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JPMorgan had handled some Russian grain export payments for a few months with reassurances from Washington. However, that cooperation stopped in early August, said Russia's Foreign Ministry, after Moscow quit the Black Sea grain deal in July. UNDERMINING U.N. EFFORTSU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday that Russia's bombardment was undermining U.N. efforts to help facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports. To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, U.N. officials agreed to help Russian exports reach global markets. "It has led many of those whose goodwill is needed, notably in the private sector, to question whether there is any real interest in re-joining the Black Sea Initiative."

Persons: Morgan, Sarah Meyssonnier, Moscow, James O'Brien, ”, O'Brien, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Michelle Nichols, Michael Perry Organizations: JPMorgan, REUTERS, Washington, State Department, Reuters, Wednesday, Foreign Ministry, State Department's Office, United Nations, Security, Black Sea Initiative, United, Russia's, Russian Foreign Ministry, Guterres, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, U.S, Moscow, Ukraine, Washington, Russia, New York, United Nations, Turkey, United

"There's a trip next week to India, a number of countries are going to sort of verify certain elements of implementation. Belgium, which is not in the G7 but is a member of the European Union, has been blocking any sanctions on Russian diamonds sought by hawks in the EU. A leading Russia critic, Poland this week launched a fresh call for EU sanctions on Russian diamonds, the sales of which brought Moscow more than $4.5 billion in 2022. The EU bought some $1.5 billion worth of Russian diamonds last year. Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Washington imposed sanctions on Alrosa and barred the import of non-industrial diamonds of Russian origin into the United States.

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Gabriela Baczynska, Howard Goller Organizations: Biden, Reuters, U.S, United Nations, European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: India, United States, Belgium, Mumbai, Surat, Russia, New York, Antwerp, Ukraine, Moscow, Poland, Washington

☆ Sudan's Rapid Support Forces Fully Ready for Ceasefire and Political Talks -Hemedti
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are fully prepared for a ceasefire and to engage in comprehensive political talks for an end to its civil conflict with the army, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a rare video appearance on Thursday. Dagalo, known as Hemedti, made the comments in a recorded video message addressed to the U.N. General Assembly and released by the RSF shortly before army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was due to give a speech to the assembly in New York. Most of Hemedti's recent communications have been audio messages, and his whereabouts have been a source of speculation since war between the army and the RSF erupted in mid-April. In the video released on Thursday he appeared in military uniform, seated behind a desk with a Sudanese national flag behind him as he read out his speech. (Reporting by Khalid Abdeaziz, Yomna Ehab and Enas Alashray; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Persons: Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Dagalo, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Khalid Abdeaziz, Yomna, Aidan Lewis, Leslie Adler Organizations: Support Forces, General Assembly, Sudanese Locations: CAIRO, New York, Sudan

Summary Egypt seeking cheaper wheat amid dollar crunchRussia blocked deal that undercut price floor- tradersCAIRO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Egypt is in talks with an Abu Dhabi-based bank for a loan facility that would finance wheat purchases from Kazakhstan, three traders told Reuters. The move could give Egypt a cheap alternative to grain from Russia, which has supplied an increasing share of Egypt's wheat since last year but recently blocked a deal for a purchase below an unofficial price floor for wheat purchases, traders say. Russia's agriculture ministry recently prevented the private sale of 480,000 tons of Russian wheat to Egypt, apparently because it was sold below the price floor, traders told Reuters. Kazakhstan is already an approved wheat import origin for Egypt, but purchases from the Central Asian country are rare. The Egyptian government recently signed a $500 million loan agreement with the Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX) to buy imported wheat from UAE-based agribusiness Al Dahra.

Persons: Abu, GASC, Sarah El Safty, Michael Hogan, Aidan Lewis, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, General Authority for Supply Commodities, Central, Abu, Abu Dhabi Exports Office, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Russia, CAIRO, Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, France, Bulgaria, UAE

☆ GCC countries, US call for completion of demarcation of Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime borders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens to Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi as they attend a breakfast with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nations, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in New York, U.S. Craig Ruttle/Pool via REUTERS/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the U.S., in a joint statement on Wednesday, called for the completion of demarcation of Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime borders "beyond boundary point 162". The statement comes after a meeting of GCC Arab foreign ministers, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and GCC Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi in New York. They also called on the Iraqi government to "expeditiously resolve the domestic legal status of the 2012 Kuwait-Iraq Agreement to regulate maritime navigation in Khor Abdullah and ensure that the agreement remains in force." The joint statement also "called on Iraq and the UN to exert maximum efforts to reach a resolution of all the issues involved." Reporting by Enas ALashray, Muhammad Al Gebaly; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, Craig Ruttle, Jasem, Khor Abdullah, Enas ALashray, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Christopher Cushing, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Cooperation, Foreign Ministers, Gulf Cooperation Council Nations, Rights, Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, UN, United Nations, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Rights CAIRO, Kuwaiti, Iraqi, Kuwait, Iraq, Khor

☆ UN General Assembly: Erdogan, Netanyahu meet for first time as relations thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in for the first time in person on Tuesday, marking a major milestone as the two countries have been slowly improving their ties. A visit to Turkey by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in March 2022, followed by visits by both foreign ministers, helped warm relations after more than a decade of tensions. Erdogan told Netanyahu that the two countries can cooperate on energy, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence as well as cyber security, the presidency said. "In the meeting, opportunities for energy cooperation primarily in areas like natural gas exploration, production and trade were discussed," said Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who participated.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Brendan McDermid, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's, Isaac Herzog, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Alparslan Bayraktar, Humeyra Pamuk, Grant McCool Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, Israeli, United Nations General Assembly, Energy, Turkey's Energy, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Israel, Turkey, Ankara, Gaza, Turkish, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia

The deal removes a point of friction between the United States, which brands Tehran a sponsor of terrorism, and Iran, which calls Washington the "Great Satan". 'HUMANITARIAN ACTION'[1/9]Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between U.S and Iran, and arrived at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly, called the swap a humanitarian action. Relations between the United States and Iran have been especially bitter since 2018 when then-President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions and toughened U.S. sanctions. Washington suspects Iran's nuclear program may be aimed at developing nuclear arms, a charge Iran denies.

Persons: Babak Namazi, Siamak, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, American Emad, Jonathan Ernst, Joe Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Biden, Michael McCaul, Donald Trump, Iran's, Antony Blinken, Henry Rome of, Andrew Mills, Humeyra Pamuk, Parisa, Edmund Blair, Arshad Mohammed, Gareth Jones, Jon Boyle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Doha DOHA, NEW, Stripes, Qatari, Davison Army, REUTERS, Rights, General Assembly, Democrat, House Foreign, U.S, Washington Institute for Near, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Iran, Doha, United States, U.S, Fort Belvoir , Virginia, South Korea, Switzerland, Tehran, Washington, Gulf and U.S, Emad Sharqi, British, American, New York

☆ Saudi Arabia welcomes positive results of talks to support peace process in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia welcomed positive results from discussions to reach a road map supporting the peace process in Yemen, the kingdom's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, after Houthi negotiators' talks with the Saudis in Riyadh. Houthi enovys left Riyadh on Tuesday after a five-day round of talks with Saudi officials on ending the eight-year-old conflict in Yemen, sources familiar with the meeting and Houthi media said. The kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to promoting dialogue among all warring parties in Yemen, the Saudi defence minister said on Wednesday after meeting with the Houthi delegation. The Houthi delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia last week. The United States has put pressure on its ally Saudi Arabia to end the war and linked some U.S. military support to the kingdom to ending its involvement in Yemen.

Persons: Houthi enovys, Prince Khalid bin Salman, Enas Alashray, Chris Reese Organizations: Saudi, UN, United Nations, United, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Riyadh, Houthi, Saudi, Iran, United States

☆ Opinion: The Netanyahu government’s next target: Israel’s free press
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Dan Perry | Gilead Sher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A cornerstone of those shared values is both countries’ historic commitments to a free press. Israel’s journalism, as in the United States, is freewheeling and independent, and reporters are famously skeptical and often critical of any government. Gilead Sher Courtesy Gilead SherAs in the United States, Israeli governments have always viewed a free press as inviolate because of the central role it plays in upholding democracy and fostering government transparency and accountability — until now. Missed so far, however, in most mainstream US news, are the government’s initiatives to erode Israel’s free press and gradually turn Israeli media into government propaganda vehicles. And indeed, as already stated, Netanyahu’s government has targeted much more than the free press.

Persons: Dan Perry, Gilead Sher, Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Gilead, Biden, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Orban, Israel Organizations: London, Associated Press, Israeli, CNN, UN, Assembly, BBC, Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, MSNBC, Fox News, Hungarian Locations: Cairo, Europe, Africa, Israel, United States, New York, America

☆ Rights groups condemn arrest of French journalist over defense reporting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rights groups condemned the arrest of reporter Ariane Lavrilleux, who authored the report that said French intelligence intended to track jihadist militants had been misused by Egypt to target smugglers on the Libyan border and kill civilians. Lavrilleux's lawyer, Virginie Marquet, said her client was being questioned by a judge and police officers from the French intelligence service DGSI as part of an investigation into compromising national security. The documents included purported messages from those involved alerting their superiors that their information was being misused for bombing civilians. Reporters Without Borders and other rights groups also released statements condemning the arrest. Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ariane Lavrilleux, France's, Virginie Marquet, Marquet, Katia Roux, Juliette Jabkhiro, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Reuters, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Libyan, Paris, Cairo, Amnesty France

The meeting between Blinken and Han was the latest in a series of high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials that could lay the groundwork for a meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. "The world expects us to responsibly manage our relationship," Blinken said in brief remarks at the beginning of his meeting with Han. Neither Blinken nor Han in their remarks explicitly mentioned whether such a meeting will materialize. "Currently, China-U.S. relations face many difficulties and challenges," Han told Blinken, noting that China hoped the U.S. would make efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and promote the stable development of relations. "The world needs stable and healthy China-U.S. relations,” Han said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Han Zheng, Julia Nikhinson, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Han, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Blinken, Gina Raimondo, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, Biden, Xi, ” Han, Humeyra Pamuk, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, United Nations General Assembly, White House, Foreign, U.S, U.S . Commerce, Biden, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Malta, Blinken, United States, China, India, Asia, San Francisco

NEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A detainee swap that secured the release of five Americans held in Iran on Monday does not change Washington's adversarial relationship with Tehran, although the door remains open for diplomacy over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, a senior administration official said. Even so, they said the door for diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program was not entirely shut. It was unclear if the official meant to deny any indirect talks, or if he was deliberately leaving the door open for them. After taking office in January 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden tried to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S., European Union and U.N. sanctions. However, earlier this year Washington and Tehran began exploring what analysts describe as "understandings" - which Washington has never acknowledged - to lower tensions over nuclear and other issues.

Persons: Washington, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Humeyra Pamuk, Stephen Coates Organizations: Biden, The U.S, United Nations General Assembly, Union, U.S, Republican, Iran, Thomson Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Qatar, The, Yemen, New York, U.S, Washington, South Korea, Doha

☆ Egypt inaugurates newly restored Ottoman mosque at Cairo citadel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/8] Members of media record inside the restored Sariyat al-Gabal Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Suleyman Pasha al-Khadim, the first Ottoman mosque built inside the Salah al-Din Citadel in old Cairo, Egypt, September 16, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Egypt has inaugurated a newly restored Ottoman mosque, built by the 16th century governor Suleyman Pasha al-Khadim, that lies within the citadel that has dominated Cairo's skyline for centuries. The mosque, with 22 green-tiled domes and minbar (prayer niche) inlaid with renowned Iznik tiles, is Cairo's earliest Ottoman mosque, built in 1528 A.D., eleven years after the Ottoman army under Sultan Selim conquered Egypt from the Mamluk empire. The mosque, known as the Suleyman Pasha al-Khadim mosque and also the Sariya mosque, is inside Cairo's citadel. The citadel was built by the Muslim general Salah al-Din after he conquered Cairo from the Fatimids.

Persons: Suleyman Pasha, Salah, Amr Abdallah Dalsh, Sultan Selim, Sayed Sariya, Mostafa Waziri, Salah al, Din, Ahmed Fahmy, Amr Abdallah, Patrick Werr, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Supreme, of Antiquities, Crusaders, Thomson Locations: Gabal, Ottoman, Din, Cairo, Egypt, Rights CAIRO, Cairo's, Jerusalem

☆ Libya Says Four Members of Greek Rescue Team Killed in Road Accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Four members of a Greek rescue team en route to the flood-ravaged city of Derna and three members of a Libyan family were killed in a road accident on Sunday, the health minister for the Libyan eastern government said. Fifteen of the Greek rescue team were injured, including seven in a critical condition, Othman Abduljaleel told a televised news conference. Two of the Libyan family were also critical, he said. The Greek foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment on Abduljaleel's statement regarding the killing of four Greeks. According to a diplomatic source, the Greek rescue team had 16 members plus three interpreters.

Persons: Othman Abduljaleel, Hatem Maher, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Karolina Tagaris, Christina Fincher, Conor Humphries Organizations: Greek Armed Forces Locations: CAIRO, Derna, Libyan, Benghazi

☆ Death Toll From Floods Reaches 11,300 in Libya's Coastal City of Derna
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 11,300 people have died and another 10,100 are missing from the coastal city of Derna one week after Storm Daniel hit northeastern Libya, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on Saturday. An estimated 170 people have been killed as a result of the flooding elsewhere in the country, and more than 40,000 people have been displaced, the UN report said, citing the latest data from International Organizaton for Migration. Figures are expected to rise as search-and-rescue efforts continue to look for survivors.

Persons: Storm Daniel Organizations: UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN Locations: CAIRO, Derna, Libya

☆ Death toll from floods reaches 11,300 in Libya's coastal city of Derna
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - At least 11,300 people have died and another 10,100 are missing from the coastal city of Derna one week after Storm Daniel hit northeastern Libya, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on Saturday. An estimated 170 people have been killed as a result of the flooding elsewhere in the country, and more than 40,000 people have been displaced, the UN report said, citing the latest data from International Organizaton for Migration. Figures are expected to rise as search-and-rescue efforts continue to look for survivors. Writing by Adam Makary. Editing by Jane MerrimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Adam Makary, Jane Merriman Organizations: UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Derna, Libya

☆ Libya says four members of Greek rescue team killed in road accident
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Four members of a Greek rescue team en route to the flood-ravaged city of Derna and three members of a Libyan family were killed in a road accident on Sunday, the health minister for the Libyan eastern government said. Fifteen of the Greek rescue team were injured, including seven in a critical condition, Othman Abduljaleel told a televised news conference. Two of the Libyan family were also critical, he said. The Greek foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment on Abduljaleel's statement regarding the killing of four Greeks. According to a diplomatic source, the Greek rescue team had 16 members plus three interpreters.

Persons: Othman Abduljaleel, Hatem Maher, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Karolina Tagaris, Christina Fincher, Conor Humphries Organizations: Greek Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Derna, Libyan, Benghazi

☆ Prominent Egyptian activist and govt critic jailed for six months
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hisham Kassem, a former newspaper publisher publisher and political activist, speaks during an interview with Reuters TV at his family's cemetery, in Cairo, Egypt, June 13, 2023. Kassem is a leader of al-Tayar al-Hurr, or Free Current, a newly formed liberal group. No serious challenge is expected against Sisi, a former army chief who has continued backing from the security forces. Kassem, a former publisher of Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, had started then suspended a hunger strike while in detention. Sisi has presided over a far-reaching crackdown on political dissent that has swept up critics from across the political spectrum.

Persons: Hisham Kassem, Ahmed Fahmy, Abdel Fattah al, Kassem, Nasser Amin, Amin, Sisi, Masry, Aidan Lewis, Omar Abdel, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters TV, REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, Sisi, Authorities, U.S, Thomson Locations: Cairo, Egypt, Rights CAIRO, United States

Heavy rains caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding across eastern Libya last weekend. He said prosecutors would investigate local authorities in the city, as well as previous governments. But there was no warning about the dams, which collapsed early Monday as most residents were asleep in their homes. The storm hit other areas in eastern Libya, including the towns of Bayda, Susa, Marj and Shahatt. Others had come to Libya to work or were traveling through in hopes of migrating to Europe.

Persons: —, Daniel, Sour, ”, Moammar Gadhafi, _____________ Magdy Organizations: Crescent, NATO, Arsel Construction Company, Local Locations: DERNA, Libya, Libyan, Derna, Bayda, Susa, Marj, Shahatt, Europe, Egypt, Syria, Cairo

A three-storey building standing opposite had been swept 60 metres (200 feet) down the road by the floodwaters, Hasadi said. "The situation is very, very tragic," said Qais, a rescue worker from Tunisia at the seafront who only gave his first name. [1/4]A view shows the destruction, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 16, 2023. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-fetori Acquire Licensing Rights"The work is ongoing and is very, very, very complicated," he told Reuters. Libya's continuing political divisions, with rival administrations and parliaments in the east and west, could hamper the aid effort.

Persons: Tarek Faheem al, Hasadi, Qais, Kamal Al, Omran, Storm Daniel, Hayder Al, Muammar Gaddafi, Khalifa Haftar's, Derna, Ayman al, Ahmed Elumami, Omar Abdel, Emma Farge, Aidan Lewis, Helen Popper, Alex Richardson Organizations: Organization for, REUTERS, Reuters, Health Organization, Italy's, United Nations, Libya's National, for Disease, NATO, Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army, Thomson Locations: DERNA, Libya, Derna, Derna's, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Italian, Italy's Embassy, Infrastructure, Razek, Cairo, Geneva

CAIRO (AP) — Libyan authorities blocked civilians from entering the flood-stricken eastern city of Derna on Friday so search teams could look through the mud and wrecked buildings for 10,100 people still missing after the known toll rose to 11,300 dead. The Libyan Red Crescent said as of Thursday that 11,300 people in Derna had died and another 10,100 were reported missing. Abduljaleel said rescue teams were searching wrecked buildings in the city center and divers were combing the sea off Derna. Soon after the storm hit the city Sunday night, residents said they heard loud explosions when the dams outside the city collapsed. Floodwaters gushed down Wadi Derna, a valley that cuts through the city, crashing through buildings and washing people out to sea.

Persons: Derna, Salam, Daniel, Othman Abduljaleel, Abduljaleel, Lori Hieber Girardet, Khalifa Hiftar, —, Jack Jeffery, Jamey Keaten Organizations: —, Ambulance, Emergency Service, Associated Press, Libyan Locations: CAIRO, Derna, Libya, Libya's, Libyan, London, Geneva

Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured), speaks at the U.S. The ambassador, Rahm Emanuel, has always spoken in "a colorful manner," said Matthew Miller, restraining a smile, although he declined to say whether Emanuel's comments had been cleared by the State Department. "I would guess that the Chinese government views Ambassador Emanuel's remarks as authoritative and deliberate signaling. I doubt that's the case," said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. All of that suggests that the administration is unlikely to rein in its Japan ambassador.

Persons: Japan Rahm Emanuel, Antony Blinken, Andrew Harnik, Rahm Emanuel, Matthew Miller, Emanuel, Agatha Christie's, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu hasn't, Li, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Obama, Emanuel's, Bonnie Glaser, Biden, Rahm, AMBASSADOR Emanuel, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama's, Laquan McDonald, Fumio Kishida, Yun Sun, He's, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Trevor Hunnicutt, Patricia Zengerle, Timothy Kelly, Don Durfee, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S, Ambassador's, WASHINGTON, . State Department, State Department, Foreign, Rocket Force, Defense, Reuters, German Marshall Fund of, CHINA U.S, AMBASSADOR, Obama, House, West Wing, China Program, Stimson, Biden, Thomson Locations: Japan, Tokyo, TOKYO, Washington, Britain, China, United States, Beijing, U.S, CHINA, Chicago

The administration said it would redirect $55 million worth of that funding to Taiwan and $30 million to Lebanon, the sources said. However, the administration will allow Cairo to access $235 million of the total of $320 million in foreign military financing that is conditioned on human rights issues, a senior State Department official said Thursday. The US provides more than $1 billion in foreign military financing to Egypt and the vast majority of it is not conditional. “Our position on the very serious human rights situation in Egypt absolutely has not changed and we’re going to continue to raise those issues in Egypt consistently and at the most senior levels,” they added. “The Secretary is determined that Egypt has not fulfilled his conditions and therefore we are reprogramming that 85 million,” the official said.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Antony Blinken “, ”, Antony Blinken, “, Gregory Meeks Organizations: CNN, State Department, Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, House Foreign, Administration Locations: Egypt, Taiwan, Lebanon, Cairo, U.S, China

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine. The move is part of a bigger package of measures hitting Russia with sanctions on more than 150 targets, including the country's largest carmaker. The U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Denkar Ship Construction for providing ship repair services to previously designated vessels of a company connected to the Russian Defense Ministry. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on a major local copper producer - Russian Copper Company. The Treasury slapped sanctions on Finland-based logistics firms Siberica Oy and Luminor Oy, accusing them of sending a wide variety of electronics into Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Jonathan Ernst, reconvenes, Wally Adeyemo, we've, Sanayi, Denkar, Ilker Dogruyol, Dogruyol, Tayyip Erdogan, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Polina Devitt, Gleb Stolyarov, Don Durfee, Alexandra Hudson, William Maclean, Paul Simao Organizations: Cancer, White, REUTERS, Rights, Turkish, Ukraine, Reuters, NATO, Treasury, . Treasury Department, U.S . State Department, Denkar, Russian Defense Ministry, State Department, ID Ship Agency, GAZ Group, Russian Copper Company, Siberica, Luminor, U.S, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, United, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Russia, Moscow, Turkey, Washington, Ankara, Sweden, United States, Ukraine, Sea, Turkish, U.S, Finland, Kyiv, Hungary, London

Prioritizing U.S. national security interests over human rights, the Biden administration has approved $235 million in military aid for Egypt that it had withheld for the past two years because of the country’s repressive policies. The decision means that the United States will withhold just a small fraction — $85 million — of the $1.3 billion in military aid earmarked annually for Egypt. Explaining the decision on Thursday, State Department officials said the United States continued to have serious concerns about human rights in Egypt, which has been ruled by a repressive military government for a decade. The officials insisted that the approval of the $235 million does not reflect any less emphasis by the Biden administration on human rights. They noted that Mr. Blinken raised the cases of political prisoners and other abuses with Egyptian leaders during a visit to Cairo in January and will continue to press those issues.

Persons: Biden, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: State Locations: Egypt, United States, Washington, Cairo

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