Anderson Cooper is set to release his book 'Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune,' on September 19

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday appeared to downplay not attending an economic summit in Johannesburg next month amid a controversy over an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court, saying he doesn't think his presence there is "more important than my presence here, in Russia.” Putin's remarks come more than a week after South African authorities said he will not attend the Aug. 22-24 gathering, which brings together a bloc of developing economies known as BRICS, because of the warrant, even though he was initially invited. The Kremlin said the Russian president will take part in the summit via video link, but didn't provide a reason for the decision and didn't say whether Putin had ever intended to attend in person. Asked about his reasons for not going, Putin told Russian journalists Saturday that he's “in contact with all colleagues," referring to the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, which together with Russia constitute the BRICS bloc, and that he doesn't “think my presence at the BRICS summit is more important that my presence here, in Russia, right now." “That's it,” Putin said, adding he will take part via video link and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to the summit. Moscow has showcased the BRICS alliance as an alternative to the West’s global dominance, but this year’s meeting has proved awkward for Putin following the ICC’s move in March to indict him for war crimes relating to the abduction of children from Ukraine. South Africa is a signatory to the Rome treaty that formed the International Criminal Court and therefore has the obligation to arrest the Russian leader if he sets foot on South African territory. South Africa had given strong hints that it would not arrest Putin if he attended but had also been lobbying for him not to come to avoid the problem. Although Moscow dismissed the warrant, Putin has not traveled to a country that is a signatory to the ICC treaty since his indictment. Analysts have said that the public debate about whether the Russian leader would or would not travel to South Africa was in itself an unwelcome development for the Kremlin. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

NEW YORK A New York grand jury on Wednesday voted to indict Daniel Penny, a former U.S. Marine

There are fears that the deadly disease is spreading to new communities in the country -- and just at a time when the development of the world's first mosquito vaccine is raising hopes malaria could one day be eradicated.

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Pop star Sabrina Carpenter ruffled some feathers after filming her music video inside a Church, and she has the best response to the criticism. Carpenter, who has recently been opening for Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour, filmed the music video for her song "Feather" inside the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in New York. The video shows Carpenter dancing around the church whilst wearing a tiny black tulle dress and veil. The church pastor who agreed to have the video filmed there has been stripped of his duties, and the church claimed it had to re-bless the establishment because it was so "appalled" at the video. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said in a statement to the Catholic News Agency, "The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property which includes a review of the scenes and script." Speaking to Variety, about the backlash Carpenter had a cheeky response, saying "we got approval in advance," before adding, "and Jesus was a carpenter." Fans loved her witty response to the criticism. One wrote "you could never make me hate Sabrina Carpenter", whilst another said, "Sabrina Carpenter has a forever fan in me for this reply." Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony also seemed to love Carpenter's response: Whilst many fans and non-fans alike just seemed to find the whole thing hilarious: Take a look at the music video here: Sabrina Carpenter - Feather (Official Video) youtu.be Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

WASHINGTON U.S. construction spending surged in April, boosted by investment in nonresidential structures, but higher mortgage rates continued

Kyle had asserted on 'The Football Show' that Arena had been placed on leave due to a racial slur directed towards an individual within the club

Albert Allen was deaf and had dementia while Cynthia was partially paralyzed after a recent stroke

Oklahoma State still has a lot to play for heading into the final two games of the season

With so many video games getting the TV and movie treatment, you might be wondering: Is there a Call of Duty TV series?

Moeen Ali scored 56 runs off 39 balls to rescue England against Bangladesh in their rain-reduced Cricket World Cup warmup