JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were both absent as leaders from the BRICS group of emerging economies started a three-day summit in South Africa on Tuesday. His participation as the bloc named for member nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa opened its first in-person meeting since before the COVID-19 pandemic came in the form of a 17-minute prerecorded speech. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi planned to attend the summit. South Africa was added in 2010. Local officials said Putin would “virtually” attend a Tuesday welcome dinner hosted by South Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 22, 2023 10:57 UTC