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Witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza's main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two directions. Israel said its troops freed a soldier from Hamas captivity, one of 239 hostages who Israel says were captured on Oct. 7. Gaza health authorities say that 8,306 people, including 3,457 minors, have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7. Military specialists said Israeli forces are moving slowly in their ground offensive in part to keep open the possibility that Hamas militants will negotiate the release of the hostages. Netanyahu condemned the video as "cruel psychological propaganda" and said Israel's ground campaign created possibilities for rescuing the hostages.

Persons: Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Witnesses, Israel, U.N, Amir Cohen, OCHA, Rick Brennan, Yelena Trupanob, Danielle Aloni, Rimon Kirsht, Aloni, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Nidal al, Yomna Ehab, Ali Swafta, James Mackenzie, Henriette Chacar, Dan Williams, Emma Farge, Jonathan Landay, Idrees Ali, Rami Ayyub, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, United Nations, Health Organization, White, West, Thomson Locations: Gaza's, Gaza, GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza City, Yassin, U.S, Egypt, Rafah, Russia, Ukraine, Dagestan, Tel Aviv

☆ Hamas Says It Fires on Israeli Troops Pressing Gaza Ground Assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Israel has expanded ground operations in Gaza as it seeks to punish Hamas for a deadly gun rampage three weeks ago that Israeli authorities say killed over 1,400 people. Witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza's main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two directions. Gaza health authorities say that 8,306 people - including 3,457 minors - have been killed in Israeli air and ground attacks. Military specialists said Israeli forces are moving slowly in their ground offensive in Gaza in part to keep open the possibility that Hamas militants will negotiate the release of the hostages. Netanyahu condemned the video as "cruel psychological propaganda" and said Israel's ground campaign created possibilities for rescuing the hostages.

Persons: Nidal, Emily Rose, Witnesses, Israel, U.N, Rick Brennan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Yelena Trupanob, Danielle Aloni, Rimon Kirsht, Aloni, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Nidal al, Yomna Ehab, Ali Swafta, James Mackenzie, Henriette Chacar, Dan Williams, Emma Farge, Jonathan Landay, Idrees Ali, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, Health Organization, Israel's, Hamas, White, West Locations: Emily Rose GAZA, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Yassin, Egypt, Rafah, Russia, Ukraine, Dagestan, Tel Aviv

Some pictures posted online also appeared to show Israeli soldiers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas of locating command centres and other military infrastructure in Gaza hospitals, something the group denies. Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border into Israel on Oct. 7. CALLS FOR A PAUSEThe stepped-up attacks by Israel coincided with a mounting international outcry for a "humanitarian pause" to allow aid in. [1/5]Plumes of smoke rise during Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, October 29, 2023.

Persons: Biden, Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Crescent, Israel, Yasser Qudih, U.N, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Elad Goren, COGAT, Nidal al, James Mackenzie, Dan Williams, Jonathan Landay, David Lawder, Stephen Coates Organizations: Palestinian, Reuters, Paltel, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations Security, General Assembly, Sunday, Israeli Defence Ministry, Russia's, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Gaza Gaza, GAZA, Al, Quds, Khan, Palestinian, Gaza's, Iranian, al, Shifa, Gaza City, Rights Qatar, Lebanon, Beirut, Russia's Dagestan, Makhachkala, Moscow, Russia

[1/4] Vehicles of Russian state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today (RT) are seen near the Red Square in central Moscow, Russia June 15, 2018. Russia "utilizes both overt and covert mechanisms, including influence networks and proxies managed" by Russian spy services, the report said. As an example, it continued, Russia's FSB security service secretly worked to intimidate election workers, organize election day protests and "sabotage overseas voting" in an unnamed European country's 2020 election. Russia also used social media platforms and "proxy websites" to sow doubts about the integrity of elections, it said. The report recommended that countries work to mitigate Russian election interference through sanctions, information sharing, expulsions of Russian spies and travel bans.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Washington, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Jonathan Landay, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Russia, REUTERS, Rights, State Department, Ukraine, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, U.S, Russian, Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Washington, East, South America, China

☆ U.S. intel says Gaza hospital death toll likely between 100-300
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Palestinian officials said 471 people were killed in the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital late on Tuesday. Gaza's health ministry blamed an Israeli air strike, while Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by militants. "We judge that Israel was not responsible," said the unclassified U.S. intelligence report. We are still assessing the likely casualty figures and our assessment may evolve, but this death toll still reflects a staggering loss of life," the report said. The report said "only light structural damage at the hospital" has been observed and there was "no observable damage to the main hospital building and no impact craters."

Persons: Ahmed Zakot, Israel, Jonathan Landay, Michelle Nichols, Doina Chiacu, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Al, Ahli, Israel, Gaza City, Gaza, Arabi

☆ Palestinians face Israeli deadline to leave northern Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Israel has since put the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and bombarded it with unprecedented air strikes. More than one million residents of northern Gaza on Friday received 24 hours notice from Israel to flee south before an expected ground offensive. While several thousand residents headed south on Friday from northern Gaza, many others said they would stay. "Death is better than leaving," said Mohammad, 20, outside a building smashed by an Israeli air strike near the centre of Gaza. There have also been fears of hostilities spreading, including to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where clashes this week have already been the deadliest since 2006.

Persons: JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Netanyahu, Mohammad, General Antonio Guterres, Biden, Ahmed Zakot, Stephane Dujarric, Martin Griffiths, Mahmoud Abbas, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Austin, Gallant, Blinken, King Abdullah, Abbas, videographer Issam Abdallah, U.N, Gilad Erdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, James Mackenzie, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Eric Beech, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Gorman, Dan Whitcomb, Jonathan Landay, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: West Bank, Hamas, U.S, United Nations, REUTERS, Palestinian Authority, Gaza . U.S . Defence, Friday, Israeli, Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Northern Gaza, Israel, Gaza, Philadelphia, Egypt, Jordan, Gaza City, Gaza . U.S, Qatar, U.S, Lebanon, Jerusalem, New York, Geneva, Washington, Amman, Los Angeles

☆ Palestinians Face Israeli Deadline to Leave Northern Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - More than 1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza faced an Israeli deadline on Saturday to flee south, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had only just begun to retaliate for last week's Hamas rampage across southern Israel. Israel has since put the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and bombarded it with unprecedented air strikes. More than one million residents of northern Gaza on Friday received 24 hours notice from Israel to flee south before an expected ground offensive. While several thousand residents headed south on Friday from northern Gaza, many others said they would stay. There have also been fears of hostilities spreading, including to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where clashes this week have already been the deadliest since 2006.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Netanyahu, Mohammad, General Antonio Guterres, Biden, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Martin Griffiths, Mahmoud Abbas, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Austin, Gallant, Blinken, King Abdullah, Abbas, videographer Issam Abdallah, Gilad Erdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, James Mackenzie, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Eric Beech, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Gorman, Dan Whitcomb, Jonathan Landay, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Hamas, U.S, United Nations, Palestinian Authority, Gaza . U.S . Defence, Friday, Israeli, Bank, West Bank, Reuters Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, Philadelphia, Egypt, Jordan, Gaza . U.S, Qatar, U.S, Lebanon, Jerusalem, New York, Geneva, Washington, Amman, Los Angeles

☆ US Must Be Ready for Simultaneous Wars With China, Russia, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Jonathan LandayWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday. The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. A senior official involved in the report declined to say if the panel's intelligence briefings showed any Chinese and Russian nuclear weapons cooperation. "The United States and its allies must be ready to deter and defeat both adversaries simultaneously," the Strategic Posture Commission said. If such measures are not taken, the United States "will likely" have to increase its reliance on nuclear weapons, the report said.

Persons: Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON, Madelyn, Jon Kyl, Kyl, Joe Biden's, Jonathan Landay, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Arms Control Association, Pentagon, Columbia Locations: United States, Russia, China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russian, U.S, Asia, Europe

☆ US must be ready for simultaneous wars with China, Russia, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. A senior official involved in the report declined to say if the panel's intelligence briefings showed any Chinese and Russian nuclear weapons cooperation. The report contrasts with U.S. President Joe Biden's position that the current U.S. nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter the combined forces of Russia and China. "The United States and its allies must be ready to deter and defeat both adversaries simultaneously," the Strategic Posture Commission said. It should also extend the operational lives of ballistic missile submarines and deploy more tactical nuclear weapons in Asia and Europe.

Persons: Ian Dudley, Madelyn, Jon Kyl, Joe Biden's, Jonathan Landay, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Minuteman, Daylight, Vandenberg Air Force Base, . Air Force, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic, Republican, Thomson Locations: California, U.S, Handout, United States, Russia, China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russian, Asia, Europe

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of Israel-Gaza border fence after gunmen infiltrated areas of southern Israel, October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Iran likely knew that Palestinian Hamas militants were planning "operations against Israel" but initial U.S. intelligence reports show that some Iranian leaders were surprised by the Islamist group's unprecedented attack from Gaza, U.S. sources said on Wednesday. Those Iranian officials would ordinarily have been informed about such a massive operation by Hamas, which Tehran has long supported with weapons and funds, according to a person familiar with the intelligence. The source familiar with the intelligence told Reuters that U.S. intelligence agencies were still digging for any evidence of Iranian involvement as well as reviewing older intelligence for clues. Retaliatory Israeli strikes have killed 1,055 people and wounded more than 5,100, Gaza's Hamas authorities said.

Persons: Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, John Kirby, BIDEN, Joe Biden, C.Q, Brown, Jonathan Landay, Matt Spetalnick, Jasper Ward, Howard Goller, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, U.S, White, MSNBC, New York Times, Reuters, U.S ., IRAN, Jewish, Wednesday, U.S . Joint Chiefs of Staff, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iran, Gaza , U.S, Tehran, Brussels, U.S, Jasper

The announcement by Mikhail Ulyanov added new fuel to tensions between Russia and the United States over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and arms control disputes between the world's largest nuclear weapons powers. Ulyanov, Moscow's envoy to the CTBTO, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that "#Russia plans to revoke ratification (which took place in the year 2000) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty." "The aim is to be on equal footing with the #US who signed the Treaty, but didn't ratify it. While the United States signed but did not ratify the treaty, it has observed a moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions since 1992 that it says it has no plans to abandon. The spokesperson said Russia should reach an "equal footing" with the United States "by not wielding arms control and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric in a failing attempt to coerce other states."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Guneev, Washington, Mikhail Ulyanov, Ulyanov, Robert Floyd, Floyd, Francois Murphy, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan, Alexander Smith Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Acquire, Comprehensive, Treaty Organization, United, U.S . State Department, Party, Washington, Russian, Russian Federation, Conference, Disarmament, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Moscow, States VIENNA, WASHINGTON, United States, Ukraine, Ban, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Vienna, U.S

Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the U.S. plan, have not been previously reported. "At the present we are working on a Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is taking) lots of time," he said. The Taliban strongly denies that an upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans. A July U.N. monitoring report said there were up to 6,000 Islamic State fighters and their family members in Afghanistan. The Afghan "home base" locations of Islamic State fighters are in the eastern mountainous areas, said Schroden.

Persons: Ali Khara, Abdul Mateen Qani, Washington, didn't, Qani, Amrullah Saleh, Saleh, Jonathan Schroden, Matt Mahmoudi, ETIM, ETIM couldn't, Afghanistan Thomas West, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Jonathan Landay, David Kirton, Liz Lee, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Huawei, U.S, of Interior, Reuters, U.S.A, U.S State Department, RIC, Bloomberg News, Foreign Ministry, NATO, Center for Naval, Protect Journalists, Taliban, Amnesty International, East Turkestan Islamic, Security, Special, State, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: China, Kabul, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Islamic State, —, Turkey, Turkish, Pakistan, United States, East Turkestan, Xinjiang, State, Russian, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad, Washington, Shenzhen, Beijing, Ankara

☆ Analysis-Republican-Proposed Attacks on Mexican Cartels Could Lead to American Casualties
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

They argued that cartels could retaliate in U.S. territory and U.S. troops and Mexican civilians could die in firefights with heavily armed cartel members. This could create the blowback effect of fracturing the cartels," said a U.S. military officer with experience in Mexico, speaking on condition of anonymity. In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 52% of respondents supported "sending U.S. military personnel to Mexico to fight against drug cartels," while 26% were opposed. Still, most Americans - including most Republicans - said they would oppose such actions if the Mexican government did not approve, the poll found. It would be easy to send them in, a couple of (special forces) teams that could go and extract in extraordinary renditions," said the military officer.

Persons: Jonathan Landay, Idrees Ali, Gram Slattery WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Earl Anthony Wayne, Joaquin, El, Guzman, Jason Blazakis, Mark Esper, Trump, Esper, We're, Haley, Alex Conant, Marco Rubio's, Sergio Alcocer, Alcocer, Gram Slattery, Dave Graham, Ross Colvin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Republican, Reuters, U.S . Customs, U.S . Centers for Disease, State Department, U.S, SEAL, Woodrow Wilson International Center, IDEA, Trump Locations: Mexico, Trump , Florida, United States, U.S, firefights, Culiacan, New Jersey, Mexican, North America, Mexico City

Persons: Daniel Becerril, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Earl Anthony Wayne, Joaquin, El, Guzman, Jason Blazakis, Mark Esper, Trump, Esper, We're, Haley, Alex Conant, Marco Rubio's, Sergio Alcocer, Alcocer, Jonathan Landay, Idrees Ali, Gram Slattery, Dave Graham, Ross Colvin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Villa Union, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Reuters, U.S . Customs, U.S . Centers for Disease, State Department, U.S, SEAL, Woodrow Wilson International Center, IDEA, Trump, Thomson Locations: Villa, Coahuila, Mexico, Trump , Florida, United States, U.S, firefights, Culiacan, New Jersey, Mexican, North America, Mexico City

Qatar, a wealthy Gulf Arab state with diplomatic ambitions, is pressing both sides to engage in more talks and reach "understandings," sources told Reuters earlier. The diplomat described the New York meetings as "talks for talks," saying the idea was to lay the ground for future indirect discussions to achieve an "understanding" on the nuclear issue. Washington suspects Iran's nuclear program may be aimed at developing nuclear arms, a charge Iran denies. The United States also says Iran has provided one-way attack drones for Russia to strike Ukraine and wants Tehran to stop. The Biden administration's efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal have failed and many diplomats now regard it as beyond resurrection because of Iran's nuclear advances.

Persons: Hossein Amir, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Majid Asgaripour, spokespeople, Donald Trump, Iran's, Biden, Antony Blinken, We'll, we're, Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Landay, Arshad Mohammed, Humeyra Pamuk, John Irish, Howard Goller Organizations: Iran's, West Asia News Agency, UNITED NATIONS, Qatari, Reuters, General Assembly, New, U.S, United, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, WASHINGTON, Qatar, United States, Russia, Doha, U.S, Gulf Arab, New York, Ukraine, Washington, European, Oman, Saint Paul , Minnesota, Paris

☆ Musk says he refused Kyiv request for use of Starlink in attack on Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk gets in a Tesla car as he leaves a hotel in Beijing, China May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there, saying he feared complicity in a "major" act of war. "The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor," Musk wrote. The Russian fleet fires cruise missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets, and Kyiv has launched attacks on Russian ships using maritime drones. The Pentagon said in June that SpaceX's Starlink had a Department of Defense contract to buy satellite services for Ukraine.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tingshu Wang, Musk, Walter Isaacson's, Simon & Schuster, SpaceX's Starlink, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, Don Durfee, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, CNN, Twitter, Russian, SpaceX, Ukrainian, Pentagon, Department of Defense, Department, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Sevastopol, Crimean, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Novorossiysk

☆ Exclusive: US to send depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this would be the first U.S. shipment of the ammunition and will likely stir controversy. The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects. While depleted uranium is radioactive, it is considerably less so than naturally occurring uranium, although particles can linger for a considerable time. The Wall Street Journal reported in mid-June the U.S. was considering sending depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine. Recent weapons aid packages for Ukraine have included artillery, air defense missiles and ground vehicles as Ukraine's counteroffensive grinds on.

Persons: Abrams, Kacper, Biden, Mike Stone, Jonathan Landay, Don Durfee, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S . 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Abrams, International Coalition, NATO, International Atomic Energy Agency, Street, Presidential, Authority, Thomson Locations: Drawsko, Pomorskie, Ukraine, U.S, United States, Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Washington

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials were investigating threats related to former President Donald Trump's election interference probe in Georgia, after the names and addresses of grand jury members were shared online, the local sheriff's office said. "Our investigators are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to track down the origin of threats in Fulton County and other jurisdictions," the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Thursday. It’s critical that the Fulton County Sheriff's Office take this matter seriously. Fulton County contains Atlanta, Georgia's largest city and the state capital. "These jurors have signed their death warrant by falsely indicting President Trump," one report quoted a poster as saying.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Dan Jones, Fani Willis, Trump, Jones, Jack Smith, Democrat Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Scott Morgan, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Landay, Jonathan Oatis, Scott Malone, Grant McCool Organizations: Sheriff's, Advance Democracy, FBI, Senate Intelligence, Trump, Reuters, Republican, Democrat, Social, U.S, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, Atlanta, Georgia's, Bluffs , Iowa, U.S, Texas, Washington

The audit has not changed the U.S. Treasury's view that the bank must make reforms before the department will support disbursements from the Afghan Fund to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB, as the central bank is known, said a U.S. Treasury official on condition of anonymity. It also must prove that it has "adequate" controls against money-laundering and terrorism financing and install a "reputable" independent monitor, said the Treasury official. A Taliban administration spokesman and a spokesperson for the Afghan central bank did not respond to request for comment. Afghanistan remains mired in grave humanitarian and economic crises that some experts say has been worsened by U.S. restrictions hampering DAB's ability to perform key central bank functions, such as ensuring stable exchange rates and prices. Calling the audit a "preliminary assessment," the Treasury official said its "limitations" suggested that "more comprehensive third-party assessment efforts may be needed."

Persons: ”, disbursements, Shah Mehrabi, Mehrabi, Anwar ul, Haq Ahady, Jonathan Landay, Charlotte Greenfield, Don Durfee Organizations: U.S ., Afghan, Da, Da Afghanistan Bank, Treasury, Federal Reserve Bank of New, DAB, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, U.S, Afghan Fund, State Department, The State Department, Reuters, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, ISLAMABAD, U.S, Da Afghanistan, Swiss, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Afghan, Washington, United States, Afghanistan, American

NATO allies, instead, agreed that Ukraine would join eventually, when "allies agree and conditions are met," their statement said but offered no details on when, if ever, Kyiv would meet such conditions. Before leaving the United States to attend the summit, Biden bypassed allies' concerns about approving cluster munitions for Ukraine to battle Russia. Most Republicans seeking to unseat Biden have largely kept silent about Biden's performance during the NATO summit, suggesting they see little to gain by criticizing him. Trump has long admired Russian President Vladimir Putin and has expressed skepticism of extended U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war; on Tuesday he criticized Biden's decision to send munitions to Ukraine. Haley on Tuesday criticized the NATO alliance and Biden for not committing to add Ukraine.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, we've, Donald Trump, Ivo Daalder, Daalder, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Biden's, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Haley, Steve Holland, Trevor Hunnicutt, Jonathan Landay, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, John Irish, Heather Timmons, Howard Goller Organizations: NATO, White, Atlantic, TRUMP, Trump, Republican, Democrat, Chicago Council, Global Affairs, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Europe, U.S, Ukraine, Lithuania, Sweden, Western, Vilnius, Kyiv, United States, Russia, Washington, Cyprus, Asia

☆ Biden administration did not sanction unofficial talks with Russians, State Dept says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was not clear how frequently the group, which included former Pentagon officials, held discussions with other prominent Russians thought to be close to the Kremlin, NBC News reported. "The Biden administration did not sanction those discussions," a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions from Reuters. "And as we've said repeatedly, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." The spokesperson was referring to an administration policy of not discussing possible negotiations on ending the war without involving Ukrainian officials. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said in an interview with CBS News that the White House was aware of the unofficial discussions.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Richard Haass, Biden, we've, John Kirby, Jonathan Landay, Simon Lewis, Eric Beech, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Russian, White House and State Department, NBC News, Foreign Relations, White, Pentagon, Kremlin, State Department, Reuters, House, CBS News, NBC, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, New York, U.S, Russia

☆ State Department review of 2021 Afghanistan evacuation critical of Biden, Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Victor Mancilla/Handout via... Read moreWASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. State Department report on Friay criticized the handling of the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan, saying decisions by President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw troops had "serious consequences for the viability" and security of the former U.S.-backed government. The review, and a similar Pentagon study, contributed to a report released by the White House in April. But the State Department review's critical findings were not reflected in the White House report.cWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended Biden's handling of the Afghan pullout. "I can't speak to that internal coordination piece and how the administration settled on the core conclusions that it presented" in April, a senior State Department official said. The review said State Department planning for the evacuation "was hindered" because it was "unclear" which senior official "had the lead."

Persons: Victor Mancilla, Read, Friay, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Antony Blinken, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden's, Steven Cheung, Afghanistan — Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Jonathan Landay, Steve Holland, Grant McCool, Alistair Bell Organizations: U.S, Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Evacuation Control Center, Hamid, Airport, . Marine Corps, Staff, U.S . State Department, State, White House, State Department, United, Trump, American, Department, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, WASHINGTON, U.S, United States, State

☆ Human Rights Watch reports new evidence of Ukrainian use of banned landmines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File PhotoWASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that it uncovered new evidence of the indiscriminate use by Ukrainian forces of banned anti-personnel landmines against Russian troops who invaded Ukraine in 2022. "The Ukrainian government’s pledge to investigate its military’s apparent use of banned anti-personnel mines is an important recognition of its duty to protect civilians," Steve Goose, Human Rights Watch's arms director, said in a statement. Russia did not join the treaty and its use of anti-personnel mines "violates international humanitarian law ... because they are inherently indiscriminate," the report said. Anti-personnel mines are detonated by a person's presence, proximity or contact and can kill and maim long after a conflict ends. Those rockets each indiscriminately disburse 312 PFM-1S anti-personnel mines, said the report.

Persons: demine, Alexander Ermochenko, Steve Goose, Jonathan Landay, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Rights Watch, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Washington, Russian, Izium, Kyiv

☆ Most Americans support US arming Ukraine, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey. The two-day poll that was concluded on Tuesday charted a sharp rise in backing for arming Ukraine, with 65% of the respondents approving of the shipments compared with 46% in a May poll. Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 56% of Republicans and 57% of independents favor supplying U.S. weapons to Ukraine, according to the latest poll. Some right-wing Republican lawmakers have opposed continuing U.S. military support for Ukraine. The online Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted nationwide, collecting responses from 1,004 adults, including 400 Democrats and 383 Republicans.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Joe Biden's, William Taylor, Taylor, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Jonathan Landay, Jason Lange, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, U.S, U.S . Institute of Peace, Republican, Ukraine, NATO, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, U.S, Russian, United States

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Monday said a brief uprising by Russian mercenaries against the Kremlin was part of a struggle within the Russian system and that the United States and its allies were not involved in it. "We made clear we were not involved, we had nothing to do with this," Biden said in his first comments on the uprising by Wagner mercenaries that fizzled over the weekend. The Biden administration would not address a widely held perception in Washington that the uprising showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been weakened by his 16-month war against Ukraine. The White House said Biden also consulted on Monday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about the situation. Kirby said the United States does not know the parameters of the deal reached between Putin and Prigozhin that ended the uprising.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Wagner, John Kirby, Sergei Lavrov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin, Matt Miller, Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Giorgia Meloni, It's, Kirby, We're, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Simon Lewis, Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, Kanishka Singh, Trevor Hunnicutt, Humeyra Pamuk, Mark Porter, Alistair Bell, Alex Richardson, Deepa Babington, Sandra Maler Organizations: Kremlin, Ukraine, White House, TASS, U.S ., Ukraine . State, NATO, Italian, Putin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Russia, Moscow, U.S, Washington, Ukraine, United

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