State Department – News Stories About State Department - Page 22

Sep 21, 2007 1:08 PM CDT

US Reinstates Blackwater in Iraq

Despite government opposition, State Department returns company to streets

(Newser) - American convoys began emerging from the Green Zone again today, protected by Blackwater USA guards, just four days after an Iraqi ban on the private security firm halted all such travel. Iraqis remain outraged over the deaths of 11 civilians in a Blackwater shooting incident Sunday, but a Maliki aide...

Blackwater Played by Its Own Rules

Sep 20, 2007 9:54 AM CDT

Blackwater Played by Its Own Rules

State Dept exempted security firm from Iraqi and US military oversight

(Newser) - Blackwater, the private security firm involved in the shooting of 10 civilians in Baghdad Sunday, has operated outside US military regulations governing other security contractors in Iraq, the Washington Post reports. Deployed and protected by the State Department, they were exempted from oversight by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, and not...

After Attack, Iraq Bans US Security Firm

Sep 17, 2007 11:45 AM CDT

After Attack, Iraq Bans US Security Firm

Baghdad blames civilian deaths on Blackwater, threatens prosecution

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has revoked an American security contractor's license to do business in the country and is weighing criminal charges against employees who allegedly opened fire on civilians yesterday, the AP reports. Blackwater USA personnel were escorting a State Department convoy through Baghdad when they opened fire, killing eight...

US Will Screen Charity Workers for Terror Ties

Aug 23, 2007 9:09 AM CDT

US Will Screen Charity Workers for Terror Ties

To keep funding AID funding, groups will get background checks

(Newser) - A new Bush administration plan will require personnel of some charities and NGOs to register with the government to ensure they are not associated with terrorists. The Washington Post reports that organizations that receive funding from the Agency for International Development will have to provide the phone numbers and e-mail...

US Envoy Visits Libya; Rice
May Be Next

Aug 22, 2007 9:36 AM CDT

US Envoy Visits Libya; Rice May Be Next

Rice would be first secretary of state to visit since 1953

(Newser) - A leading State Department official has arrived in Libya, laying the groundwork for a probable visit by Condoleezza Rice later in the year. The envoy, David Welch, will discuss improvements to US-Libyan relations and compensation for victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, the BBC reports. Since 2003, when the Gaddafi...

Pro-Democracy Campaign Falters

Aug 20, 2007 6:34 PM CDT

Pro-Democracy Campaign Falters

Second-term initiative stalls, battered from within and without

(Newser) - President Bush has announced his intention to end "tyranny in our world," but promoting democracy is proving as unpopular among Republicans as Democrats. His plans have met internal opposition, even from Dick Cheney, but a more formidable roadblock is the plan's close association with the unpopular chief executive,...

Russia Relaunches
Cold War
Patrols

Aug 18, 2007 8:06 AM CDT

Russia Relaunches Cold War Patrols

Pointed message to US from Putin

(Newser) - In a resumption of some of the tension reminiscent of the Cold War and a message to the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin has relaunched long-range Russian bomber patrols after a 15-year hiatus. Fourteen bombers took off yesterday just days after Russian jets buzzed the skies off Guam and began...

UK Asks US to Release Gitmo Suspects

Aug 7, 2007 4:14 PM CDT

UK Asks US to Release Gitmo Suspects

Brown wants 5 Britons freed from US custody in change of policy

(Newser) - The United Kingdom wants the US to let go of five British residents detained at the terrorist detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. Green PM Gordon Brown made the official request, hinting that he may be distancing himself from the Bush administration and carving a more independent terror policy than Tony...

US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons

Aug 6, 2007 11:47 AM CDT

US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons

That's 110,000 AK-47s, 80,000 pistols

(Newser) - Nearly a third of US weapons doled out to Iraqi security forces over the past three years are unaccounted for, a GAO report says, and insiders are worried they've fallen into the hands of insurgents. The weapons that the Pentagon can no longer track include 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles...

Terrorist Attacks Spiked in '06

Apr 30, 2007 10:16 PM CDT

Terrorist Attacks Spiked in '06

Attacks rise 25% percent, driven by

(Newser) - Terrorist attacks rose 25 percent in 2006, with much of the rise attributable to Iraq, according to a State Department report released today. Terrorism claimed over 20,000 lives in 2006—two-thirds of those in Iraq—up sharply from 2005, raising doubts about the short-term success of the continued War...

Call Girl Ring Sucks in State Dep't Honcho

Apr 28, 2007 2:49 PM CDT

Call Girl Ring Sucks in State Dep't Honcho

Deputy secretary of state resigns after ABC ties him to D.C. Madam

(Newser) - A deputy secretary of state resigned late yesterday afternoon, one day after an as-yet-unaired interview with ABC News tied him to the alleged "D.C. Madam." Randall Tobias, who ran the country's foreign aid program, says he received massages, not sex, from Deborah Jean Palfrey's high-end escort service,...

DNA Tests Surprise Immigrants

Apr 10, 2007 8:55 AM CDT

DNA Tests Surprise Immigrants

Thousands of tests of family members fail to turn up matches

(Newser) - Thousands of new citizens asked to take DNA tests in order to verify the immigration status of relatives back home are discovering unwelcome surprises about their families, the New York Times reports. The State Department recommends the tests to confirm family ties in countries where record-keeping is poor. But an...

Bickering Among Agencies Undermines Iraq Rebuilding

Mar 11, 2007 10:22 AM CDT

Bickering Among Agencies Undermines Iraq Rebuilding

State fights Commerce over how to win peace

(Newser) - Squabbles among agencies in the Bush administration have wasted countless hours and undermined initiatives to stabilize Iraq, the Post reports. The White House wants the whole cabinet involved, but State shuns other departments' initiatives. One battle between State and Commerce, over a proposal to end food rations, became so bitter...