Page 8 - South Africa

Open mind on expansion: PM Narendra Modi to head for Brics on Tuesday

Modi will be making an official visit to Greece on 25 August

China confirms Xi will attend Brics in S Africa followed by state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend next week's summit of the BRICS nations in Johannesburg, to be followed by a state visit to South Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also said in a statement that during his August 21-24 visit to South Africa, Xi will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa. China is a core member of the BRICS nations, which also include Brazil, Russia and India. The grouping was predicated on linking the interests of the world's leading emerging economies but has sought to expand into other civil and governmental fields. Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided not to attend the summit because of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for him, according to South African authorities. The development could be viewed as embarrassing for Putin, who is expected to be the only leader of a country in the bloc not to attend. Kremlin

Xi Jinping to attend BRICS summit in South Africa followed by state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend next week's summit of the BRICS nations in Johannesburg, to be followed by a state visit to South Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also said in a statement that during his Aug 21-24 visit to South Africa, Xi will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa. China is a core member of the BRICS nations, which also include Brazil, Russia and India. The grouping was predicated on linking the interests of the world's leading emerging economies but has sought to expand into other civil and governmental fields. Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided not to attend the summit because of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for him, according to South African authorities. The development could be viewed as embarrassing for Putin, who is expected to be the only leader of a country in the bloc not to attend. Kremlin ...

Governments abroad call Data Protection Bill a 'landmark' regulation

Countries such as New Zealand said that they are taking a 'keen interest' in the implementation of the Bill and also its approach to privacy regulation

Why are South African expats flocking to this tiny island in the Irish Sea?

The island of 85,000 people is seeking skilled professionals in finance, insurance, technology and gaming to help bolster its economy. It is part of a drive to increase population to 100,000 by 2027

Brazil's Amazon Summit ends with roadmap to protect world's rainforests

Brazil's Amazon Summit closed on Wednesday with a roadmap to protect tropical rainforests that was welcomed as an important step in countering climate change, but without the concrete commitments sought by some environmentalists to end deforestation. Leaders and ministers from eight Amazon nations signed a declaration Tuesday in Belem, Brazil, that laid out plans to drive economic development in their countries while preventing the Amazon's ongoing demise from reaching a point of no return. Several environmental groups described the declaration as a compilation of good intentions with little in the way of measurable goals and timeframes. However, it was lauded by others, and the Amazon's umbrella organization of Indigenous groups celebrated the inclusion of two of its main demands. It is significant that the leaders of the countries of the region have listened to the science and understood the call of society: the Amazon is in danger, and we do not have much time to act, the ...

S Africa keen on collaborating with BRICS partners in vaccine manufacturing

South Africa is keen on strengthening collaboration with BRICS nations in the field of vaccine manufacturing, the hydrogen economy as well as the marine sciences, a minister said. We are already working with the World Health Organisation through South Africa's hosting of mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, but are also eager to work with BRICS partners, notably leveraging opportunities of our BRICS Vaccine R and D Centre, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Nzimande, said at the 2023 BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting hosted in the coastal city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The minister said at the meeting, one of several taking place ahead of the 15th BRICS Summit later in August, that South Africa had made excellent progress in developing new hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and was keen on joining forces with BRICS partners in this enterprise. Cooperation with partners in the Global South and strengthening ...

Graves a barrier for Jindal's $2 billion South African iron-ore mine

The obstacles faced by the company highlight the challenges of investing in South African mining, where decades of violations of environmental and social rights under apartheid eroded trust

PM Modi to attend BRICS summit in Johannesburg to discuss its expansion

With the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa set to discuss admitting new members, India on Thursday dismissed as "baseless" reports that it is opposed to the expansion of the five-nation grouping. In a telephonic conversation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that he looked forward to visiting Johannesburg to participate in the BRICS Summit. "President Ramaphosa invited the prime minister for the BRICS summit being hosted by South Africa on August 22-24, and briefed him on the preparations for the same," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "The prime minister accepted the invitation and conveyed that he looked forward to his visit to Johannesburg to participate in the summit," it said following the Modi-Ramaphosa phone talks on Thursday. The summit scheduled from August 22 to 24 is set to extensively deliberate on expansion of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, .

PM Modi, South African Prez review progress in bilateral cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the two leaders reviewed progress in the bilateral relations between their countries. Modi tweeted, "Pleased to speak with President @CyrilRamaphosa. Reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation as we celebrate 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Look forward to participating in the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg later this month.

India should go for younger cheetahs habituated to human presence: Experts

Younger cheetahs that are habituated to management vehicles and human presence are preferred candidates for relocation to India, international experts involved in the Project Cheetah have told the government based on the lessons learnt from the initial experience in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park. In a status report submitted to the government recently, the experts said these attributes enable easier monitoring of health-related issues, simplify stress-free veterinary and management intervention, and enhance tourism value. Kuno, where two batches of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa have been introduced, is set to open for tourism and these qualities in cheetahs can enhance the park's appeal to visitors, they said. They emphasised that young adult cheetahs are more adaptable to their new environments and have higher survival rates compared to older cheetahs. Younger males display "lower aggression" towards other cheetahs, reducing the risk of intraspecific competition ...

PM Modi unlikely to travel to South Africa for Brics, to attend virtually

China and Russia are keen to discuss expansion of BRICS at the summit, while India has reservations about that idea

Fifa Women's World Cup: South Africa shock Italy 3-2, knock them out

Italy's players dropped to their knees, buried their faces and tearfully wondered how their tournament had suddenly ended following a shocking upset to South Africa in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. The 54th-ranked team in the world stunned Italy, ranked 16th by FIFA, with a 3-2 victory over the Italians in Wednesday's Group G finale. South Africa won with a stoppage-time goal by Thembi Kgatlana. South Africa was ecstatic as players screamed and danced and said thankful prayers in the hallway leading to their locker room. The Italians left in tears and were unable to explain the upset. "I really don't know," goalkeeper Francesca Durante said after the match. "I don't know what didn't work." Nearly every player took the blame for the early elimination, even Arianna Caruso, who scored both of Italy's goals. "I don't think I can find the right words at this moment," Caruso said. "I am not happy because we scored two goals and we didn't do anything." Italy's problems against Sou

Brics will move forward on expansion at summit, says South Africa

Heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will make a pronouncement on the enlargement of the group when they meet Aug. 22-24, Anil Sooklal said

Foreign experts move SC over being uninformed on cheetah project in India

The experts, all members of the national cheetah project steering committee, under which 20 cheetahs have been translocated to India, have raised "serious concerns" over the project's management

Indian-origin creator receives S Africa's NSTF award for aircraft project

A team led by a South African Indian-origin innovator has received a national award for a project he has been working on for almost a decade to create a pioneering vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The Pegasus Universal Aerospace Team, led by well-known aesthetics doctor Reza Mia, 40, received the prestigious National Science and Technology (NSTF) award in the category for Innovation and research. The NSTF Awards - which are endorsed by the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation - honour and celebrate outstanding contributions to science, engineering and technology (SET) and innovation. For the design and development of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that is envisaged to create between 7,000 and 11,000 new jobs and the development of the necessary skills locally, the award goes to the Pegasus Universal Aerospace Team," said the citation which was read before Mia collected the Award. I'm excited and grateful to have been awarded this innovation

Cheetah deaths at KNP troubling but not unduly alarming: NTCA to SC

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have told the Supreme Court the death of five adult cheetahs and three cubs at KNP is troubling but not "unduly alarming", and the surviving big cats are being captured and medically examined as a precautionary measure. Under the Project Cheetah, a total of 20 radio-collared animals were imported from Namibia and South Africa to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh and later four cubs were born from Namibian cheetah 'Jwala'. Out of these 24 feline, eight including three cubs have died. Some cheetahs were reported to have developed infections due to radio collars. The joint affidavit, filed on behalf of the environment ministry and NTCA, said the provisional diagnosis of mortality events points towards "natural causes" and none of the cheetahs have died due to unnatural reasons such as poaching, snaring, poisoning, road hits, electrocution etc. "It is respectfully submitted that the

Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Mutinous soldiers in Niger this week overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, adding to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region and raising fears of regional destabilization. The Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists, which in turn has caused people to turn against elected governments. The military takeovers have followed a similar pattern: The coup leaders accuse the government of failing to meet the people's expectations for delivering dividends of democracy. They say they will usher in a new democratic government to address those shortcomings, but the process gets delayed. Karim Manuel, west and central Africa analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, says the military governments threaten to unwind democratic gains made not just in the Sahel region but in the broader West Africa region. This increases political instability going forward and makes the

Soldiers declare Niger general as head of state after he leads a coup

Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state on Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation's fight against jihadists and boost Russia's influence in West Africa. Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge. Various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 ...

Chasing Cheetah

Poor management and lack of transparency raise doubts