A staff worker stands behinds national flags of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India to tidy the flags ahead of a group photo during the BRICS Summit at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center in Xiamen, southeastern China's Fujian Province, Monday, Sept. 4, 2017. (Wu Hong/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Indonesia admitted to the BRICS bloc
SAO PAULO (AP) — Indonesia has been admitted as a full member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the group's presiding country Brazil announced Monday. Indonesia's candidacy was endorsed by BRICS leaders in August 2023, according to the foreign ministry of Brazil, which holds the group's presidency for 2025. However, the world's fourth-most populous nation opted to formally join the bloc only after the formation of its newly elected government last year. "The Brazilian government welcomes Indonesia's entry into the BRICS," the government said in a statement. "With the largest population and economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia shares with other members a commitment to reforming global governance institutions and contributes positively to deepening South-South cooperation." BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, and South Africa was added in 2010. Last year, the alliance expanded to embrace Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join but has not yet done so. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members and a few others have expressed interest. The organization was created as a counterweight to the Group of Seven, comprised of developed nations. Its name derives from an economic term used in the early 2000s to describe rising countries expected to dominate the global economy by 2050.
7.1 earthquake kills at least 53 people in western China
BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake shook a mountainous region in western China near Nepal on Tuesday morning, killing at least 53 people. The official Xinhua News Agency said that 62 others have been injured, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters. About 1,500 fire and rescue workers were deployed to search for people in the rubble, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centered in the Tibet region at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the magnitude as 6.8. The epicenter was located where the India and Eurasia plates clash and cause uplifts in the Himalayan mountains strong enough to change the heights of some of the world's tallest peaks. The average altitude in the area around the epicenter is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. CCTV said there were a handful of communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, which was 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and about 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the region's second-largest city of Xigaze. In Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, the earthquake sent residents running out of their homes after they were woken up by the tremor. No information was immediately available from the remote, mountainous areas closer to the epicenter across the border.
First US bird flu death reported in Louisiana
NEW YORK (AP) — The first U.S. bird flu death has been reported — a person in Louisiana who had been hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms. State health officials announced the death on Monday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it was the nation's first due to bird flu. Health officials have said the person was older than 65, had underlying medical problems and had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock. They also said a genetic analysis had suggested the bird flu virus had mutated inside the patient, which could have led to the more severe illness. Few other details about the person have been disclosed. Since March, 66 confirmed bird flu infections have been reported in the U.S., but previous illnesses have been mild and most have been detected among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows. A bird flu death was not unexpected, virus experts said. There have been more than 950 confirmed bird flu infections globally since 2003, and more than 460 of those people died, according to the World Health Organization. The bird flu virus "is a serious threat and it has historically been a deadly virus," said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. “This is just a tragic reminder of that.”
N. Korea tests hypersonic intermediate range missile
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Tuesday its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations. The North Korean state media report came a day after South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea launching a missile that flew 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launch, conducted weeks before Donald Trump returns as U.S. president, came off a torrid year in weapons testing. North Korea since 2021 has been testing various hypersonic weapons designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. The speed and maneuverability of such weapons aim to withstand regional missile defense systems. However, it’s unclear whether these missiles are consistently flying at the speeds the North claims. The North’s state media said Kim supervised Monday’s launch, and that the weapon flew 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) and achieved a speed amounting to 12 times the speed of sound before accurately striking a sea target. South Korea’s military did not immediately comment on the North Korean assessment.