Washington, July 28 (IANS) The next round of US-led talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Rome from August 4 to 6, with technical teams seeking to advance a framework for an eventual peace and security agreement, the State Department said.The discussions will focus on expanding a pilot zone in southern Lebanon, settling outstanding border disputes and moving towards full implementation of the framework agreement signed by the two countries last month.“We are entering these discussio…
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Washington, July 17 (IANS) The Trump administration announced a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals linked to far-left terrorist and aligned groups, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened a ministerial with representatives from more than 60 countries to coordinate efforts against what he described as the resurgence of transnational political terrorism.The new policy will restrict entry into the United States of foreign nationals who have “supported or incited acts of terror…
Washington, July 16 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday called for a coordinated international campaign against what he described as a resurgence of far-left political terrorism, as India joined more than 60 countries at a State Department ministerial focused on the issue, according to a State Department spokesperson.According to a State Department spokesperson, representatives from 67 countries attended the ministerial, including India, Australia, Japan, Israel, the United Kin…
Washington, July 16 (IANS) The Trump administration on Wednesday announced an expanded effort to disrupt the financing of organisations it accuses of supporting political terrorism, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the United States would intensify scrutiny of charities, non-profit organisations and international financial networks used to channel illicit funds.Bessent, addressing the State Department’s Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism, said terrorist organisation…
Washington, July 15 (IANS) US officials have signalled a push to expand Kentucky Bourbon sales in India as Washington seeks greater market access for American agricultural and manufactured products.The issue emerged during a joint congressional hearing on commercial diplomacy between the State and Commerce departments. Republican Congressman Andy Barr of Kentucky asked whether the Commerce Department could help promote American whiskey in India.Barr said he recently discussed the issue with US A…
Washington, July 14 (IANS) The United States has launched what it described as a “whole-of-government” campaign to counter the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the State Department leading an effort that could include sanctions, visa restrictions and diplomatic pressure on countries that support the Hague-based tribunal. The initiative marks one of the strongest public declarations yet by the Trump administration against the ICC, which Washington says poses a threat to American sovereign…
Washington, July 11 (IANS) The United States has assumed the chairmanship of a coalition for cooperation in critical mineral supply chains following South Korea’s “successful” term as its chair, the State Department announced in a media note.The U.S. undertook the chairmanship of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), a coalition of like-minded nations working together to establish “secure, diversified and resilient” critical mineral supply chains, according to the department, re…
Ankara, July 8 (IANS) The United States, Japan and South Korea on Tuesday signed a trilateral agreement to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in third countries, with an initial focus on the Indo-Pacific, marking a significant step in their expanding strategic cooperation on energy security and civil nuclear technology.The Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) was signed on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Ministe…
Washington, July 7 (IANS) The United States expressed concern after China conducted a submarine-launched intercontinental-range ballistic missile test into the southern Pacific Ocean, saying Beijing’s expanding nuclear arsenal runs counter to global efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.The United States had monitored China’s launch of “an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile” from a submarine, which landed in the southern Pacific Ocean said State Department spokesperson Tommy Pig…
Washington, July 3 (IANS) Congressional Democrats have urged the Trump administration to reverse what they called a major shift in the US green card process, arguing that a new policy could force eligible applicants to seek permanent residence from abroad instead of adjusting their status while remaining in the United States.In a letter to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow, Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Dick Durbin, Representative J…