BRASILIA, Feb 19 — Brazil announced yesterday its decision to join Opec+, a bloc that gathers members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and observer nations, reported Xinhua.

NEW YORK, Feb 19 — China supports all efforts conducive to peace talks in Ukraine, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the United Nations Security Council yesterday, and stressed that Gaza and the West Bank are "not a bargaining chip in political trade-offs".

CAIRO/RIYADH, Feb 19 — Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to travel to Riyadh tomorrow, two Egyptian security sources said, where he is due to discuss an Arab plan for Gaza that may include up to US$20 billion (RM90 billion) from the region for reconstruction.

RIYADH, Feb 18 — The United States (US) and Russia agreed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to press ahead with efforts to end the war in Ukraine, a US official said, as Kyiv and its European allies watched anxiously from the sidelines and Moscow raised a major new demand.

SINGAPORE, Feb 18 — Singapore’s Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Lawrence Wong has presented the republic’s financial year 2025 Budget Statement today, aimed at advancing the 'Forward Singapore' agenda.

BANGKOK, Feb 18 — Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has expressed confidence that the government’s economic stimulus measures for 2025 will effectively boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

MAE SOT, Feb 18 — Myanmar authorities detained 273 foreigners from scam compounds along the border with Thailand yesterday, as a senior Chinese official visited frontier towns on both sides in a widening crackdown on illegal online operations.

HONG KONG, Feb 18 — HSBC has terminated the services of around 40 investment bankers in Hong Kong, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, as part of a global restructuring exercise at the Asia-focused lender to cut costs.

TORONTO, Feb 18 — A Delta Air Lines regional jet flipped upside down upon landing at Canada's Toronto Pearson Airport yesterday amid windy weather following a snowstorm, injuring 18 of the 80 people on board, officials said.

NANTES, Feb 18 — When police in western France searched surgeon Joel Le Scouarnec's home after he raped his six-year-old neighbour in 2017, they found a cache of sex dolls, wigs and child pornography.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — The High Court of Justice of Madrid in Spain has upheld its 2021 decision to annul the judicial appointment of Gonzalo Stampa as arbitrator in the Sulu case after dismissing the Sulu claimants’ attempt to revoke it.

BEIJING/TAIPEI, Feb 17 — China has urged the United States (US) to "correct its mistakes" after the US State Department removed previous wording on its website about not supporting Taiwan independence, which it said was part of a routine update.

BANGKOK, Feb 17 — Thailand has proposed tough entry requirements for local punters in casinos as it plans to build a major gaming industry to boost tourism, new draft regulation released today showed, which could potentially dent investor interest.

NEW DELHI, Feb 17 — An earthquake of 4.0 magnitude jolted New Delhi and its surrounding areas this morning, with people rushing out of their homes into the open in panic.

TOKYO, Feb 17 — Japan's economy expanded an annualised 2.8 per cent in the October-December quarter, government data showed today, backed by improved business spending and better-than-expected consumption.

NEW DELHI, Feb 17 — The death toll in a stampede at the main railway station in India's capital New Delhi rose to at least 18, including five children, media reports said yesterday, citing the Press Trust of India news agency.

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 16 — Argentine President Javier Milei could face an impeachment trial in Congress, opposition lawmakers said on Saturday, after the libertarian leader touted a cryptocurrency which crashed soon after.

MUNICH/WASHINGTON, Feb 16 — United States (US) and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to start talks aimed at ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a US lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday.

SAO PAULO, Feb 16 — Brazil will host the BRICS leaders' summit in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to July 7, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira announced Saturday, reported Xinhua.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, Feb 15 — Hamas released Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen and Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov in Gaza today, and Israel freed some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, after mediators helped avert a collapse of the fragile ceasefire.