Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has canceled a trip to Russia after injuring his head in an accident at home on Saturday. The 78-year-old was scheduled to travel on Sunday afternoon for the Brics summit — a grouping of major developing countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A top hospital in capital Brasília said it advised the president to avoid long-haul flights temporarily. He will now participate in the meetings via video link instead. In a statement, the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in Brasília said the president was advised against long-distance travel, but is able to continue other activities as normal. It added that Lula suffered a laceration to the back of his head and is being monitored by doctors. The president's office said he will take part in the summit virtually from Brasília and will continue his other work. His office did not disclose any details about his injury. Citing doctors at the hospital, local media said the president was sent home on Saturday after receiving five stitches. He then returned to the hospital on Sunday morning for a follow-up and was later sent home, local media said. Lula was set to travel at 17:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday for what would have been his first face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin this year. On Friday, Putin announced that he will not attend the G20 summit in Brazil next month. He said his arrival might "disrupt" the conference and insisted the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest was not a factor. Last year, Putin skipped the previous Brics summit in South Africa after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest. If Putin left Russian soil, he would have been subject to the arrest warrant. As ICC signatories, South Africa and Brazil would have been expected to help in Putin's arrest. The Brics grouping is seen by some as an alternative to the G7 group of advanced economies. The forum was founded 15 years ago by major emerging markets Brazil, Russia, India, China, and has since expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. This year's summit will take place in the Russian city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday. — BBC
