Antony Blinken News

Catch all the LIVE Updates on the Israel-Hamas war here,US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called on Israel to take "urgent" action to stop settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

BEIJING — U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to resume high-level military communication, according to both countries.

The United States says it has imposed a third round of sanctions on a group of Hamas officials, members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who work to transfer money from Iran to Gaza, and a Lebanese money exchange service that facilitates the transfers

India-Canada row: Justin Trudeau doubles down on claim, says ‘if bigger countries violate law without consequences…’ "We note the enactment of the National Housing Strategy Act, Accessible Canada Act, and National strategy to combat human trafficking," said Hussain addressing the UNHRC review meeting. "India recommends the following to Canada - further, strengthen the domestic framework to prevent misuse of freedom of expression, for inciting violence and disallow activities of groups that are promoting extremism; effectively prevent attacks on places of worship of religious and racial minorities, strengthen legislative and other measures to address hate crimes and hate speech," the Indian diplomat said.

Nijjar Killing Row: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday reiterated his claim that they had reached out to India in connection with the pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing. PM Trudeau also said that Canada "will always stand up for the rule of law".

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

India and the United States pledged to strengthen their strategic alliance by enhancing defence and security collaborations and expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in response to China's growing military assertiveness on Friday. Additionally, they unveiled intentions to collaborate on the joint production of an armoured infantry vehicle.

Gaza as the death toll rose and fighting intensified between Israeli forces and Hamas militants near and around hospitals. Global calls for Israeli restraint increased as the number of Palestinians killed rose above 11,000 in a five-week-old Israeli bombardment launched against Hamas in retaliation for its deadly Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel. In his strongest comments to date on the plight of civilians caught in the Gaza cross-fire, U.S.

Antony Blinken on Friday said that “far too many" Palestinians have died and suffered as Israel wages a relentless war against Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Blinken said recent Israeli moves to improve dire conditions in Gaza as its military pushes deeper into the strip — including pauses in military operations to allow Palestinians to move from northern to southern Gaza and the creation of a second safe corridor — are positive but they are not nearly enough.

United States stand with Israel against terrorism. Both the countries also called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. «Noting horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, the Ministers reiterated that India and the US stand with Israel and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including with regard to the protection of civilians.» Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr.

India flagged its concerns at the '2+2' foreign and defence ministerial meeting. «We have made our concerns very very clear,» Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a media briefing. The American delegation at the '2+2' ministerial dialogue talks was led by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh headed the Indian side. «We have core security concerns and I am sure you are all aware of recent video that has surfaced from one such individual,» Kwatra said adding the US side understood New Delhi's concerns. The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in the Canadian town of Surrey. Days after Trudeau's allegations, India temporarily suspended issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity. Canada has already withdrawn 41 diplomats and their family members from India. India has already resumed some of the visa services.

White House has called India a key strategic partner and said the US will leave it to the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to decide the country's stance on any particular crisis or contingency around the world. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said was speaking about India's stand on the Israel crisis. «India is a key strategic partner.

Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon urges Indians to light a ‘Diya of Hope’ for hostages held by Hamas Several terms have come to the fore since fighting began last month – with calls for a truce, a humanitarian truce, de-escalation, a humanitarian ceasefire and a cessation of hostilities. There is no clear definition for each of these concepts with all referring to a break in fighting – of varying lengths. A pause is simply considered less formal and shorter than a ceasefire.

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold talks with India this week that officials say will focus on security challenges in the Indo-Pacific and concerns over China, rather than the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The talks in New Delhi on Friday with India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh are part of the so-called "2 2 Dialogue", launched in 2018 to boost defence cooperation and align policy objectives in the Indo-Pacific region.

The upcoming fifth annual US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi will see the arrival of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. During their visit, they will hold discussions with their Indian counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The primary focus of these meetings will encompass critical issues, including strengthening defence collaboration, exploring emerging technologies, addressing space-related matters, and adapting to the evolving global landscape.

Reuters. At the same conference, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, "The international community's responsibility always is to seek the cessation of hostilities, not promote the continuance of violence." "I think we need to get our priorities straight," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. "Right now we have to make sure that this war stops," he added.

United States and its Arab allies appeared divided over Israel's military offensive in Gaza to defeat Hamas, as Washington, alongside Israel, resisted pressure for an immediate ceasefire despite the rising death toll among Palestinian civilians. In a rare display of a public split, Arab foreign ministers at a press conference pushed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to persuade Israel to agree to a ceasefire.

William J Burns, arrived in Israel on Sunday to hold discussions with leaders and intelligence officials, the first stop in a multi-country trip in the region, New York Times reported citing US officials. The visit comes as the US is trying to prod Israel to pursue a more targeted approach to attacking Hamas, allow pauses in the fighting for aid to enter Gaza and do more to avoid civilian casualties, according to NYT. Washington is also looking to expand its intelligence sharing with Tel Aviv, providing information that could be useful about hostage locations or any follow-on attacks by Hamas. A US official briefed on Burns' trip said that he planned to reinforce the American commitment to intelligence cooperation with partners in the region. Burns will travel to several Middle Eastern countries for discussions about the situation in Gaza, ongoing hostage negotiations and the importance of deterring the war with Hamas from widening to a broader context, NYT reported citing the US official. US officials have been visiting Israel at a regular cadence since war broke out after Hamas fighters attacked Israeli towns on October 7 and killed more than 1,400 people. Israel has retaliated with a massive counteroffensive including air campaign and ground invasion into Gaza, where Hamas is in control. More than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes since Israel began retaliating, according to Gaza's health ministry.

By Doina Chiacu

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday, as he tours the Middle East attempting to tamp down tensions after war erupted between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas last month.

By Dilara Senkaya and Mehmet Emin Caliskan