Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador to BRICS, told reporters on Thursday that more than 40 countries have indicated an interest in joining the bloc of major developing economies, but there is no gold-backed currency announcement planned for next month's summit. BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa joining in 2010, and the bloc has remained at five countries since then. South Africa, which is hosting the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August, proposed a further expansion in 2018, and Sooklal said serious discussions about adding new members began last year. “This ... (full story)