South Africa
Brazil hosts first BRICS Sherpas meeting with expanded membership
Brasilia hosted the first BRICS Sherpas meeting under the Brazilian Presidency on February 24-25, bringing together representatives from all 11 member countries at the Itamaraty Palace.
Foreign agricultural workers flock to South Africa as sector expands
Foreign farmers and agricultural workers are increasingly migrating to South Africa from neighbouring countries, attracted by higher wages and better opportunities.
Brazil to host expanded BRICS summit in July amid US dollar tensions
Brazil will host leaders from the BRICS nations and their new members in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, as the burgeoning bloc faces growing pressure from the US over plans to reduce dollar dependence in trade.
Brazil drops BRICS currency plan in favour of local payment push
Brazil will not pursue a common BRICS currency during its presidency of the bloc this year, focusing instead on facilitating trade in local currencies despite warnings from US President Donald Trump about challenging dollar dominance.
Global coal trade approaches its peak
Preliminary data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that global coal imports rose by 2.4% in 2024, reaching 1.5bn tonnes for the year.
IEA: Access to energy improving worldwide, driven by renewables
Having a reliable electricity supply is something many of us take for granted – including for sending and reading emails like this one. But hundreds of millions of people around the world today don’t have access to electricity.
The world has passed peak per capital CO₂ emissions, but overall emissions are still rising
The world has passed peak per capital CO₂ emissions, Our World in Data reported on December 3. However, emissions overall continue to rise.
Trump threatens BRICS with tariffs if they dump the dollar
US President-elect Donald Trump has warned the BRICS countries they will be hit with 100% tariffs if they attempt to set up an alternative currency to the dollar to settle trade deals.
The hurricane season in 2024 was weird
The Atlantic hurricane season of 2024 was a weird one. It both produced more, and more destructive, hurricanes than usual, but at the same time it had a calm hole in the middle where there should have been at least four hurricanes.