BRICS Summit in Delhi draws Xi as Guterres pitches global reforms

Xi Jinping and Antonio Guterres are set to converge on New Delhi for the BRICS Summit. The meeting frames wider debates on global reform amid security, disaster and political crises across Asia.Image used for representational purposes onlyA series of international developments on Thursday centred on this week’s BRICS Summit in New Delhi, regional security, and major incidents in China, Nepal and Pakistan. China confirmed that President Xi Jinping will visit India for the 18th BRICS Summit, while the United Nations said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will use the platform to stress multipolarity and reforms of multilateral institutions, including the Security Council.Elsewhere, Bangladesh ruled out the possibility of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman travelling to India for the BRICS outreach, saying he was not invited to the summit. At the same time, state media in China reported that 25 people were killed in a cargo ship fire in Qingdao, and a US Department of Homeland Security advertisement asking "Mr Singh" to "self-deport" triggered a controversy.In Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry announced that Xi will visit India this week to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.From the United Nations, officials said Guterres will underscore the importance of multipolarity and the need to reform multilateral institutions to reflect contemporary realities when he addresses the BRICS Summit in India later this week. In Dhaka, Bangladesh ruled out Rahman’s visit to India this week, saying he was not invited to the BRICS Summit and that the invitation had instead been extended to the BIMSTEC Chair.In Paris, an official announcement said India and France are stepping up cooperation in the space sector. Companies from the two countries signed three new agreements covering satellite launches, space surveillance and microsatellite technology. In Washington, a US nonprofit policy think tank said India’s nuclear arsenal is estimated at 190 warheads, including 30 additional warheads for new missiles under production.In another development in the US, an advertisement posted by the Department of Homeland Security asking "Mr Singh" to "self-deport" sparked a row, with advocacy groups calling it racist and anti-American.In China, state media said 25 people were killed and five others injured after a fire broke out on a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs in the eastern port city of Qingdao.In Lahore, some Afghan students filed a petition in a Pakistani court challenging the government’s move to expel them from medical and dental colleges and their "forced" repatriation to Afghanistan, amid strained ties between the two countries.In Islamabad, Pakistan described its trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a "defensive alliance" aimed at ensuring regional security primarily through deterrence, and ruled out any quick expansion of the pact.In Kathmandu, authorities said the death toll from flash floods in Nepal had risen to 1,377 as more bodies were recovered from affected districts, while rescue and search operations continued for more than 5,000 missing people.Taken together, the developments ranged from preparations for the BRICS Summit in India and related diplomatic messaging to security, disaster response and domestic controversies in several countries.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 10, 2026 20:12 IST