"Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, has been invited to become a full member of the BRICS economic group, along with Iran, the UAE, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday."
"Once upon a time, Russian President Vladimir Putin was the man to see: In the weeks preceding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, world leaders took turns shuttling to Moscow to urge the Kremlin leader to step back from the brink and call off any plans for an attack."