New Delhi, Sep 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit here on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, President El-Sisi and PM Modi joined leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, outreach invitees and heads of international organisations for a family photo in New Delhi.

PM Modi welcomed the leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping as they arrived for the second day of the BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Sunday.

President El-Sisi, several leaders and representatives of nations attended the gala dinner hosted by PM Modi for BRICS leaders at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday evening.

On Saturday, the leaders of 11 BRICS member countries unanimously adopted the ‘New Delhi Declaration’. The declaration commended India for hosting the Outreach/BRICS Plus Dialogue segment of the 18th BRICS Summit, asserting that India’s chairship has injected “new impetus” to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity.

The leaders of BRICS countries reaffirmed their commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration and consensus.

India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting PM Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First.”

BRICS comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The partner countries are: Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

President El-Sisi arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. He was warmly received at the airport by the Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Sanjay Seth.

“Warmly welcome the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He was received by MoS Sanjay Seth at the airport. India and Egypt share deep bonds of friendship, as we work together to build a stronger BRICS partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on X.

Amaravati, Sep 13: Two people died of lightning in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district as heavy rains lashed parts of the state since Saturday night under the impact of a low-pressure area, officials said.

Heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms lashed Narsraopet in Palnadu district. One person each in Petlurivaripalem and Lakshmipuram villages died after hearing the frightening noise of the thunderstorm.

The deceased were identified as Nagamma (63) and Mekala Venkayamma (60). Both suspected to have died of cardiac arrest.

Heavy rains were lashing Visakhapatnam and Gajuwaka areas. Parts of East Godavari district also received heavy rains. Bus stand at Nidadavole was inundated, causing inconvenience to commuters.

According to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, a low-pressure area is centred over the Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh regions. The APSDMA said in a bulletin on Sunday morning that it is likely to move in a west-northwest direction over the next 24 hours and is expected to cause moderate to heavy rains in isolated parts of the state.

Gusty winds with a speed of 40-60 kmph are likely along the North Andhra coast. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.

Rain accompanied by lightning is likely in some areas of Eluru, NTR, Krishna, Nandyal, and Kurnool districts.

APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain has advised people not to stand under trees or hoardings during lightning and gusty winds. He also urged them not to attempt to cross overflowing streams or canals,

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha has advised people and officials to remain on alert in view of the rain forecast.

She said people should avoid crossing overflowing streams or canals. She also asked officials to prohibit movement of vehicles in the vulnerable areas.

The Home Minister directed police and revenue department officials to remain accessible in affected areas.

The rains, under the impact of a low-pressure area, however, provided some relief to people from the heat.

The state has recorded nearly 60 per cent less rainfall deficit this year. Heat has gripped much of the state, with day temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius at many places.

According to Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Information and Management System (APWRIMS), from January 1 to September 9, the state received 236.51 mm of rain against a normal of 578.58 mm, a shortfall of 59.12 per cent.

New Delhi, Sep 13: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday departed from New Delhi after attending the 18th BRICS Summit hosted by India.

Xi Jinping participated in the two-day BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. He joined leaders of BRICS member countries in a joint tree plantation drive in New Delhi. Xi and leaders of other BRICS member countries visited Bharat Innovates Exposition at Bharat Mandapam.

During his visit to India, Xi also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the two leaders emphasised that “differences should not become disputes” and reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties.

“The two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long term perspective of their ties. Differences should not become disputes. Prime Minister highlighted that both sides must be guided by three mutuals- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the meeting.

During the meeting, PM Modi stressed that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations.

“He underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues. The two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples,” the MEA statement added.

Both leaders also took note of the progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries.

“On economic and trade relations, they underlined the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access,” the statement read further.

According to the MEA, the two leaders agreed that both sides must continue to expand common ground on regional and global issues, and in addressing challenges.

“Prime Minister appreciated China’s support for India’s BRICS chairship and its contributions towards the success of the BRICS Summit-2026,” it concluded.