Latest news with #embassies
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Impostor Uses AI to impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials
The State Department is warning US diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates. The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a US senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post. The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press. 'The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,' it said. 'The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department's cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.' It declined to comment further due to 'security reasons' and the ongoing investigation. One of the officials said the hoaxes had been unsuccessful and 'not very sophisticated.' Nonetheless, the second official said the department deemed it 'prudent' to advise all employees and foreign governments, particularly as efforts by foreign actors to compromise information security increase. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. 'There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,' the cable said. The FBI warned in a public service announcement this past spring of a 'malicious text and voice messaging campaign' in which unidentified 'malicious actors' have been impersonating senior US government officials. The scheme, according to the FBI, has relied on text messages and AI-generated voice messages that purport to come from a senior US official and that aim to dupe other government officials as well as the victim's associates and contacts. It is the second high-level Trump administration official to face such AI-driven impersonation. The government was investigating after elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures received messages from someone impersonating President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Text messages and phone calls went out from someone who seemed to have gained access to the contacts in Wiles' personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported in May. Some of those who received calls heard a voice that sounded like Wiles, which may have been generated by artificial intelligence, according to the newspaper. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles' number, the report said.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration to cut all USAID overseas roles in dramatic restructuring
The Trump administration will eliminate all USAID (United States Agency for International Development) overseas positions worldwide by 30 September in a dramatic restructuring of remaining US foreign aid operations. In a Tuesday state department cable obtained by the Guardian, secretary of state Marco Rubio ordered the abolishment of the agency's entire international workforce, transferring control of foreign assistance programs directly to the state department. The directive affects hundreds of USAID staff globally, including foreign service officers, contractors and locally employed personnel across more than 100 countries. Chiefs of mission at US embassies have been told to prepare for the sweeping changes to occur within four months. 'The Department of State is streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish all USAID overseas positions,' the cable reads, adding that the department 'will assume responsibility for foreign assistance programming previously undertaken by USAID' from 15 June. Among those who cleared the cable was Howard Van Vranken, a former ambassador to Botswana. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Tammy Bruce, the state department spokesperson, confirmed the cable during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, telling reporters that the incoming actions are just following through on Trump administration promises to destroy the agency. 'So this was a cable, telling our posts exactly what they were expecting to be told, which is that those positions were being eliminated. So it wasn't a surprise. It's nothing new,' Bruce said. 'And, it is exactly what we previewed, in February and March of this year.' The decision to close the agency comes after the Trump administration – under the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) – eliminated 83% of USAID's programs in a six-week purge after Donald Trump took office. A federal judge had temporarily blocked an executive order by Trump for mass firings at multiple federal agencies, including the state department, and plaintiffs say Rubio's reorganization plan appears to violate that court injunction. The Trump administration says the plan was already underway when the president issued the order, so there's no possible violation. Rubio announced in March that 5,200 of the agency's 6,200 programs worldwide had been terminated, with the surviving initiatives being absorbed into the state department. The closures followed an executive order from Trump on his first day back in the White House on 20 January freezing foreign assistance pending a review. While a waiver was subsequently announced for humanitarian assistance, questions were raised about USAID's future after its website disappeared on 1 February. Two days later, staff received an email telling them not to come to work following a weekend during which its servers were removed and leadership and senior staff fired or put on disciplinary leave. Rubio declared himself that agency's acting administrator after staff were locked out of its Washington headquarters. Amid the cuts, Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur and then de facto leader of Doge, gleefully boasted of feeding USAID 'into the woodchopper', while disseminating false claims about its programs – including one assertion that the agency carried out a $50m project to provide condoms in Gaza, a claim that was subsequently proved to be untrue. According to internal documents, senior officials at the agency warned Rubio of the devastating impact that would be caused by the cuts, including 1 million children untreated for malnutrition, up to 160,000 deaths from malaria and 200,000 more children paralyzed from polio over the next decade if they were implemented. Remaining officials at the agency were ordered to destroy classified documents – using shredders and 'burn bags' – in March in an email from USAID's acting secretary, Erica Y Carr. 'Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,' Carr wrote to staff. The state department declined to comment on the cable, but told the Guardian on the destruction of documents that 'all staff who have managed this process have the appropriate level clearances and have received previous records management training'. This article was amended on 10 June 2025. A previous version inaccurately stated that thousands, not hundreds, of USAID staff globally would be affected by the cuts. This article was updated on 11 June 2025 to include comments from the state department.
Mail & Guardian
25-06-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Genevieve, the ‘ambassador of local flavours' in diplomatic circles
The catering company brings South African flavours into international dishes on countries' national days. Photo: Supplied Genevieve Nel, of Norma & Co catering company, speaks about her life as a caterer, including for about 25 embassies in South Africa. What are some of your most memorable catering experiences? Many of my most memorable experiences stem from years back when my mom and aunts started Norma & Vilma Caterers. I was just a young girl and we had the honour to cater for and subsequently meet Pope John Paul II when he visited South Africa. Everyone in our families had the honour to meet him and it was the most incredible day. What is your philosophy on food and catering? You need to love what you do to provide food that tastes and looks good. We try to always create an environment at work with happy and fulfilled team members. A happy chef creates beautiful food What makes your catering business unique? We take great pride in basing our business on creating relationships with clients. This is the cornerstone in our business and has always been, even when the business started 30 years ago. How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in catering? Social media is a huge influence in my business. I am always getting new ideas online but we also work with a wonderful bunch of event planners and coordinators who push us out of our comfort zone often creating new and wonderful food and experiences. What is your culinary guilty pleasure? I am simple when it comes to food. I love a night out at a nice restaurant, not a fancy expensive one, the local family restaurant in the neighbourhood with my husband and children is just perfect for me. You are becoming known as an 'ambassador of local flavours' in diplomatic circles. What is the main thing you want to teach diplomats about South African food? I would not say we are gurus in local flavours but we love to bring South African flavours into international dishes. We are blessed enough to be entrusted with some wonderful National Days where we try new international cuisines which become popular to our other clients afterwards. South Africans have a wide exposure to international food; we grew up [having] been exposed to a variety of flavours. Who influenced you the most? There is no doubt that my mother, Norma, has been my biggest influencer in the catering business. She started and ran Norma & Vilma Caterers successfully for 25 years until Covid. Thereafter she and I started Norma & Co on our own in 2021 and although she has taken a step back from the business, she still works and runs the business in the background. She still has a big influence on the flavours and recipes we create and produce. Your work involves a great deal of creativity, where do you find your inspirations? A lot of our set ups and creations involve trial and error. We have wonderful suppliers such as florists and equipment decor companies. But also staying on top of trends in the catering business worldwide helps with inspiration. There are many caterers creating amazing things daily. Thank you to social media we can draw inspiration globally now. When did your business begin? Norma & Co started in 2021 during Covid, on the backbone of Norma & Vilma Caterers. Covid hit our industry hard and instead of closing our doors permanently we decided to restructure, move our premises, downsize substantially and start again. This was a huge leap of faith but we are so grateful that we were able to remain relevant to some of our clients, and have gained so many more along the way. Which was the first embassy you catered for? I was still a young girl but I remember my mom and aunts catering for the Embassy of Peru National day even before the business had a business premises. When the business was still being run from our kitchen in our family home. How many embassies do you now cater for? In diplomatic circles, there is always changeover of staff regularly so we are grateful for our South African contacts that carry us through the different missions. We work with a wonderful group of ambassadors, high commissioners, consul generals and others. I would estimate we probably work with approximately 25 embassies at the moment.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Trump administration tightens social media vetting for foreign students
By Humeyra Pamuk , Reuters US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the cable with the new instructions for embassies. Photo: Pool / AFP / Jacquelyn Martin The United States is restarting student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify applicants who are hostile towards the United States or pose a threat to national security, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are required to conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles", said the cable, which was dated 18 June and sent to US missions on Wednesday (local time). On 27 May, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepared to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The cable, which was signed by Rubio, directed officers to look for "applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States". A State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said under new guidance, consular officers will ask for access to applicants' social media accounts. "To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be asked to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to 'public.' Posts may resume scheduling F, M, and J visa applications," the official said. "The enhanced social media vetting will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country." Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. The change was earlier reported by The Free Press. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions were an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Harvard University's graduation day takes place amid escalating tensions between the university and the Trump administration on 28 May, 2025. Photo: Getty via AFP In a cable in late May, Rubio had asked US consular missions around the world to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose. The Trump administration has been in a multifront dispute with the nation's oldest and wealthiest university. The directive said that would serve as a "pilot for expanded screening and vetting of visa applicants", raising the possibility of the measures being used as a template for applicants to other universities. In the same cable, consular officers were directed to consider questioning the credibility of an applicant if the individual's social media accounts were private, as that may be reflective of "evasiveness". Activities deemed antisemitic or anti-American are increasingly a red flag for the administration in its visa determination process. Such activities were raised as a source of concern by the State Department in a separate internal cable dated 14 June that recommended 36 more countries be added to Trump's travel ban. -Reuters
Washington Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
State Dept. restarts student visa interviews with tougher social media rules
The State Department is restarting interviews for new student visas and installing stricter social media guidelines, including a requirement that all applicants have their accounts set to public to be scrutinized for hostility toward the United States, according to a State Department cable sent to embassies and consulates Wednesday and obtained by The Washington Post.
