Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours

FGN47 CHINA-XI-LD BRICS ****Chinese President Xi to visit India for BRICS summit Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India this week to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday.**** FGN59 CHINA-SHIP-3RDLD FIRE ****25 killed, 5 injured in cargo ship fire in China Beijing: Twenty-five people were killed and five others injured when a fire broke out on a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao, state media reported on Thursday.**** FGN60 US-AD-LD RACISM ****US Department of Homeland Security advertisement asking ‘Mr Singh’ to self-deport kicks off row Washington: An advertisement posted by the Department of Homeland Security asking “Mr Singh”

to self-deport sparked off a controversy with advocacy groups terming it racist and anti-American. **** FGN52 BANGLA-BRICS ****B’desh rules out possibility of PM Rahman’s India visit for BRICS outreach Dhaka: Bangladesh on Thursday ruled out the possibility of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visiting India this week, saying he was not invited to the BRICS Summit and the invitation was instead extended to the BIMSTEC Chair.**** FGN62 PAK-AFGHAN-STUDENTS ****Afghan students file plea in Pak court challenging govt’s move to expel them from colleges Lahore: Some Afghan students on Thursday filed a petition in a Pakistani court challenging the government’s decision to expel them from medical and dental colleges and their “forced” repatriation to Afghanistan, amid deteriorating ties between the two countries.**** FGN56 PAK-FO ****Pakistan says trilateral Makkah pact a ‘defensive alliance’, rules out its quick expansion Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday termed the trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a “defensive alliance” to ensure regional security primarily through deterrence and ruled out any quick expansion of the pact.**** FGN22 UN-INDIA-BRICS-GUTERRES ****UN chief to stress multipolarity, UNSC reforms at BRICS Summit in India United Nations: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will underscore the importance of multipolarity and the need to reform multilateral institutions, including the Security Council, to reflect contemporary realities when he addresses the BRICS Summit in India later this week.**** FGN34 FRANCE-INDIA-SPACE ****India, France step up space cooperation with new private-sector deals Paris: India and France are stepping up cooperation in the space sector, with companies from the two countries signing three new agreements covering satellite launches, space surveillance and microsatellite technology, according to an official announcement.**** FGN32 US-INDIA-NUCLEAR-REPORT ****India’s nuclear arsenal estimated at 190 warheads: report Washington: India’s nuclear arsenal is estimated at 190 warheads, which includes 30 additional warheads for new missiles under production, according to a US nonprofit policy think tank.**** FGN31 NEPAL-FLOODS ****Nepal floods death toll climbs to 1,377; search operations continue for more than 5,000 missing Kathmandu: The death toll due to the flash floods in Nepal rose to 1,377 on Thursday as more bodies were recovered from the affected districts, while rescue and search operations continue for more than 5,000 missing people, authorities said.**** PTI AMS