The Latest: Security tight at India beach resort for BRICS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fishing boats are seen anchored on the bank of a river, in Goa, Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. The leaders of five big developing nations that banded together in 2009 as the so-called BRICS nations, are set to attend their annual summit Oct. 15-16, 2016 in a beach resort town in the western Indian state of Goa. But with their own economies now flagging, some analysts are questioning whether the group, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, still has clout in representing nearly half the world's population and a quarter of its economy at $16.6 trillion. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) (The Associated Press)
The Latest on the BRICS summit of five emerging market economies (all times local):
2 p.m.
The tourist beach resort of Goa on India's western coast has been spruced up like never before for the five-nation BRICS summit. Potholed roads have been repaired to give the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa smooth rides from the airport to summit venues.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Huge billboards with photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders have been hung along the route from the airport. People are taking selfies crowding around the billboards.
The five-nation summit begins with a dinner on Saturday and ends Sunday.
But for many of Goa's residents, the fanfare has thrown their lives out of gear with several roads closed to traffic, forcing them to take a long detour. Many people have left the town to avoid traffic disruptions. Some of the small shops near the summit venue have been shut for three days.