MOSCOW, Dec 23 — Malaysia, Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cuba, Uganda, and Uzbekistan will officially become BRICS partners from January 1, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said yesterday.

BEIJING, June 2 — The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement took effect on Friday for the Philippines, confirming that the RCEP agreement is now in effect for all 15 members, reported Xinhua.

LONDON, Jan 31 — Britain will next week formally apply to join a trans-Pacific trading bloc of 11 countries, with negotiations set to start later this year, the government said on Saturday.

MONTERREY, Aug 7 — Ministers from a trans-Pacific trade bloc have agreed to fight protectionism and avoid food and medicine shortages during the coronavirus pandemic, they said in a joint statement published on Wednesday.