Morning Digest: BRICS countries adopt New Delhi Declaration on first day of summit; Wangchuk accused of misleading people of Ladakh, and more

BRICS issues New Delhi Declaration, as UAE and Iran back down from tough positionsIndia forged a consensus of BRICS countries on Saturday (September 12, 2026), after Iran and the United Arab Emirates agreed to a last-minute compromise on the language used about the war in West Asia, allowing the 11-member grouping to adopt the New Delhi Declaration at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The statement called for “maximum restraint” in the war in West Asia. It made no separate mention of the Russian war in Ukraine. Former BJP MP for Ladakh accuses Wangchuk and others of misleading the people of the UTFormer Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ladakh, Thupstan Chhewang, on Saturday (September 12, 2026) said that the September 9 talks between Ladakhi civil society leaders, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Union Territory’s administration were “fruitful”, countering the perception conveyed by some members of the delegation, including prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk.Slum settlement in south Delhi veiled for BRICS SummitWith the BRICS Summit underway in Delhi, a slum settlement located along the Nelson Mandela Marg and Munirka Marg in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar has been covered with white-purple banners. The banners went up on Thursday night (September 10, 2026), two days ahead of the summit, to “hide the slums” from foreign dignitaries visiting Delhi during the summit, residents said.Xi, Modi welcome ‘steady progress’ in India-China tiesPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (September 12, 2026) met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where the two leaders welcomed the “steady progress” in India-China relations since their last meeting in August 2025. “We reviewed the full range of India-China relations. Also conveyed best wishes for China’s BRICS presidency that commences next year,” said Mr. Modi in a message after the meeting.ECI meets both Trinamool factions, seeks more documents from Ritabrata groupingThe Election Commission of India on Saturday (September 12, 2026) met both factions of the Trinamool Congress, led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee, over their claim to the party name and symbol. The poll body has sought additional documents from the Ritabrata faction.Political blame game over power crisis intensifies between Keralam govt. and OppositionThe political blame game over the reasons for the current power crisis in Keralam intensified on Saturday (September 12, 2026), with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government and the Opposition crossing swords over who is responsible for the disruptive electricity cuts bedevilling the State.RBI rejects Tata Sons’ application to surrender NBFC licence, asks for immediate listing The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected Tata Sons’ application to surrender its Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) licence, saying the application ‘cannot be acceded to’. In a letter written to Tata Sons Private Ltd, the banking sector regulator has asked the holding company of the Tata Group to prepare for an immediate public listing.Yemen govt. forces say hit Houthis in Red Sea cityYemen’s Saudi-backed government forces said on Saturday (September 12, 2026) that they had struck Iran-allied Houthi fighters in the Red Sea city of Mocha, as the number of civilians forced to flee the renewed fighting soared. On Saturday night (September 12, 2026), Saudi authorities said a Houthi projectile fell in an area near the border, resulting “in two injuries and material damage to a mosque, several buildings, and vehicles”.‘Woman Unknown’ wins top prize at Venice Film FestivalDanish filmmaker May el-Toukhy’s post-war drama “Woman Unknown” won the Golden Lion at ‌the Venice Film Festival on Saturday (September 12, 2026), with its star Mathilde Arcel also ​taking best actress honours in a rare double victory. In a change ⁠of tone, the festival offered a programme steeped in global politics and social upheaval, including “NAZA” — a hard-hitting documentary by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor that won the Special Jury ‌Prize.Ruthless Rybakina dethrones Sabalenka to claim first U.S. Open crownElena Rybakina delivered a devastating performance to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka ​with a 6-4 5-7 6-2 win in the U.S. Open final on ‌Saturday (September 12, 2026), earning a third Grand Slam crown to accompany ​her ascent to world number one.U.S. Open: Harrison and Skupski win men’s doubles titleChristian Harrison and Neal Skupski beat Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 7-6(6) on Saturday (September 12, 2026) to win ​the U.S. Open men’s doubles title. The reigning Australian Open champions took the ‌first set after Harrison struck a two-handed backhand return winner ​to break for a 4-3 lead. The American-British duo ⁠held serve the rest of the way to take the set 6-4.