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Brazil proposes priorities for professional education in BRICS countries
Foreign

Brazil proposes priorities for professional education in BRICS countries

153 total views today

 

Members of the BRICS Bloc are taking steps to strengthen cooperation in the field of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a key tool for sustainable socio-economic development, according to the official website of the Brazilian Government.

The Brazilian Ministry of Education hosted a meeting of the BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance (BRICS TCA), which discussed expanding access to education, innovation, and training for skills in demand in the labour market.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Education, scientific institutions and international organisations of the BRICS countries.

The participants exchanged experiences in implementing vocational education programmes and identified priorities for further cooperation.

Francisco Figueiredo, Special Advisor to the Brazilian Minister of Education, emphasised the importance of the group as a platform for exchanging policies and best practices and establishing direct links between relevant
institutions in the participating countries.

Marcelo Bregagnoli, State Secretary for Technological and Professional Education of the Brazilian Ministry of Education, noted a significant increase in the number of students in this field. According to the 2024 census, more than 2.5 million schoolchildren are enrolled in secondary vocational education programmes, of which more than 1.5 million are in public institutions.

The meeting participants identified three priority areas: ensuring the quality and accessibility of education for young people, enhancing the role of vocational education in the economic development of BRICS countries.

It also underscored the introduction of new technologies and innovative methods in education as one of the priority areas.

Chinese representative Zhai Jinming noted that BRICS TCA has become an important platform for deepening cooperation between countries in the field of vocational education.

He expressed confidence that student and teacher exchanges as well as joint research and training programmes will expand.

Representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and the UAE also participated in the discussions. (TV BRICS/NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Brazil unveils AI development programme at BRICS forum
Foreign

Brazil unveils AI development programme at BRICS forum

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Brazil has launched artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives at the BRICS High Level Forum on AI, co-organised with China.

The event discussed the prospects for technological development and cooperation in the Global South.

This was reported by the press service of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Brazil’s Secretary of Science and Technology for Digital Transformation Henrique Miguel presented the national programme on AI, focused on ethical, sustainable and independent development of technologies.

He said the strategy included the launch of one of the five most powerful supercomputers in the world, powered by renewable energy, as well as the creation of high-performance processors in collaboration with international partners.

“Our goal is to provide Brazil with advanced infrastructure, train highly skilled professionals, and stimulate innovation in strategic sectors,” Miguel said.

At the forum, representatives of the association’s countries presented key analytical documents, including a report on the prospects for AI development in BRICS countries and a compendium of AI products and applications.

The Brazilian side emphasised the importance of deepening cooperation in semiconductors, large language models, quantum technologies, and data management. (TV BRICS/NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

African countries showing strong interest in Iranian petrochemical exports – Official
Foreign

African countries showing strong interest in Iranian petrochemical exports – Official

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Iran’s annual petrochemical output has now surpassed 100 million tonnes, with projections indicating an expected rise to 131 million tonnes by 2029, according to an official.

The official who announced this at the third Iran-Africa cooperation conference, said the rise is expected to be supported by 67 new projects currently ongoing.

The official added that around 70 per cent of Iran’s petrochemical products are exported, a situation that has a significant potential to expand trade relations with African nations.

According to him, key areas of collaboration could include supplying petrochemical feedstocks as well as exporting urea and methanol, which are in high demand in Africa.

With 73 active petrochemical complexes and three dedicated power plants, Iran’s current nominal production capacity stands at 97 million tonnes.

An investment of 26 billion dollars in upcoming projects is expected to boost output to the projected 131 million tonnes annually within the next five years, as reported by Pars Today, a partner of TV BRICS.

In the past year, Iran’s petrochemical exports generated substantial revenue, including 2.8 billion dollars from polymers, 2.2 billion dollars from methanol, and 1.7 billion dollars from urea.

The official also expressed readiness to strengthen business and trade partnerships with African countries, emphasising mutual economic benefits. (TV BRICS/NAN) 

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Trade turnover between Russia, Kazakhstan jumps to bn
Foreign

Trade turnover between Russia, Kazakhstan jumps to $28bn

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Trade volume between Russia and Kazakhstan exceeded 28 billion dollars, while Russian exports increased by almost five per cent at the end of 2024, according to Kazinform, a partner of TV BRICS.

Kazinform said that the main growth emanated from machinery, transport, chemicals, and minerals.

More than 70 major investment projects with Russian participation are being implemented in Kazakhstan.

“We are talking about the automotive industry, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals, and digital technologies,” Kazinform reported an official as saying.

In addition, in 2024, the tourist flow between the countries exceeded 4.8 million trips, thus making Kazakhstan to become one of the three most popular foreign destinations for Russians. (TV BRICS/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

BRICS foreign ministers reaffirm commitment to strengthening security, economic, cultural cooperation
Foreign

BRICS foreign ministers reaffirm commitment to strengthening security, economic, cultural cooperation

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Foreign ministers of the member states of the BRICS bloc have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in three areas: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

A statement published on the official website of the Brazil’s BRICS Presidency, indicated that the ministers reaffirmed their commitment at a two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro with the participation of the BRICS member states.

The meeting, the statement further indicated, was held in an expanded format with representatives of the BRICS partner countries in attendance.

The ministers emphasised the key role of BRICS as the voice of the Global South.

The group expressed support for the idea of reforming the United Nations, including increasing the representation of developing countries in the UN Security Council of the global body.

The ministers favoured greater use of national currencies in mutual settlements, as well as the development of their own payment platforms.

The group acknowledged the important role of the New Development Bank (NDB) as a key financing instrument for emerging economies, its further expansion, and the re-election of Dilma Rousseff as President of the NDB.

The Leaders acknowledged the role of Artificial Intelligence in inclusive development and expressed their intention to assist developing countries in this area.

They also welcomed the work on an agreement to manage the data economy.

The ministers condemned, in strong terms, all forms of terrorism and, in particular, the attack in India on April 22 that killed at least 26 people.

They affirmed that the countries of the association would deepen cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

The foreign ministers welcomed the activities of the BRICS specialised working group and called for the finalisation and adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

They spoke in favour of the peaceful use of space, reliable and secure ICT environment and free access to reliable information, stressing the importance of digital literacy and agreed rules in cyberspace.

In addition, the ministers spoke out against cybercrime, reaffirmed the need for reform of the global financial architecture and the importance of the role of the G20.

Given the recent enlargement, they emphasised the importance of institutional strengthening of BRICS, including through the creation of a common database to facilitate access to relevant documents and background information.

The Heads of the ministries supported Brazil’s BRICS chairmanship.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had earlier held a news conference on the results of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

He said that the parties agreed to continue working with partner countries in various formats.

In addition, the ministers emphasised the importance of strengthening the role of the world majority in solving key problems. (TV BRICS/NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Egypt expresses interest in expanding cultural ties with BRICS
Foreign

Egypt expresses interest in expanding cultural ties with BRICS

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Egypt’s Ministry of Culture has expressed the desire to strengthen cultural cooperation with the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, among others.

Rania Abdel Latif, the Head of the cultural ministry’s Foreign Cultural Affairs Department, said this in an interview with the Middle East News Agency (MENA), a partner of TV BRICS.

Latif noted that since Egypt joined BRICS in 2024, culture has become one of the key areas of interaction.

She said that after the country joined the group, a national commission was formed, including representatives of various agencies.

According to her, Egypt was part of the recent meeting of the BRICS working group on culture chaired by Brazil, during which plans for 2025 were discussed.

She said at the meeting, Egypt shared its ideas on digitalisation of cultural content.

The spokesperson added that the country introduced the Green Cultural Economy initiative in 2022, aimed at communicating the impact of climate change on countries’ cultural heritage.

The News Agency of  Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Culture was held at the end of March with the main area of focus being the issue of restitution of cultural property.

The Egyptian delegation stressed that its home government was actively seeking the return of the country’s lost artefacts.

BRICS also has Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as member countries. (TV BRICS/NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

BRICS Group explores expanding flights between members
Foreign

BRICS Group explores expanding flights between members

289 total views today

The BRICS Working Group is looking closely at developing sustainable transport system and improving air connectivity between member countries of the bloc – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

A post hoisted on the official website of the Brazilian government indicated that meetings have been held and are still ongoing aimed at agreeing on priority topics to be presented at a BRICS Summit in July.

“The first technical meeting focused on sustainability initiatives implemented by the Brazilian government in various logistics sectors.

“Representatives of the Brazilian Ministry of Ports and Airports presented proposals to promote sustainable and resilient transport infrastructure with a focus on urban mobility.

“In the aviation sector, participants discussed the challenges of reducing emissions and implementing clean energy policies.

“To improve connectivity between member countries, technical experts are working to increase the number of flights between the group’s countries,” the government said.

The post affirmed that the decarbonisation of ports and maritime transport, including the use of clean, low-carbon fuels, in line with the targets set by the International Maritime Organization to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has also been discussed.

According to the post, the Brazilian group emphasised the importance of direct energy supply from ports to ships.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the roundtable was the first technical meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Transport chaired by Brazil, which started in January.

NAN further reports that two more meetings of the group are scheduled to hold in April and May this year.

Meanwhile, a ministerial meeting will be held in Brasilia in May to present the outcome of the meeting of the group. (TV BRICS/NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

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