The BRICS grouping of five major emerging economies--Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa--at the end of its meeting in Johannesburg announced its decision to invite six new members in 2024
The cost of hosting the 15th BRICS Summit was fully justified as it brought to the country great economic benefits, the government said in a statement on Thursday. The South African government spent over R104 million, or about 48 million US dollars, in hosting the summit this year in July. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in a statement on Thursday made the remark in reaction to the opposition Democratic Alliance claiming that the expenditure on BRICS could have been better spent on addressing the crippling cost of living crisis that South Africans are currently battling. DA MP Emma Louise Powell, who described the amount as "staggering," said it got even worse when it included an additional R75 million about 4 million US dollars spent by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on protecting attendees at the summit, despite most international delegations being accompanied by their respective national security agencies. "We now know that between SA
We should be able to discourage half-baked ideas like the BRICS currency or letting the grouping be hijacked to promote the Chinese yuan at the expense of the US dollar
The Brics leaders opposed trade barriers, including those under the pretext of tackling climate change, imposed by certain developed countries and reiterated their commitment to enhancing coordination
Catch all the latest updates from around the world here
Pakistan has tried to downplay the snub from the BRICS, saying it has not yet made a formal request to join it after the bloc ignored Islamabad when it announced its major expansion in years. On August 24, The leaders of the BRICS nations decided to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the new members of the grouping, sealing a long-drawn process. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch issued the details of her weekly briefing on Friday night, a day after the bloc of developing countries added new countries. We will examine the latest developments and make a determination about our future engagement with BRICS, Baloch said. To a query, if Pakistan was ignored by the bloc, she said Pakistan followed BRICS' developments in its latest summit in South Africa and also noted its openness to inclusive multilateralism. Pakistan is an ardent supporter of multilateralism and as a member of several multilateral organisations it has alw
Artworks and traditional items reflecting the diversity and richness of Indian heritage were the gifts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's choice for a number of world leaders during his visit to Johannesburg for the BRICS summit and then to Greece. He presented a pair of 'surahi' from Telangana to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a Nagaland shawl to his wife and first lady of the host country, officials said. They noted that the 'bidri vase' is a purely Indian innovation exclusive to Bidar, a Karnataka city. It is cast with an alloy of zinc, copper and other non-ferrous metals. Pretty patterns are engraved on the casting and inlaid with pure silver wire. The casting is then soaked in a solution mixed with the special soil of Bidar Fort which has special oxidising properties, they noted. This causes the zinc alloy to turn into a lustrous black, leaving the silver inlay intact to contrast stunningly with the black background, they added. The gift also carried silver ...
To be sure, the current rebalancing of the West's geopolitical and economic power has been overdue for more than a century, ever since Europe plunged into the first of its continental wars
Art works and traditional items reflecting Indian heritage were the gifts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's choice for some of the world leaders at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He presented a pair of 'surahi' from Telangana to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Nagaland shawl to his wife and the first lady of the host country, officials said. They noted that the 'bidri vase' is a purely Indian innovation exclusive to Bidar, a Karnataka city. It is cast with an alloy of zinc, copper and other non-ferrous metals. Pretty patterns are engraved on the casting and inlaid with pure silver wire. The casting is then soaked in a solution mixed with special soil of Bidar fort which has special oxidising properties, they noted. This causes the zinc alloy to turn into a lustrous black leaving the silver inlay intact to contrast stunningly with the black background, they added. The gift also carried silver 'nakkashi', whose patterns are first drawn on paper and then transferred on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday concluded a "very productive" visit to South Africa during which he attended the "historic" 15th BRICS Summit and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders to further cement India's relations with those countries. Modi arrived in South Africa on Tuesday for the first in-person BRICS Summit after three consecutive years of virtual meetings because of the Covid-19 pandemic. "PM @narendramodi wraps up a fruitful visit to South Africa that launched a new chapter in the BRICS journey. PM now emplanes for Greece for engagements with an important Mediterranean partner," Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi posted on X. "My visit to South Africa was a very productive one. The BRICS Summit was fruitful and historic as we welcomed new countries to this forum. We will keep working together for global good. My gratitude to President @CyrilRamaphosa, the people and Government of South Africa for their hospitality," Modi
The members countries announced the expansion of the grouping by adding six new countries - Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - into the fold
The leaders of the BRICS nations on Thursday decided to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the new members of the grouping, sealing a long-drawn process. The decision was announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at a joint media briefing along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The new members will become part of BRICS with effect from January 1, 2024, Ramaphosa announced. He said the decision on the new members were agreed upon after firming up the guiding principles, criteria and procedures for the expansion process. "We have consensus on the first phase of this BRICS expansion process," Ramaphosa said at the end of the grouping's summit in Johannesburg. "We have decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS," he said. "We value the interests of other countries
With the BRICS deciding to admit six countries as its new members, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the modernisation and expansion of the grouping is a message that all global institutions need to transform considering the changing times. At a media briefing along with the BRICS leaders in Johannesburg, Modi said admitting Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as new members will give new energy and direction to the grouping. The decision on expansion of the five-nation grouping was announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the end of the three-day BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He said the new member nations will become part of BRICS with effect from January 1, 2024. In his remarks, Modi said the decision to expand the grouping will also further strengthen the belief of many countries in a multipolar world. Modi made the remarks in his media statement in presence of Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazil
India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
Chandryaan-3 on Wednesday successfully performed a soft landing on the moon
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday exchanged views on bilateral, international issues.The two ministers met during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.The two exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral and international issues, interaction within the UN, G20 and BRICS, as well as discussed practical steps to further develop trade and economic cooperation, logistics and financial interaction, as per the Russian Foreign Ministry.EAM Jaishankar on Wednesday tweeted: "Pleased to meet FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. A useful discussion on recent global developments."Lavrov congratulated Jaishankar on the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon. The Foreign Ministers agreed to remain in contact.Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday told a summit of the BRICS grouping that Moscow wants to put an end to the "war unleashed by the West".He said, "The desire of a
Catch all the latest news updates LIVE from across the globe here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hoped that India's proposal to accord permanent membership of the G20 to the African Union will be supported by all the BRICS nations. In his address at the BRICS ((Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summit in Johannesburg, Modi said India is according "highest priority" to the issues of countries of the Global South under its G20 presidency. India is hosting the G20 summit on September 9 and 10. All the BRICS nations are permanent members of the G20. "We have also proposed to give permanent membership of G20 to the African Union. I am sure all the BRICS partners are also together in the G20 and all will support our proposal," Modi said. The African Union (AU) is an influential organisation consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African continent. In June, Modi wrote to the leaders of the G20 countries pitching for giving the African Union full membership of the grouping at its upcoming summit in New ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during which they reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties, exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues and also on ways to work jointly to strengthen the voice of the Global South. Modi met Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. "Both leaders reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations between the two countries and expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved in various fields including defence, agriculture, trade and investment, health, conservation and people-to-people ties," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release. Modi and Ramaphosa also exchanged views on continued coordination in multilateral bodies and regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Ramaphosa expressed full support for India's G20 presidency and appreciated India's initiative for giving the African Union full membership
PM Modi in a special message at the BRICS Business Forum on Tuesday said mutual trust and transparency can help create a big impact, especially in the Global South