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Showing posts with label State Department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label State Department. Show all posts

Thursday, July 31, 2014

'Pretty Disturbing': 37 Minutes of State Department Dodging Questions about Gaza

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf condemned the deadly shelling of a United Nations school in Gaza on Wednesday. She called for a "full and prompt" investigation into the incident, but declined to immediately place the blame on Israel.

Artillery shells hit the UN school crowded with refugees, while Israeli airstrikes hit a group of rescue workers and onlookers who had rushed to the scene of a previous attack in a busy shopping area - Read more




Related article:

‘World stands disgraced’: 20 killed in Israeli UN school shelling

You can visit our Gaza article archive here.  

Poll:  Does the United States' support of Israel make Americans less safe?

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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

US sued by 22,000 would-be immigrants: lawyers

The US State Department in Washington
© AFP/File Nicholas Kamm
AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) 
- A lawsuit has been filed against the State Department alleging it unfairly denied 22,000 would-be legal immigrants the right to permanent residency in the United States, their lawyers said Monday.

White and Associates said it filed the lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Colombia charging the State Department committed a "blunder" in holding a lottery granting them the permanent resident "green card."

In a statement, the firm alleged that the State Department had informed the lottery "winners" that in fact they had to be disqualified because a "computer glitch" meant they had not been randomly selected, as required by Congress.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Sunday, March 13, 2011

State Dept spokesman quits after slam of Pentagon



Philip Crowley
© AFP/File Nicholas Kamm
AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - State Department spokesman Philip Crowley resigned Sunday after slamming the Pentagon's treatment of a US solider suspected of leaking thousands of diplomatic cables and military documents to WikiLeaks as "counter-productive."

"Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State," Crowley said in a statement released by the State Department.

On Friday, Crowley departed from his characteristic diplomatic language when asked at a forum on new media and diplomacy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about the United States "torturing" Private First Class Bradley Manning.


Manning, 23, was arrested in June while deployed to Iraq amid suspicions he had passed a trove of secret US government documents to WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website which were then published in newspapers around the world.

Crowley said Manning's treatment by the Defense Department, which includes solitary confinement and being forced to sleep naked, "is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid," BBC reporter Philippa Thomas wrote on her blog.

"Nonetheless Bradley Manning is in the right place," Crowley said, adding "there is sometimes a need for secrets" to advance US diplomatic interests.

Later Friday Obama insisted the Pentagon's treatment of Manning was appropriate.

Last week the US military unveiled 22 additional charges against Manning including the serious offense of "aiding the enemy," which carries a potential death sentence. But the army said he would face possible life in prison.

In his statement Sunday, Crowley said his remarks "were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted Crowley's long service to the United States in accepting his resignation.

"(Crowley) has served our nation with distinction for more than three decades, in uniform and as a civilian," she said.

"His service to country is motivated by a deep devotion to public policy and public diplomacy, and I wish him the very best."

Clinton said Michael Hammer, currently deputy spokesman at the state department, will serve as acting spokesman.




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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Don't Mention the Cables, Future Diplomats

Robert Mackey
New York Times

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, which grooms future diplomats, has confirmed to The Lede that it did send an e-mail to students this week warning them to avoid posting comments online about the leaked diplomatic cables, if they ever hope to work for the State Department.

Issandr El Amrani posted a copy of the e-mail on his blog, The Arabist, on Thursday. It contained a warning from an unnamed former student of the school who is now working at the State Department. The warning note read:
From: “Office of Career Services”
Date: November 30, 2010 15:26:53 EST:
Hi students,
We received a call today from a SIPA alumnus who is working at the State Department. He asked us to pass along the following information to anyone who will be applying for jobs in the federal government, since all would require a background investigation and in some instances a security clearance.
The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks are still considered classified documents. He recommends that you DO NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media sites such as Facebook or through Twitter. Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government.
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Sunday, October 3, 2010

U.S. Issues Terror Alert For Tourists in Europe

Associated Press

State Department notice issued Sunday about the potential for terrorists attacks in Europe. The alert expires Jan. 11:

The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks. European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions.

Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services.

U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling.

We continue to work closely with our European allies on the threat from international terrorism, including al-Qaida. Information is routinely shared between the U.S. and our key partners in order to disrupt terrorist plotting, identify and take action against potential operatives, and strengthen our defenses against potential threats.

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Saturday, October 2, 2010

State Dept. tried to hide Blackwater’s piece of $10 billion contract: report

Contract comes despite Sec. Clinton's pledge to ban 'private mercenary firms'

Daniel Tencer -- Raw Story 

The State Department has awarded part of a $10-billion embassy protection contract to the company formerly known as Blackwater, but you wouldn't know it by looking at government documents.


On Thursday, the State Department announced the winners of a tender to protect security services to diplomatic missions around the world, including the US's massive embassy in Iraq. The name Xe Services -- Blackwater's current name -- doesn't appear in the contract, but the name International Development Solutions does. 


Spencer Ackerman reports at Wired.com that International Development Solutions is a shell company set up by Blackwater in partnership with engineering firm Kaseman to run US Training Center, a Blackwater subsidiary.

"No one who looks at the official announcement of the contract award would have any idea that firm is connected to Blackwater," Ackerman writes.


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