US mother, daughter, reported kidnapped in Haiti, people warned not to travel there
A woman from New Hampshire who works for a nonprofit organization in Haiti and her young daughter have been reported as kidnapped as the U.S. State Department issued a โdo not travel advisoryโ in the country and ordered non-emergency personnel to leave there.
GOP threatens Blinken contempt charge over Afghanistan docs
The House Foreign Affairs Committee's chairman has threatened to hold Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress if the State Department doesn't turn over classified cables related to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
White House: No evacuation plans for all Americans in Sudan
The Pentagon has deployed forces and is developing options to assist in the possible evacuation of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, but the White House said Friday there are no plans for now for a broader pullout of the potentially thousands of other Americans from the African country where warring factions are in a violent conflict.
US official says diplomatic push in Asia paying dividends
A top State Department official says the American diplomatic push aimed at countering Chinaโs increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific region appears to be paying dividends, with many nations showing a willingness to partner with the United States.
Cuba: US migration policy 'incoherent' and 'differentiated'
Two days before the opening of migration talks between Cuba and the United States, which have been paralyzed for four years, a high-ranking Cuban official is lamenting Washingtonโs โincoherentโ and โdifferentiatedโ migration policies, and exhorted Washington to comply with current agreements.
Women's rights activist charged for role in Polish protests
This file photo from Jan.29.2021 shows Marta Lempart, a key leader of the Polish Women's Strike, in Warsaw, Poland. Lempart has been charged with criminal felonies for her role in organizing mass protests during a pandemic. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski/file)WARSAW โ A leader of the Polish Womenโs Strike, the movement that has led mass nationwide protests against a near total abortion ban in Poland, has been charged with criminal felonies. The charges against her include insulting a police officer and causing an epidemiological threat for organizing protests during the coronavirus pandemic. Under Polish law, a person can face from six months to eight years of imprisonment for causing an epidemiological threat.
US says Myanmar takeover was coup, promises sanction review
Myanmar's military stand guard at a checkpoint manned with an armored vehicle in a road leading to the parliament building Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. State Department officials said Tuesday they were satisfied the move met the legal definition of a coup. The United States gave Myanmar $135 million in aid last year. The United States already has sanctioned many of the country's military leaders and withheld assistance from the military overall. โThe United States will stand up for democracy wherever it is under attack,โ Biden said.
Judge OKs extradition of 2 wanted in ex-Nissan boss' escape
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani rejected a request to block the U.S. from handing Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, over to Japan. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani rejected a request to block the U.S. from handing Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, over to Japan. AdGhosn is now in Lebanon, where he has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Meanwhile, Ghosn headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor, who was already in Japan. Peter Taylor hopped on a flight to China, authorities say.
US reaffirms Taiwan support after China sends warplanes
In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, a Chinese People's Liberation Army H-6 bomber is seen flying near the Taiwan air defense identification zone, ADIZ, near Taiwan on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. The second high-level U.S. envoy to visit Taiwan in two months began a day of closed-door meetings Friday as China conducted military drills near the Taiwan Strait after threatening retaliation. Taiwanโs Defense Ministry said China on Saturday sent eight bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons and four fighter jets into its air defense identification zone just southwest of the island. In another sign of support for Taiwan, the island's de-facto ambassador to Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, was an invited guest at Biden's inauguration. Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949 and China says it is determined to bring the island under its control by force if necessary.
Taiwan heralds visit by US ambassador to UN as China fumes
Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft speaks during a news conference at the U.S. State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)TAIPEI โ Taiwan said Friday it welcomed the visit of the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the closing days of the Trump administration, in a move that brought China's renewed condemnation of Washington. Kelly Craft will visit Taipei, the island's capital, on Jan. 13-15, a week before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. In defiance of China's warnings, Congress and the Trump administration have pushed for more visits by sitting government officials, along with arms sales and political support. ___Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Pompeo is 1st top US diplomat to visit an Israeli settlement
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a joint statement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Nonetheless, they illustrated the deep ties between the outgoing Trump administration and the hard-line government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pompeo was joined by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Avigdor Kahalani, a decorated retired Israeli general famous for leading Israeli forces against a Syrian tank invasion during the 1973 Mideast war. โWe will regard the global, anti-Israel BDS campaign as anti-Semitic,โ Pompeo said, referring to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. โThe BDS movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality, stands with all those struggling for a more dignified, just and beautiful world," it said.
These Texans were rescued by the U.S. government after getting stranded in Peru. Now, the bills are arriving.
A bill received by one of the Texans stranded abroad. It has sent some 24,000 billing notices worth about $41.4 million and received about $21.5 million in payments so far, according to data provided by the State Department official. Texans who received the bills said itโs the latest episode in a disorganized government effort to retrieve citizens stranded abroad. The State Department warned Americans to avoid all international travel on March 19, several days after the Peruvian borders were sealed. The State Department official said the agency is processing an โunprecedentedโ volume of bills and that its website notes there are a huge number of emails due to the large-scale nature of the repatriation efforts.
China denounces US sanctions over Hong Kong crackdown
Hong Kong's pro-democracy legislators pose a picture before a press conference at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. The U.S. has already imposed such sanctions on a number of officials, including Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam. โThese actions underscore U.S. resolve to hold accountable key figures that are actively eviscerating the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong and undermining Hong Kongโs autonomy,โ the State Department said in its statement. Steve Li Kwai-Wah; and deputy director of the central governmentโs Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Deng Zhonghua. Also Tuesday, a Hong Kong journalist who helped produce a documentary about the actions of Hong Kong police during anti-government protests last year appeared in court on charges of making false statements while obtaining information from a vehicle database.
Sudan says deal with US blocks further compensation claims
FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2019 file photo, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan. The deal would enter into force after U.S. Congress passes legislation needed to implement the agreement. Sudan was also believed to have served as a pipeline for Iran to supply weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. De-listing Sudan from the blacklist was part of the U.S. administration's efforts to have Sudan normalize its ties with Israel. Sudanese transitional authorities have promised to hold elections by 2022.
Germany decries Turkey's actions in eastern Mediterranean
FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020 file photo, Turkey's research vessel, Oruc Reis anchored off the coast of Antalya on the Mediterranean, Turkey. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, File)BERLIN โ Germany's foreign minister on Tuesday criticized Turkey for โunilateral steps" in the eastern Mediterranean that are undercutting efforts to de-escalate tensions with Greece and Cyprus over sea boundaries and drilling rights. Ankara's redeployment of the Oruc Reis survey vessel for new energy exploration around Kastellorizo has reignited tensions over sea boundaries between Greek islands, Cyprus and Turkeyโs southern coast. โWe have every interest in engaging with Turkey in a constructive dialogue.โThe Oruc Reis left the port of Antalya on Monday for a mission expected to end Oct. 22. Another Turkish survey ship is currently operating in waters where Cyprus claims exclusive economic rights.
Court: Son born abroad to gay couple is a U.S. citizen
FILE - This Jan. 23, 2018, file photo shows 16-month-old Ethan Dvash-Banks, left, and his twin brother, Aiden, playing in the living room of their apartment in Los Angeles. A federal appeals court has ruled against the U.S. State Department in its quest to deny the citizenship of the son born abroad to a gay married couple. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling recognizing the citizenship from birth of Ethan Dvash-Banks, a twin boy born abroad by surrogacy to Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks, a married gay couple. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)LOS ANGELES โ A federal appeals court has ruled against the U.S. State Department in its quest to deny the citizenship of one of two twins born abroad to a gay married couple. โEvery federal court that has heard the government's argument has ruled against them.โThe State Department said it was reviewing the decision with the Department of Justice.
Watchdog: State Dept lied about rescinding woman's award
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference to announce the Trump administration's restoration of sanctions on Iran, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, at the U.S. State Department in Washington. The agency's inspector general, however, said in a report issued Friday that her social media posts critical of Trump were the primary reason the award was rescinded. โBecause decisions as to IWOC awardees are solely within the departmentโs discretion, the decision to rescind Ms. Aroโs award appears to have been an authorized exercise of the Departmentโs broad discretion to select awardees," it said. The State Department โmisled the public and Congress about why it rescinded Ms. Aroโs award, covering up that her social media posts were the reason the award was withdrawn. At a department press briefing, a spokesman characterized assertions that the decision was based on Aro's social media statements as โspeculationโ and refused to discuss the selection process further.
US Embassy in Kabul battling COVID-19 infections
KABUL The U.S. State Department says COVID-19 infections have been reported at its embassy in the Afghan capital and the staff who are affected include diplomats, contractors and locally employed staff. The State Department did not say how many were affected. The embassy is implementing all appropriate measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. State department said. The infected staff are in isolation in the embassy while the remainder on the compound are being tested, said the embassy official, who also said the embassy staff have been told they can expect tighter isolation orders. At the U.S. Embassy, the State Department said a sanitization of the premises was being carried out to prevent further outbreak."
Iran doctor freed in swap for Navy veteran returns to Tehran
White, a Navy veteran who's been detained in Iran for nearly two years has been released and is making his way home, with the first leg on a Swiss government aircraft. (U.S. State Department via AP)TEHRAN TEHRAN, IranAn Iranian doctor based in Florida returned to his homeland Monday after being part of a swap that saw a U.S. Navy veteran held by Iran return to America. He was also accused of structuring a series of bank deposits below $10,000 to evade reporting requirements under federal law. Iran allowed Michael White, of Imperial Beach, California, to leave the country Thursday. Earlier last week, an Iranian scientist named Sirous Asgari separately returned to Tehran after being acquitted in a federal trade secrets case and deported.