1 per cent as it came in at a 2.5 per cent growth rate at a seasonally adjusted annualised (saa) pace.

The Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev has stated that the BRICS may opt to create their own cryptocurrency for the purposes of global commerce.
A cryptocurrency is a digitally based means of exchange wherein the value of said currency is not determined by a central-bank. Most cryptocurrencies can be converted into state-issued currencies (Dollars, Euros, Yuan, etc.) through various foreign exchange services.

Zuma with Putin in Xiamen, China on 4 September 2017 [PPIO]Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks with his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in the Chinese city of Xiamen.
The three leaders are in China to attend the 9th BRICS Summit.
In his meeting with Modi, Putin praised the Indo-Russian friendship.

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as observing heads of state from Egypt, Thailand, Mexico, Tajikistan and others, have just completed their first full working day at the 9th Annual BRICS summit in Xiaman, China.
Earlier in the day, the summit’s host,  President Xi Jingping outlined the three main goals of the BRICS.
The Chinese President stated,

Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un the insane leader of a rogue state as the media makes him out to be? Here, he is addressing the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang [North Korean Central News Agency]
News that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, also known as North Korea) on Sunday successfully tested its sixth hydrogen bomb, meant for long-term missile warfare, has brought speculations of a nuclear Armageddon back to the fore.

South African President Jacob Zuma with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Xiamen, China on 4 September 2017 [Xinhua]Chinese President Xi Jinping and four other heads of state, including South African President Jacob Zuma, on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to build an open economy and ensure free and inclusive trade.
Zuma and Xi held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

While reading into the internal political decisions of North Korea is far from easy, one gets a decidedly better perspective when one assesses North Korean decisions in a broader regional context.
Today’s apparent subterranean detention of a nuclear weapon by Pyongyang, a weapon which is widely thought to be a hydrogen bomb, coincides with the commencement of the 9th annual BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China.
The location of Xiamen vis-a-vis Pyongyang is shown on the map below.

China’s CGTV has hosted a media forum to coincide with the BRICS summit which formally opens on the 3rd of September.
As part of the forum, CGTV invited leading broadcasters from fellow BRICS nations including Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
The Duran’s Peter Lavelle represented RT where he offered insights on global developments in politics, the economy and media from a Russian perspective.
Now watch the full discussion below. 

The 9th BRICS summit in Xiamen, China is not a routine meeting because it comes at a time when the bloc is entering a new stage of intensive development.
Moreover, it is the place for China to demonstrate its new role in international relations and the global economy.
The summit also comes at a time of increased political tensions in different areas, both close to the venue itself – that is, the Korean peninsula – and faraway Syria and the Middle East.