Washington DC

US to declare Rohingya repression in Myanmar a 'genocide'

Washington, Mar 21 (AP) The Biden administration intends to declare that Myanmar's years-long repression of the Rohingya Muslim population is a genocide," U.S. officials said Sunday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to make the long-anticipated designation on Monday at an event at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been publicly announced.

USA: Biden nominates Indian-American diplomat Puneet Talwar as his envoy to Morocco

Washington, Mar 19 (PTI) US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Indian-American diplomat Puneet Talwar as the country's ambassador to Morocco.

Talwar, who is currently a Senior Advisor at the State Department, has held senior national security and foreign policy positions in the State Department, the White House and the Senate, the White House said as it announced several other senior administration positions.

US considers removing Iran army from terror blacklist: Report

17 March 2022; MEMO: The administration of US President Joe Biden is considering removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from its terror blacklist, in return for a public commitment from Tehran to de-escalation in the region, Axios website reported quoting three high-ranking Israeli officials and two American sources.

US students block university funding for 'propaganda trip to apartheid Israel'

14 March 2022; MEMO: In a boost for the academic boycott of Israel, students at America's Georgetown University have successfully blocked funding for a trip to the occupation state and cut all institutional links to a group called itrek. The pro-Israel group organises "propaganda trips to apartheid Israel" and is said to have received funding direct from the Israeli government.

US Republican senators say they will not back new Iran nuclear deal

15 March 2022; MEMO: Forty-nine of the 50 Republican US senators said on Monday they will not back an emerging new nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, underscoring their party's opposition to attempts to revive a 2015 accord amid fears talks might collapse, Reuters reports.

US calls on Israel to join sanctions against Russia

12 March 2022; MEMO: The US called on Israel to join sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, a US official said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

"We're asking as many countries as we can to join us. We're asking that of Israel as well. Among other things, you don't want to become the last haven for dirty money that's fuelling (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's wars," US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told Israeli Channel 12.

US, Iran give conflicting updates progress of nuclear talks

10 March 2022; MEMO: There are conflicting reports about whether or not a new deal has been agreed regarding Iran's nuclear capabilities with Washington claiming an agreement will be signed within days.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a press briefing: "Our view is that we are close," the Washington Times reported.

She indicated the possibility of reaching an agreement on the nuclear deal with Tehran in the coming days.

US citizens seek to join foreign fighters in Ukraine

Washington, Mar 10 (AP) Russia's invasion of Ukraine has given the smaller nation's embassy in Washington an unexpected role: recruitment center for Americans who want to join the fight.

Diplomats working out of the embassy, in a townhouse in the Georgetown section of the city, are fielding thousands of offers from volunteers seeking to fight for Ukraine, even as they work on the far more pressing matter of securing weapons to defend against an increasingly brutal Russian onslaught.

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