BRIC meeting called off

A meeting of the leaders of BRIC countries was called off in Toronto after Brazilian President Lula Da Silva cancelled his trip to Canada for the G20 Summit due to floods in his country.

A meeting of the leaders of BRIC countries was called off in Toronto after Brazilian President Lula Da Silva cancelled his trip to Canada for the G20 Summit due to floods in his country.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Lula were to meet in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) forum after a G20 working dinner hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the summiteers in Toronto on Saturday night.

The meeting was, however, called off as Lula cancelled his visit to oversee the rescue effort back home. The occasion would have also provided an opportunity for Singh to have interacted with the Chinese leader.

Brazil will be represented at the G20 summit by Economy Minister Guido Mantega. Torrential rains have battered northeastern Brazil over the past week and at least 51 people have died so far and over 50 are missing.