BRICS leaders weigh expanding membership at summit

The five BRICS nations are open to expanding the club to new members, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Wednesday, as it pursues greater clout in shaping the world order.

Calls to enlarge the BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- has dominated the agenda at its three-day summit in Johannesburg and exposed rifts between its members. Nearly two dozen countries have formally applied to join the BRICS, which accounts for 40 percent of the world's population and a quarter of the global economy.

Some 50 heads of state and government have joined BRICS leaders in Johannesburg. Ramaphosa told the summit that support for expansion "has been articulated by all BRICS members".  Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he supported opening the door to new members and "welcomes moving forward with consensus".