US first lady Michelle Obama, center, and school children Ariana Docanto, right, and Emilio Vega, left, plant spinach at the fifth annual White House kitchen garden on the South Lawn in Washington April 4, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]
An unusually heavy downpour hit Durban for two days before the BRICS summit's debut on African soil, but interest for a better platform for emerging markets were still sparked at the summit.