Brics Summit 2023 Live Updates: Brics nations agree to expand developing world bloc

BRICS leaders meeting in South Africa this week will consider expanding the five-nation bloc at a time of great interest in the group that accounts for a quarter of global wealth.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is the target of an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Ukraine and will not attend in person, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sent on his behalf.

BRICS leaders meet in South Africa on Tuesday as the loose association of major emerging economies seeks to assert its voice as a counterweight to Western dominance in global affairs. The so-called BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- represent a quarter of the global economy, and interest in joining the club has surged ahead of its three-day summit in Johannesburg. Security has been bolstered across the city where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will host China's President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and some 50 other leaders.

President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and South Africa were "standing at a new historical starting point" as he met his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on a visit to attend a BRICS summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be notably absent when Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders from the BRICS group of emerging economies start a three-day summit in South Africa on Tuesday.

The temple is built on a 14.5 acre size plot of land, housing a 34,000 square metre cultural centre, 3000 seater auditorium, 2000 seater banqueting hall, a research institute, classrooms, exhibition and recreational centers, among others.

Indian community in South Africa will showcase the 3D image of the under construction Swaminarayan Temple in Johannesburg to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in Johannesburg for the BRICS summit.

As South Africa holds the presidency of the 15th BRICS Summit, the footfall of global leaders in Johannesburg has begun.Security arrangements have been tightened at places near the convention centre and the city is decked up with posters and banners of the BRICS Summit.

Leaders of the BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are due to open a summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday where they will weigh expanding membership as some members push to forge the bloc into a counterweight to the West.