Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates confirmed they are joining the BRICS bloc after being invited last year (2023), South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said.
The five countries were extended invitations along with Argentina at a summit in August 2023 in Johannesburg to join the bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa.
Argentina had declined the invitation to join.
Feb 01, 2024
WHO Honours Countries for the First Time For Eliminating Industrially Produced Trans Fats
In a significant milestone, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first-ever certificates acknowledging advancements in eliminating trans fatty acids (TFA), both industrially produced and naturally occurring. Five countries, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand, were commended for their pioneering efforts in demonstrating effective policies and robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in their TFA elimination strategies.
Despite the challenges, WHO's global initiative to eliminate TFA has shown remarkable progress. While the ambitious target set in 2018 to fully eradicate TFA from the global food supply by the end of 2023 was not met, significant strides were made globally. The results from the first five years of WHO's initiative highlight substantial advancements towards this goal.