Antony Blinken News

Also Read: India-Canada row LIVE updates: ‘Indian govt should cooperate in investigation,’ says US Earlier on September 20, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a cautionary advisory to Indian citizens, particularly students in Canada and those intending to visit the country, due to the recent tensions in bilateral relations between India and Canada. Also Read: India suspends visa services in Canada citing ‘operational reasons’ As per a statement released by the MEA on Wednesday, Indian citizens and Indian students residing in Canada are encouraged to refrain from visiting areas and locations within Canada that have witnessed an increase in anti-India activities.

Blinken on Friday (local time) said that Washington is «deeply concerned» about the allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the Indian government's involvement in the killing of Khalistterrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He said that the US wants to see accountability and called it «important» that the investigation runs its course and leads to the result. While addressing a press conference in New York, Blinken said that the US has engaged directly with the Indian government. He said that the US is consulting «very closely» with Canada and coordinating on the issue.

Long waits to receive new passports haven't yet eased from earlier this year, as the U.S. State Department works through a backlog of applications amid high demand for international travel.

sovereignty and territorial integrity underpin the development of the Indo-Pacific region and expressed serious concern on the militarisation of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, and efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore exploitation activities. The Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition is a plurilateral framework comprising India, Australia, Japan and the US formed in 2017 to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region. Foreign ministers of the four-nation bloc — External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko — met on the margins of the high-level 78th session of the UN General Assembly for the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting and reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the principles of the UN Charter. «We reaffirm our conviction that international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace and security in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific,» a joint readout of the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting said. The ministers emphasised that disputes should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, without threat or use of force. «We emphasise the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including with respect to maritime claims, and in the South and East China Seas,» they said in the joint statement. The ministers emphasised the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and

South Africa will host a meeting of nations participating in the U.S. Africa Growth and Opportunity Act despite earlier calls to exclude the country from the forum due to its ties to Russia and the docking of a sanctioned Russian vessel near Cape Town ...

South Africa will host a meeting of nations participating in the U.S. Africa Growth and Opportunity Act despite earlier calls to exclude the country from the forum due to its ties to Russia and the docking of a sanctioned Russian vessel near Cape Town ...

Xi Jinping told two US Flying Tigers veterans who fought for China during World War II that China and the US «should and must» achieve peaceful co-existence, offering further cues for both sides to lower persistent tensions. In his reply to a letter from former pilot Harry Moyer and pilot gunner Mel McMullen, Xi said the people of China and the United States had shared the same enemy in their fight against Japan and had forged a «profound» friendship, according to Chinese state media on Tuesday. «Looking to the future, China and the United States, as two major countries, bear more important responsibilities for world peace, stability and development,» Xi said. «They should and must achieve mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.» His call for stable and peaceful ties followed a series of meetings and talks between US and Chinese officials in recent months aimed at reducing tensions and restoring channels of communication including contact between their militaries. The American Volunteer Group, known as the Flying Tigers, was a fighter group, comprising former US pilots hired by the Republic of China led by Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang, to fight against Japan in 1941-42. The airmen, whose planes were iconic for their shark faces, were widely known in China for their feats of bravery in the face of larger Japanese forces as they took to the skies from rural runways paved by Chinese people by hand. «Currently, China-US relations face many difficulties and challenges,» Chinese Vice President Han Zheng told U.S.

SINGAPORE—China’s top diplomat was set to begin a four-day visit to Russia after a surprise stopover in Malta for weekend talks with White House officials, as Beijing lays the groundwork for separate meetings between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his U.S. and Russian counterparts.

The Jerusalem Post citing the report, Riyadh has communicated through the United States that the "extremist" character of Israel's right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is obstructing any potential improvement in relations with the Palestinians, consequently affecting ties with Saudi Arabia. The report also mentioned that Saudi Arabia was discouraged from pursuing a potential peace agreement because of Netanyahu's willingness to accommodate the demands of individuals like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whom the Saudis perceive as being from the "far-right" political spectrum.

With dozens of world leaders descending upon New York for the United Nations General Assembly’s annual gathering, global problems are showing up fast and thick at the world body’s door — with no solutions in sight. And many countries are starting to look elsewhere to do something about them. The UN, once the central forum for trying to solve geopolitical disputes, is increasingly on the sidelines of the new global politics, unable to keep up with the array of shocks, crises and coups that seem to be fracturing the world.

Joe Biden's administration over its decision of prisoner swap with Iran. The US cleared the way for $6 billion in proceeds to be returned to Iran and agreed to release five Iranians as a part of a secretly negotiated deal. The deal will clear the way for five American citizens detained in Iran to return home, according to a report published by Bloomberg. Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified Congress on Monday of a waiver that will let German, Irish, Qatari, South Korean, and Swiss banks transfer the $6 billion from South Korea without fear of running afoul of US sanctions.

By Parisa Hafezi and Andrew Mills

digital companies including Intel, GlobalFoundries and Google are expected to attend a business meeting on Monday in Hanoi as President Joe Biden visits Vietnam to boost ties, two people familiar with the plan said. The meeting, which is still being arranged, would confirm U.S. plans to boost Vietnam's global role in different segments of chipmaking, as part of Washington's broader strategy to reduce the sector's exposure to China-linked risks, including trade restrictions and tensions over Taiwan.

Iranian oil earlier this year, Al Jazeera reported. Notably, this strong move by the US resulted in severe tensions in the Gulf. «This is the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil and comes in concert with a successful seizure of over 980,000 barrels of contraband crude oil,» said the Justice Department in a statement, according to Al Jazeera. The department hailed the move for «successfully disrupting a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil,» by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is designated as a «foreign terrorist organization» in the US. Following its seizure of the Iranian oil, Washington charged Tehran with arresting a number of foreign ships transiting the Gulf. Tehran was outraged when the Pentagon revealed in August that it was deploying tens of thousands more US soldiers to the area to «support deterrence efforts» and guard maritime lines, notably the Strait of Hormuz., according to Al Jazeera.Iran has argued that capturing Iranian property in international waters is equivalent to piracy, whereas the US regards stopping Iranian oil ships as law enforcement. «Acts of trespassing on tankers carrying Iranian oil are a clear example of piracy,» Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Nasser Kanasaid last month, as per Al Jazeera. In August, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington would welcome any steps from Tehran for de-escalating the «growing nuclear threats». He, however, also clarified that the process of bringing back US citizens detained in Iran is a «completely different» matter.

Russia is holding «sham elections» in the occupied region of Ukraine, US State Secretary Antony Blinken said adding that this action shows its blatant disregard for UN Charter principles. In a statement released by the State Department, Blinken said, «The Russian Federation is in the process of conducting sham elections in occupied areas of Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine—Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday in a visit aimed at signaling Washington’s support amid a slow-going counteroffensive and grumbling among some Republicans about the level of U.S. assistance for the country. Blinken is expected to announce more than $1 billion in additional aid for the country and to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the capital, a senior State Department official said.

Russian attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said. Footage circulated online by presidential officials showed people falling to the ground or running for cover after a huge explosion in front of them, seconds after some look up to the sky when they hear what sounds like a missile approaching. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attack, saying a market, shops and a pharmacy had been struck in the industrial city close to the battlefield. «This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,» Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app. «When someone in the world still attempts to deal with anything Russian, it means turning a blind eye to this reality.

Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday in a gesture of support as Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its fourth month with only small gains. During his two-day visit, staying overnight in Ukraine for the first time since before Russia's February 2022 invasion, Blinken will likely announce a new package of U.S. assistance worth more than $1 billion, a senior State Department official said in a briefing for reporters on the trip. Blinken, on the first trip to Kyiv by a top U.S.

The foreign minister of Quad group -- which includes India, Australia, Japan and the United States – are likely to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September. The meeting of the foreign ministers is being held to expand the cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday. The meeting has however not been confirmed yet.

G20 Summit in New Delhi, US President Joe Biden will commence his one-day visit to Vietnam on September 10. He will travel to Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, to meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other leaders.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is the latest member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet to visit China as his administration tries to mend the deteriorating ties between the world’s two largest economies