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Rescue teams in Pakistan worked in searing heat and humidity on Saturday to recover residents trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed, killing 16 people.Authorities said the building had been declared unsafe and eviction notices were sent to occupants over three years, but landlords and some residents told AFP they had not received them.Residents reported hearing cracking sounds shortly before the apartment block crumbled around 10:00 am on Friday in Karachi’s impoverished Lyari neighbourhood, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.The death toll stood at 16 on Saturday, with 13 injured, according to Summiaya Syed, a police surgeon for the provincial health department.”My daughter is under the rubble,” 54-year-old Dev Raj told AFP at the scene.”She was my beloved daughter. She was so sensitive but is under the burden of debris. She got married just 6 months ago.”Rescue teams worked throughout the night, and families said that at least eight people were still believed to be trapped as temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday morning.A senior district government official, Javed Nabi Khoso,said that notices had been served in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to occupants.”We don’t want to impose our orders by force. We work in phases and send them notices to leave the building. They didn’t take the notices seriously,” he told AFP.But Imran Khaskheli, an owner and resident watching the rescue operation on Saturday, denied receiving notices.”Do you think we are out of our senses to stay in an unsafe building with our families?” he said.He told AFP he had seen cracks in the pillars of the building early on Friday morning.”I knocked on all the doors and asked families to leave immediately,” he said, adding that around 40 families lived in the building but that many did not heed his warning.More than 50 buildings in the district have been declared unsafe, with six evacuated since yesterday, according to Khoso. – ‘We are helpless’ -Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, leading the government’s 1122 rescue service at the scene, told AFP the operation was expected to continue into Saturday evening.Many of the victims are believed to be women, who are more likely to be at home during the day.All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari’s family were in their first-floor apartment when he left for work early in the morning.”Nothing is left for me now — my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he said on Friday.Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, told AFP her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble.”It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she said.”We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”Shankar Kamho, a 30-year-old resident, was out at the time when his wife called to say the building was cracking.”I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP.”She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’,” he said.”Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.”

The Dalai Lama said Saturday he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday.Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death.Many exiled Tibetans fear China will name its own successor to the Dalai Lama, to bolster control over a territory it poured troops into in 1950 and has ruled ever since. “So far, I have done my best and with the continued blessings of Avalokiteshvara (a Buddhist spiritual protector), I hope to live another 30 or 40 years, continuing to serve sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma”, he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha.Followers of the Dalai Lama laud his tireless campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, a vast high-altitude plateau about the size of South Africa.- ‘Experience happiness’ -But speaking at the main temple in the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades — after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959 — he offered teachings to a far wider audience.”In my life, I have encountered people from all walks of life, those with faith in religion and others with no interest in it at all. This is only natural, as individuals have different mental dispositions”, he said, speaking in Tibetan.”Yet, the common desire shared by all, including the Tibetan people, is the wish to avoid suffering and to experience happiness.”The charismatic Buddhist had previously said the institution would continue only if there was popular demand — and his confirmation on Wednesday it would has reassured followers around the globe.He said he had received multiple appeals from Tibetans in Tibet and in exile, as well as from Buddhists from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China.He said responsibility for identifying the 15th Dalai Lama “will rest exclusively” with his office, the India-based Gaden Phodrang Trust.Self-declared atheist and Communist China, which condemns the Nobel Peace Prize winner as a rebel and separatist, issued a swift response.China said on Wednesday that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “must be approved by the central government” in Beijing, and that it would be carried out “by drawing lots from a golden urn”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.That urn is held by Beijing, and the Dalai Lama has already warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality”.India and China are intense rivals competing for influence across South Asia, but have sought to repair ties after a 2020 border clash.New Delhi’s foreign minister said it had “always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so”.- ‘Struggle’ -The birthday celebrations have also been a time for reflection on an inevitable future without the Dalai Lama.”Seeing him turn 90 today fills me with happiness, but also a deep sadness,” said Dorje Dolma, 27, who fled Tibet to India.”His Holiness has always felt like a father figure to me,” she added. “His good health brings me joy, but his age sometimes worries me.”Hollywood star Richard Gere, a longtime backer of the Tibetans in exile, has been among the tens of thousands taking part in days of celebrations.”There’s something about this Tibetan cause that touches people, and certainly, a central part of that is His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Gere said during celebrations on Thursday.”Which begs the question: What do we do when we don’t have His Holiness to open those doors? He’s not there to carry us. And we struggle with that, all of us now.”

Russia’s decision to formally recognise the Taliban government has been seen as an opening for a stronger economy by some Afghans, while others were sceptical that it would improve their lot.Russia became the first country to acknowledge the Taliban authorities on Thursday, after a gradual building of ties that included removing their “terrorist organisation” designation and accepting an ambassador in recent months. The Taliban authorities had not been recognised by any state in the nearly four years since sweeping to power in 2021, ousting the foreign-backed government as US-led troops withdrew after a two-decade war.Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world and in a fragile recovery from four decades of conflict.”With the current situation in Afghanistan, with all the challenges, everyone is worried. If the world recognises Afghanistan, we will be happy, currently, even the tiniest thing matters,” Gul Mohammad, 58, said on Friday in the capital Kabul.Despite having bitter memories of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, when he “lost everything” and became a refugee in Pakistan, he acknowledges that “the priorities are different now”.Jamaluddin Sayar, 67, predicted that “trade and economic prosperity will now blossom”. The retired pilot said other countries, “both western and eastern”, should recognise the government and “stop spreading propaganda against the Islamic Emirate”, using the Taliban authorities’ name for their administration. – Won’t ‘lead to anything’ -Russian and Afghan officials praised the move as an opening for deeper cooperation, notably in economic and security arenas.Security concerns have been a key avenue for coordination between the Taliban authorities and the international community, amid fears Afghanistan would become fertile ground for increased militant activity.The authorities have prioritised security and made repeated assurances that Afghan soil would not be used by any group to plan attacks on other nations. However, Pakistan’s ties with the Taliban authorities have been strained over a surge in militant activity since their takeover and last year, an attack claimed by the Islamic State group’s branch in Afghanistan killed 137 people in a Moscow concert hall.In a country where dissent and protest is tightly controlled, some Kabul residents were afraid to openly criticise the Taliban authorities.Atef, not his real name, was unconvinced better relations between Afghanistan and Russia would improve the livelihoods of ordinary Afghans.”I think Afghanistan will fall into the traps of the Russians again, the issues and challenges will increase, and there is nothing that can help ordinary people,” the unemployed 25-year-old said.”People are struggling, and they will still struggle with or without the recognition.”For Afghan women’s rights activists, particularly those who have advocated for isolating the Taliban government, the recognition was seen as a setback that “legitimises” restrictions on women.The Taliban authorities, who also ruled the country between 1996 and 2001, have again imposed an austere version of Islamic law.Norway-based Afghan women’s rights activist Hoda Khamosh was defiant against the impact of the Russian move.”Human rights organisations right now are trying to recognise gender apartheid in Afghanistan because the Taliban are a repressive regime against women,” she said.”Therefore, these recognitions will not lead to anything.” 

Rescue teams pulled more bodies from the rubble of a five-storey building collapse in Pakistan overnight, taking the toll on Saturday to 14 as the recovery operation continued for a second day.The residential block crumbled shortly after 10:00 am on Friday in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, leading the government’s 1122 rescue service at the scene, told AFP the operation continued through the night “without interruption”.”It may take eight to 12 hours more to complete,” he said.Police official Summiaya Syed, at a Karachi hospital where the bodies were received, told AFP that the death toll on Saturday morning stood at 14, half of them women, with 13 injured.Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP.All six members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari’s family were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning.”Nothing is left for me now — my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he told AFP on Friday afternoon.Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble.”It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she told AFP.”We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside.He described how his wife called him in a panic that the building was cracking.I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP at the scene.”She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’,” he said.”Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.”

BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry Donald Trump’s hardline trade policies, but are struggling to bridge divides over crises roiling the Middle East.Emerging nations representing about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output are set to unite over what they see as unfair US import tariffs, according to sources familiar with summit negotiations.Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive tariffs.His latest salvo comes in the form of letters due to be sent starting Friday informing trading partners of new tariff rates expected next week on July 9.Diplomats from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been busy drafting a statement condemning the economic uncertainty.Any final summit declaration is not expected to mention the United States or its president by name. But it is expected to be a clear political shot directed at Washington.”We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University said.This is particularly the case for China, which has only recently negotiated with the US to lower steep tit-for-tat levies.”This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies, Fernandez said.- Xi no show -Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power.But the summit’s political punch will be depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.”I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Hass said  Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that India’s prime minister will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said.”I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run.- Middle path -Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel is also skipping the meeting. A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were still in disagreement over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel.  Iranian negotiators are pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully.Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit.Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch.But it has also opened many new fault lines.Brazil hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.”BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.

BRICS leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday, with the bloc depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years.The grouping — often seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power — meets as members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the United States.Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest.China has not said why Xi will miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2012.”I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.So too will Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel. Hass said that Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that India’s prime minister will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said. “I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year.Lula is expected to run again for an unprecedented fourth term in office.- ‘Cautious tone’ -For BRICS leaders who do make the trip to the “cidade maravilhosa” — the marvelous city — the economy will be top of the agenda.Lula on Friday defended the idea of finding an alternative to the dollar for trade among BRICS nations.”I know it is complicated. There are political problems,” Lula said at a BRICS banking event. “But if we do not find a new formula, we are going to finish the 21st century the way we started the 20th.”But with many, including China, locked in difficult trade negotiations with the United States, they may be wary of roiling the mercurial US president.President Donald Trump has warned that starting Friday, countries will receive letters stating the amount their exports to the United States will be tariffed.He has also threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that challenge the dollar’s international dominance.”We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University, told AFP.This is particularly the case for China, she said: “This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies.On a range of other issues, from the Middle East to climate, BRICS members will have to overcome deep-seated differences.- Consensus-building difficult -Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch. The BRICS now represent nearly half of the world’s population and 40 percent of its GDP. But it has also opened many new fault lines, not least over how strongly to challenge the United States.This expansion “makes it all the more difficult to build a strong consensus,” said Fernandez.BRICS members did not issue a strong statement on the Iran-Israel conflict and subsequent US military strikes due to their “diverging” interests, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.Brazil, nevertheless, hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.”BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.Artificial intelligence and global governance reform will also be on the menu.

Trinidad and Tobago on Friday bestowed its highest honor on visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to strengthen New Delhi’s ties with the Caribbean and Latin America.Modi arrived Friday in the country, where more than a third of the population is of Indian descent.President Christine Carla Kangaloo gave him the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago at a ceremony at President’s House in St Ann’s, just outside the capital Port of Spain — the first time a foreign leader was so honored. “This honor is a symbol of the deep and eternal friendship between our two countries,” Modi said, according to an official translation. Relations between India and Trinidad and Tobago date back to 1845, when indentured Indian laborers first arrived to work on sugar and cocoa plantations under British colonial rule, following the end of slavery. Between 1845 and 1917, more than 140,000 laborers settled in the Caribbean nation.The Indian community is now the country’s largest ethnic group, at 35.4 percent of the population of 1.4 million. Black Trinidadians are the second largest group at 34.2 percent.”It is a matter of great pride that the Indian community here continues to preserve our shared traditions, culture and customs with such care and devotion,” Modi said. He called Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar “the biggest brand ambassadors of this community.””Our relationship carries the excitement of cricket and the flavor of Trinidad pepper,” Modi said, calling Trinidad and Tobago a vital partner for New Delhi.”India and Trinidad & Tobago rose from the shadows of colonial rule to write our destiny of progress. Our nations stand tall as proud democracies and pillars of strength in the modern world,” Modi wrote on X.”It’s high time we all work together to give the Global South its rightful seat at the high table.”During his time in Port of Spain, Modi addressed the Trinidadian parliament and signed memorandums of understanding with Persad-Bissessar.Devant Maharaj, a former government minister and leader of the nation’s largest Hindu organization, called Modi a “hero” and hailed the visit.But Trinidad’s largest Muslim organization questioned the decision to honor Modi, citing his human rights record.He will next visit Argentina and Brazil, where a BRICS summit will take place on Sunday and Monday. 

A five-storey building collapsed in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least eight people and injuring nine others, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for more trapped victims.The incident happened shortly after 10:00 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan. Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP. Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside.”I got a call from my wife saying the building was cracking and I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP at the scene.”She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’. Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.” The Sindh provincial health department said the death toll had risen to eight killed and nine injured late Friday.The search for survivors continued into the night, with relatives gathered near the site waiting for news. Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be “at least eight to 10 more people still trapped”, describing it as a “worn-out building”.- Race against time -Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way.All six family members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning.”Nothing is left for me now — my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he told AFP.Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble.”It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she told AFP.”We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city.Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.

Jamie Smith made the highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper of 184 not out and Harry Brook passed 150 again but India still ended Friday’s third day of the second Test at Edgbaston with a lead of over 200 runs.England were in dire straits at 84-5, more than 500 runs behind, when Smith joined forces with Brook in just the second over of the day’s play.They came together after Mohammed Siraj had taken two wickets in two balls, including removing Ben Stokes for the first golden duck of the England captain’s Test career.  But England’s sixth-wicket duo went on to add 303 runs before Brook fell for 158.And by the time England were dismissed for 407, Smith had surpassed Surrey mentor Alec Stewart’s previous highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper of 173 against New Zealand at Auckland in 1997.But the new ball proved England’s undoing for the second time in the match as they lost their last five wickets for 20 runs. Siraj (6-70) and fellow paceman Akash Deep (4-88), in for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, did the damage between them in an England innings featuring six ducks. India, looking to level the series after last week’s five-wicket loss in the first Test at Headingley, led by 180 runs on first innings, with captain Shubman Gill’s superb 269 the cornerstone of their 587 all out.And they had extended that advantage to 244 runs at the close, with India 64-1 in their second innings after gifted left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose 28 featured six fours, was lbw to fast bowler Josh Tongue.A rueful Brook told Sky Sports: “Up until I got out I felt like we were almost clawing it back, but our tail had a collapse, as we saw with them (India).”Smith’s hundred was just the second of his 12-Test career following the 24-year-old’s 111 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last year and Brook forecast a glittering future for his team-mate.- ‘Phenomenal’ -“It was good to spend some time out there with Smudge (Smith), he’s got a long career ahead with England and he’s a phenomenal player,” said Brook.England resumed on 77-3, with Joe Root and Brook — the world’s two top-ranked Test batsmen — 18 not out and 30 not out.But Root soon glanced fast bowler Siraj to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.Next ball, Stokes was undone by a superb rising delivery from Siraj that he edged behind, reducing England to 84-5.Smith, however, survived the hat-trick by straight-driving Siraj for four.It was the start of a blistering 80-ball hundred that included 14 fours and three sixes as Smith joined a select group of batsmen to have made 100 runs before lunch in a session of Test cricket.India had rested Bumrah, the world’s number one ranked Test bowler, in order to protect the fast bowler’s fitness in a series where he is expected to feature in just three out of five matches.But in his absence, Smith smashed 22 runs in a single over from paceman Prasidh Krishna, including a six and four fours.Smith, showing no obvious ill effects from the strain of keeping wicket for 151 overs struck consecutive fours off experienced left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the last over before lunch to complete an astounding century.Brook, 91 not out at the interval went to a hundred after giving his wicket away on 99 in the first Test and went on to exceed 150 for the fifth time in his nine hundreds at this level.But Deep eventually broke through with the new ball by bowling Brook with a fine delivery that darted back off the seam. Deep also removed Chris Woakes for five on the Warwickshire all-rounder’s home ground. He had previously reduced England to 13-2 by dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks.Smith smashed Deep for six over long-on to raise England’s 400 but Siraj cleaned up the tail as Brydon Carse, Tongue and Shoaib Bashir failed to manage a run between them.

The BRICS nations will convene for a summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and Monday, with members hoping to weigh in on global crises while tiptoeing around US President Donald Trump’s policies.The city, with beefed-up security, will play host to leaders and diplomats from 11 emerging economies including China, India, Russia, South Africa and host Brazil, which represent nearly half of the world’s population and 40 percent of its GDP. Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will have to navigate the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will miss the summit for the first time.Beijing will instead be represented by Premier Li Qiang.Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is facing a pending International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, will not travel to Brazil, but is set to participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, fresh from a 12-day conflict with Israel and a skirmish with the United States, will also be absent, as will his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a Brazilian government source told AFP.Tensions in the Middle East, including Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, will weigh on the summit, as well as the grim anticipation of tariffs threatened by Trump and due next week.Trump said that starting Friday, his administration would send countries letters stating their tariff levels, as negotiations to avoid higher US levies enter the final stretch.- ‘Cautious’ -“We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University, told AFP.China, for example, “is trying to adopt a restrained position on the Middle East,” Fernandez said, pointing out that Beijing was also in tricky tariff negotiations with Washington.”This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies, the researcher said.BRICS members did not issue a strong statement on the Iran-Israel conflict and subsequent US military strikes due to their “diverging” interests, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.Brazil nevertheless hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.”BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.Lula on Friday again defended the idea of finding an alternative to the dollar for trade among BRICS nations.”I know it is complicated. There are political problems,” Lula said at a BRICS banking event. “But if we do not find a new formula, we are going to finish the 21st century the way we started the 20th.”- ‘Multilateralism’ -However, talks on this idea are likely dead in the water.For Fernandez, it is almost “forbidden” to mention the idea within the group since Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that challenge the dollar’s international dominance.Brazil, which later this year will host the COP30 UN climate conference, also hopes to find unity on the fight against climate change.Artificial intelligence and global governance reform will also be on the menu.”The escalation of the Middle East conflict reinforces the urgency of the debate on the need to reform global governance and strengthen multilateralism,” said foreign minister Vieira.Since 2023, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran and Indonesia have joined BRICS, formed in 2009 as a counter-balance to leading Western economies.But, as Fernandez points out, this expansion “makes it all the more difficult to build a strong consensus.”