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Eyad Baba | Afp | Getty ImagesThe United Nations Security Council passed a U.S.-drafted cease-fire deal aimed at halting eight months of bloody fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. In March, China and Russia vetoed a Gaza cease-fire resolution, saying it would give Israel a green light to attack the city of Rafah. "Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same," he said. Hamas, on the other hand, said in a statement, in part, that it "welcomes what was included in and confirmed by the Security Council resolution regarding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza." Right around the time the Security Council began voting Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel to, among other things, meet with retired Gen. Benny Gantz.

Persons: Eyad Baba, Joe Biden, Linda Thomas, Biden, Israel, Nate Evans, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Yahya Sinwar, Antony Blinken, Benny Gantz Organizations: Israeli Special Forces, Hamas, Afp, Getty, United Nations Security, U.S, Security Council, Biden, NBC, Sunday, Security Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, France, Britain, China, Russia, Greenfield, Rafah, Qatar, Egypt

U.S. President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. President Joe Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping are expected to meet next month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the planning. The two leaders haven't spoken since they last met on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 economies in Bali, Indonesia, in November. One of the sources said there was an "agreement in principle" for Biden and Xi to meet in San Francisco. Biden also met with China's top diplomat for about an hour.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Economic Cooperation, State, White House Locations: Nusa Dua, Bali, Asia, San Francisco, Bali , Indonesia, Washington, Beijing, Ukraine

The White House has been working urgently in the past 24 hours to get a Senate confirmation process in motion for President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, according to two White House officials. But the White House officials said they hope lawmakers in both parties will agree with the president on the need to quickly confirm Lew amid the war between Israel and Hamas. "Everyone understands the importance behind it," one White House official said. Tom Nides, Biden's former ambassador to Israel, told NBC News in an interview that the Senate needs to confirm his successor "immediately" upon return. One official said Lew is "eager" to get to work, and the White House hopes he is confirmed with bipartisan support.

Persons: Jack Lew, Joe Biden's, Obama, Biden, Lew, Tom Nides, Nides, Sen, Chris Murphy, Israel, Chris Coons, Coons, hasn't, Ted Cruz, Bill Clinton Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, IMF, White, Foreign Relations, White House, West Bank, Palestinian Health Ministry, NBC News, Connecticut, U.S, State, Counterterrorism, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Republicans, Senate, Washington, Management, Israel, Organization, Economic Locations: Europe, Washington , DC, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Ted Cruz of Texas

☆ Russia-North Korea arms talks are ‘actively advancing,’ U.S. warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Abigail Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea in late July for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, celebrated in North Korea as "Victory Day." Arms negotiations between North Korea and Russia are "actively advancing," the United States said Wednesday, citing new intelligence. "And of course, we'll take action directly by exposing and sanctioning individuals and entities working to facilitate arms deals between these two countries." Any arms deal between North Korea and Russia would directly violate a number of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Treasury Department announced new sanctions earlier this month targeting three entities tied to a network trying to support arms deals between the two countries and avoid U.S. sanctions.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Shoigu's, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, John Kirby, Kirby, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: Russian, North, National Security, Democratic People's, United Nations, Treasury Department, U.S Locations: North Korea, Russia, United States, Washington, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Russian, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, U.S, Moscow, South Korea

☆ Biden resists pressure from lawmakers and seeks short extension to key China science pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jennifer Jett | Abigail Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration is seeking a short-term extension to a landmark science and technology agreement with China despite pressure from some U.S. lawmakers who say Beijing could exploit it to gain a security and military advantage. A six-month extension to the Science and Technology Agreement, or STA, will keep the pact in force as the U.S. seeks "authority to undertake negotiations to amend and strengthen the terms," a State Department spokesperson told NBC News on Wednesday. "If it were to go away, not only would it impede government-to-government cooperation, but it would also put other science cooperation at risk," said Seligsohn, a former environment, science, technology and health counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. China also considers it the enabling document for all other science cooperation with the U.S., including with academic and research institutions. The State Department spokesperson said it was aware of the issues involved with working with China in the are of science and technology.

Persons: Biden, Jimmy Carter, Deng Xiaoping, Deborah Seligsohn, Antony Blinken, Elise Stefanik, Mike Gallagher of, Blinken, Sen, Rick Scott, Donald Trump Organizations: Central South University, Science, Technology, State Department, NBC News, U.S, Villanova University, Embassy, House Republican Conference Locations: China, Central, Changsha city, Hunan province, Beijing, U.S, New York, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, United States

Siamak Namazi, left, a U.S. citizen who has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, with his father, Baquer Namazi. The U.S. government has identified three American citizens held in Iran — Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz. NBC News first reported on the prisoner exchange negotiations in February. The families of the Americans held in Iran say their loved ones are "hostages" taken captive on false charges and used as bargaining chips by the government. And Siamak Namazi has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, longer than any of the other current American detainees.

Persons: Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Barack Obama, Emad, Shahab Dalili, Jared Genser, Namazi, Joe Biden, Obama, Biden, Donald Trump, Tahbaz, Shargi, Baquer, Robert Levinson, Levinson, Bob Levinson Organizations: NBC, Administration, NBC News, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S, Congress, British, Tufts, Rutgers, FBI, CIA Locations: U.S, Iran, Tehran, Washington, Qatar, South Korea, United States, Israel, Iranian American, Iranian, Iran's

☆ U.S. ambassador visits detained journalist Evan Gershkovich in Russian prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Abigail Williams | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy saw American journalist Evan Gershkovich on Monday, the second visit by Biden administration officials since the Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in March. U.S. consular officials, including Tracy, were last able to see Gershkovich on April 17, about two weeks after Russian government officials arrested him. A Moscow court ruled last month that Gershkovich must remain in prison until Aug. 30. "Ambassador Tracy reports that Mr. Gershkovich is in good health and remains strong, despite his circumstances," a State Department spokesperson said. "U.S. Embassy officials will continue to provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family, and we expect Russian authorities to provide continued consular access."

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Lynne Tracy, Tracy, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Mr, Whelan Organizations: Court, Biden, Street, State Department, Embassy, Federal Security Service Locations: Moscow, American, U.S, Russia, Moscow's

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China in the coming weeks for talks, two U.S. officials told NBC News on Tuesday. The news comes after a previously planned trip was postponed following the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States. U.S. officials did not provide additional details on the timing of Blinken's rescheduled trip, which was first reported by Bloomberg. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping previously met in November in Bali, Indonesia, where they agreed that Blinken would visit China to follow up on the discussions. A Chinese government representative defended its actions, saying Monday that "China always respects the right of navigation."

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Wang Yi, Ned Price, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, John Kirby, Biden Organizations: American Israel Public Affairs, NBC, U.S, Bloomberg, ., State Department, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Security, U.S . Locations: Washington , DC, China, United States, . American, South Carolina, Singapore, Bali , Indonesia, Taiwan, Bali, American, Beijing

☆ Japan says 3 balloons that floated into its airspace years ago are 'strongly presumed' to have been Chinese spy balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three balloon-shaped flying objects were spotted in Japanese airspace in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Japan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that they were "strongly presumed" to have been Chinese reconnaissance balloons. "If a balloon enters Japan's airspace without permission, it constitutes an infringement of Japan's airspace. Three additional unidentified objects, later appearing to have been much smaller commercial or research balloons, were also spotted and shot down. The Chinese balloon carried "multiple antennas" capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military, according to a CNBC report by Abigail Williams.

☆ Chinese spy balloon carried 'multiple antennas' for collecting signals intelligence, State Dept. says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Abigail Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese balloon that flew above the U.S. for eight days included "multiple antennas" capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said Thursday, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military. While China condemned the U.S. for destroying what it said was a weather balloon, the State Department official described the balloon as carrying equipment designed to collect communications and threatened action against Beijing. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the U.S. has gathered extensive information about the Chinese surveillance balloons over time and will be able to detect them in the future. U.S. officials said previously that there were had been multiple Chinese balloon flights over American territory during the former Trump administration and another during the Biden administration. "What we do know is that in some cases, whereas some of these balloons previously had not been identified, subsequent analysis, subsequent intelligence analysis did enable us to indicate that these were Chinese balloons," Ryder said.

The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. The Biden administration is working on declassifying U.S. intelligence that includes details of China flying surveillance balloons above dozens of other countries around the world, according to three administration officials. The effort comes just days after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina following its trek across the continental United States. They said Biden administration officials plan to brief the dozens of countries that the U.S. believes have been subject to surveillance by China's balloons violating their airspace. The U.S. believes there are more than 40 countries that have been had Chinese surveillance balloons flown in their airspace, two officials said.

☆ Inside the Biden administration's decision to reverse course and give tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

When he announced his decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine, President Joe Biden made a point to say Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had recommended the move. Biden wasn’t initially sold on sending the tanks, despite pressure to do so to give cover to Germany to send Ukraine some Leopard 2 tanks, the officials said. But because Germany had said it would send Leopards to Ukraine if the U.S. agreed to commit tanks, too, the U.S. promise of a future delivery opened the door for Germany to send tanks to Ukraine now. In the case of the tanks, U.S. military leaders argued the Leopards and the U.K.’s Challengers were much better options. Military leaders, namely Milley, also have been more publicly vocal about the importance of potential talks to end the war.

☆ West must ramp up aid to Ukraine to keep war with Russia from becoming a stalemate, U.K. foreign secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The West needs to ramp up military assistance to Ukraine to ensure the war with Russia does not turn into a bloody, open-ended stalemate, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Tuesday during a visit to Washington. The United Kingdom also said it would provide more heavy artillery and ammunition to help Ukraine roll back Russian forces from its territory. “The U.K. has been very much on the front foot” in its security assistance to Ukraine, Cleverly said. He stopped short of urging the U.S., Germany or other governments also to supply Ukraine with new tanks or other more advanced weapons. Germany has faced growing calls to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other countries that have Leopards to provide Kyiv with them.

☆ Delphi murder suspect appears in court as judge rules trial will remain in county, gag order continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Judge Frances C. Gull issued a gag order in December, after Allen's lawyers shared a press release defending his name. On Friday, Gull ruled that gag order will stay in place, John McGauley, Court Executive of Allen County said. Gull also ruled that the trial will not be moved to another county, but instead a jury pool from another county can be selected. Gull gave the prosecution and defense one week to agree on a county to elect a jury from and bring it to Carroll County. Their bodies were found the next day in woods area near the Delphi Historic Trail, a half-mile upstream from the bridge.

Share this -Link copied'It's too much for me': Zelenskyy begins speech by thanking U.S. Zelenskyy began his remarks before a joint meeting of Congress at 7:40 p.m. "I think we share the exact same vision, that of a free, independent and prosperous Ukraine," Biden said. The Ukrainian president added that the soldier told him that "many (of) his brothers, this system saved." President Joe Biden holds a medal presented to him by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Share this -Link copiedPhoto: Zelenskyy shakes hands with Biden as he arrives President Joe Biden welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House.

The Taliban on Tuesday released two Americans who had been detained in Afghanistan, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price. The releases were announced as the United Nations Security Council was meeting about Afghanistan. “Out of respect for the privacy of these individuals and their families, we are not going to confirm names.”The release came the same day the Taliban banned women from private and public universities in Afghanistan. The U.S. "condemns in strongest terms the Taliban's indefensible decision to ban women from universities, girls from secondary schools," Price said. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, it banned female education and most employment.

☆ Iran ousted from U.N. women's rights commission amid crackdown and executions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Eight members voted against the resolution and 16 abstained. “The commission is the premier U.N. body for promoting gender equality and empowering women,” she said. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, during a meeting to remove his country from membership in the Commission on the Status of Women on Wednesday. Yuki Iwamura / AFP - Getty ImagesIran, which ranks 143rd among 146 countries in the World Economic Forum's global gender gap index, was voted onto the commission by secret ballot. The vote to oust Iran from the commission came days after the country carried out a second known execution of a prisoner detained and convicted amid the nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.

☆ Explosive envelope delivered to U.S. Embassy in Madrid detonated by police
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Abigail Williams | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

An explosive envelope that was delivered at the gate of the U.S. Embassy in Madrid was detonated in a controlled environment without injury, two U.S. officials told NBC News on Thursday. Over the past couple of days, similar explosive letters were sent to other locations throughout Spain, including the Spanish Ministry of Defense. Police in Spain said the envelope "contained substances similar to those used in pyrotechnics." Earlier this week, a package was sent to the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, injuring a security officer, and to an arms company in Spain that manufactures rocket launchers donated to Ukraine. The package sent to the embassy was addressed to Ukraine's ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev.

☆ Bullet found near bodies of 2 Indiana teens in Delphi killings linked to suspect’s gun, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A bullet found near the bodies of two teenage girls who were killed in Delphi, Indiana, has been linked to a gun belonging to the suspect in their 2017 deaths, newly unsealed court documents revealed. On Feb. 13, 2017, investigators believe Abby and Libby were dropped off at around 1:49 p.m. near an entrance to the Delphi Historic Trail. "As the male subject approaches Victim 1 and Victim 2, one of the victims mentions 'gun'," according to the document. "Near the end of the video a male is seen and heard telling the girls, 'Guys, down the hill.' Analysis performed by the Indiana State Police laboratory of the weapon determined that the .40 caliber unspent round found near the girls' bodies was allegedly fired from Allen's pistol, according to the document.

Russia has "unilaterally postponed" nuclear arms control negotiations with the U.S. that were to be held in Cairo this week, a State Department spokesperson said Monday. In response to Washington's support of Ukraine after Russia invaded in February, Moscow suspended the inspections in August. A State Department spokesperson said that Russia had postponed the latest series of meetings and "stated that it would propose new dates." Presidents Barack Obama of the U.S. and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia sign the New START treaty in Prague on April 8, 2010. The New START Treaty "has to do with the disposition of our respective nuclear assets," Price said at a news briefing on Nov. 8, Election Day.

An American aid worker, Stephen Edward Troell, has been shot dead in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the U.S. government announced Tuesday. Fatal attacks on foreign nationals have become relatively rare in Baghdad since the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq in 2017. According to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Troell had lived in Baghdad for two years and taught English. “Whoever wants to test the government on the issue of security is a failed test, security is a red line,” he said in a press conference. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its sympathy to the “family of the American citizen in the incident,” and pledged that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

The United States on Wednesday called for Iran to be expelled from a U.N. commission on women, citing the regime’s “systematic oppression” of women and its violent crackdown on street protests. Iranian women have been at the forefront of protests across the country since a 22-year-old woman from the country’s Kurdish region, Mahsa Amini, died in police custody in September. Human rights groups have made similar allegations and issued detailed accounts of the crackdown. Two rights groups, Norway-based group Iran Human Rights and the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, said last week that more than 250 protesters have been killed since the protests began. “It’s time for us to stop abetting the Islamic Republic of Iran and start supporting the freedom-loving people of Iran,” said Boniadi.

☆ Indiana police to make announcement in unsolved 2017 Delphi murders of 2 teenage girls
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Indiana police will announce an update Monday morning in the the 2017 murders of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, a case that has puzzled the community and online crime sleuths for years. Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, vanished while hiking in their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis, in February 2017. Their bodies were found Feb. 14, 2017 in a wooded area near the Delphi Historic Trail, a half mile upstream from the bridge. For years police worked to find the girls’ killer and previously said the assailant may have had close connections to Delphi, a city of about 3,000 people. Police previously released two sketches of a suspect.

☆ U.S. and Europe to address Iran's drone supply to Russia at U.N. Security Council
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Abigail Williams | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Officials from the United States, the United Kingdom and France will raise Iran‘s apparent provision of drones to Russia in a closed door meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, a U.S. official confirmed to NBC News. “Iran’s supply of these specific types of UAVs to Russia is a violation of UN Security Council resolution to 2231 and it is this issue for the U.N. Security Council,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters Tuesday. Zelenskyy described the apparent move by Russia to acquire Iranian-made drones as an “admission by the Kremlin that it is militarily and politically bankrupt. The official also said the drones launched by Russia inside Ukraine appeared to come from Iran. Iran has denied the claim that it has delivered drones to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia has suggested the United States asked it to wait a month before cutting oil production, defending a move heavily criticized by the White House as helping Russia's war in Ukraine. Bandar Al-Jaloud / AFP - Getty ImagesAs the de facto head of OPEC+, Saudi Arabia rejected that appeal, with the alliance instead announcing earlier this week it would be cutting global supply by 2 million barrels. John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said that Saudi Arabia was trying to "spin and deflect" on the issue. "Other OPEC nations communicated to us privately that they also disagreed with the Saudi decision, but felt coerced to support Saudi’s direction." Like many Western governments, Washington has long sought to balance reliance on Saudi Arabia, the world's second largest oil producer, with holding it to account on human rights.

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