Islamabad, March 7 (IANS) Pakistan will continue to see disappearances buried in administrative records rather than investigated as crimes unless trafficking is recognised not only as a humanitarian crisis but also as an institutional vulnerability. Such neglect enables organised criminal networks to flourish and undermines the credibility of the authorities, a report said on Saturday. According to the report in Pakistani daily, ‘The Friday Times’, police in Sadiqabad region of Pakistan’s Punj…
Latest US Department of State News & Updates
New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flight operations following the closure of Qatari airspace amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.In a statement posted on X, the airline said: “Qatar Airways flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. A further update will be provided on March 03 by 09:00 D…
Washington, Feb 14 (IANS) A federal grand jury in Virginia has returned a superseding indictment against prominent Indian American scholar and former US government adviser Ashley J. Tellis, charging him with 11 counts of willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act.Filed on February 12 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the new indictment replaces the earlier criminal complaint that led to Tellis’s arrest in October 2025.Federal prosecut…
Washington, Jan 11 (IANS) The US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs on Saturday warned that as international flights have resumed, US citizens in Venezuela “should leave the country immediately.”The bureau said in a post on X that the security situation in Venezuela “remains fluid” and there are “reports of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of US citizenship or support for the United States.”US citizens are advi…
Caracas, Jan 3 (IANS) Venezuela, in its first official statement since loud explosions were heard in the capital Caracas, has strongly criticised the Donald Trump-led government of the United States, accusing it of carrying out what it described as “extremely serious military aggression”, according to local media reports.In a sharp statement condemning Washington, the Venezuelan government alleged that the attack appeared to be an attempt “to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly i…
Caracas, Jan 3 (IANS) Several large explosions were heard early Saturday in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.The cause of the explosions is unclear, while videos circulating on social media show smoke columns.Partial disruptions to telecommunication services were reported in the capital city following sounds of explosions, reports Xinhua news agency.This comes as US President Donald Trump has, on several occasions, warned about the possibility of ground operations in Venezuela as part of his st…
Washington, Dec 31 (IANS) The US administration announced sanctions against 10 entities and individuals based in Iran and Venezuela, accusing Tehran of supplying conventional weapons to Caracas and threatening US interests across the Western Hemisphere including US homeland.In separate statements, the US Department of State and the US Department of the Treasury said a Venezuelan company targeted by the sanctions had been involved in the sale of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian designed comb…
Washington, Dec 29 (IANS) A leading global advocacy organisation, Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), has written to members of the United States Congress drawing attention to escalating violence and intimidation targeting Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. The organisation revealed that compared to the previous year of rising violence, the scale of “terror” unleashed on minorities since mid-December has been staggering …
Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) Raising alarm over a political party ban, powerful US lawmakers have told Bangladesh’s interim government that free and fair elections cannot be held if political participation is restricted ahead of the February polls.In a letter to Dr Mohammed Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Congressmen Gregory W. Meeks, Bill Huizenga, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove urged the authorities to work across the political spectrum to restore confidence in democrati…
Washington, Dec 23 (IANS) A leading Indian American policy organization has urged the Trump administration to adopt a more calibrated approach to expanded social media vetting for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, warning that widespread cancellations and delays in visa appointments are disrupting US industry and stranding thousands of high-skilled workers abroad.In a letter addressed to President Donald J. Trump, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said it strongly supports…