1. North Korea's suicide soldiers pose a new challenge for Ukraine.

2. NATO countries will deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserve the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat.

3. Biden's outgoing administration is finalizing rules that will effectively bar nearly all Chinese cars and trucks from the US market, as part of a crackdown on vehicle software and hardware from China.

4. Supertanker freight rates jumped after U.S. expanded sanctions on Russia's oil industry.

5. U.S. has banned imports from another tranche of Chinese companies over alleged human-rights abuses involving the Uyghurs, targeting 37 textile, mining and solar companies.

6. Los Angeles-based asset management firms overseeing more than $4 trillion in assets are grappling with the impact of the region's destructive wildfires on their operations.