Washington, Jan 23 (IANS) The US State Department is set to finalize an expanded version of the Mexico City Policy on Friday, sharply widening restrictions on how American foreign assistance can be used overseas.The Mexico City Policy, also known as the “global gag rule,” restricts U.S. federal funding for foreign nongovernmental organizations that provide abortion-related services or advocacy. The policy has long affected global health and family planning efforts by limiting which organizat…
Latest US State Department News & Updates
Quetta, Jan 19 (IANS) Leading Baloch human rights defender, Mir Yar Baloch, on Monday slammed Pakistan’s inclusion in the US-led Gaza Board of Peace as the “ultimate mockery of peace”.The remarks followed a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday, which confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace for Gaza.”Nominating Pakistan, a nation infamous for harbouring global terrorists and unleashing proxy wars to th…
New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Pakistan’s media had last year anticipated certain visa curbs by the United States, largely due to escalating security and immigration concerns reflecting Washington’s move towards policy changes and domestic speculations before the recent official announcement. Media outlets like Samaa and Ary News had, in early 2025, speculated such a move. There were similar reports elsewhere, and thereafter, others picked it up despite Islamabad’s desperate overtures at keeping…
Mumbai, Jan 14 (IANS) A California man, Yan Lin, 41, was produced in a court in United States’ Cincinnati on charges that he conspired to launder tens of millions of dollars in drug proceeds, according to an official statement.The statement from the US State Department said that the indictment alleged that between March 2022 and October 2024 Mexico‑based traffickers hired Lin to return profits from sales of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine across US cities.Lin arranged for his co-conspira…
Washington, Jan 14 (IANS) The United States has designated the Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as “terrorist organisations”, citing in part what it described as their support for the Hamas terror group, in a move that is set to impose sweeping sanctions on one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements.The decision, which Washington formally initiated in November last year, will trigger financial and travel restrictions against the thre…
Washington, Jan 13 (IANS) The Trump administration has revoked more than 100,000 visas from foreign nationals in less than one year, marking a record level of enforcement as part of its push to strengthen border controls and public safety, the US State Department said.“The Trump administration has no higher priority than protecting American citizens and upholding American sovereignty,” said Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the State DepartmentPigott said the scale of the action…
Washington, Jan 12 (IANS) HinduACTion will hold a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill on January 16 to spotlight what it calls the persecution, forced conversions, and trafficking of Hindu, Christian, and other religious minorities in Pakistan.The briefing “Our Lost Daughters of Sindh” is aimed at members of Congress, congressional staff, officials from the US State Department and National Security Council, human rights advocates and groups working against human trafficking, a media relea…
Seoul, Jan 11 (IANS) Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo on Sunday departed for Washington amid US concerns over a recent revision to a South Korean law aimed at addressing false and fabricated online information.”We need to explain the government’s exact policy intentions regarding the domestic digital legislation,” Yeo told Yonhap News Agency ahead of his departure at Incheon International Airport.The U.S. State Department has expressed concerns over the revision of the South Korean law, saying it coul…
Washington, Jan 9 (IANS) US security officials drove External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar 416 miles during a September government shutdown after commercial flights were grounded, according to a State Department report released this week.The journey allowed Jaishankar to reach New York for a scheduled meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.The account was written by the US Diplomatic Security Service on December 30 and made public on January 8.The shutdown halted air travel across t…
Dhaka, Jan 8 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain on Thursday described Trump administration’s decision of adding Bangladesh to visa bond list as “very unfortunate”, the local media reported. Hossain’s reaction came after the US administration placed Bangladesh and 24 other nations in a list of countries whose citizens could be required to post bonds of up to USD 15,000 to apply for travelling to the US.”This decision is not just imposed on Bangladesh alone. Bangladesh is a…