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Last month, French and German radiation safety officials identified the southern Ural Mountain region, home of Mayak, as the likely source of a cloud of a radioactive isotope, ruthenium 106, that they detected wafting over Europe. The plant at Mayak reprocesses spent fuel and produces isotopes.

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Thousands of Brazilian workers and members of trade unions took to the streets of Sao Paulo in protest , decrying government austerity measures and new labour laws due to come into effect.

Seaborn Networks has announced plans to build a cable system to connect South Africa with Brazil and onward to the US, while interconnecting with another new system, the IOX Cable, which will run from South Africa to India, connecting various Indian Ocean islands along its route.

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The LGBT community held its annual queer march parade in Delhi.

India is promoting a staple, simple dish as its brand food across the globe.

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The US might be the wealthiest country in the world, but it's not churning out the most billionaires. That title goes to China, which added 67 new billionaires in 2016, or one about every five days, according to a report on billionaires by UBS and PwC released Thursday. For the first time ever, Asia had more billionaires (637) than the US (538), the report found. Still, the US maintained a higher concentration of billionaire wealth, but Asia top that measure in the next three to four years.

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The reports said that the planned shakeup was connected to preparations for the March 18, 2018, presidential election in which Putin is widely expected to seek and secure a fourth term even though he has not announced his candidacy.

A film about Russia’s last tsar has created violent tensions as erotic scenes shown in trailers have enraged religious conservatives in Russia, who call the film blasphemous for depicting Nicholas in love scenes with the teenage ballerina. The film depicts the true story of a love affair between the future Czar Nicholas II and a young ballerina, Matilda Kshesinskaya, in St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre. 

Sputnik celebrating 60^th anniversary. Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957 sixty years ago, and is regarded as the start of the US-Soviet space race. 

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Wednesday was a dramatic day for Brazil. It began with the arrest of Wesley Batista, the CEO of the world’s largest meat company, JBS SA. Then a former governor of Rio de Janeiro was yanked off-air by police mid-way through his morning radio show. In the afternoon, it was former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s turn to testify in court for a second time on corruption charges.

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A spike in sales of construction equipment, along with improved profitability at industrial enterprises and a hefty surge in the prices of raw materials such as coal and steel, is fuelling the debate about whether China has entered a new boom cycle. The latest positive indicator came from the excavating machinery branch of the China Construction Machinery Association, which announced that sales of excavators in China in the first eight months of the year rose by a massive 111.1 per cent year on year to 85,766.

The just-concluded summit of the BRICS, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa,in Xiamen, China, highlights China's new initiative for adding new impetus for an open economy, multilateral trade that benefit the world as a whole. China has also put forward the "BRICS Plus" approach by inviting leaders of Egypt, Mexico, Thailand, Tajikistan and Guinea for a dialogue on the sidelines of BRICKS' summit held in Xiamen on Sept 3-5.

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The Russian-government owned geological company, Rosgeo, has landed a 400-million USD deal to develop oil and gas blocks off the Cape south coast.

Thousands in Russia's Chechnya protest for Burma's Rohingya Muslims

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Russia’s predominantly Muslim Chechnya to protest what the Chechen leader called “genocide of Muslims” in Myanmar.

Myanmar’s security officials and Muslim Rohingya insurgents are accusing each other of atrocities in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where nearly 400 people, most of them insurgents, have died in clashes.

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Brazil scraps an Amazon Reserve to allow mining

The government of Brazil has abolished a vast national reserve bigger than the size of Denmark to open the area to commercial mineral exploration, drawing sharp criticism from environmentalists and political opponents. The area, which straddles the northern states of Amapa and Para, is thought to contain rich deposits of gold, iron, manganese and other minerals.

Brazil is looking to offload its Olympic facilities

Brazil will try once more to rid itself of part of Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park, after the city government failed to find a buyer last year, according to two people directly involved in the negotiations. In an effort to find an operator for the park, the ministry of sport will work with the state development bank, BNDES, to determine how the concession will be run.

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South Africa has finally launched the African Regional Centre of the New Development Bank. In 2015, the New Development Bank was launched with the opening of the head office in Shanghai, China

Last year, Beijing banned any more "bizarre" buildings. Now, China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce has continued the government's crusade for normalcy with restrictions on such names as 'scared of wife' or 'prehistoric powers'.

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When British rulers divided the subcontinent into two nations, it prompted the greatest mass migration of people in history and unleashed a wave of violence that claimed more than a million lives. Seventy years have passed since the partition of India and Pakistan, and years on the partition and the violence that accompanied it continues to shape India and Pakistan.

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The former president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was found guilty of corruption and money laundering on Wednesday and sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison, a stunning setback for a politician who has wielded enormous influence across Latin America for decades. The case against Mr. da Silva, who raised Brazil’s profile on the world stage as president from 2003 to 2010, stemmed from charges that he and his wife illegally received about $1.1 million in improvements and expenses from a construction company for a beachfront apartment.

Only in Brazil: Congressman by day, Jailbird by night

For many politicians, a jail sentence means the end of your career, but not for lawmaker Celso Jacob. He still comes each day to Brazil’s National Congress straight from prison.

Each morning he gets up at 5:00 am in the Papuda jail near Brasilia and waits for a car to take him to work. In the evening he returns and changes from his suit back into white prisoner’s overalls.

Brazil’s army is becoming a de facto police force

Brazil maintains the world’s 15th-biggest standing army, and spends more on defence than Israel does. The last time a big Brazilian city was attacked was in 1711, when a French corsair briefly captured Rio de Janeiro. The country’s official defence review states that “at present, Brazil has no enemies”

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And India is experiencing a rapidly growing robotics industry. This has seen more companies in India using automation technology. The World Bank warns that automation could put at least 70 percent of jobs in the country at risk.  

Lastly, India has introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST), the biggest tax reform in the country. The GST will transform India into a common market, making it easier to do business in the country by simplifying the tax structure and ensuring greater compliance

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Both production and sales in new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China soared in May despite a cut in government subsidies, while the growth of the overall auto market remained tepid, industry data showed. It's safe to say that Tesla has emerged as one of the next powerhouses in the car market. That looks like it's going to continue thanks to one of the booming markets that desire the Tesla-style electric car, China

China’s college exam takers now have to compete against AI

Humans worried about being replaced by machines needn’t fret too much just yet, at least not if they’re among the thousands of anxious teenagers set to take China’s national college entrance exam, known as the “gaokao,” over the next two days. In what’s being billed as a first in China’s nearly 1,500-year-old exam-taking history, a robot powered by artificial intelligence, or AI, will sit the math portion of the test at a special session attended by scientists and reporters in Chengdu, capital of interior China’s Sichuan province

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The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its most powerful and heaviest rocket yet on Monday (June 5), called the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV MkIII). The new rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, at 7:58 a.m. EDT (1158 GMT), successfully delivering the massive GSAT-19 communications satellite into orbit.

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Cannes Film Festival

Renowned Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev has been awarded the jury prize at the 70th Cannes Film Festival for his drama, 'Loveless' ('Nelyubov'). Acclaimed Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar presided over the jury panel this year.

Investigation into arrest of boy caught reading ‘Hamlet’

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a pre-investigation check into the actions of police officers after a video of a crying boy being forcefully led away and shoved into a police car in central Moscow gained the attention of the online community and human rights advocates. The boy was reading 'Hamlet' out loud detained in Moscow. His parents were detained and citizens are questioning whether it is police brutality.

Russian students win the software programming competition in the US (again)

A team of programmers from the St. Petersburg University of IT, Mechanics and Optics have once again won the annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), setting a new record with their 7th champions cup. The Champion Cup of 2017 was raised by Russian students of the department of computer technologies – Vladimir Smykalov, Ivan Belonogov and Ilya Zban.

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Brazilian President Michel Temer defied calls for his resignation Thursday, a day after a bombshell report alleged that he had been secretly recorded discussing bribe payments during an investigation into a sprawling corruption probe that has shredded the country’s political class. Speculation that Temer would step down intensified throughout the day, with Brazil’s highest court ordering an investigation and two members of Temer’s cabinet abruptly quitting.

South Africa and Brazil seek to elevate trade ties

South African International Relations Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, on Monday hosted a high-level Brazilian delegation, led by newly-appointed External Relations Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira who is in Pretoria to strengthen existing relations. Nkoana-Mashabane and her Brazilian counterpart addressed media in Pretoria after a closed door meeting between the representatives of the two governments.

Brazil’s most beloved politician faces two possible outcomes: Prison or the Presidency.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, guided the country through a honeymoon period of growth as president from 2003 through 2010. Today, he faces five trials for his alleged involvement in a $2 billion kickback scheme that has decimated Brazil’s political elite. If convicted, the 71-year-old could be imprisoned for the rest of his life. But Lula has a shot at an appealing alternative: the presidency.

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China’s three biggest state-owned banks provided a total of $225.4 billion (1.56 trillion yuan) in credits by the end of 2016 for projects in countries participating in President Xi Jinping’s One Belt, One Road initiative.

Boeing opens first international plant abroad in China

Construction of Boeing’s first overseas facility as part of its 737 production system started yesterday in Zhoushan, a port city in Zhejiang Province. The construction will consist of two parts — a Boeing 737 completion center and a delivery center.

Government sets up a new Venture Capital US$2.6bn fund for new sectors

China has launched a new national venture capital fund that will back up startup companies in new sectors of strategic importance, the Xinhua reported.

The new fund has raised a total of 17.8 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) and was set up by the Ministry of Finance, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Development & Investment Corp (SDIC), among others.

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India will ban ministers and senior officials from using red beacons on their cars to speed through traffic from the 1^st May. Under the new rule, only emergency vehicles, ambulances, fire engines and police cars can use flashing blue lights.

4 convicted in fatal gang-rape get death penalty

The Supreme Court judgment upholding death penalty for four men in the 2012 infamous gang rape case of a 23-year-old student that shocked the world. The court held that the nature of the crime, which triggered massive protests across India, made it a fit case for the death penalty. It described the assault as "most brutal, barbaric and diabolical," according to the Press Trust of India news agency. The victim's father said he was happy with the court judgment and demanded that the convicts be hanged quickly.

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Moscow citizens are worried about the mayor's program of tearing down five-floor houses. Moscow city authorities are to tear down about 8,000 blocks of flats built in the 1950s and 1960s in a major clearance programme that will involve rehousing 1.6 million people in the coming years, it's reported.

Navalny risks losing eye sight after chemical attack

Alexey Navalny, Russia's most important opposition leader, was attacked with brilliant green (a medicine ointment) and risks losing sight in one eye. There were many similar attacks during the last couple of years.

Russian politicians increasingly disenchanted with Trump

Russian politicians have responded to news Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor has resigned over communications with the country, accusing the President of “Russophobia”.

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At least 11 people were killed in a blast on the St Petersburg Metro Monday, three state-run Russian news agencies said. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described the attack as a "terrorist act." The explosion tore through a train as it was traveling between two stations in Russia's second-largest city. President Vladimir Putin, who had been in St. Petersburg earlier in the day, laid roses at a makeshift memorial with candles outside the bombed metro station.

Russia Arrests more Anti-Corruption Protesters

Nearly 40 protesters were detained on Sunday as Russia’s youth continued to protest against corruption and lack of opportunities, media reported Monday.  The protests were significantly smaller than the massive demonstrations which hit over 90 cities in Russia a week before, prompting President Vladimir Putin to publicly reaffirm his commitment to fight corruption.

Russia’s PhD scandals

In December 2015, a prominent member of Vladimir Putin's party was accused of plagiarising a large portion of his economic dissertation. This strange news story spurred Russian-born journalist Leon Neyfakh to investigate Russia's massive black market in plagiarism.

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Food giants JBS SA and BRF SA took out full-page newspaper ads and paid for prime-time television spots to reassure consumers their meat is safe to eat after finding themselves at the centre of Brazil’s latest corruption probe. Both companies saw their share prices tumble for a second day after federal authorities announced Friday they’re investigating evidence producers bribed government officials to approve the sale of spoiled meat.

Inequality increased in Brazil and human development is slowing: UNDP

UNDP report reveals how disparities in income, education, health and between men and women are slowing down progress in region and around the world

Latin America’s strong growth in human development indicators over the last 25 years has been uneven and slow for disadvantaged groups, a UN body has found, saying that the inequality that reigns in the region has severely undermined progress.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party won a landslide victory in the politically crucial northern state of Uttar Pradesh, giving the Indian leader a huge boost half way through his term.

World’s heaviest woman in India for life-saving surgery

Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, who previously weighed around 500kg, had not left her house in Egypt in over two decades until arriving in Mumbai last month for bariatric surgery.

India launched most satellites in the world in a single launch

An Indian PSLV rocket launched from Sriharikota, India, carrying a gigantic haul of satellites into space. The mission was confirmed to be successful by the Indian Space Research Organization just after 12AM ET on February 15th. On top of the vehicle were up to 104 satellites — the largest crop of satellites to ever launch on a single rocket at once.

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Thousands of Russians marched through Moscow on Sunday shouting slogans such as "Russia will be free!" and "Putin is war!" to mark two years since opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov was gunned down outside the Kremlin. Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Young man sentenced for breaking the rules of demonstrations was set free by the Supreme Court

Russian political activist Ildar Dadin has been released from prison, days after the Supreme Court overturned his conviction. The Presidium of Russia’s Supreme Court on February 22 set aside Dadin's conviction on charges of participating in multiple unsanctioned protests and ordered his release from custody.

Russia's Permanent Representative for the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, dies suddenly

Russian officials say its ambassador to the United Nations has died suddenly in New York City. Vitaly Churkin was 64. Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, told The Associated Press that Churkin became ill in his office at Russia’s U.N. mission and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he died Monday. A Russian Embassy spokesperson told CBS News that they believe Churkin died of a heart attack but they do not yet have official word on the cause of death.

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China’s new auto industry players have had to confront tough questions. Some had to decide between partnering with traditional automakers and focusing on complementary services such as auto-computer software, or taking the far-riskier but potentially more-lucrative road less traveled by building cars on their own. Electronics maker and video-streaming service provider LeEco, for example, decided to design and build its own electric cars from scratch, while e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. chose to partner with traditional automakers.

The humble bicycle is seeing a revival in China as a new generation of startups help tackle urban congestion and pollution with fleets of brightly colored two wheelers. The bike-share concept has attracted huge venture capital as fledgling firms wrestle for market share. Such has been the success of this made-in-China business model, which is using smartphones to reignite the nation's passion for cycling, companies are hatching plans to export the idea worldwide.

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The Ministry of Finance’s annual survey of the economy, released Tuesday, explores how the country might replace its various welfare programs with a universal basic income, or a uniform stipend paid to every adult and child, poor or rich. Guaranteeing all citizens enough income to cover their basic needs would promote social justice, the survey says, and empower the poor to make their own economic choices.

In northern India, an increasing number of young women are learning to compete in the sport of wrestling. Until recently, few girls and women trained for wrestling in the northern state of Haryana. The area has a strongly patriarchal culture. Men there appear to be in control of the government and much of society.

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Russia has launched flight tests of its latest lightweight fighter, MiG-35. The military aircraft, which has been constructed to be potentially equipped with laser weapons, will in the near future replace previous generation jets in the Russian Air Force.

Russian figure skater Yevgenia Medvedeva on January 27 set a new world record in terms of total scores upon the results of the short programme and the free skate in ladies at the European Figure Skating Championships in Ostrava, the Czech Republic. She scored 229.71 points.

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His country mired in recession, Brazilian President Michel Temer's government ordered more than $400,000 worth of food, including 500 cartons of Haagen-Dazs ice cream and nearly 1.3 tonnes of chocolate cake, for his official plane trips in 2017 only to cancel the order hours later amid public outrage.

Greek diplomat Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, hadn’t even been ambassador to Brazil for a year when he was murdered, stuffed into his rental car, and set on fire by Sergio Moreira, a 29-year-old military police officer who confessed to killing the ambassador and sleeping with the ambassador’s 40-year-old wife.

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China was hit with a record number of retaliatory trade measures last year, the Ministry of Commerce said yesterday, with countries claiming it had flooded global markets with cheap steel and other products.

China’s vow to shut down its commercial ivory trade by the end of this year was welcomed by environmentalists as a turning point in the fight against poachers. Activists cheered the government’s pledge for swift action, and the state-run news media called it a “monumental win for elephants”.

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Speaking to ABC's George Stephanopoulos after the release of the intelligence community’s declassified assessment of the alleged Russian interference in the US presidential race, Obama again reiterated his firm belief that Moscow was somehow involved in propelling Trump into the Oval Office.

Russian President orders lending rate to be cut for Russian regions

Putin has given bankers two months until March 1 to cut the key rates. Russian Central Bank head Elvira Nabiullina, who was named as the best European central bank governor in 2016, has been given the task of seeing it through.

Russia says it's fully committed to strengthening ties with India

Amid unease in the Indian establishment over Pakistan warming up to Russia, Moscow today conveyed to India it is "fully committed" to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two leaders discussed strategic issues and continued progress in the civil nuclear energy sector.

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Since the ban was announced, many Indians have stood in long lines at banks to get money. And, banks are not giving customers the amount they demand as the banks run out of money faster than it is replaced.

The currency ban was a major step to curb corruption and wipe out illegal money. Has it helped?

Interestingly, even during the two previous episodes of demonetisation of high value notes over `100 in India, on 12 January 1946, and on 16 January 1978, the objective of the exercise was containing black marketing or black money. The cash shortage may have already affected the prices of perishable goods and services. Prices of vegetables in wholesale markets, according to newspaper reports, have fallen significantly.

Why has India’s Supreme Court ordered the country’s cricket board chief to resign?

India's Supreme Court has ordered the country's cricket board chief to resign for failing to implement reforms. The court on Monday told Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur to quit. It had recommended sweeping changes in the BCCI following allegations of spot-fixing and betting in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament.

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Brazilians are getting their bumper stickers ready: Marina Silva 2018. The latest polls for the 2018 presidential election show the ex-Minister of Environment as the clear leader. The environmentalist would take office even in a face-off with Brazil’s beloved Lula, currently under criminal investigation.

The fact that impeached Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was named among the women of the year by the Financial Times certainly raises eyebrows, political analyst Nilson Melo told Sputnik Brazil. The Financial Times put her on par with such political figures as UK Prime Minister Theresa May and "former presidential candidate" Hillary Clinton, as well as "the world's best gymnast" Simone Biles.

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A cash shortage triggered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to void 86 percent of currency in circulation and an accompanying surge in banking liquidity as Indians deposit their worthless bank notes threatens one of the world’s economic bright spots. Gross domestic product data released on Wednesday showed the economy grew less than estimated in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, piling pressure on the central bank to lower borrowing costs.

Measures to help stamp out corruption in India

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a dramatic move aimed at stamping out corruption and draining illicit cash from the country, on Tuesday (8 Nov) announced the abolition of all 1000 and 500 rupees bank notes from midnight Tuesday.

India has celebrated the 50th anniversary of a rice variety that apparently ushered in the green revolution

Crossbred from a tall variety in Indonesia and a dwarf variety in China, IR8 was the world’s first high-yielding rice and is credited with having prevented famines and sparking the Green Revolution in rice in Asia.

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Russia losing patience with Google over non-compliance with antitrust ruling.

Google will face another fine from Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) if it fails to comply with a regulatory instruction to stop abusing its market position and pay the original $6.8 million penalty for the violation.

Speaking during the South Africa-Russia Business Council in Pretoria on Thursday, the deputy director-general of trade and investment at the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), Pumla Ncapayi, said there was greater potential for trade gains with Russia, particularly in the identified sectors. Ncapayi said Russia was South Africa’s key strategic trading partner within the Integrated National Export Strategy.

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Brazil's Central Bank (BC) President Ilan Goldfajn said Monday (Nov. 21) that the outcome of the US presidential election, won by magnate Donald Trump, brought an element of uncertainty to markets, but reiterated that the institution has kept a close watch on the development of international markets and worked to prevent the effects of "external shocks" from threatening macroeconomic stability.

The Trump victory adds pressure to pass crucial reforms in Brazil and soon!

Donald Trump's U.S. election victory and the ensuing market volatility should encourage Brazilian policymakers to push ahead with ambitious economic reforms that help cushion the country from global turmoil, business executives and bankers said on Tuesday.

IMF outlook suggests Brazil is clawing its way out of recession slowly

While there are signs that the recession is nearing its end, Brazil’s economic prospects hinge on the new government’s ability to implement ambitious structural reforms to restore fiscal sustainability, the IMF said in its annual review on the state of the Brazilian economy. According to the report, Latin America’s largest economy has suffered its deepest recession in decades.

Brazil to Increase Culture Ministry Budget by 40 Percent

The Brazilian Ministry of Culture will have a 40% budgetary increase in 2017 – hardline government is appeasing some of the protesters. President of Brazil, Michel Temer, announced this week that his administration would be increasing the Ministry of Culture’s budget by more than forty percent. The ministry was the focus of one of the first ‘conflicts’ between Temer and the Brazilian population when the then interim leader announced it was nesting the ministry into the Ministry of Education.

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China’s state-run newspaper, the Global Times, has taken issue with Trump pledge to rein in China with respect to trade in an effort to revive the Unites States’ manufacturing business. In an editorial, the paper openly criticized the President-elect, stating that his currency manipulation accusations could mean that “China's reputation will be affected, and the trade atmosphere between China and the US will become more tense.”

Retail sales of cars, sport utility and multipurpose vehicles increased 20 percent to 2.22 million units last month, according to the China Passenger Car Association. Deliveries rose 15 percent to 18.7 million units in the first 10 months.

Tencent has also gotten into on the action, having helped finance movies like “Warcraft” and “Kong: Skull Island." Now the company is getting ready to spend a good amount of money over the next two to continue to invest in those projects, according to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday. In the next two years, Tencent will spend at least 2 billion yuan ($295 million) investing in Hollywood and Chinese films. That includes 1 billion yuan in 2016, and more than that in 2017.

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Top-ranked India will look to settle old scores by unleashing their spinners on a fragile-looking England when the first Test of a five-match series begins in Rajkot tomorrow. England were the last team to win a Test series on Indian soil when they came from behind to triumph 2-1 in 2012, but India are currently enjoying an impressive run.

Theresa May has dashed Indian hopes for a more liberal visa system for its nationals wanting to work in the UK by arguing that the current offer is generous enough. Speaking on the way to her first bilateral meeting in Delhi, the prime minister argued that Britain was already able to attract the “brightest and best” from outside the EU.

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Over half of Russians think that the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election is important for their country, and many expect US-Russian relations to worsen further if Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton is victorious in November. According to the latest survey conducted by state-run public opinion centre VTSIOM, 57 percent of Russian citizens think that the results of the looming US presidential elections will be important for their country, while 38 percent don’t think they will have any impact on relations between the two nations, either way.

The world's largest professional network LinkedIn could soon be blocked in Russia. The company has failed to comply with a law that obliges companies to keep data on Russian users in the country. Apart from not moving servers to Russia, LinkedIn collects and sends information about people who are not users of the network without their consent, according to the Russian internet watchdog Roskomnadzor.

According to the spokesman, Moscow’s Tagansky District Court has ruled in favor of the watchdog, but LinkedIn has appealed to a higher court. LinkedIn is the world's largest business and employment oriented social network. As of 2015, it had 400 million users with 5 million people registered in Russia.

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Riot police cracked down and fired tear gas on thousands of protesters in central Rio de Janeiro Monday night as marches flooded the streets to reject unelected President Michel Temer’s proposed 20-year freeze on public spending that critics argue will spell disaster in the cash-strapped country.

18 Prisoners were killed in Riots last week

At least 18 inmates died in clashes in two separate penitentiaries in Brazil's Amazon region and more than three dozen escaped after a third prison riot caused a large fire in a complex outside Sao Paulo, officials said Monday. Authorities were investigating a possible connection between the first two uprisings in the jungle states of Rondonia and Roraima, police said.

Eduardo Cunha has been arrested

The central figure behind the impeachment of former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has been arrested on corruption charges. The office of Judge Sergio Moro and police officials said on Wednesday that former Congressman Eduardo Cunha, accused of pocketing millions of dollars in bribes from contractors with the oil company Petrobras, has been arrested.

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China's president has said the long-term prospects of the Brics countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are still positive despite a precarious global economy.

President Xi Jinping said the Brics countries were among those currently enduring slower economic growth.

But he stressed that the potential and strength of the group was "unchanged".

• China seeks to overtake the US in the space race

At a cost of more than $150 billion, the International Space Station (ISS) is the most expensive object ever built. The Chinese are expected to complete their own space station, potentially leaving the Asian power with the sole operating lab in the heavens. And given that Congress banned NASA from working bilaterally with anyone from the Chinese space program, it’s unclear if American astronauts will be welcome.

• Chinese to increase luxury spending to US$120bn this year

Chinese luxury spending is expected to reach 120.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, up 3 percent year on year, according to a report on Friday. The growth rate is down from last year's 10 percent as a sluggish economy dampens consumption of luxury goods, according to the report released by Fortune Character, a luxury consumption research agency.

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Reports surfaced earlier this week that police in India had raided a series of call centres and arrested at least 70 people on charges of extortion, impersonation and information technology crimes, according to The Associated Press. Employees at the call centre are believed to have sent out thousands of calls and messages each day, posing as U.S. tax collectors and threatening to involve American authorities if they weren't promptly paid.

11 Heads of State from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries will attend the meeting. The BRICS summit will start on October 15 and will end the next day, following which there will be a retreat, in which BIMSTEC countries will take part, according to officials.

On Sept. 29 the Indian Army conducted a military strike against terrorist targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strike was a retaliation for a series of recent terrorist attacks against Indian military installations by Pakistan-based terrorist groups, reminding the world of this rivalry, which dates back to the creation of the two countries in 1947. India and Pakistan have engaged in direct military conflict four times in the past 70 years, and there are some fears that the current dispute may escalate to that point once again. This new period of heightened tensions highlights the failure of recent efforts by the two nations' leaders to ease tensions, and underscores their different domestic and diplomatic trajectories.

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Moscow court found popular Russian blogger Anton Nosik guilty of posting online extremist materials and fined him 500,000 rubles (some $8,000) on Oct. 3. According to investigators, Nosik published a blog post titled "To wipe Syria off the map" on Oct. 1, 2015 with the purpose of inciting ethnic hatred. "The court found Nosik guilty of violating Part 2 of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code (inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity)," the judge said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed the head of the association for the protection of family, Anna Kuznetsova, as his plenipotentiary for children’s rights, replacing lawyer Pavel Astakhov. Before the appointment, Kuznetsova, 34, worked as the head of the Pokrov fund for the support of family, motherhood and childhood in Penza Region, central Russia. She also headed the Penza regional branch of the Mothers of Russia movement and the regional branch of the United Public Front movement. The newly appointed ombudsman has also held places in the women’s council with the regional governor and the regional public chamber.

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China’s leaders have been accused of delivering a calculated diplomatic snub to Barack Obama after the US president was not provided with a staircase to leave his plane during his chaotic arrival in Hangzhou before the start of the G20.

Chinese authorities have rolled out the red carpet for leaders including India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, and the British prime minister, Theresa May, who touched down on Sunday morning. 

British teen makes a fortune choosing baby names in China!

Expecting a little bundle of joy but having trouble choosing a name? Gandalph, Cinderella, Harry Potter: all great names for your little tyke, right? Ok, maybe not. Don't worry though, Beau Jessup is here to help. The British 16-year-old has made around $64,000 helping Chinese parents navigate through the name game.

KFC flavour nail polish in Hong Kong

In a marketing campaign produced by creative agency Ogilvy & Mather to create fun and excitement for the KFC brand in Hong Kong, they’ve created the KFC Finger Lickin’ Good Nail Polish that comes in two flavours/shades: Original Recipe and Hot & Spicy. Yes, it’s edible and supposedly tastes exactly like chicken. They are packed in designer bottles and boxes.

The agency teamed up with food technologists at McCormick – the spice company that provides KFC with its famous secret recipe of herbs and spices – to release a limited edition line of these edible nail polishes.

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Prestigious Metropolitan School 57, which has a large Jewish representation in student body, is shaken by allegations, which have led to the resignation of the director and three other teachers. Sergey Mendelevich, the longtime director of Metropolitan School 57, resigned Saturday despite calls for him to remain at the head of the institution by parents — including several dozen people who staged an impromptu support rally for him at the school.

In a release from the regulator notes that on 5 September 2016 started the final stage of the selection symbols of the new banknotes.  The Russian Central Bank has named the ten finalists for the symbol that will appear on new banknotes in denominations of 200 and 2,000 rubles. You can vote for Your-Russia. Russia, as well as coming 1 of October on the open Day the Bank of Russia to any territorial establishment and leave your vote for your favourite character by completing this form.

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Brazil, South America’s largest economy, is finally poised to realise its long-anticipated potential as a global player, economists say, as the country rides its biggest economic expansion in three decades. Growth is being felt in nearly all parts of the economy, creating a new class of super rich. A juror for the International Tribunal for Democracy in Brazil wrote a scathing editorial this week denouncing what she calls the illegal government of interim President Michel Temer formed in an attempt by leading members of the opposition Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) to avoid enhanced enforcement of the country’s corruption laws.

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The Coega Development Corporation has signed a R11bn investment deal with the Beijing Automobile International Corporation for a completely knocked down automotive manufacturing plant in the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said in a media statement the investment was "significant" and deepened SA’s economic relationship with China.

In a golf training club in the city's Tianhe district, a five-day training course for children is recruiting students during the summer vacation. A coach surnamed Deng told a Xinhua reporter that the course teaches basic knowledge and movements, as well as the etiquette of golf, "aiming to cultivate the physical and mental endurance of children."

According to a staff member of the agency, it offers classes that develop "CEO characteristics" in children aged 3 to 12 years old. The cost is staggeringly high at 50,000 yuan ($7,500) a year for one or two sessions weekly.

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Putin named Anton Vaino, 44, to the important post which involves drafting laws for the president to submit to parliament, monitoring their enforcement and conducting analysis of domestic and foreign affairs for the president.

Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva says she will never accept or forgive the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to uphold her ban from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Current world record holder Isinbayeva says that first place at the Games will forever be in question because of her exclusion.

Heavy rain in Moscow has caused a river to burst its banks and flooded streets, trapping people in cars and buses. Russian state news organizations said about 200 people had to be evacuated from stalled vehicles on Monday. No injuries were reported.

The weather service said that by early evening 92 millimeters (3.7 inches) of rain had fallen in Moscow, which is well over the monthly average for August.

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North Korea’s fifth underground nuclear test, when it happens sometime later this year, will occasion dread and set off the usual flutter of apprehension in the West.

China has said it will help developing nations implement the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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The microcephaly epidemic in Brazil has been speculated to be caused by the Zika virus. However, a study published on June 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine claims Zika may not be the real cause of microcephaly after all so further research is still needed to verify this.

It appears that UberCOPTER thinks they can offer solution. In partnership with European plane maker Airbus, Uber is running a month-long trial in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Uber users can use the app to hail a helicopter and pay $17-80 for a ride between airports, to their hotel or to conference centers. The service is operating from five helipads and four hotels, Fabio Sabba, Uber's communications director in Brazil, told the Canadian Press.

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Giant factories, a wide range of advanced locomotives and a modern exhibition centre may have impressed foreign visitors to one of China’s biggest bullet train producers – but it will take more than that to clinch deals. China is at an early stage of its push to export its high-speed rail technology, and there is much Beijing needs to address.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Saturday held a "White Romance Beach Party" for 51 Chinese honeymoon couples in Thailand's southern province Surat Thai, in a bid to attract more Chinese honeymooners. Runjuan Tongrut, Director of TAT's East Asian Region said, this is part of activities under the "honeymoon campaign in Thailand", which attracts high-end tourists and raise awareness of Thailand as a honeymoon destination.

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Baba Ramdev, one of India’s most-celebrated yoga gurus and an outspoken critic of Western capitalism, has built a consumer-goods empire using his fame to peddle an ever-expanding portfolio of products based on traditional Indian medicine. Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., the company he founded in 2006 near his ashram on the Ganges in this Hindu holy city, has blossomed into one of India’s biggest brands by making creams, cleansers and supplements infused with centuries-old Ayurvedic remedies.

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Russia is mulling lifting longstanding restrictions on entry of HIV-infected foreign citizens, the country’s health minister said at a high-level meeting devoted to AIDS and HIV at the UN General Assembly.

Russia is considering changing its current legislation regarding the rights of HIV-infected foreign citizens and lift restrictions that prohibit their entry to the country, Veronika Skvortsova, Russia’s health minister, said, speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly conference on HIV and AIDS on Wednesday.

The St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)

Russia's economy main focus at The St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to take place this week with CEO calling for the lifting of sanctions against Russia. USA declined invitation to attend the forum. Thousands of corporate executives, government officials, diplomats, analysts and journalists are due to descend on St Petersburg as the 20th international economic forum kicks off in the city on Thursday.

Russia faces additional 6 months of EU sanctions
The EU is set to roll over its Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia for a further six months despite signs of the mood towards Moscow softening in some of the bloc’s member states.

Diplomats had feared the move would spark a major political battle between states such as Hungary, Greece and Italy, which favour a rethink on sanctions, and the more hawkish states, including Poland and the Baltic countries, which want the regime to continue.

UEFA threaten Russia and England with disqualification

UEFA on Sunday threatened to kick Russia and England out of the European Championship finals over fan violence but admitted there were stadium security flaws.

European football's governing body UEFA issued the warning as German hooligans became the latest to join street battles that have marred the tournament, following three days of clashes in Marseille between Russian and English fans.

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Incarcerated for orchestrating the crime of the century, a Brazilian billionaire named Marcelo Odebrecht seeks revenge and promises to bring down as many as 50 politicians in the processes. One of them may even be recently suspended president Dilma Rousseff.

The scandal stemming from Brazil’s state-run oil firm Petrobras has created unheard of dissaray in the capital.

Interim president lacks credibility, and is banned from running again

A mere 20 days into the seizure of power by the corruption-implicated “interim” President Michel Temer, overwhelming evidence has emerged proving that to be true: Already, two of the interim ministers in Temer’s all-white-male cabinet, including his anti-corruption minister, have been forced to resign after the emergence of secret recordings showing them plotting to obstruct that investigation (an investigation in which they, along with one-third of his cabinet, are personally implicated).

Dilma Rouseff takes to the streets for Woman in Democracy

The march of "Women for democracy and against the coup" in Brazil brought thousands to the streets to resist the unraveling of social gains threatened by Michel Temer.

Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro Thursday along with thousands of women to reject the installed interim government of Michel Temer, slammed by protesters as a coup regime.

M-Banking in Brazil growing exponentially

Mobile banking is taking off in Brazil with a 138 percent adoption growth registered between 2014 and 2015.

According to numbers by the Brazilian Banking Federation (Febraban), the number of banking transactions carried out via a mobile device has gone up from 4,7 billion in 2014 to 11,2 billion in the following year.

A number of African countries are big users of mobile money transfer, but changes to how the service is taxed could see Ugandan users returning to more low-tech options. Currently, m-banking accounts for 21 percent of 51 billion operations that take place across the 17 largest banking institutions in Brazil.

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China, fighting to stamp out poverty, will this year move more than two million of its poorest citizens from remote, inland regions to more developed areas, an official of the cabinet, or State Council, said on Tuesday.

The mass relocation of people is a strategy targeted at lifting 10 million citizens out of poverty by 2020, state news agency Xinhua has said.

Chinese are officially the highest spending tourists!

China Confidential, a Financial Times research service, estimates that total spending by Chinese travellers on outbound trips hit Rmb3.1tn ($498bn) in 2014. Spending by Chinese tourists is now greater than total spending on household consumption of around $436bn in Indonesia and $442bn in Turkey.

Starbucks goes big in China

Starbucks is betting big on China, where the java giant's business has the potential to grow past that of the United States, CEO Howard Schultz told CNBC.

Starbucks announced Thursday it would open its first international Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room in Shanghai in 2017.

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The shuttle was reportedly developed on a budget of just INR1 billion, a fraction of the billions of dollars spent by other nations' space programmes.

The Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV-TD), which is around the size of a minibus, hurtled into a blue sky over southeast India after its 7am lift off.

A small town in the desert state of Rajasthan saw the mercury rise to a searing 123.8 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius), the hottest moment ever recorded in the South Asian nation.

The heat on Thursday in Phalodi – a town of about 45 000 people – bested the previous national record set way back in 1956 when it reached 123.1 degrees Fahrenheit in another Rajasthani town, Alwar.

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While Russian lawmakers are busy changing the country’s election laws in preparation for parliamentary elections this year, the lower house of parliament is due this month to consider whether President Vladimir Putin’s new National Guard should be allowed to shoot Russian citizens without warning.

According to a draft law that Putin submitted to the State Duma, the National Guard would be prohibited from using firearms “at largely crowded places, if their use may casually hurt people.”

While Ukrainians basked in their Eurovision win on Sunday, Russian officials and Kremlin-friendly media offered up a string of conspiracy theories to explain the win of Crimean Tatar singer Jamala, whose song “1944” was largely seen as a jab at the Kremlin.

And some officials said Russia should boycott the song contest next year, since it is set to be held in Jamala's homeland of Ukraine.

The usually kitsch song contest took on major political overtones this year, as Ukraine's Jamala squared off against Russian singer Sergei Lazarev in a showdown that many Eurovision fans saw as a continuation of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia made it four Hockey World Championships wins on the bounce on Saturday, making short work of Switzerland 5-1, while Group B frontrunners Canada and Finland also won again.

Following a disappointing opening day defeat to the Czech Republic, Russia has been on the march towards the knockout rounds and all but confirmed a place in the quarter-finals by defeating the Swiss at Moscow's Ice Palace. Oleg Znarok’s men were coming off the back of hitting ten goals against Denmark and confidence was clearly high against Switzerland. in a showdown that many Eurovision fans saw as a continuation of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

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"No monocrotic decision can super impose a collective decision, especially when the decision was taken with the highest form of collectiveness in the house," he said.

Earlier, Waldir Maranhao, who took over as acting speaker of the lower house last week, said there were procedural flaws in the April 17 vote in the chamber when it accepted the impeachment charges against Rousseff. Fitch Ratings has downgraded the rating assigned to the senior secured pass-through notes issued by Brazil Loan Trust I (the issuer) as follows:

--USD661.9 million notes to 'BBsf' from 'BB+sf'; Outlook Negative.

The transaction is a pass-through securitization of a 10-year amortizing loan originated by Bank of America N.A. ('A+'/ Outlook Stable) to the Brazilian State of Maranhao ('BB-'/ Outlook Negative). The loan is guaranteed on an unconditional and irrevocable basis by the Federative Republic of Brazil ('BB'/ Outlook Negative).

For the third time since 2015, a Brazilian state judge has ordered a complete shut down on WhatsApp by forcing operators to block the service nationwide for 72 hours, and thus killing the main means of communication of 91% of the country's mobile users.

The main question is why. Due to legal secrecy in the country, the details aren't released, but it appears that this isn't related to the first two bans in February of 2015 (issued by judge Luiz de Moura Correia from the state of Piauí) and December of 2015 (issued by a São Paulo judge). This time, it's judge Marcel Maia Montalvão, from a small town in the Sergipe state, the same judge who ordered the arrest of Facebook's vice president for Latin America, Diego Dzodan, over failure to comply with judicial orders in a drug trafficking case; an order that was later overturned by appellate court.

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Oil prices slumped nearly 4 percent after a weekend meeting of oil-producing nations failed to result in an agreement to curb production.

A law enforcement agency wants to close down a Moscow library.

Moscow authorities have cancelled an order that would have seen the closure of close down a Moscow library.

A kidnapping in Moscow involving a Bentley turns out to be a prank.

A group of young men suspected of kidnapping a woman in the trunk of her Bentley Continental (an expensive luxury car) in the center of Moscow in broad daylight have told police the whole thing was a hoax “to test the vigilance of the capital's inhabitants.

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McDonald’s is to open 1 250 new restaurants in China over the next five years as it focuses on high-growth markets to boost sales. This would make China the fast food chain’s second-largest market after the US.

It’s said that Chinese will eat anything on the earth. Foreigners who travel to China are often shocked by weird things they have never eaten before.

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India's government has unveiled a budget aimed at boosting farm growth and appealing to the rural poor. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said he planned to double the income of struggling farmers in the next five years. Having overtaken China as the world's fastest-growing economy, India is seen as a bright spot in the global economy.

Open defecation is a serious problem in India. The percentage of population practising open defecation in southern Asia was 34 percent in 2015. However, without taking India in this calculation, the same number, i.e., southern Asia minus India drastically drops down to eight percent.

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"Our armed forces must always be ready to respond quickly and adequately to any potential threats, stop any provocation and aggressive actions," during a gala event dedicated to the upcoming holiday.

The authorities in Moscow have defended their right to demolish small businesses they say are illegal and unsafe. Last week they sent bulldozers to flatten hundreds of companies. Supporters of the move say the buildings were ugly and there is a need for more urban space. But angry business owners accuse the authorities of flouting the constitution.

A top Russian museum struggled to control record crowds as thousands rushed to see a 19th-century art exhibition, queueing outside in freezing temperatures to see the show before it closes Sunday and even breaking a door. The exhibition of paintings by Valentin Serov, renowned for his society portraits, broke attendance records at Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery. 'This exhibition broke all records with over 400,000 visitors.

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Growth expectations for South Africa have tumbled in recent weeks as the government struggles with growing budget and trade gaps. Brazil walked a similar path a couple of years ago – but can South Africa draw any lessons from that spectacular fall? Economists nearly halved their 2016 GDP growth forecasts in January alone to a median 0.9 percent, from 1.6 percent in December. Such a souring in expectations is extraordinarily fast according to Reuters Polls data, which usually show incremental change over such a short period of time.

Brazil’s school feeding program first started in 1954 to address child hunger and improve school attendance. “At the beginning it was about a matter of feeding kids to go to school,” says Eduardo Manyari, an international adviser to the National School Feeding Program. “Some of them were very hungry. Through this action, they attended school more often.” Back then, the program was targeted to only the poorest parts of the country. In 2003, it was made a part of the national Zero Hunger Program to reduce hunger and ensure food security. At the time it was estimated that 44 million people, or 28 percent of the total population of Brazil, made less than $1 a day. But as the Zero Hunger Program brought down levels of poverty and hunger, overweight and obesity-related health problems began to rise.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who just concluded his visit to four African countries, has for three consecutive years chosen Africa as the destination for his first trip abroad each year. This shows the great importance China attaches to the vast African continent. This year's trip took Wang to Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6. For 26 consecutive years, Chinese foreign ministers have visited Africa at the beginning of the year.

China’s foreign-exchange reserves shrank to the smallest since 2012, indicating that the central bank sold dollars as the Yuan’s retreat to a five-year low exacerbated depreciation pressure. The world’s largest currency hoard decreased by $99.5 billion in January to $3.23 trillion, according to a People’s Bank of China statement released on Sunday

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India, a country grappling with violence against women, has one of the highest rates of acid attacks in the world – about 350 cases were officially reported in 2014. Their faces scarred, most acid attack survivors virtually “disappear” from society. But a cafe in the tourist hub of Agra, Sheroes Hangout, is helping them return to the mainstream by winning social acceptance for them.

In 2013, the Indian Supreme Court shocked the nation and the world by re-criminalizing homosexuality. Decades of progress, which had culminated in a 2009 ruling by a lower court to legalize same-sex activities, were swept away by the odd decision to reinstate a ban first imposted by British Colonial authorities in 1860. Tomorrow holds hope for change, however, as India's supreme judicial body is set to revisit the issue. Activists are hoping that the Supreme Court, which is known for its progressive approach to civil rights and the rights of minority groups, will rectify what many have interpreted as a gross affront to human dignity in the world's largest democracy. 

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France hopes that international sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine will be lifted "this summer," French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. The Minsk peace deal is a package of measures agreed by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia in the Belarusian capital. The accords, finalised in early 2015, effectively brought hostilities in Ukraine to an end after more than 9,000 people were killed in a civil war that broke out the previous April.

Art experts are examining a painting held in a private collection in St Petersburg they believe might be a second version of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. And leading Mona Lisa scholars say the similarities in colours, which are being examined using infra-red technology, hold the key to determining if the Russian painting is in fact another da Vinci.

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In the space of just two days three former Brazilian presidents have been dragged into the investigation into a huge kickback scheme in the state-run oil firm Petrobras. According to informer Nestor Cerveró, the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, bitter adversary of President Dilma Rousseff, received “a US$100-million bribe” to get Petrobras to purchase of private Argentine oil company Perez Companc. But with the country stuck in a deep recession, unemployment and inflation rising, and President Dilma Rousseff’s government mired in the biggest corruption scandal in the country’s history, Brazilians are in no mood to party.

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Chinese shares have risen on the first day of trade since the lifting of a "circuit breaker" mechanism, which had been introduced to prevent sharp falls. Regulators stepped in after big losses in the mainland markets had led trade to be suspended twice this week.

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