#state-department

#state-department

The family and friends of a US Navy officer jailed in Japan hope that President Joe Biden's trip to the nation for the G7 summit will yield progress in his case, particularly after he penned a handwritten letter to his wife expressing despair about his situation.I'm not doing that good, Lt. Ridge Alkonis wrote in a letter dated April 30, which was shared with CNN.

Russian authorities have arrested a US journalist working in the country and accused him of espionage, a charge that could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.Evan Gershkovich, a well-respected reporter from the Wall Street Journal, was detained on Wednesday during a reporting trip to the Urals city of Ekaterinburg.

Prakazrel "Pras" Michel, left, a member of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, accompanied by defense lawyer David Kenner, right, arrives at federal court for his trial on March 30.Andrew Harnik/AP Grammy-winning hip hop musician Pras Michel pocketed $100 million in an effort to bring "secret, illegal foreign influence to bear" on two different presidential administrations, breaking conspiracy laws and tampering with witnesses along the way, prosecutor Nicole Lockhart told jurors Thursday morning.

(Carlos Gauna / Cal State Long Beach)

If you swam off the coast of Santa Barbara or San Diego recently, chances are you had company.You just may not have noticed.A new study from Cal State Long Beach found that juvenile white sharks are more common at some California beaches than previously thought.

Israeli military prosecutors will not pursue criminal charges against soldiers who detained and gagged a 78-year-old Palestinian American man and then left him unconscious in a building site shortly before he was pronounced dead.The Israeli Army announced on Tuesday that soldiers involved in the detention of the man, Omar Assad, 78, during an early-morning operation in January 2022 in a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, would only face internal disciplinary measures.

The Biden administration is weighing in on the controversy over Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, saying his recent performances in Germany were antisemitic, an assessment shared by many in Israel and the pro-Israel community.The State Department said Tuesday that Waters has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes" and a concert he gave late last month in Germany contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust.

A federal judge in Florida sentenced a businessman and former drug trafficker with Haitian and Chilean citizenship to life in prison on Friday for his role in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise of Haiti.Rodolphe Jaar is the first person to be convicted and sentenced in what federal prosecutors have described as a sprawling conspiracy to murder the Haitian leader and seize power, aided by Haitian officials, Colombian mercenaries and illegal arms shipments from the United States.

A Florida fifth-grade teacher is under investigation by the state Board of Education after screening a Disney movie for her students.The film in question, Strange World, is a sci-fi story featuring a diverse cast of animated characters, one of whom happens to be gay.A minor subplot of the film refers to this character having a crush on another character of the same sex.

Two months ago, seven United Nations human rights investigators sent the U.S. government a protest over health care for detainees at Guantanamo Bay that described troubling treatment of an Iraqi prisoner who is now disabled.The United States never replied, and over the weekend the U.N. Human Rights Council released the 18-page report by the experts, whose sole power is to investigate and disclose their concerns on human rights issues related to counterterrorism, the disabled and the elderly.

This is a carousel.Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
ALBANY - Women earned roughly 88.2 cents to every $1 made by their male counterparts in 2021, affirming a persistent wage gap in New York that differs across regions, according to a report released last week by the state Department of Labor.

The conservative rebellion and competing calls for more cash only compound fears of a dicey finale to this fall's spending fight.As the threat of a government shutdown looms at the end of September, some lawmakers are avoiding any predictions after Congress managed to pass the debt limit package before a catastrophic U.S. default.

An American citizen was arrested in Russia and was being detained in Moscow, the U.S. State Department said on Sunday.The man was accused of drug trafficking, according to Russian state media.The press service for a court in Moscow's Khamovniki district told the Interfax news agency that the man was an ex-paratrooper and musician and accused him of organizing a drug-dealing business involving young people.

Ongoing labor actions continue to wreak havoc on major European transit hubs and may upend the plans of travelers this summer.Tens of thousands of flights and trains have been delayed or canceled in recent months as workers across European cities walked out over pay disputes and labor conditions.France and Britain have been hit particularly badly, with prolonged strikes over peak holiday periods.

Father George Kovalenko gives a eulogy at Christopher James Campbell's funeral in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 5, 2023.Julian Hayda/NPR KYIV, Ukraine When Christopher James Campbell dropped out of school, sold his belongings and moved to Ukraine in the spring of 2022, his loved ones weren't sure why."He would always say, 'I feel like I have a unique ability to help.

Yesterday morning, as I left my home and began my daily walk to the bus for the penultimate day of the 2022-23 school year, the sun caught my eye.Rather than the shining ball of bright light that it normally is, it appeared as an orange disk that, while still too bright to look at directly, did not dominate the morning sky the way it typically does.

The Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy is one of the country's agricultural hubs, growing grapes for wine as well as producing the wheat, tomatoes, cheese, and ham used in many iconic Italian dishes.But the region's farms were devastated last month due to catastrophic flooding that killed 14 people and displaced more than 36,000.

(Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune)

In test results that suggest thousands of California infants, toddlers and children continue to be exposed to brain-damaging lead, data released by the state Department of Social Services has revealed that 1 in 4 of the state's child-care centers has dangerously high levels of the metal in their drinking water.

A headline about a new Washington state law claimed that if parents there don't agree to gender-transition surgery for their children, their children could be taken away."Washington Democrat Governor Inslee signs controversial bill allowing government to take away minors from parents if they refuse to agree to gender transition surgery," read the headline, referring to Gov. Jay Inslee, on The Gateway Pundit.

Washington state's Democratic governor signed into law this week a bill protecting young people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care.S.B. 5599 allows minors seeking legal reproductive or gender-affirming health care to remain in licensed youth shelters without notifying their parents.Previously, shelters were required to contact a minor's parents within 72 hours if they turned up at the shelter, unless they were being abused or neglected.

TAIPEI, Taiwan Honduras has severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of recognizing China, dealing a blow to Taipei's international standing and Washington's diplomatic efforts in Central America.The diplomatic win for China further reduced the small number of countries that have ties with Taiwan, the island democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.

By a line of ragged RVs slung along 78th Street in South Los Angeles, a seven-member team passes out glass pipes used for smoking opioids, crack and methamphetamine.Part of the front line of Los Angeles County's offensive against the deadly fentanyl epidemic, the group hands out other supplies: clean needles, sanitary wipes, fentanyl test strips and naloxone, medication that can reverse an overdose.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The expiration of the national COVID-19 public health emergency Thursday evening will mean the end of free at-home tests for some, though many Californians will still be able to get their hands on screening kits.At the end of the scheduled May 11 sunset date, a federal rule requiring insurers to reimburse policyholders for the cost of up to eight at-home COVID tests per month will end.

This week in Washington IP news, Congress is having a relatively quiet week, but the House will further discuss the impact of Pharmacy Benefit Managers on patients and the pharmaceutical industry.Elsewhere the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is holding an event offering guidance on how women entrepreneurs can seek startup capital.

A demonstration took place outside Downing Street on Friday following a spate of recent executions in Iran.It took place on the same day authorities in Iran executed three men sentenced to death in connection with the nationwide anti-government protests last year.Majid Kazemi, 30, Saleh Mirhashemi, 36, and Saeed Yaqoubi, 37, were convicted over their alleged involvement in a shooting that left three security officers dead in Isfahan on November 16.

It was the moment when Alastair Campbell had to acknowledge that The Independent was living up to its title.The conflict in Iraq was looming fast.Filling in for his boss Tony Blair at a lunch at The Independent, Campbell, then No 10 Director of Communications had asked who in the room supported the war.

The Oakland Unified School District has settled a week-long strike with its teachers union a deal that will boost pay a total of $70 million.But as the administration figures out how to pay for those raises, could it also face stiff fines for the time its 34,000 students went without teachers?District officials had no answers early this week, but the experience of another large Northern California school district's lengthy strike last year is sobering: The Sacramento City Unified School District expects to be hit with a hefty $47 million in penalties after a two-week strike left it short of the state's required 180-day instruction time.

Florida lawmakers are considering a draft law to strengthen state control over sex education that its sponsor says would ban any instruction in schools about menstrual cycles before the sixth grade.The proposal comes as Florida's Republican-dominated legislature, backed by Governor Ron DeSantis, has already passed a raft of laws limiting discussion in schools of gender and sexuality and reducing the emphasis on diversity in public schools.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Legislation moving in the Florida House would ban discussion of menstrual cycles and other human sexuality topics in elementary grades.The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Stan McClain would restrict public school instruction on human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and related topics to grades 6 through 12. McClain confirmed at a recent committee meeting that discussions about menstrual cycles would also be restricted to those grades.

Sometimes not often, but sometimes one person can have a life-changing impact on the wellbeing of millions of people.Marion Joseph, who died nearly a year ago at age 95, was one of those people.She impacted millions of California schoolchildren present and future who struggle with reading comprehension, the vital skill that underlies all of education.

Hacking.Disinformation.Surveillance.CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet.Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is using an invasive, AI-powered monitoring tool to screen travelers, including U.S. citizens, refugees, and people seeking asylum, which can in some cases link their social media posts to their Social Security number and location data, according to an internal CBP document obtained by Motherboard.

Rage Against the Machine have responded to this morning's news that they are among the inductees in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 's Class of 2023.The groundbreaking band cited "a surprising trajectory" while thanking their "passionate fans" and others for their inspiration over the years.

A fire burns at a fuel depot in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday, in a photo released by the Kremlin-appointed governor.(AP)Air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine early Monday, including in the capital, Kyiv, as Russia launched missiles in possible retaliation against a weekend drone strike by Ukrainian forces on a fuel depot in Kremlin-occupied Crimea.

The first US-led effort to evacuate private American citizens from the conflict in Sudan was completed Saturday, with a convoy organized by the US government reaching Port Sudan after a long journey from Khartoum.A U.S. government-organized convoy carrying U.S citizens, locally employed staff, and nationals from allied and partner countries arrived at Port Sudan on April 29, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda and was freed from prison in Kigali last week, returned to the United States on Wednesday, arriving at the US Army's Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio, according to a State Department official.The U.S. government is focused on ensuring that Mr. Rusesabagina and his family's well-being are prioritized, and that all assistance available is offered in an appropriate and timely manner, the official said.

By Vladimir Isachenkov | Associated Press MOSCOW Russia will no longer give the U.S. advance notice about its missile tests, a senior Moscow diplomat said Wednesday, as its military deployed mobile launchers in Siberia in a show of the country's massive nuclear capability amid fighting in Ukraine.Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian news agencies that Moscow has halted all information exchanges with Washington envisioned by the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the U.S. after suspending its participation in it last month.

WASHINGTON The Biden administration is calling for the creation of a joint tribunal in which Ukraine and international allies would try Russian leaders for crimes of aggression, but some human rights lawyers worry the plan has a fatal flaw: It might shield President Vladimir V. Putin from prosecution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats gained momentum over the weekend when he announced that he had struck a deal with Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.This is the first time since the mid-1990s that Moscow will base arms outside the country.

The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, electronically transmitted a subpoena to the State Department on Tuesday morning for a dissent cable written by US diplomats serving in Afghanistan before the US withdrawal from the country, according to a committee aide.

Almost two months after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, the state Department of Health is preparing to offer blood and urine testing and physical exams to first responders who rushed to fight the blaze.The testing is set to start within the next two weeks and will be the first step in a long-term effort to monitor the health of responders to the accident, according to an email obtained by CNN.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats gained momentum over the weekend when he announced that he had struck a deal with Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.This is the first time since the mid-1990s that Moscow will base arms outside the country.

A business jet carrying a former White House official this month pitched up and down in midair, causing her death, after pilots turned off a system that stabilizes the plane, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report.The pilots noticed several warnings related to system failures of the aircraft's flight control as it traveled from Keene, N.H., to Leesburg, Va., on March 3, and they followed steps on a checklist, which advised them to turn off a switch that controls a stabilizer function in the aircraft, according to the report.

The United States said there was no reason to change its nuclear posture after Russia said it has moved 10 nuclear-capable warplanes to Belarus, which shares a long border with northern Ukraine.The State Department said the United States is "committed to the collective defense of the NATO alliance," noting that NATO is a "defensive Alliance which does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to any country."

ALBANY - Dr. James McDonald, an upstate New York native, was nominated Friday by Gov. Hochul to lead the state Health Department.McDonald has been serving as the acting commissioner of the department since Dr. Mary Bassett stepped down at the beginning of the year to resume her previous position with the Harvard Chan School of Public Health in Massachusetts.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the State Department is facing an unprecedented demand for passports, and has increased staffing and resources to deal with it.Blinken said the current wait time for a regular passport is about ten to thirteen weeks, and for an expedited passport about seven to nine weeks.

Tomeu Vadell, one of the so-called CITGO 6 who was detained in Venezuela for nearly five years, is suing the petroleum company that previously employed him for more than $100 million in damages, according to a lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas, district court Tuesday.The lawsuit accuses CITGO of using Vadell and the other five executives Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Pereira, Jorge Toledo, Alirio Zambrano and Jose Luis Zambrano as political pawns.