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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Never mind what you heard — the BRICS summit failed before it began
The BRICS are falling apart. The promising economic group — originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has increased both its membership and its internal rivalries. And the leaders of Russia and China, the group's two superpowers, are not expected to attend this weekend's Summit in Rio de Janeiro. China's authoritarian government is going through a rough patch, and I'm not talking about the Chinese real estate crisis, its lack of purchasing power, its high youth unemployment, low population growth or the economic slowdown that makes its recent 10 percent annual growth feel like a distant memory. No, the new crisis is linked to a strange earthquake prompted by President Xi Jinping, who often disappears for several weeks at a time and announces the renewal of an anti-corruption fight to purge 'undisciplined' military personnel or eliminate potential political adversaries. Gen. Miao Hua, vice admiral the People's Liberation Army, is one of the latest top officials to be purged by the political and military architecture of the Communist regime. Miao was a senior admiral and the director of the political work department of the Central Military Commission, which helps ensure loyalty within the armed forces. Xi's political maneuvers also affect generals and scientists in missiles, nuclear programs and aerospace. China plays a divisive and discordant role in BRICS. Its ambition for greater power and promotion of its geopolitical strategy against the West has led it to double the number of BRICS members, regardless of factors such as economic strength, political stability or positive contributions to the group. In this pursuit, countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Iran have joined as new members. China has also weakened BRICS through its rivalry with India. China maintains close political, military and commercial ties with Pakistan, India's main adversary. Added to this, a silent trade war has deepened, in which China hinders India's industry, generating tensions between two countries. The other BRICS members are not exempt from challenges and confrontations. After President Trump's return to the White House, the so-called leadership of the Global South appears divided and defeated. In April, the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Summit failed to pass a joint resolution, unable to reach agreements to promote the integration of Brazil and South Africa as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The meeting was a bust. The BRICS conflicts do not end there. Vladimir Putin cannot attend Rio in person because there is an international arrest warrant out for him for war crimes in Ukraine. Iran and Saudi Arabia are not necessarily best friends; Ethiopia and Egypt have a tense relationship over the Nile. And the list goes on. The host country, Brazil, also has its own valley of shadows. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has lost international support due to his radical pro-Iran and pro-Russia stances. Domestically, polls show Lula with only 28 percent approval. The Brazilian economy is a disaster, with high interest rates that make credit more expensive, reduce consumption and slow growth. Brazil seeks to promote the candidacy of a woman for U.N. Secretary General and, at the local level, Lula has expressed potential interest in a fourth presidential term to 'prevent the return of the right.' BRICS has utterly failed to break the hegemony of the dollar, and the New Development Bank is a white elephant that lacks the resources or financial strength of Western, U.S.-backed institutions such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. The BRICS summit has already failed before its launch. Perhaps we can expect some agreements on artificial intelligence, the promotion of renewable energy and a general, watered-down call for dialogue and peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. But there won't be much more than that — it's just another brick in the wall. Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, and a former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps. He is an alumnus of the National Defense University's Security and Defense Seminar and the Harvard Leadership course.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After 32 years, this S.F. restaurant family is back with a new contemporary Vietnamese spot
Life wasn't easy for Dennis Wong after the fall of Saigon. He abandoned his family's noodle business, fled Vietnam, was robbed by pirates and lived in a Malaysian refugee camp for two years before making it to San Francisco. Then he met his future wife, Annie Wong of Hong Kong. Together, they opened a restaurant together on Clement Street: Le Soleil, which would go on to be a treasured Vietnamese staple for over 30 years. Now, the restaurant has expanded with a second San Francisco location in Stonestown Galleria. This newest rendition of Le Soleil also has two more creative forces: the Wong's daughters, Bianca and Kandyce. They grew up working in the original restaurant, and after years of exploring their own passions, they've returned to put a modern spin on the family business. This is the latest example in San Francisco of a second generation stepping in to preserve their family's legacy through food. Last year, New Song Hong Kong in Chinatown reopened following four years of closure, thanks to the efforts of the owners' adult children. In 2022, the son of the Bodega Bistro family — with pandan cocktails and caviar. Bianca and her father teamed up on a new menu for Stonestown that features a mix of classic and contemporary dishes, such as the Blue Shrimp Aguachile, a Mexican-inspired raw shrimp with Thai chile sauce. Her time working at other San Francisco restaurants — the now-closed Farallon, which specialized in seafood, and Abacá, which has gained national attention for its contemporary Filipino cuisine — gave her a different perspective, she said. 'I wanted this menu to reflect who Kandyce and I are as people,' she said. 'We definitely wanted more contemporary things on it, things that felt like it reflected the fact that we grew up in San Francisco where there's just so many cultures.' One of the most ordered items since its opening two weeks ago is the Pho Risotto, a twist on the Vietnamese soup typically made from beef stock. Instead of noodles, the carb of the dish is a creamy risotto, and in lieu of sliced beef, a flavorful beef rib is placed on top along with pickled Fresno peppers. An unexpected highlight is the chimichurri — a bright green, zesty addition whose acidity pairs well with pho's beefiness. Bianca first got inspiration for the dish after a trip to Vietnam with Dennis in 2019. They went out for pho together one morning, and Dennis, speaking in Chinese, went through different ingredients that might be added to the dish. One such ingredient was huángyóu, which Bianca translated as butter — a strange addition to pho, she thought at the time. She decided to try it, playing around with a dish that could combine a carb, broth and butter. Eventually, the pho risotto was born. Earlier this year, when finalizing the dish, she realized she had made a mistake: Although huángyóu indeed can mean butter, it also can mean bone marrow. Dennis meant the latter. 'So that dish really just came because my Chinese is not as good as we thought it was,' Bianca said. The menu also offers a variety of classic Vietnamese dishes, such as Lap Mei, a rice bowl with pork jowl, sausage, vegetables and a runny egg. The signature quail, which is flambéd tableside with rum and served with lemon pepper sauce, is a repeat item menu from the original location. In the next few weeks, the new Le Soleil will also offer a full bar and cocktail menu created by Spencer Vivos, the bar manager of Abacá. There's Vietnamese coffee and egg foam in the espresso martini, and makrut lime leaf and lemongrass in the margarita. If you visit the Stonestown location, whose opening in mid-June attracted guests such as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, you'll probably see Annie, the matriarch and restaurant designer, greeting guests. Annie designed the first location with limited freedom to customize it, she said. The old space is smaller, darker and more traditional to Vietnamese culture. With 88 seats, she's used this bigger space to create a calm, minimalist atmosphere filled with live trees and flowers, walnut wood and cream walls. Kandyce, who also helps out with front of house, designed the menus and uniforms. The menus feature red accents and a Chinese stamp that translates to 'sun,' and the uniforms come in multiple colors with Le Soleil's classic sun logo. Her designs are inspired by Chinese brush painting, which she did with her sisters growing up. Le Soleil is one of several restaurants that have opened at the Stonestown Galleria in the past few years, increasing traffic to the mall. Other popular businesses include Marugame Udon, YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea and Kura Revolving Sushi Bar. '[Stonestown] has become kind of like a food hub here, especially for Asian food, and that was just something we wanted to be part of,' Bianca said. With this new edition of Le Soleil, the entire family is able to build on the legacy that Dennis and Annie started over three decades ago. 'I think we all balance each other out a lot, the four of us,' Kandyce said. 'It just makes sense.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US Adds 147,000 Jobs in June, Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.1%
US job growth exceeded expectations for a fourth straight month in June as nonfarm payrolls increased 147,000 and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%. Michael McKee breaks down the numbers on Bloomberg Television. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
