Washington, June 12 (IANS) The United States signed an agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), bringing the world’s largest mixed martial arts organisation into Washington’s expanding sports diplomacy efforts as the Trump administration seeks to strengthen America’s global outreach through popular culture.Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the memorandum of understanding with UFC executives at the State Department, describing the organisation as an example of American entrepr…
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Washington, June 12 (IANS) The United States imposed sanctions on Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company, escalating pressure on Havana as the Trump administration accused the Communist government of using energy resources to sustain repression and enrich its leadership.Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of Union Cuba-Petroleo (CUPET), Cuba’s state-owned energy company, under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14404.”Like every resource on the island, energy has long …
Washington, June 9, (IANS) The United States on Tuesday urged countries around the world to step up efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, saying Washington has already mobilised extensive resources and that broader international action is needed to prevent further spread of the virus.Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed US-European coordination on the outbreak during a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, acco…
Washington, June 9 (IANS) As the Ultimate Fighting Championship prepares to stage the first-ever UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House, the State Department’s decision to launch a sports diplomacy partnership with the mixed martial arts giant underscores how the organisation has evolved into a powerful force in sport, culture and politics.Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding with UFC President and CEO Dana White on June 11, just days before U…
Washington, June 9 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President and CEO Dana White this week to sign a memorandum of understanding aimed at expanding sports diplomacy and supporting the global growth of mixed martial arts, the State Department announced.The signing ceremony is scheduled for June 11 at the US Department of State and will mark what officials described as a new public-private partnership between the US government and the world’s …
Washington, June 7 (IANS) Former US First Lady Dr Jill Biden says she was interested in keeping a diamond gifted to her by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but ultimately returned it to the federal government after learning that US officials valued it far above its stated price.In her memoir View from the East Wing: A Memoir, Biden offers a behind-the-scenes account of life at the White House and the strict rules governing gifts received by America’s First Family.Among the gifts she recalls most vi…
Washington, June 6 (IANS) The United States has approved nearly $3 billion in possible foreign military sales to the United Kingdom, Denmark and Kuwait, including long-range strike missiles, aircraft protection systems and counter-drone platforms, the State Department has announced. The largest package is for Kuwait, which has been cleared to buy counter-unmanned aerial systems platforms and related equipment at an estimated cost of $1.98 billion.“The proposed sale will improve Kuwait’s capa…
Washington, June 4 (IANS) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Kuwait’s security and condemned what the United States described as Iranian attacks on Kuwait during talks with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al Sabah in Washington. The meeting at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department came a day after an attack on Kuwait International Airport killed at least one person, an Indian national, and injured several ot…
Washington, June 4 (IANS) India-US relations are undergoing a period of “tactical stabilisation” but remain constrained by lingering strategic mistrust despite recent progress on trade and civil nuclear cooperation, former White House and State Department India expert Basant Sanghera has said.Speaking to IANS after Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first visit to India, Sanghera said the trip was important symbolically but unlikely to produce a major long-term shift in the relationship.”I think i…
Washington, June 4 (IANS) Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire following two days of US-brokered talks in Washington, with both sides committing to continue direct negotiations and advance security arrangements aimed at preventing the return of armed non-state groups in southern Lebanon.The agreement emerged from the fourth high-level trilateral meeting between representatives of the United States, Israel and Lebanon held on June 2 and 3 at the State Department.Announcing the …