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…
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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…
Tel Aviv, Jan 3 (IANS) Pakistan, under its Army Chief Asim Munir, risks normalising transnational repression through threats to families, digital intimidation, and court-backed censorship– a move that would not only silence its nationals abroad but also undermine the principle that free speech cannot be controlled by foreign regimes, a report said on Saturday. It stated that by consolidating military rule and exporting intimidation through legal and digital channels, Pakistan is no longer just …
Washington, Jan 2 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Friday issued a sharp warning to Iran, saying the United States was prepared to act if Iranian authorities used deadly force against protesters, as Washington announced a new round of sanctions targetting Tehran’s weapons and drone networks linked to Venezuela. In a 2.58 am (local time) social media post, Trump said the United States would intervene if Iranian security forces “shot and violently kill peaceful protesters,” adding that Washi…
Seoul, January 2 (IANS) The chief of the US Indo-Pacific Command has called for South Korea and the United States to continue to strengthen their combined defence posture in the new year to send a “clear message” to adversaries on the cost of aggression. Admiral Samuel Paparo Jr. made the call in a New Year’s message as Washington has urged Seoul and other regional allies to contribute to safeguarding the First Island Chain, a key perimeter for America’s preeminence against China in the region.”…
Washington, Dec 28 (IANS) The US State Department condemned the recent spate of religious violence in Bangladesh as a powerful US lawmaker described the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment worker in Bangladesh, as “horrific,” urging unequivocal condemnation of religious hatred.“The United States supports religious freedom and freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” the spokesperson told IANS, responding to a question on the recent killing of Das and the spa…
Brussels, Dec 24 (IANS) The European Commission on Wednesday strongly condemned a US decision to impose travel restrictions on five European individuals, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, warning it would act “swiftly and decisively” to defend the bloc’s regulatory autonomy if needed. “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world,” a Commission spokesperson said in an attributable response t…