Tag Archives: State Department

US Issues Violent Crime Advisory On Travel To Jamaica

From the US Embassy in Jamaica: The State Department has recently changed the Travel Advisory for Jamaica. Reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime and medical services. U.S. government personnel under Chief of Mission (COM) security responsibility are prohibited from traveling to many areas due to increased risk. Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, …

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State Dept To Putin: You’re Not Getting Alaska Back

The Hill reports: The State Department brushed off reports of Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering his government to look into the nation’s former “real estate” abroad, saying Alaska would be staying in American hands. Putin signed a new decree last week to allocate funds for the research and registration of Russian property overseas, including that in former territories of the …

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US To Get Navy Swindler In Venezuela Prisoner Swap

The Associated Press reports: The United States freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro [photo] in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the extradition of a fugitive defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal. The 6-foot-3 Leonard Glenn Francis, who …

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Former US Ambassador Accused Of Spying For Cuba

The Associated Press reports: A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation, accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government, The Associated Press has learned. Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in Miami on Friday on a criminal complaint and more details about the case are expected …

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Blinken Meets With Palestinian Leader In West Bank

The Associated Press reports: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought his frenetic Mideast diplomatic push on the Israel-Hamas war to the occupied West Bank on Sunday, meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his latest bid to ease civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip and begin to sketch out a post-conflict scenario for the territory. Blinken traveled to Ramallah …

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State Dept Issues “Worldwide Caution” For US Travelers

USA Today reports: The U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel advisory on Thursday, urging Americans overseas to exercise increased caution. The travel advisory cited “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” The State Department recommended U.S. citizens stay vigilant in locations popular with tourists, …

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Blinken Calls For Protecting Civilians In Gaza Strip

The Associated Press reports: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday for protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel as the Israeli military ordered half of the Palestinian territory’s population to evacuate in advance of an expected ground assault. Blinken met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan as America’s top diplomat held a third day …

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State Department Warning: Reconsider Travel To Israel

CNN reports: The US State Department is warning Americans to reconsider travel to Israel in the wake of the weekend’s deadly Hamas attacks. The agency raised its travel advisory level on Wednesday to Level 3: Reconsider Travel because of civil unrest and terrorism, advising that “the situation in Israel remains dynamic; mortar and rocket fire may take place without warning.” …

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State Dept: Nine Americans Killed In Hamas Attacks

NBC News reports: Nine Americans have been killed in the violence in Israel and more may be missing after Hamas attacked from Gaza over the weekend, the State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on “Morning Joe” Monday morning. “There are reports of Americans who are unaccounted for,” he said. “We continue to work to confirm that number and try to …

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US Restricts Hungary’s Access To Visa Waiver Program

Politico Europe reports: The United States on Tuesday sharply limited Hungary’s participation in its visa waiver program over security concerns regarding new passports issued between 2011 and 2020. After coming to power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government implemented a major policy change that granted citizenship to ethnic Hungarians abroad — including in Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Domestic …

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State Department Orders Staff, Families To Leave Haiti

Reuters reports: The U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered non-emergency government personnel and family members to leave Haiti as soon as possible, citing “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.” The State Department said U.S. citizens not working for the government should also leave Haiti as soon as possible “by commercial or other privately available transportation options.” “Kidnapping …

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Embassies Warn Hungary Ahead Of Budapest Pride

Via press release from the US Embassy in Hungary: On the occasion of the 28th Budapest Pride Festival, we the undersigned embassies and cultural institutes express our full support for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) community in Hungary and their rights to equality and non-discrimination, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and freedom from …

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State Dept: “Reconsider Travel To Mainland China”

Via press release from the State Department: Reconsider travel to mainland China due to the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, including in relation to exit bans, and the risk of wrongful detentions. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including issuing exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process …

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G7 Foreign Ministers Hold Call On Russian Uprising

Axios reports: Secretary of State Tony Blinken held a secure conference call this morning with several Western foreign ministers to consult about the escalating situation in Russia, a source with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios. The foreign ministers of France, Germany, the U.K., Italy, Canada and the European Union were on the call with Blinken, according to the …

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China’s Xi Hails “Progress” After Meeting With Blinken

Reuters reports: China’s Xi Jinping hailed “progress” in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on Monday, the final engagement of a closely-watched trip aimed at ensuring the superpower’s disputes do not spiral into conflict. Blinken, the first holder of his post to meet the Chinese leader since 2018, strode towards Xi with his hand outstretched at …

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Blinken Arrives In Beijing On Mission To Sooth Tensions

The Associated Press reports: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing early Sunday on a high-stakes diplomatic mission to try to cool exploding U.S.-China tensions that have set many around the world on edge. Blinken was to begin two days of talks with senior Chinese officials in the afternoon. He is the highest-level American official to visit China …

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Former Dem Rep Maloney Tapped For Ambassadorship

Congress Minutes reports: Former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a U.S. ambassador for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a White House press statement. If confirmed, the New York Democrat will be heading to Paris for the gig, replacing former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who was appointed to …

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US Evacuates Sudan Embassy Amid Civil Unrest

The Washington Post reports: The U.S. military completed the evacuation of all American embassy personnel and family members from Sudan early Sunday local time, President Biden said, as rival military factions battled for control of the country amid a sharp uptick in casualties in Africa’s third-largest nation. “I am grateful for the unmatched skill of our service members who successfully …

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US Urges Americans To Leave Russia “Immediately”

From the State Department: Do not travel to Russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, limited flights into and out of Russia, the Embassy’s limited ability …

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US Agrees To Adopt Turkey’s New Preferred Spelling

The Associated Press reports: The State Department said Thursday it has adopted Turkey’s preferred spelling for the name of the country, Turkiye, acceding to a request from the NATO ally after several months of hesitation. The department has instructed that new official documents refer to Turkiye instead of Turkey, although the pronunciation will not change, officials said. The move comes …

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