The 17th Brics summit has begun in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and leaders, including Prime Minister Modi and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa are in attendance. However, for the first time since taking power in 2012,

A summit of leaders from the BRICS group of major emerging economies kicks off in Brazil Sunday – but without the top leader of its most powerful member.

Xi Jinping skips BRICS Summit for the first time amid speculation of political turbulence in China and divisions between member nations over trade and strategic interests

RIO DE JANEIRO -Leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations condemned attacks on Iran, Gaza and Kashmir during their summit on Sunday, presenting the bloc as a defender of multilateral diplomacy while indirectly criticizing U.S. military and trade policy.

The BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indone

BRICS leaders set to discuss key global political issues in Rio de Janeiro, but questions over the bloc’s cohesion arise as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin opt to skip the summit.