Friday, January 27, 2017

UN Staffers Demand Ousting of Agency Head Accused of Corruption

United Nations staffers have held an unusual protest in Geneva, calling for the resignation of the head of a small but influential U.N. agency dogged by controversy for years. Among other things, he was accused of transferring sensitive U.S.-made computer equipment to North Korea and Iran. Read

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Top US Aid Recipients Could Face Cuts in Trump’s Proposed Funding Audit

President Trump’s proposed audits of U.S. international funding will reportedly call for a review of development aid to countries that “oppose important United States policies” – a plan that could prove uncomfortable for some of the biggest recipients of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Read

U.S. Funding for United Nations May Be Next on Trump's List

The United Nations and affiliated agencies, bankrolled by U.S. taxpayers to the tune of $7-$8 billion a year, looks set to be next in President Trump’s crosshairs, as he seeks to rein in an organization whose actions, his ambassador to the world body has charged, are “often at odds with American national interests.” Read

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

132 Syrian Muslim Refugees Admitted to U.S. in 4 Days After Inauguration

Since the day after President Trump’s inauguration, 773 refugees have been admitted into the United States. Read

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

International Planned Parenthood Will Lose U.S. Funds Because of Trump's Pro-Life Policy

The International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International, two major beneficiaries of U.S. funding, indicated Monday they will not comply with a newly-reinstated policy that prohibits federal funding for organizations that promote or perform abortions around the world. Read

Monday, January 23, 2017

Trump, Netanyahu Lay Groundwork for Early Meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday postponed a vote on a bill to extend Israeli sovereignty over a large Jewish town in disputed territory, in an early sign he does not want to blindside the new Trump administration after a troubled relationship with its predecessor. Read

Pope Says He’ll ‘Wait and See’ How Trump Does, Advises Against Premature Fear or Rejoicing

Pope Francis told Spanish journalists as President Donald Trump was being sworn in that he would “wait and see” what the new president does in office, cautioning against prejudgment. Read

Friday, January 20, 2017

Saying Goodbye to State Employees, Kerry Says, ‘We Decided to Rock the Boat’

Outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday he was optimistic about the future, telling State Department employees that the women’s, peace and environmental movements half a century ago had achieved change because people “went out and fought for it.” Read

On Inauguration Eve, North Korea Justifies What Could be Imminent ICBM Test-Launch

On the eve of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, North Korea said Thursday it was justified in carrying out an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in response to the “ever more undisguised nuclear war threat” posed by the United States. Read

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Ambassador Nominee: ‘I Will Never Abstain’ When UN Acts Against US Interests and Values

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the U.N. told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday she will “never abstain” when the world body acts against U.S. interests and values. Read

Concerned About Anti-Israel Bias, Republicans Introduce Another Bill Targeting U.N. Funding

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday introduced yet another bill targeting United Nations funding, this time including a special focus on the U.N. Human Rights Council’s heavily anti-Israel agenda. Read

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Final Days: Obama Sends $500M to UN Climate Fund; Trump Vowed to Cancel ‘Global Warming Payments’

The State Department on Tuesday announced it has transferred a further $500 million to a U.N.-affiliated global climate change fund whose congressional critics have derided as a ‘slush fund” and “handout to foreign bureaucrats.” Read

Kerry Jokes at Davos: Trump Presidency May Last Only Year or Two

Secretary of State John Kerry, in one of his final public appearances before stepping down, jokingly suggested Tuesday that the Trump administration may only last a year or two. Read

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

‘Inappropriate’: Kerry Scolds Trump’s Criticism of Merkel’s Migrant Policies

It was “inappropriate” for President-elect Donald Trump to wade into another country’s politics by criticizing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s migrant and refugee policies, Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday. Read

Responding to Trump, EU Foreign Policy Chief Predicts Union ‘Will Stick Together’

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Monday played down remarks by President-elect Donald, who warned that other E.U. members may follow Britain and leave the union because “countries want their own identity” and were worried about a refugee influx. Read

Monday, January 16, 2017

Netanyahu’s Response to Paris Conference: ‘Tomorrow’s World Will be Different – And it is Very Near’

As 70 nations met in Paris in a bid to prod Israel and the Palestinians towards resolving their long conflict, Israel’s prime minister had a message of his own in response, dismissing the high-profile meeting as a vestige of an order that is about to change. Read

Prominent Bipartisan Group to Trump: We Need a ‘Revised’ Iran Policy

A bipartisan group of prominent Americans including former senior administration officials, diplomats and generals, has handed President-elect Donald Trump a letter calling for a new approach towards Iran that includes opening a dialogue with the outlawed opposition. Read

Friday, January 13, 2017

Kerry Attending Mideast Peace Conference, But Won't ‘Box In the Incoming Administration’

Secretary of State John Kerry is participating in a French-hosted conference on Mideast peace less than a week before the end of the administration to ensure U.S. views are heard, but with no “intent to in any way box in the incoming administration,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Thursday. Read

Egyptians Will Lobby Trump for Action Against Muslim Brotherhood

A delegation of Egyptian lawmakers and civil society representatives plans to arrive in Washington the day after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration to lobby the new administration to take firm action against the Muslim Brotherhood. Read

Thursday, January 12, 2017

U.S. Embassy Move: Palestinians Call for ‘A Message of Protest’ at Friday Prayers

Palestinian leaders are appealing for “prayers” at mosques across the Islamic world on Friday and the ringing of bells at churches on Sunday to protest any move by President-elect Donald Trump to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in line with a campaign pledge. Read

Kerry says ‘Nothing Was Done’ After Russia Invaded Georgia – But it Was Obama Who Undid The Punitive Steps That Were Taken

Reciting a list of Obama administration foreign policy achievements on Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry contrasted its response to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine to the Bush administration’s response to the 2008 invasion of Georgia – when, he said, “nothing was done.” Read

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Kerry Bemoans ‘Factless Political Environment,’ Takes a Dig at Trump’s Tweets

Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concern Tuesday about the rise of “authoritarian populism” around the world, bemoaning what he called a “factless political environment” and adding an indirect dig at President-elect Donald Trump’s use of Twitter. Read

Netanyahu: ‘We Have Unequivocal Evidence’ Obama Administration Led UN Resolution That Marked ‘Major Break With US Policy’

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ratcheted up the dispute with the outgoing administration over last month’s U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel, saying Israel has “unequivocal evidence” that it had led the initiative. Read

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

State Dep’t Won’t Speculate on What Iran May Do With Uranium in 25 Years’ Time

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday it was not a “useful exercise” to speculate on what Iran might do with uranium it reportedly will acquire, once a 25-year-long verification mechanism built into the Iran nuclear deal expires. Read

State Dept.: ‘Not Inappropriate’ for US to Offer Condolences on Death of Ex-Iranian President Linked to Terror

The Obama administration saw nothing inappropriate in sending its condolences and prayers to the family of former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani, despite his “complicated history,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday. Read

Monday, January 09, 2017

Cruz Meets With Taiwan’s President: ‘In America, We Make Decisions About Meeting With Visitors for Ourselves’

Shrugging off a “curious” request from China, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) met Sunday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Houston, and in a statement informed Beijing that “in America, we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves.” Read

Iranian Opposition Hopeful Rafsanjani’s Death Will Hasten Regime’s End

Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died Sunday aged 82, was linked in the latter years of his life “reformists” including current President Hasan Rouhani, but during his long career he was associated with some of the regime’s most controversial actions, including mass-casualty terror attacks and the assassinations of exiled dissidents. Read

Friday, January 06, 2017

Kerry: Ongoing Conflict in Syria Has ‘Nothing to Do With’ The 2013 ‘Red Line’ Episode

The ongoing conflict in Syria has “nothing to do with” the fact the U.S. did not carry out military strikes against the Assad regime in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday. Read

Gohmert: Promoting a ‘Two-State Solution’ Could Bring God’s Judgment

Citing a biblical warning of divine judgment on nations that try to partition the land God gave to the Jewish people, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) on Thursday voted against a bipartisan measure supportive of Israel, because it contained favorable references to a “two-state solution.” Read

Thursday, January 05, 2017

State Dept.: Moving Embassy to Jerusalem Could ‘Needlessly’ Put Diplomats, Troops ‘in Harm’s Way’

Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could endanger U.S. diplomats and Marine guards there and elsewhere in the region – “and needlessly so” – State Department spokesman John Kirby warned Wednesday. Read

Palestinians Name Street After Archbishop Who Smuggled Weapons for PLO

Authorities in Ramallah have announced the city has named a street after a Greek-Catholic archbishop who gained notoriety – and fame among Palestinians – when he was caught smuggling weapons for PLO terrorists in the 1970s. Read

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

UN Human Rights Council 2017: Almost 1 in 4 Members Abuse Human Rights

The United States is expected to return to the U.N. Human Rights Council in this new year, rejoining a body almost a quarter of whose members are autocracies with poor human rights records. Read

Catholic Cardinal: Don’t Judge Trump Hastily; People Were Initially Doubtful About Reagan

The archbishop of Vienna, a forthright cardinal sometimes tipped as a possible future pope, has cautioned against judging President-elect Donald Trump hastily, recalling that people were skeptical about President Ronald Reagan at the outset, too. Read

Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Congress to Vote on Measure Opposing Administration's Anti-Israel 'Stunt' at U.N.

U.S. lawmakers will have their first opportunity this week to respond legislatively to last month’s controversial U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel, and a vote has been lined up for Thursday. Read

Syrian Asylum-Seeker in Germany Arrested; Tried to Get ISIS Funding to Kill Non-Muslims

Almost two years after German authorities granted a Syrian asylum-seeker permission to stay, the man was arrested at the weekend after allegedly trying to secure funds from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) to carry out car bomb attacks that would “kill a large number of people not of the Muslim faith.” Read

Trump Responds to Kim Jong-un’s ICBM Threat: ‘It Won’t Happen!’

A pledge by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to advance efforts this year to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile received a blunt Twitter slap down Monday from President-elect Donald Trump: “It won’t happen!” Read