Anwar meets top officials from Shanghai-based New Development Bank
Anwar met the Shanghai-based NDB delegation, led by its president Dilma Rousseff, on the sidelines of the BRICS Leaders' Summit being held here.
NDB is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS nations.
It currently has 11 members, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Colombia and Uzbekistan.
Malaysia's participation in the summit is in its capacity as a BRICS partner country and as Asean chair.
Malaysia officially became a BRICS partner country on Jan 1 this year.
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The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump threatens extra 10% tariffs on BRICS as leaders meet in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO: President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries aligning themselves with the 'Anti-American policies' of the BRICS group of developing nations, whose leaders kicked off a major summit in Brazil on Sunday. With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive 'America First' approach of the U.S. president, BRICS is presenting itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars. In opening remarks to the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew a parallel with the Cold War's Non-Aligned Movement, a group of developing nations that resisted joining either side of a polarized global order. 'BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement,' Lula told leaders. 'With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again.' In a joint statement released on Sunday afternoon, the group warned the rise in tariffs threatens global trade, continuing the group's veiled criticism of Trump's U.S. tariff policies. Hours later, Trump warned he would punish countries seeking to join with the grouping. 'Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump did not clarify or expand on the 'Anti-American policies' reference in his post. Trump's administration is seeking to finalize dozens of trade deals with a wide range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant 'retaliatory tariffs'. BRICS nations now represent more than half the world's population and 40% of its economic output, Lula noted in remarks on Saturday to business leaders, warning of rising protectionism. The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as members. This is the first summit of leaders to include Indonesia. More than 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners. GROWING CLOUT, COMPLEXITY Expansion of the BRICS has added diplomatic weight to the gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations across the Global South, strengthening calls for reforming global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council and the International Monetary Fund. 'If international governance does not reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to help bring it up to date,' Lula said in his remarks, which highlighted the failure of U.S.-led wars in the Middle East. Urging the BRICS to take the lead on reforms, Lula reflected on the G20 summit hosted in the same locale last November: 'In a short period of time, the international scene has deteriorated to the point that some of the initiatives we approved then would no longer be possible now.' Stealing some thunder from this year's summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to send his premier in his place. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending online due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Still, several heads of state were gathered for discussions at Rio's Museum of Modern Art on Sunday and Monday, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, there are questions about the shared goals of an increasingly heterogeneous BRICS group, which has grown to include regional rivals along with major emerging economies. In the joint statement, the leaders called attacks against Iran's 'civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities' a 'violation of international law.' The group expressed 'grave concern' for the Palestinian people over Israeli attacks on Gaza, and condemned what the joint statement called a 'terrorist attack' in India-administered Kashmir. The group voiced its support for Ethiopia and Iran to join the World Trade Organization, while calling to urgently restore its ability to resolve trade disputes. The leaders' joint statement backed plans to pilot a BRICS Multilateral Guarantees initiative within the group's New Development Bank to lower financing costs and boost investment in member states, as first reported by Reuters last week. In a separate statement following a discussion of artificial intelligence, the leaders called for protections against unauthorized use of AI to avoid excessive data collection and allow mechanisms for fair payment. Brazil, which also hosts the United Nations climate summit in November, has seized on both gatherings to highlight how seriously developing nations are tackling climate change, while Trump has slammed the brakes on U.S. climate initiatives. China and the UAE signaled in meetings with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Rio that they plan to invest in a proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions about funding conservation of endangered forests around the world.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Modi names Malaysia key partner in India's regional strategy
KUALA LUMPUR: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described Malaysia as a vital partner in India's Vision Mahasagar and Act East Policy, underscoring its strategic importance to the region. In a posting on his personal X account @narendramodi, Modi said he met his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the 17th Brics Summit in Brazil. Modi said they reviewed the ground covered in bilateral relations, including the progress made since Anwar's visit to India last year. "Bilateral ties are growing strongly in futuristic sectors like IT, renewable energy and infrastructure. (We also) discussed how to improve investment and trade relations between our nations," he said. Modi announced Vision Mahasagar or "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions" for the Global South during his visit to Mauritius on March 12, this year. The Mahasagar vision builds on the Sagar (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy that Modi first announced during his visit to Mauritius in 2015. Sagar has guided India's engagement with the Indian Ocean region over the past decade. Anwar arrived in Rio De Janeiro on Saturday to attend the 17th Brics Leaders' Summit hosted by Brazil. Malaysia participated in the summit in its capacity as a Brics partner country and 2025 Asean chair. The summit marks the first gathering among heads of state and government from Brics member and partner countries. The Brics group, which serves as a political and diplomatic coordination forum for countries of the Global South and collaboration across diverse sectors, was initially established by Brazil, Russia, India and China. It later expanded with the inclusion of South Africa in 2011, followed by Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2023. Indonesia officially became a full member in January 2025 while 10 countries comprising Malaysia, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda and Uzbekistan were accepted as Brics partner countries at the summit. — BERNAMA
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
South Korea's balloon crackdown hits anti-North Korea activists
POCHEON: The equipment activist Lee Min-bok uses to send balloons laden with anti-Kim Jong Un leaflets across the border from South Korea unto the North has been gathering dust and cobwebs for months. When it became clear that centre-left politician Lee Jae Myung was on track to win the June presidential election, Lee Min-bok was among several South Korea-based activists who stopped their missions, anticipating a crackdown by the new, pro-engagement administration. Lee Jae Myung, a former human rights lawyer, is pushing to ease tensions with Pyongyang and last month said activists should be 'severely punished' if they continue the balloon operations that anger North Korea. 'I've been doing it quietly and what's wrong with that? Provoking North Korea? No way,' 67-year-old Lee Min-bok told Reuters as he stood next to a rusting truck equipped with a hydrogen tank for filling balloons. 'But realistically, look how serious it is right now. Police are out there and if I move, everything will be reported.' For years, police have monitored Lee from the home next door - one plainclothes officer told Reuters they are there to protect him from potential North Korean threats - but instead of checking weather reports for ideal balloon launching conditions, Lee now spends his days writing online posts criticising the South Korean government. CALLS TO ACTIVISTS The activists, many of whom are North Korean defectors like Lee, are used to being at the centre of geopolitical tensions. An attempt by a previous liberal president to ban the balloon launches was struck down as unconstitutional. And last year, North Korea began launching waves of its own balloons into the South, some carrying garbage and excrement. Lee, who took office on June 4, has promised to improve relations with the nuclear-armed North, saying tensions with Pyongyang have had a real negative economic impact. He has urged diplomacy and dialogue and his administration has also suspended anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the border. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, however, last year abandoned a goal of unification with the South and has shown little openness to diplomacy. After Lee ordered measures to stop leaflet launches, officials and police discussed plans including deploying police to border regions to preempt launches, and punishing the activists by using regulations such as aviation safety laws, according to the Unification Ministry that handles inter-Korea affairs. Several groups in the South regularly send balloons to the North carrying leaflets, bibles, food, money, and various media. In the past year, police have investigated about 72 cases of anti-North leaflet activities and sent 13 to prosecutors, another police official said. They are still looking into 23 cases, the official added. Police are also investigating six Americans who attempted to deliver around 1,300 plastic bottles filled with rice, dollar notes and Bibles to North Korea. 'Fear is spreading. The mood is bloody intense,' said another North Korean defector-turned-activist who had secretly flown balloons once or twice a month for more than a decade. The activist said he had paused the launches this spring when polls showed Lee was likely to win the election. 'I get calls from the government recently that apparently want to check in, to see whether I am going to send the balloons or not,' said the Seoul-based activist, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals. Choi Sung-yong, leader of the Abductees' Family Union who works to bring home South Koreans abducted by North Korea, said his group had decided to suspend the balloon launches after receiving calls from new government officials. Chung Dong-young, the Unification Minister nominee, said last month he rang Choi and thanked him for reconsidering the balloon launches which Chung described 'a catalyst to confrontation and hostilities' between the two Koreas. 'RIGHT BALANCE' North Korean officials have labeled leaflet activists in South Korea 'human scum' and in 2020 demolished an inter-Korean liaison office during a spat over leaflets. In 2022, they claimed the balloons could carry the coronavirus. The Lee administration's moves have been welcomed by some residents who have said the launches put them at risk. 'I feel much more comfortable and hopeful... People couldn't sleep,' said Park Hae-yeon, 65, a farmer in Paju whose family runs a restaurant near the border. 'Now I am hearing leaflets not being distributed, I see a sign of hope.' James Heenan, who represents the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Seoul, told Reuters that leaflet operations are a matter of free expression that need to be balanced with legitimate national security concerns. 'We hope the right balance will be struck,' he said, noting that previous punishments were overly harsh.
