The Latest Breaking News from State Department

Timeline: How US stance shifted on killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

The Biden administration’s position on the killing has shifted over time despite repeated US calls for ‘accountability’.

Al Jazeera · May 11, 2023

US ambassador to Israel Nides to leave post this summer -State Dept

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides will leave his post this summer after nearly two years in the country, a State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Reuters · May 9, 2023

Passport bottleneck is holding up international travel by Americans eager to see the world as COVID-19 eases

The World Health Organization declared on May 5, 2023, that the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a public health emergency. Although the virus is still causing hospitalizations and deaths, many travelers who were reluctant to go abroad because of the pandemic now feel freer to travel internationally again.

The Conversation · May 9, 2023

US says it will not normalise relations with Syria’s Assad

Washington ‘does not support’ push to normalise ties to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s gov’t, State Department says.

Al Jazeera · May 5, 2023

Mexico president asks Biden to stop USAID funding opposition groups

Mexico's president asked his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to stop the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from funding groups hostile to his government, according to a letter presented to journalists on Wednesday, echoing previous Mexican criticism of U.S. interventionism.

Reuters · May 3, 2023

Blinken and Egypt’s Foreign Minister Discuss Sudan Ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry discussed extending and expanding the ceasefire in Sudan during a call on Tuesday, the State Department said. "The Secretary and the Foreign Minister agreed to continue close US-Egypt consultation regarding ongoing efforts to achieve a durable cessation of…

Asharq Al-Awsat · May 3, 2023

Senator urges release of new US report on killing of Abu Akleh

The Biden administration has not acknowledged a new assessment on Israel’s fatal shooting of Al Jazeera journalist.

Al Jazeera · May 2, 2023

India criticises USCIRF report, calls it misrepresentation of facts

In its annual report on religious freedom, the USCIRF asked the U.S. State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern” on the status of religious freedom

The Hindu · May 2, 2023

Are some human rights more important than others? Religious freedom advocates often put it first

Every year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) releases a report on religious oppression around the world, recommending that the State Department designate specific countries as especially severe violators. In this year’s report, released May 1, 2023, Iran came in for particular criticism after months of protests and…

The Conversation · May 2, 2023

U.S. commission seeks sanctions on Indian agencies over 'violation' of religious freedom

A federal U.S. commission USCIRF has urged the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on Indian Government agencies and officials responsible for “severe violations” of religious freedom in the country by freezing their assets.

The Hindu · May 2, 2023