Briefly

SAUDI ARABIA

Riyadh officially joins BRICS, state TV says

Saudi state TV said on Tuesday that the kingdom had officially joined the BRICS bloc of countries. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said BRICS was "a beneficial and important channel" to strengthen economic cooperation. The country, along with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia, has joined the bloc, doubling its membership from five to 10.Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that the multilateral platform provided by BRICS enables Iran to grasp more opportunities to boost economic cooperation with other countries and better serve its national interests.

UNITED STATES

National debt tops $34 trillion for the first time

The US federal government's total public debt has surpassed $34 trillion for the first time, the Treasury Department reported on Tuesday. Such a figure is a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve the country's balance sheet in the coming years. It was released as members of Congress brace for another round of battles over federal funding. Current funding for some federal agencies and programs will expire later this month.

NIGER

France closes embassy until further notice

France announced on Tuesday the official closure of its embassy in Niger until further notice. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in a news release, cited significant obstacles faced by the Embassy of France in Niger over the past "five months", hindering its normal operations. "The French embassy in Niger is now closed until further notice," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding the mission would continue activities from Paris.

Agencies - Xinhua