A summit of leaders from the BRICS group of major emerging economies kicks off in Brazil Sunday – but without the top leader of its most powerful member.

By Lisandra Paraguassu RIO DE JANEIRO -Leaders of the growing BRICS group of developing nations were set to gather in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, calling for reform of traditional Western institutions while presenting the bloc as a defender of multilateralism in an increasingly fractured world.

The BRICS summit took place amid rising global tensions, including US-Israel strikes on Iran, the war in Ukraine, and the crisis in Gaza.