South Africa

Shack fires are a constant danger. But that danger becomes more serious in winter. This is because during winter people who are living in shacks are trying to keep warm. As a result people resort to making fires which increases the risk of their homes being burnt. There was a serious fire in the Foreman Road settlement in Durban in the past month leaving hundreds of people destitute. On Sunday five people lost their lives in the fire that burnt down the Plastic View settlement in Pretoria.

File photo: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd from left) greets South African President Jacob Zuma (2nd from right) at a BRICS Summit in Brazil [Xinhua]South African and Indian government officials are preparing for the upcoming state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week.
South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has said a key objective would be “to enhance commercial and business relations with India and to promote private sector to private sector contact”.

Of the total population, a majority (44.9 million) are black Africans, followed by colored (4.9 million), whites (4.5 million), and Indians/Asians (1.4 million) [Xinhua]South Africa’s population has increased to 55.7 million in 2016 from 51.8 million in 2011, representing an increase of over three million, according to statistics released on Friday.

Dady Chery
News Junkie Post
“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

Of all the BRICS countries, India has been the stand-out economic performer in the last few years. Alexander Rost, Regional Head Indian Subcontinent & ASEAN at Commerzbank, explains the factors behind its recent success, and sets out a blueprint for sustaining the country’s economy through industry and trade.
In recent years, BRICS countries, on the whole, have faced significant political and economic challenges.

Former London Mayor and “Vote Leave” campaigner Boris Johnson (C) speaks during a press conference in London, Britain, June 24, 2016 [Xinhua]After Britain voted to leave the 28-member European Union, members of the BRICS reacted with caution on Friday.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Britain’s choice to exit the EU will have significant ramifications, although China is still keen to strengthen its ties with the UK.

An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of China’s Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in south China Sea [Xinhua]South Africa backed China on Wednesday against the US’ so-called freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, a patrol China has denounced as an illegal threat to peace.
“South Africa has noted with concern the recent trend in the global arena to politicise the situation pertaining to the South China Sea,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.

On a recent visit to Paris almost everyone I met asked me the same question: “Are you British insane? Are you really going to vote to leave the European Union?”
Based on the most recent polls, despite the deep scepticism of those same surveys after the last General Election, I could only answer: “It looks that way.”
Cue disbelieving looks, gasps and snorts of Gallic derision, often followed by the words: “You can always come and live here.”

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim says low commodity prices have cut into hopes of a resurgence in emerging economies [Xinhua]
Initial hopes that emerging markets could once again be lucrative to international investors appear to be fading, a new report on the global economy said on Tuesday.
The drastic drop in commodity prices, including oil prices that are 70 per cent lower now than the same period two years ago, has set back efforts by emerging markets to regain the momentum they once had just five years ago.

The US State Department and the US embassy in South Africa are yet to react to Pretoria’s latest statement [Xinhua]South Africa has lashed out at the US after a State Department warning that terror groups are planning attacks in South Africa’s biggest cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg. Pretoria has called it an attempt to “manipulate” and “control” South Africa’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Days after the US alert, the South African Foreign Ministry issued a strongly-worded statement on Wednesday saying it was “disingenuous and a cause for serious concern to our government”.