By Lisandra Paraguassu and Manuela Andreoni RIO DE JANEIRO -Leaders of the growing BRICS group of developing nations met in Brazil on Sunday, calling for reform of traditional Western institutions while presenting the bloc as a defender of multilateral diplomacy in an increasingly fractured world.

The BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indone

Leaders and representatives from the BRICS alliance will convene on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro for the 17th annual summit of the group, where they are anticipated to discuss significant topics such as trade,