In his closing column, T.N. Ninan looks back at the forecast that the BRICS economies would overtake the US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, and Italy, and how far that prophecy has been fulfilled.
At the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg this August, six countries -- Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia – were added to the grouping.
During a virtual meet, BRICS nations emphasised on ‘importance of preventing further destabilisation’ in the Middle East. PM Modi skipped the meeting, was represented by EAM Jaishankar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped BRICS-Plus virtual meet attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, & Lula da Silva of Brazil, among others.
In his letter, Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called BRICS a critical ‘post-Western alliance’. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also spoke to his Iranian counterpart Sunday.
India becoming a great power will depend on it continuing to do well economically, building a more capable defence industry & improving human development indicators, among other factors.
The Chinese statement reiterates Beijing’s position on delinking the border issue from the bilateral relationship. A détente at the BRICS summit was never in the offing.
If India is admitting new members in BRICS with caution, it's likely because the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is often perceived as China-centric.
Global South is the idea that India, or its leader, could be the leader of the rest. Narendra Modi has emerged as its most prominent and powerful global brand ambassador.
There can be some forward movement on LAC front just before G20 meet, it is learnt. An option under discussion is pullback of certain troops, equipment for building confidence.
Despite growing passenger volume, 11 out of 14 carriers reported losses in 2023-24. IndiGo recorded profit of Rs 8,167 crore, which reduced to Rs 7.253 crore in 2024-25.
Of the total package, $649 million will be utilised for additional hardware, software, and support services, and the remaining for Major Defence Equipment (MDE).
None of Pakistan’s PMs has lasted 5 years. That the current PM has given Asim Munir 5 years shows that of all military dictatorships history has seen, Pakistan’s is most creative.
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