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☆ Pentagon says it is not seeking war with Iran after Jordan attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We certainly don't seek a war and frankly we don't see Iran wanting to seek a war with the United States," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. She added that the Pentagon believed Iran did not want a war either. Two officials said a U.S. drone was approaching the base around the same time the attack drone was incoming. One of the officials said the attack drone was also flying low, factors that may have contributed to it being missed by base defenses. "Iran continues to destabilize the region, this includes backing terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea," Stoltenberg said.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden's, Austin, Biden, Sabrina Singh, John Kirby, Breonna Alexsondria, Stoltenberg Organizations: NATO, U.S, State Department, U.S . Defense, Monday, Sunday, Pentagon, House, Army Reserve, Austin Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Jordan, Iran, Israel, United States, Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Red

☆ The demise of the UN’s Palestinian agency could spell disaster for millions. Here’s why Israel wants it dismantled
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Here’s what that could mean for the millions of Palestinians that rely on UNRWA for sustenance. The agency provides a wide range of aid and services to Palestinian refugees and their descendants. While its purpose is to support Palestinian refugees, UNRWA does not have a mandate to resettle them, a mandate that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does have. Millions more Palestinian refugees live in neighboring countries like Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and rely on aid from the agency. At one UNRWA school shelter in Deir al Balah, Gazans said they were worried about the suffering to come if UNRWA’s aid is suspended.

Persons: Leo, ”, Majdi, Deir al Balah, Gazans, Um Mohammad Al Khabbaz, “ What’s, António Guterres, “, Yuval Shany, ” Shany, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Katz, ” Katz, Israel doesn’t, …, Shany, ” Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, UNRWA, United Nations, UN, Refugees, UNHCR, Palestinian, CNN Sunday, Hebrew University, Jerusalem’s, State Department, US, Gaza Locations: United Nations, United States, Israel, Gaza, New York, Geneva, Brussels, UNHCR, Palestine, UNRWA’s, Crescent, Deir el, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Deir al, Palestinian

☆ Violent crime prompts State Department travel warning for the Bahamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US State Department on Friday posted a travel advisory urging Americans to “exercise increased caution” in the Bahamas, citing crime. “Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. In the travel advisory issued two days later, the State Department also urges travelers not to resist any robbery attempts and cautions against opening doors to strangers. The Bahamas isn’t the only Caribbean destination with an updated travel alert. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts,” the State Department advisory for Jamaica reads.

Persons: Philip “, ” Davis Organizations: CNN, US State Department, State Department, New Providence, Bahamian, Tribune, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism Locations: Bahamas, New Providence, Nassau, Grand, Freeport, New, Jamaica

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Drone Strike Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers in Jordan, White House Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The agency looms especially large in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. “Behind the scenes Israel has often favored UNRWA’s work,” said Anne Irfan, an expert on Palestinian refugee rights at University College London. Many settled in refugee camps that the agency helped create, which have since become built-up, mostly impoverished urban areas. Palestinians are the only refugee group whose support is not handled under the global mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Persons: Here’s, —, “, ” Hector Sharp, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Ahron Bregman, Israel, Anne Irfan, Megan Specia, Ben Hubbard Organizations: United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, United Nations, UNRWA, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Department, King’s College London, University College London, Refugees, European Union Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

☆ U.N. Pleads With Major Donors to Not Cut Aid for Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Hiba Yazbek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The agency looms especially large in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has gone so far as to blame the agency for perpetuating rather than alleviating the plight of Palestinians and has called on the United Nations to disband it. “Behind the scenes Israel has often favored UNRWA’s work,” said Anne Irfan, an expert on Palestinian refugee rights at University College London. Palestinians are the only refugee group whose support is not handled under the global mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

☆ U.N. Pleads for Aid to Not Be Cut to Palestinians: Israel-Hamas War Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

☆ US Reviewing Venezuelan Sanctions Policy in Wake of Court Decision - State Dept
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - The United States is reviewing its sanctions policy against Venezuela after a court upheld a ban which prevents presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado from holding office, the State Department said on Saturday. The ruling by Venezuela's Supreme Justice Tribunal on Friday means Machado, a 56-year-old industrial engineer, cannot register her candidacy for presidential elections scheduled for the second half of 2024. "The United States is currently reviewing our Venezuela sanctions policy, based on this development and the recent political targeting of democratic opposition candidates and civil society," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Miller said the court ruling was a "deeply concerning decision" that ran contrary to the commitments made by Maduro to allow all parties to select their candidates for the presidential election. Maduro on Thursday said the deal with his opponents was in danger of collapse after what he has described as "conspiracies" against him.

Persons: Maria Corina Machado, Machado, Matthew Miller, Nicolas Maduro's, Miller, Maduro, David Ljunggren, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, State Department, Venezuela's, Department Locations: United States, Venezuela, Caracas

☆ Kenya court blocks deployment of police officers to Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Larry Madowo | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —A judge in Kenya has barred the East African nation from deploying 1,000 police officers to Haiti to lead a UN-backed multinational force to restore security in the Caribbean nation. High Court judge Chacha Mwita ruled on Friday that President William Ruto and his National Security Council do not have the authority to send police officers to Haiti or any other country under Kenyan law. But Kenyan politician Ekuru Aukot led a legal challenge to the planned in deployment in court, terming it unconstitutional. “There’s no reciprocal arrangement between Kenya and Haiti and there can be no legitimate deployment of police officers to Haiti,” Judge Mwita said when he read his ruling in Nairobi. Gang violence rose by more than 100% in Haiti last year with over 8000 victims documented, according to UN data.

Persons: Kenya CNN —, Chacha Mwita, William Ruto, United States “, Ekuru Aukot, “, ” Judge Mwita, Martin Kimani, Kimani, Jean Victor Geneus, ” Organizations: Kenya CNN, National Security Council, Kenyan, United, State Department, UN Security, UN, African, Security Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Haiti, UN, Caribbean, United States, – Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Jamaica

☆ Turkey Moving Swiftly Toward Final Step on Sweden's NATO Bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is expected to send the final instrument of ratification for Sweden's NATO membership to Washington within days, now that President Tayyip Erdogan signed it off, in a move Ankara hopes will clear the way to its purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets. A source familiar with the issue said the document could be deposited as early as Friday, marking the last step in a process that began in 2022. After 20 months of delay, Turkey moved rapidly this week to ratify the Swedish bid, with parliamentary ratification coming on Tuesday and President Tayyip Erdogan signing off on the approval on Thursday. As per formal NATO rules, the final document in the process - the instrument of ratification - needs to be deposited in the U.S. State Department archives in Washington. Both Erdogan and members of the U.S. Congress had previously linked Ankara's final approval of Sweden to the $20 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Lockheed Martin, Joe Biden, Jonathan Spicer, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: NATO, U.S, U.S . State Department, U.S . Congress, Lockheed, Turkish, Reuters, Congress, State Department Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Washington, Ankara, Hungary, Sweden, NATO, Ambassador

South Africa has accused Israel of genocide and asked the world court in The Hague, Netherlands, to impose interim measures as the case proceeds. Israel has denied committing genocide and asked the court to throw out the case, which the panel of 17 judges refused to do. — How genocide officially became a crime, and why South Africa is accusing Israel of committing it. South Africa requested interim steps since the proceedings could take several years. The world court is delivering its preliminary decisions in a genocide case that South Africa brought against Israel.

Persons: Israel, NETANYAHU, ISRAEL, JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, “, Judge Joan E, Donoghue, Aharon Barak, Joan E, ” Donoghue, Osama Hamdan, Hamdan, Al, Khan Younis, Gaza’s, Khan, Ashraf al, Qidra, “ Israel, Naledi Pandor, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Blinken, ” Miller Organizations: Gaza, International Court of Justice, Health Ministry, Hamas, UN, Court of, HAGUE, Israel, International Court, Justice, INTERNATIONAL, Court of Justice, ISRAEL THE, United Nations ’, FIRE, West Bank, Palestinian, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, DEIR, Associated Press, ’ Hospital, Brigades, MINISTRY, SOUTH, Hague, United, State Department . State Department Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Egypt, Georgia, U.S, Red, israel, Israeli, HAGUE, Africa, GAZA, ISRAEL THE HAGUE, HAMAS, FIRE RAMALLAH, West, Al Aqsa, Deir, Khan, ISRAEL, RAFAH, SOUTH AFRICA, South

☆ Biden administration tells Congress it intends to sell Turkey F-16s after Erdogan approved Sweden’s NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The State Department also sent Congress a formal notification of its intent to sell $8.6 billion worth of F-35s to Greece. Blinken, in turn, told the Turkish president multiple times that members of Congress would not approve the sale of jets until Turkey allowed Sweden to join NATO. The Turkish Parliament finally voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession Tuesday, and Erdogan signed off on the instruments of ratification Thursday. The US official said this was to assure Congress there was no way for Turkey to back out of the deal. Hungary still must approve Sweden’s NATO bid for the nation to finally become a member.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Robert Menendez –, Turkey –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Menendez, Sen, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, NATO, The State Department, Turkish, Foreign, The New, Greek, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department Locations: Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Lithuania, London, The New Jersey, Turkish, Hungary

☆ Exclusive-US Sets up Channel With Israel Seeking Answers on Civilian Casualties
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

The existence of this initiative has not been previously reported and the U.S. officials requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive details around it. The United States set up the process to drive accountability for Israel, one of the officials said. It was not clear what action, if any, Washington would take against Israel as a result of what it learns. The United States provides Israel $3.8 billion in annual military assistance. Israel unleashed its war to eradicate Hamas after militants from Gaza launched a shock incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing around 240 hostages.

Persons: Humeyra Pamuk, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Washington, Biden, Joe Biden's, David Satterfield, Israel, Vedant Patel, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: United, Reuters, Israeli, U.S, Hamas, Israel, State Department, State Department's, United Nations, Washington, . State Department, Urgent Locations: Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, United States, Israel, Gaza, Washington, U.S, Jerusalem, Ukraine, Sudan, American

☆ US, South Africa Discuss Gaza War Ahead of Ruling on Measures in Genocide Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Thursday with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor about the war in Gaza, a day ahead of a ruling at the World Court on urgent measures in a case in which Israel is accused of genocide. Friday's ruling will not deal with the core accusation of the case - whether genocide occurred - but will focus on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa. Israel rejects the accusations from South Africa and says it has a right to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which governs Gaza. South Africa has asked for nine emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the court hears the case in full, which could take years. The court is not bound to follow South Africa's requests and could order its own measures if it finds it has jurisdiction at this stage of the case.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Antony Blinken, Naledi Pandor, Blinken, Pandor, Kanishka Singh, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: South African Foreign, Israel, International Court of, U.S . State Department, State Department, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, South Africa, Africa, Palestinian, Washington

☆ U.S. Strikes 3 Sites in Iraq After Attack on Base
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

One of Israel’s war goals is to create conditions that will persuade Israeli evacuees that it is safe to return home. John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, repeated that objection on Tuesday, when asked at a White House news briefing about Israel’s moves to create a buffer zone. The majority of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged during the war, according to United Nations estimates, and more than 25,000 Gazans have been killed, according to Gazan officials. Israeli ministers have also hinted of plans to create such a buffer zone since the first weeks of the war. “No matter who you are, you will never be able to come close to the Israeli border,” Mr. Dichter said.

Persons: Israel, Gazan, Daniel Hagari, John Kirby, ” Mr, Kirby, Antony J, Mr, Blinken, we’ve, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Rajagopal, “, Eli Cohen, Avi Dichter, Dichter, Gabby Sobelman, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Erica L, Green, Michael Crowley Organizations: State Department, National Security Council, White House, United Nations, Reuters Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Nigeria, United States, ”, Palestinian, Geneva, “ Israel

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis U.S. Strikes 3 Sites in Iraq After Attack on Base
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

☆ US Says It Is Looking Forward to Turkey Finalizing Sweden's NATO Process
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Humeyra PamukWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday welcomed the Turkish parliament's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership bid this week and urged Ankara to formally finalize the process. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a briefing that Washington was looking forward to Hungary, which has yet to approve Sweden's NATO bid, moving along in the process. Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO bid and the U.S. sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey have become linked over the past years. The Biden administration has said it supports the sale but kept urging Ankara to approve Sweden's NATO bid saying Congress might be connecting the two issues. When asked on Wednesday if the State Department would send the formal notification for the jets once Sweden's NATO process is fully formalized, Patel did not commit to a timeline.

Persons: Humeyra Pamuk, Vedant Patel, Washington, Tayyip, Erdogan, Patel, Biden, Blinken, I'm, Jasper Ward, Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis, Alistair Bell Organizations: Wednesday, NATO, State Department, Finland's Locations: Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, United States, Ankara, Hungary, Washington, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, U.S, NATO, Turkey's, Jasper

☆ Biden Urges Congress to Quickly Approve F-16 Sale to Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden sent a letter to four senior members of Congress on Wednesday urging them to quickly approve a $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, following the vote one day earlier by Turkey’s Parliament to allow Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, according to three U.S. officials. The White House sent the letter to the top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which have oversight of arms transfers by the State Department to other nations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a member of NATO, has linked his country’s approval of Sweden’s accession to the security organization to the F-16 sales, which had been pending. Both Sweden and Finland had asked to join NATO after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the vast majority of the alliance’s members soon agreed. Turkey approved Finland’s bid but, along with Hungary, has withheld approval for Sweden.

Persons: Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Organizations: Atlantic Treaty Organization, White House, Democratic, Republican, Senate Foreign Relations, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department, NATO Locations: Turkey, Sweden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Finland, Ukraine, Hungary

☆ This North American country is the safest for travelers in 2024—and it's not the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The post-pandemic era set off the rise of "travel experiences" with more and more people wanting unique adventures and to explore places off the beaten path. Travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection recently released its ninth-annual State of Travel Insurance report which ranks the safest countries in the world for travelers. BHTP surveyed 1,702 people and used data from the Global Peace Index and the State Department's travel safety ratings to evaluate safety concerns like health measures, terrorism, weather emergencies and the safety of underrepresented groups. It's important to note the report states that despite the ranking, it doesn't mean every part of the country is safe, nor does it account for potential natural disasters.

Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway Travel, of Travel Insurance, State

Prosecutors are still pursuing plea agreements with defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and other cases at Guantanamo. Political Cartoons View All 253 Images“That call dropped our hearts into an abyss, where they remain to this day,” Hall told the commission, with the two defendants in the hearing room. More than two decades later, Hall said, she came to Guantanamo Bay because “it's time for Megan to be recognized, and Megan's demise to be recognized. Chris Snodgrass of Glendale, Arizona, told of struggling with a “toxic” hatred of Muslims since the bombings killed his 33-year-old daughter, Deborah Snodgrass. Reporters watched the proceedings from Guantanamo and by remote link from Fort Meade military base in Maryland.

Persons: ” Matthew Arnold of, Arnold, Bonnie Kathleen Hall, Megan Heffernan, ” Hall, Hall, Megan, Jemaah, Chris Snodgrass, Deborah Snodgrass, “, ”, Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, Mohammed Nazir Bin, Prosecutors haven't Organizations: Prosecutors, State Department, Reporters, Fort Meade Locations: Cuba, Guantanamo, ” Matthew Arnold of Birmingham, England, Bali, Florida, Glendale , Arizona, Maryland, U.S, Indonesia

☆ Don’t let this passport quirk upend your next vacation. It 'trips a lot of people up,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

However, another common passport snafu threatens to upend your trip overseas — and it involves passports that haven't yet expired but are close to doing so. Many countries require that Americans have at least a few months of validity remaining on their U.S. passport in order to travel there, or to secure a visa to that country. Many countries in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions require at least six months of validity for permission to enter. What this means: Gatekeepers like border officials will deny travel if your passport doesn't have a certain amount of validity remaining. The requirement "trips a lot of people up," said Charles Leocha, president and co-founder of Travelers United, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Persons: Charles Leocha Organizations: Finance, State Department, Travelers United Locations: New Europe, Schengen, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong

☆ A ‘Revolutionary’ Way to Feed the World That’s Very Old
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Somini Sengupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Cary Fowler once helped build an Arctic vault to save the world’s great variety of crop seeds from extinction. Now, as the State Department’s global envoy for food security, he is trying to plant a new seed in U.S. foreign policy. The effort is still in its infancy, with a relatively tiny budget of $100 million. But at a time when climate shocks and rising costs are aggravating food insecurity and raising the risks of political instability, the stakes are high. Mr. Fowler’s boss, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the idea could be “genuinely revolutionary.”

Persons: Cary Fowler, Fowler, Fowler’s, Antony Blinken, ” Organizations: State, Economic Locations: Africa, Davos

☆ Unconditional aid to Israel is no longer the bipartisan certainty it once was as US senators begin to question Israel's campaign in Gaza and the West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Peter Gelling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has provided Israel with military and economic aid since its founding 75 years ago. But it seems even the United States might have a breaking point. An amendment from Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, meanwhile, would prevent Biden from transferring weapons to Israel without congressional support. AdvertisementNet favorability for Israel only dropped 2.2 percentage points in the United States, but US support for Israel is taking a toll on global perceptions of the United States. In Egypt, for instance, the United States "went from having a positive favorability of 41.1 to a negative favorability of -14.9 from September to December," Time wrote.

Persons: —, euphemistically, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Biden, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Axios, Israel, Tim Kaine, Bernie Sanders of, flack, Sanders Organizations: Service, Business, United, State Department, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, Israel, Democratic Party Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, Maryland, Virginia, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Washington, Egypt

☆ Families Head to Guantánamo Bay Seeking Justice in Bali Bombing Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | More About Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Frank Heffernan thought his daughter Megan was in South Korea where she was working as an English teacher when he heard the news of a devastating terrorist attack on the Indonesian island of Bali on Oct. 12, 2002. She had gone there with friends on a vacation. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her,” said Mr. Heffernan, mopping his eyes with a tissue at his home in Florida. In the random, cruel fashion of terrorism, the bombing killed tourists and workers from 22 nations who happened to be in a commercial district, including 38 Indonesians. Among the dead were Australian and British citizens who were there for a rugby match, Americans passionate about surfing — and Megan and two Korean friends, who were out sightseeing when the bombs exploded.

Persons: Frank Heffernan, Megan, Megan Heffernan, ”, Heffernan Organizations: State Department, Al Locations: South Korea, Indonesian, Bali, Alaska, Al Qaeda, Florida

The House was scheduled to vote Thursday on a GOP plan for cutting income, sales and property taxes by a total of $1.6 billion over three years. Top Republicans want to impose a single personal income tax rate of 5.25%, replacing three rates that top out at 5.7%, starting in 2025. The dispute over the single-rate or “flat” plan blocked a large tax cut in Kansas last year, when a dozen other states cut taxes, according to the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation. Her income tax proposal would increase the standard deductions that all individual filers claim. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said retaining an income tax with multiple rates would keep Kansas “behind the eight ball” economically.

Persons: Laura Kelly, Kelly, ”, Sen, Mike Thompson, Republican Sen, Caryn Tyson, Kelly's, Sam Brownback, “ Kansans, ” Kelly, Brianna Johnson, Neva Butkus, Butkus, Kim Reynolds, Ty Masterson, It's, Hannah Fingerhut Organizations: —, Democratic, GOP, Gov, Top Republicans, of Revenue, Tax Foundation ., Kansas City, Republican, Social, Republican Gov, Taxation, Economic, Tax Foundation, Kansas, Associated Press Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Tax Foundation . Kansas, Iowa, Wichita, Des Moines , Iowa

☆ Guatemalan Ex-President Alejandro Giammattei Barred From Entry Into US
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei is barred from entering the U.S. over allegations of "his involvement in significant corruption," the State Department said on Wednesday. Giammattei was defeated in August by anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo as he sought re-election as leader of Central American's most populous nation. "The State Department has credible information indicating that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions during his tenure as president of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Reuters was not able to immediately reach Giammattei for comment. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Lisa Shumaker)

Persons: Alejandro Giammattei, Giammattei, Bernardo Arevalo, Matthew Miller, Arevalo, Eric Beech, Dan Whitcomb, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: WASHINGTON, State Department, Central, Department, Reuters Locations: Guatemalan, Central American's, Guatemala

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