Beijing

China has confirmed that Premier Li Qiang will attend the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 5 to 8, marking a notable departure as President Xi Jinping will not participate for the first time in 12 years. The summit arrives at a pivotal moment following BRICS’ expansion to include five new members, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, enhancing the bloc’s influence among emerging economies. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend.

In a strongly worded address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) security summit in Beijing, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval pressed member nations to abandon selective approaches in combating terrorism. Alluding pointedly to Pakistan’s track record of fostering cross-border terrorism, Doval described such acts as crimes against humanity and called for the prosecution of all entities and individuals listed under UN sanctions, including LeT and JeM.