Washington DC

14 Dec 2021; MEMO: Democratic proposal for a US State Department office addressing anti-Muslim bias will get a procedural vote in a House committee today, after a Republican congresswoman used an Islamophobic slur against a Democratic colleague, Reuters reports.

The bill, authored by Representative Ilhan Omar, would create a special envoy for monitoring and combating Islamophobia, and include state-sponsored anti-Muslim violence in the department's annual human rights reports.

13 Dec 2021; MEMO: Former US President, Donald Trump, said in an interview, published Monday, that he did not think Israeli's Benjamin Netanyahu was ever serious about signing a peace deal with Palestinians, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"I don't think Bibi ever wanted to make peace," Trump said to Axios news journalist, Barak Ravid. "I think he just tapped us along. Just tap, tap, tap, you know?" He was referring to Netanyahu using his nickname.

10 Dec 2021; MEMO: The United States' House of Representatives has passed legislation to ban imports from China's Xinjiang province due to concerns about the forced labour of the persecuted Uyghur Muslims.

09 Dec 2021; MEMO: The US does not have any evidence that Iran has made a decision to weaponise its nuclear programme, head of the CIA William Burns told the Wall Street Journal's annual CEO Council meeting on Monday.

The US spy agency "doesn't see any evidence that Iran's Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] has made a decision to move to weaponise," said Burns adding his voice to one of the major global issues of recent weeks.

08 Dec 2021; MEMO: A US billionaire hedge fund manager has surrendered 180 antiquities worth $70 million after an investigation found that they had been looted and illegally smuggled.

Michael Steinhardt, 81, illegally acquired art that was smuggled from 11 countries, including Egypt, Syria and Turkey, during wars or civil unrest using 12 criminal networks.

Washington, Dec 5 (PTI) The US has made it mandatory for all incoming passengers, including those from India, to carry a negative COVID-19 test report or a proof of recovery from the contagion amidst rising number of cases of the new Omicron variant.

The new protocol comes into effect from December 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said.

04 Dec 2021; MEMO: The iPhones of at least nine senior US officials have been hacked by sophisticated spyware developed by Israeli-based NSO Group, Reuters revealed on Friday.

The US officials are employees of the US State Department, Reuters reported, and the iPhones were hacked in recent months.

Reuters disclosed two of its sources stating that the US State Department employees were either based in Uganda or focused on matters relating to Uganda.

Washington, Dec 4 (AP) President Joe Biden pledged Friday to make it very, very difficult for Russia's Vladimir Putin to take military action in Ukraine as U.S. intelligence officials determined that Russian planning is underway for a possible military offensive that could begin as soon as early 2022.

29 Nov 2021; MEMO: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said yesterday that the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is a challenge to international peace and security.

His remarks came in a tweet which marked the International Day in Solidarity with Palestine.

"On #PalestineDay, let's reaffirm commitment to the Palestinian people in their quest to achieve their rights & build a future of peace & dignity for both Palestinians & Israelis," Guterres tweeted.

25 Nov 2021; MEMO: Iran has the ability to build a nuclear weapon in a very short time, Commander of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie has said, adding that his forces are ready with a potential military option should talks fail.

Iranian negotiators are set to meet with their European, Russian and Chinese counterparts in Vienna on Monday to discuss restoring the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).