SAO PAULO, Jan 7 — Brazil's government said in a statement yesterday that Indonesia is formally joining BRICS as a full member, further expanding the group of major emerging economies that also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa.

OTTAWA, Jan 7 — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday said he would step down in the coming months after nine years in power, bowing to pressure from lawmakers alarmed by his Liberal Party's miserable showing in pre-election polls.

OTTAWA, Jan 6 — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce today he intends to step down as Liberal leader, but will stay on in his post until the party has chosen a replacement, CBC News reported, citing sources.

JAKARTA, Jan 6 — More than 200 Rohingya came ashore over the weekend in Indonesia’s Aceh province, an official said today, amid growing numbers of arrivals by sea of the stateless population in the Southeast Asian country.

DAMASCUS, Jan 6 — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to expand its work in Syria significantly beyond an initial US$100 million (RM451.1 million) programme, the organisation’s president said today, citing pressing needs in the health, water and power sectors.

JAKARTA, Jan 6 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious multibillion-dollar programme to provide free meals to more than a quarter of his people was officially underway today, officials said, with 570,000 mouths to feed on its opening day.

ISTANBUL, Jan 6 — At least seven infants have died in Gaza due to cold weather and inadequate shelter, Anadolu Agency quoted the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) yesterday.

HANOI, Jan 6 — Vietnam's gross domestic product grew 7.09 per cent last year, greater than the 5.05 per cent expansion in 2023, driven by strong exports and robust foreign investment inflows, government data showed today.

ATLANTA, Jan 6 — A winter storm brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures to a broad swath of the US yesterday, with some 60 million people across more than a dozen states from Kansas to New Jersey under winter weather warnings and advisories.

QUEBEC, Jan 6 — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce as early as today that he will resign as Liberal Party Leader, Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported yesterday, citing three sources.

DOHA, Jan 6 — Syria's new rulers said on Sunday that US sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar.

ISTANBUL, Jan 6 — Nearly 1,000 mosques were damaged in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip last year, Palestinian authorities said yesterday, as reported by Anadolu Agency (AA).

BANGKOK, Jan 6 — Two-time champions Vietnam clinched the Asean Cup after overcoming defending champions Thailand 3-2 last night to emerge with a 5-3 aggregate score after the second-leg final of the 2024 Asean Championship at Rajamangala Stadium here.

REUTERS, Jan 5 — Liverpool’s Premier League fixture with Manchester United is expected to go ahead as scheduled on Sunday despite adverse weather conditions and snowfall, both clubs announced after two safety meetings.

CAIRO/GAZA, Jan 5 — Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 70 people over the last day, Palestinian medics said on Saturday, as mediators launched a new ceasefire push to end the 15-month-old war.

NEW YORK, Jan 4 — President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on January 10 in the criminal case in which he was convicted on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star, but is unlikely to face jail time or other penalties, a judge said on Friday.

BANGKOK, Jan 4 — The appointment of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an informal adviser for Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship in 2025 presents a strategic opportunity for strengthening regional collaboration, with promising prospects for bilateral ties and the broader Asean community.

NAYPYIDAW, Jan 4 — Myanmar's military government will release 5,864 prisoners, including 180 foreigners, under an amnesty marking the Southeast Asian nation's independence day, state media said today.

WASHINGTON/LONDON, Jan 3 — Alcoholic drinks should carry a warning about cancer risks on their label, the United States (US) Surgeon General said on Friday in a move that could signal a shift towards more aggressive tobacco-style regulation for the sector.

BANGKOK, Jan 3 — Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and her spouse, according to disclosures by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), reportedly have a combined wealth of 13.9 billion baht (RM1.81 billion) and debts of 4.4 billion baht (RM574 million).