Nigeria on Friday was admitted as a “partner country” of the BRICS bloc of economies formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2009.

The European Union and Mexico agreed on a new trade agreement on Friday just before President Trump assumes office on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Eight bodies were found so far after a fire broke out at one of the oldest shopping malls in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, as rescuers intensified search efforts for still missing persons, officials said Saturday.

The world faced more security challenges Saturday after Russia and Iran signed a controversial 20-year “strategic partnership” that was due to worry Israel, Ukraine, and their Western allies.

Once dismissed as “cannon fodder,” North Korean soldiers deployed in the Russian offensive against Ukraine are now being described by their Ukrainian adversaries as disciplined and formidable fighters.

Less than a week after imposing the broadest package of sanctions on Russia it had ever imposed, the US Biden administration on Wednesday added hundreds of fresh sanctions to intensify pressure on Moscow and assist Ukraine in defending against the ongoing Russian invasion, Reuters reports.

Russia launched missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities on Wednesday, one day after Kyiv claimed it carried out its most significant aerial attack of the war on Russian army factories and energy hubs hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the frontline.

In its biggest aerial strike against Russia to date, Ukraine fired six US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles and UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russian territory overnight on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

An Islamist gang in Pakistan has targeted and trapped more than 450 people, including Christians, into being wrongfully charged with blasphemy, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

Moscow has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will sign “a long-awaited comprehensive strategic partnership pact” amid growing ties between the two nations.

The chief of the NATO military alliance has warned that Ukraine is not in a strong enough position for peace talks with Russia after U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump vowed to end the war between the two nations.

China is reportedly building “D-Day style” landing barges specifically designed to deploy People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vehicles onto Taiwanese beaches, suggesting preparations for a potential full-scale invasion, according to the UK Telegraph.

The leader of a major European Jewish organization urged governments across Europe on Monday to take immediate action against the sharp rise in antisemitism, which is prompting thousands of Jews to leave the continent.

Hungary’s Jewish community has remembered Ágnes Keleti, the world’s oldest living and one of the most successful Olympians, until she passed away at age 103 this month.

The Jewish community and others in Italy were reeling from violent weekend protests over the death of Ramy Elgami, a 19-year-old Egyptian man, following a police chase in late November.