Latest news with #StateDepartment
Focus Malaysia
an hour ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Trump attributes Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire to his efforts: Netizens are having none of that
TRUMP has done it again. The president of peace recently grabbed the headlines for claiming his role as a mediator of peace in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict. On Truth Social, Trump said he had spoken with Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. 'I am pleased to announce that, after the involvement of President Donald J Trump, both countries have reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE,' he said. While he was busy typing all these on Truth Social, we are being served a manifold of headlines, most of which spoke of Palestinians being starved to death. Meanwhile, what about our PMX and his role in this effort? Netizens were flabbergasted by Trump's claim and rightly so. 'Anwar was on the phone day and night trying to settle their argument and this guy was busy to claim it,' said netizen @ilpiaduih on a Malaysiakini post carrying the news. However, @johnnymagoo198 pointed out that Anwar had no leverage to broker any deals unlike Trump. An incredulous netizen by the name of @mohdfaris1998 even asked X AI, Grok, to clarify the situation, and this was Grok's reply: But we have to say, the picture comments were as hilarious as they were sarcastic. To re-cap, Anwar Ibrahim was reportedly said by Al Jazeera that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met on Monday for ceasefire talks at Anwar's official residence in Malaysia's administrative capital, Putrajaya. And no, the meeting wasn't held in the White House. The Malay Mail further reported Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the US applauds the ceasefire declaration between Cambodia and Thailand. 'We are grateful to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire talks,' he said in a statement released by the State Department late on Monday. Readers can find more references from our previous articles too, such as this one: Amid trust deficit at home, PMX gets a bouquet for settling Thai-Cambodia border conflict. Meanwhile, the President of Peace will do a lot of good reining in Israel from committing further genocides in Gaza.—July 30, 2025 Main image: BBC
CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
5 things to know for July 29: Mass shootings, Extreme weather, SNAP lawsuit, Planned Parenthood, Ghislaine Maxwell
Darren Beattie, who was fired as a speechwriter during President Donald Trump's first term after CNN revealed that he spoke at a conference attended by White nationalists, will now serve as the acting president of the US Institute of Peace, a senior State Department official said. Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. There are still five months left in the year, yet according to the Gun Violence Archive, the US has already endured more than 250 mass shootings. On Monday morning, a gunman opened fire in the valet area of a resort and casino in Reno, Nevada, leaving three people dead and several others wounded. The suspect then fled through the parking lot, where he fired on an innocent bystander, a resort security guard and the police. He was taken into custody and brought to a hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Later in the day, a second mass shooting occurred in midtown Manhattan. During rush hour, a gunman shot five people, killing four of them, inside a Park Avenue skyscraper that houses numerous corporate offices, including the NFL. The shooter was later found in a stairwell on the 33rd floor, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. A dangerous line of storms roared across the northern Plains and upper Midwest overnight, unleashing large hail and wind gusts over 90 mph. Several tornadoes were also reported in parts of rural South Dakota and Iowa, the National Weather Service said. The thunderstorm complex weakened before it could meet the distance criteria to be classified as a derecho, but the end result was the same: damage to homes and businesses, hundreds of trees down and more than 250,000 customers without power. The severe storm threat has lessened to a Level 2 of 5 risk today as the system shifts south and east into the central Plains and Great Lakes. The Weather Prediction Center has also identified a Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain across the region. Twenty states are suing the Trump administration, alleging that the Department of Agriculture is improperly attempting to gather sensitive personal information about the low-income families who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries. 'This unprecedented demand that states turn over SNAP data violates all kinds of state and federal privacy laws and further breaks the trust between the federal government and the people it serves,' California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. When announcing the effort in May, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the government needs access to information about the people who use food stamps because SNAP 'has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data.' In a new preliminary injunction issued Monday, a federal judge has blocked the nationwide enforcement of a provision in President Trump's sweeping domestic policy law that would defund Planned Parenthood's healthcare services. The measure, which he signed on July 4, bars Medicaid users from coverage with a health care provider that also provides abortion services. Last week, US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the administration couldn't enforce the funding ban against some Planned Parenthood organizations, but now she has widened the block. 'Patients are likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable. In particular, restricting Members' ability to provide healthcare services threatens an increase in unintended pregnancies and attendant complications because of reduced access to effective contraceptives, and an increase in undiagnosed and untreated STIs,' Talwani wrote in her ruling. Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for carrying out a yearslong scheme with her confidante Jeffrey Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls, is urging the Supreme Court to take up her pending appeal and overturn her sex-trafficking conviction in a new brief to the court. Her attorneys claim she was covered by an agreement Epstein made with federal authorities that shielded her from prosecution. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Maxwell, finding that the agreement made with prosecutors in Florida did not bind the authorities in New York. This latest request comes amid a political firestorm over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. Although Maxwell recently met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for questioning, those talks were not mentioned in the Supreme Court filing. House Oversight Chair James Comer has also subpoenaed Maxwell for a deposition. GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. The 55-year-old man told police he was in 'an imaginary relationship' with the WNBA star. Using an instrument on the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have observed a 'Betelbuddy.' The shock rockers are celebrating with new music, a comic book, a tour and an art gallery exhibition. The 'Hacks' star was greeting admirers outside the theater where her Broadway show 'Call Me Izzy' is playing when one fan made an intriguing request. And manufacturers are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing demand. Hall of Fame baseball player Ryne Sandberg dies at 65The longtime Chicago Cubs second baseman was a 10-time All-Star during a 16-year playing career that was highlighted by winning the National League MVP award in 1984. 635,000That's how many accounts Meta has removed from Instagram that were leaving sexualized comments, requesting sexual images from adult-run accounts of kids under 13 or linking to those accounts. 'This idea that litigants, and most especially here I'm talking about government officials, needn't obey the dictates of courts. Needn't obey court orders. And you know that just is not the way our system works, not the way rule of law in this country works.' — Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan, on what she called one of the major challenges facing the federal judiciary today. 🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect. A 109-year-old woman reveals what has kept her alive for so long. Today's edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN's Andrew Torgan.
News18
2 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
US repatriates child from sprawling camp in northeastern Syria
Damascus (Syria), Jul 30 (AP) The United States repatriated an American child separated from their family from a sprawling camp in northeastern Syria that houses tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group, the State Department said Wednesday. The department estimates that some 30,000 people from 70 countries remain in al-Hol Camp, most of them wives and children of IS fighters as well as supporters of the extremist group. They include Iraqis as well as nationals of Western countries who travelled to join IS. Human rights groups for years have cited poor living conditions and pervasive violence in the camp, which the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have administered for years. The SDF are Washington's key ally in combating IS in Syria and its sleeper cells, and for years has run large swaths of northeastern Syria. The State Department did not give any details about the repatriation, except to say in a statement that the child 'has known nothing of life outside of the camps" and will be reunited with their family. The US military, for years, has been pushing for countries to repatriate their citizens from al-Hol and the smaller, separate Roj Camp. Iraq has taken back an increasing number in recent years, but many other countries have remained reluctant. 'The only durable solution to the humanitarian and security crisis in these displaced persons camps in northeast Syria is for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and where appropriate, ensure accountability for their nationals," the State Department statement read. 'The same goes for former ISIS fighters held in detention centres in northeast Syria," it said, using a different abbreviation for IS. Despite difficult talks to formally merge with the country's new rulers under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Damascus and the SDF in May reached an agreement to repatriate Syrians in the camp. Since the ouster of Bashar Assad in December, Washington has been pushing for the two sides to implement their deal and unify Syrian territory, which would ultimately put the camp under the control of the government. The SDF did not immediately comment on the repatriation. (AP) SKS GRS GRS view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 16:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Business
- Russia Today
US State Department ‘presumes' White House ready for Russia sanctions blowback
The US State Department said on Tuesday it 'presumes' that the White House is factoring in the potential economic fallout as it considers imposing secondary sanctions on countries purchasing Russian energy. President Donald Trump recently set out a 10-day ultimatum demanding a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, warning that failure to meet the deadline could result in penalties against nations doing business with Moscow. At a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce was asked whether these measures are 'too blunt an instrument,' potentially harming US allies. 'I would presume, as we should, that all of the impact would be considered,' Bruce said. 'The president is not someone who is making a decision on the fly... This has clearly been a consideration from the beginning. And we're prepared to do what's necessary.' Russian officials have dismissed Trump's threat, calling it harmful to peace efforts in Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said earlier this month that no additional pressure will derail Russia's pursuit of its national interests. Trump has acknowledged there is no certainty that his latest pressure campaign will alter Moscow's approach to the Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, foreign policy hawks in Congress are pushing for legislation that would authorize tariffs of up to 500% on nations that continue to import Russian oil and gas. Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the bill's sponsors, described it as a 'sledgehammer' he intends to place in the president's hands. Analysts have warned that these measures could backfire. China, India, and Türkiye – all major buyers of Russian energy – could face sanctions under the proposed policy. 'Such a move could cause global oil prices to skyrocket,' the New York Times warned on Tuesday, adding that secondary sanctions would likely escalate what it described as Trump's 'global trade war.' The newspaper added that earlier efforts by Western nations to limit Russian revenue through an oil price cap 'largely faltered.'
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Washington repatriates minor from camp in northeast Syria
The United States announced Tuesday that it repatriated an American minor last week from a camp in northeast Syria. "Our efforts have enabled this child, who has never known anything but life in the camps, to have a future free from the influence and dangers of terrorism from the Islamic State group," the State Department said in a statement. According to Washington, "about 30,000 people from more than 70 countries" still live in two displacement camps in northeast Syria, most of whom are children under the age of 12. Since the defeat of ISIS in Syria more than five years ago, Kurdish forces have controlled several camps and prisons in the area, where tens of thousands of people suspected of links to the jihadist organization are held. In February, the Kurdish administration announced, in coordination with the United Nations, its intention to empty the camps in the northeast of displaced Syrians and Iraqis, including suspected relatives of jihadists, by the end of 2025. Kurdish authorities have for several years been calling on countries to repatriate their nationals, but most have only allowed limited returns, citing security concerns. "The only sustainable solution to the humanitarian and security crisis in these displacement camps in northeast Syria is for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and, where appropriate, ensure accountability for their nationals," the State Department said. Syria is governed by a coalition of Islamists who overthrew President Bashar Assad in December and took power after more than 13 years of a devastating civil war.
