US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that Washington was sanctioning the outspoken a special rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council, Francesca Albanese, "for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt [ICC] action against US and Israeli officials, companies and executives".

"In May, the secretary reviewed and approved thoughtful plans submitted by the bureaus, which included a targeted reduction in domestic workforce," Michael Rigas, deputy secretary of state for management and resources, said in a statement.

At a joint press conference on Wednesday in Brasilia, presidents Prabowo and Lula shared glowing views on bolstering their two countries' cooperation across various sectors, in particular agriculture, energy and defense.

The upcoming meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva displayed Indonesia’s active role in strengthening bilateral diplomacy in the Latin American region, according to a statement issued by the Presidential Palace ahead of the bilateral meeting.

The Trump administration does not intend to immediately impose an additional 10% tariff against BRICS nations, as threatened, but will proceed if individual countries take policies his administration deems "anti-American," according to a source familiar with the matter.

With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive "America First" approach of US President Donald Trump, expansion of the BRICS has opened new space for diplomatic coordination.

Torrential rains starting the night before the Independence Day holiday caused the river to rise the height of a two-story building in less than hour, flooding parts of Kerr County, including several children's camps, tearing down trees and tossing cars as if they were toys. 

Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono has said that the BRICS-initiated multilateral development bank will not be similar to the International Monetary Fund, amid calls from BRICS nations for a change to the IMF’s European orientation.

With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive "America First" approach of US President Donald Trump, expansion of the BRICS has opened new space for diplomatic coordination.

Any final summit declaration is not expected to mention the US or its president by name, but it is expected to be a clear political shot directed at Washington.

The BRICS’ leaders summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday and Monday is expected to become the debut for President Prabowo Subianto after Indonesia joined the bloc early this year.

The letter was made public earlier this week  and titled as a "Declaration of Dissent." It accused the federal government of engaging in "harmful deregulation," "ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters" and "promoting a culture of fear" within the agency.

Washington went first, recalling its charge d'affaires John McNamara "following baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels of the Government of Colombia," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, without giving specifics.

The Senate dropped a proposed excise tax on solar and wind energy projects that don't meet strict standards after last-minute negotiations with key Republican senators seeking better terms for renewables.

The incident occurred after Istanbul's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the editors at LeMan magazine on grounds it had published a cartoon which "publicly insulted religious values".

Trump is hoping the "One Big Beautiful Bill" will help seal his legacy, extending his expiring first-term tax cuts at a cost of $4.5 trillion and beefing up border security.

Brazil, where a Supreme Court judge famously took Elon Musk's X offline last year for 40 days over disinformation, has gone further than any other Latin American country in clamping down on questionable or illegal social media posts.

A candidate to fill the long-vacant post of Indonesian ambassador to the United States has been nominated to the House of Representatives, House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad confirmed on Tuesday, signaling that an official announcement by the government is imminent.

The confirmed winner of the Democratic Party nomination will face several contenders in November -- including the current, scandal-plagued mayor, Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but has vowed to run again as an independent.

Known as aerospace companies, Boeing and PT Dirgantara Indonesia are also involved in programs in the maritime sector.

Termination notices were sent to 639 employees on Friday, after previous offers of voluntary departures and dismissals of contractors.

The FT said the higher spending demand was made in recent weeks by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, who has also recently upset another key US ally in the Indo-Pacific by launching a review of a project to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the United States, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters.

US consular officers are now required to conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles," said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. 

Macron had suggested that the United States was ready to make a diplomatic overture to Iran.

Iran, since Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal in 2018, has ramped up uranium enrichment but not yet at levels to create an atomic bomb. 

The suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, allegedly disguised himself as a police officer, then shot and killed Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their home early Saturday.