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☆ China reaffirms support for new nations joining BRICS as Argentina signals rejection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] South African delegates sit behind a glass with BRICS logo as the BRICS summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa August 23, 2023. "BRICS is also an open platform and we welcome any interested country to become a member of the BRICS family." Milei, a right-wing libertarian who has sharply criticised China and the China-led BRICS group, was elected Argentina's new president on Sunday. Milei and Mondino had both opposed Argentina joining the bloc, which also includes Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. "We don't understand what the benefit (of joining BRICS) is for Argentina at the moment.

Persons: Alet Pretorius, Diana Mondino, Javier Milei, Mao Ning, Mondino's, Mao, Mondino, Liz Lee, Ethan Wang, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights BEIJING, China, Argentina, Argentina's, Brazil, Russia, India, BRICS, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates

☆ Belt and Road Forum: Beijing to host global gathering as Xi Jinping lays out China's vision
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Russia’s Vladimir Putin, whose on-going assault on Ukraine is another major point of global instability and division, is expected to attend. The last time he was in Beijing was for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in early 2022. Winning backing for China’s global leadership from a broad swath of developing and emerging economies is key to Xi’s strategy to push back against perceived international threats, analysts say. Overseas development finance from China’s two major development banks has also decreased significantly since a peak in 2016, the report’s data show. Ten years on, Chinese decision makers are becoming “more selective and more calculating” about the benefits of their financing, she said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, laud China’s, –, weren’t, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, ”, Craig Singleton, “, Kenya . Han Xu, Li Mingjiang, ” Jonathan Fulton, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, ” It’s, Liang, Yun Sun Organizations: CNN, Global, Initiative, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Getty, Communist Party, Hamas, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Officials, Atlantic Council, Indian, Russia's, Boston University Global Development, Center, World Bank, Overseas, China’s National, Reform, China Program, Stimson Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Washington, Kenya ., Xinhua, Russia, Moscow, China’s, Abu Dhabi, Fulton, Johannesburg, New Delhi, saddling

☆ South Africa says inquiry found no evidence of arms shipment to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks, as China's President Xi Jinping listens, at the Union Buildings ahead of the opening remarks of the BRICS emerging economies meeting, in Pretoria, South Africa August 22, 2023. The U.S. accusations raised questions over South Africa's professed stance of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia's war in Ukraine and concerns of possible Western sanctions. "The panel found that there was no evidence to support the claim that the ship transported weapons from South Africa destined for Russia," Ramaphosa said. He said he could not reveal details of the equipment offloaded because that could compromise important military operations and put South African soldiers' lives at risk. When the accusations were made, South African officials were quick to reject the claims, and Ramaphosa launched the independent inquiry led by a retired judge.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Xi Jinping, Alet Pretorius, Reuben Brigety, R, South Africa's, Ramaphosa, Olivia Kumwenda, Andrew Cawthorne, Ros Russell, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, South, South African National Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Russian, Russia, U.S, Cape Town, Ukraine, South

BRICS - whose acronym was originally coined by an economist at Goldman Sachs, currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called the BRICS leaders' decision to invite Ethiopia to join "a great moment". "It shows the determination of BRICS countries for unity and cooperation with the broader developing countries." More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, say South African officials, and 22 have formally asked to be admitted. "The expansion and modernization of BRICS is a message that all institutions in the world need to mould themselves according to changing times," he said.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Narendra Modi, Sergei Lavrov, Alet Pretorius, Goldman Sachs, BRICS, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ramaphosa, Lula, globalisation's, Mohammed bin Zayed, Abiy Ahmed, Antonio Guterres, Xi Jinping, Bhargav Acharya, Sergio Goncalves, Ethan Wang, Vladimir Soldatkin, Joe Bavier, Toby Chopra, Emelia Organizations: South, India's, Russia's, REUTERS, United Arab, United, United Arab Emirates, New Development Bank, Ethiopian, United Nations, . Security, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, BRICS, Indian, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, UAE, JOHANNESBURG, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Ukraine, United States, Beijing, Moscow, United Arab, Lisbon

☆ Top EU official warns West needs to act to avoid losing developing world's trust
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South African delegates sit behind a glass with BRICS logo as the BRICS summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa August 23, 2023. Headquartered in Shanghai, the New Development Bank was established in 2015 by BRICS members. "It's symptomatic of something that Europe and Western institutions must confront urgently," Hoyer said of the bank's rise in importance. "Unless we offer genuine partnership and more convincing ways to address the challenges of the Global South whether it is in the energy transition, the issue of indebtedness or tackling glaring health inequality - we are heading for trouble." ($1 = 0.9252 euros)Reporting by Marc Jones Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alet Pretorius, Werner Hoyer, Hoyer, Marc Jones, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Investment, New Development Bank, Reuters, EU, West, United Nations, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, China, Russia, Africa, EIB, Brazil, India, Ukraine, Shanghai, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Argentina, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iran, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Europe, Western

☆ China's Xi tells BRICS summit that Chinese economy is resilient
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] China's President Xi Jinping speaks, as South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa listens, at the Union Buildings ahead of the opening remarks of the BRICS emerging economies meeting, in Pretoria, South Africa August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Alet Pretorius Acquire Licensing RightsAug 22 (Reuters) - China's leader Xi Jinping told the BRICS group on Tuesday that China's economy was resilient and that the fundamentals for its long-term growth remained unchanged. Xi, who is in South Africa for a summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), made the remarks in a prepared statement read by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at a business forum. "The Chinese economy has strong resilience, tremendous potential and great vitality," Xi said through Wang. "The giant ship of the Chinese economy will continue to ride the wind, cleave waves, and forge ahead," Xi said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Cyril Ramaphosa, Alet Pretorius, Xi, Wang Wentao, Wang, Michael Martina, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Chinese Commerce, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, China, U.S

REUTERS/Alet Pretorius Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 22 (Reuters) - African countries want China to shift its focus from building infrastructure on the continent to local industrialisation, China's top Africa diplomat said on Tuesday at a briefing on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa. "African integration is already escalating and many African countries (have) asked China to consider (a) shift (of) our focus," Wu Peng, director-general of China's department of African affairs at its foreign ministry, said. China will talk through its plans for African industrialisation with African leaders on Thursday at a special roundtable on the sidelines of the Aug. 22-24 meeting of the BRICS bloc - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Between 2000 and 2020, Chinese lenders - mostly state-owned banks - agreed to lend $160 billion to African countries, according to Boston University. He also said that investments by Chinese companies in Africa, especially from small and medium-sized companies, would increase.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Alet Pretorius, Wu Peng, Wu, Xi, Carien du Plessis, Tannur Anders, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Africa Continental Free Trade, Boston University, for, Africa Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Pretoria, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG, China, China's, Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, for China

☆ Banyana Banyana: How South Africa emerged from apartheid to shine on the world stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | For Cnn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The team is now making its second appearance at the Women’s World Cup, but 30 years ago, the “Banyana Banyana” was playing its first ever match as a nation emerging from apartheid. Fans have got behind the women's team which has grown from strength to strength. Progress still neededIn 2018, with former captain Ellis now coaching, Banyana Banyana reached the final of WAFCON, only losing to serial winner Nigeria on penalties. That appearance in the final also qualified the team for its first ever World Cup appearance in 2019 in France. Banyana Banyana can now focus fully on the FIFA Women’s World Cup, knowing that their immediate concerns have been addressed.”South African players celebrate after taking the lead in their Women's World Cup Group G soccer match against Sweden, though the Banyana Bayana ultimately lost 2-1.

Persons: ”, –, “, Dara Carroll, Phill Magakoe, Fran Hilton, Smith, White, Alet Pretorius, Desiree Ellis –, Nelson Mandela, Terry Paine, Paine, Ellis, Desiree Ellis, Anesh Debiky, Ellis wasn’t, weren’t, Hilton, Carroll, we’ve, ” Carroll, Banyana Banyana, SAFPU, Culture Zizi, Bayana, Andrew Cornaga Organizations: CNN, South Africa women’s, soccer, Africa, of Nations, South Africa’s, CNN Sport, South, Getty, Springboks, Swaziland, South African Women Association, of African Football, CAF, FIFA, interprovincial, Soweto Ladies Football Club, Hilton, Southampton, Wits University, Sports , Arts, Culture, Sweden, Wellington Regional Locations: South Africa, Morocco, White, Swaziland, Johannesburg, AFP, “, South Africa’s, England, Cape Town, Nigeria, France, Botswana, SAFA, South, New Zealand, Sweden

PRETORIA/CAPE TOWN, March 31 (Reuters) - South Africans took to the streets of Pretoria and Cape Town on Friday to protest against a Ugandan law passed last week that makes it a criminal offence to be openly LGBTQ. Singing and waving flags, demonstrators called on Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, not to sign it. "Queer people don't owe anyone anything, but we also deserve to live just like everyone else. You can't strip all our rights. Reporting by Catherine Schenck and Esa Alexander, Writing by Rachel Savage Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Africa's grannies kick out stereotypes on the soccer field
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Siyabonga Sishi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Player compete during the Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT) 2023 at the Nkowankowa Stadium in Tzaneen, South Africa March 26, 2023.REUTERS/Alet PretoriusTZANEEN, South Africa, March 28 (Reuters) - Wearing blue tracksuits and waving their national flag, South Africa's Vakhegula Vakhegula soccer team jogged into the stadium to cheers ahead of their first match against team USA. Vakhegula means "grandmothers" in the Tsonga language spoken in South Africa. When not practicing with the team she likes watching soccer on TV with her husband, and spending time with her five grandsons. The tournament, nicknamed the Grannies Soccer World Cup, is the first of its kind hosted by Vakhegula Vakhegula. The four-day tournament will see at least 15 teams compete, from South Africa and other countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

☆ South Africa's EFF marches to demand president's resignation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Members of the political party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), gather at Church Square after calling for a "National Shutdown" and demanding resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, South Africa March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Alet PretoriusJOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - Thousands marched through the streets of South Africa's cities on Monday to demand that President Cyril Ramaphosa resign, as security forces guarded malls and roads to prevent violence and looting. The Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, whose supporters are mainly poor and working class Black South Africans who feel marginalised since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994, had called for a national shutdown. South African security forces said on Monday that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours over public violence ahead of planned protests. Parliament said in a statement on Sunday that the South African military would deploy 3,474 troops for a month until April 17 to prevent and combat crime in cooperation with the police.

☆ South Africa's Eskom says worst power cuts over for now but urges less use
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Tim Cocks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But outgoing CEO Andre De Ruyter also re-affirmed that power cuts would continue for two more years at least. South Africans were braced for worse, with the risk of "stage 8 load shedding" - more than half a day with no power. "We would really urge South Africans to plan (evening) consumption such that ... we have reduced demand," he said. Creaking coal-fire power stations, corruption in coal supply contracts, criminal sabotage and failure to ease up regulation to enable private providers to swiftly bring renewable energy on tap have all left South Africa in a deep power deficit. Eskom's Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer said that by the end of March the firm should be able to bring 1,862 megawatts back online, and that it would focus on keeping its top six power stations running smoothly.

☆ A sex expo aims to break taboos in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MMA fighter Aben Khoza gets his body painted at the Sex Expo, an adult-themed expo held in Pretoria, South Africa, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Alet PretoriusPRETORIA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - More than 16,000 people attended a sex expo in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, this weekend, where visitors were invited to browse a wide array of sex toys, watch adult entertainment shows and attend talks by sex experts and therapists. South Africa is generally considered to be a sexually conservative country due to religious beliefs, cultural views and sexual education. Some visitors to the sex expo, an annual event, said they came because they were curious to learn more. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Catherine Schenck; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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