TheRepublic.com - Embassies News

El Salvador presses pope on Romero beatification

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:52:17 -0400

VATICAN CITY - El Salvador's president gave Pope Francis a relic of assassinated Archbishop Oscar Romero on Thursday amid mounting indications that the Vatican might soon move to beatify him.

Officials say Benghazi suspects under surveillance

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:20:28 -0400

WASHINGTON - Five men are under round-the-clock U.S. surveillance in Libya, wanted for questioning in the attack last year on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. The White House believes there is enough proof for a military force to seize them as terrorist suspects, officials say, but prefers to wait until investigators have enough evidence to try them in a U.S. civilian courtroom.

Death in Zimbabwe results in unusual US charge

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:20:09 -0400

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - The facts laid out by prosecutors are plain: In 2008, a U.S. government employee on assignment in Zimbabwe drove through the capital of Harare in his government-issued Toyota Land Cruiser and struck and killed a 34-year-old Zimbabwe man.

Man charged with threatening ambassador, family

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:02:19 -0400

CHICAGO - A Chicago-area man has been charged with threatening to kill the U.S. ambassador in Serbia and others in a dispute over a visa for his Serbian wife.

Kerry challenges Congress on diplomats' security

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:14:15 -0400

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John Kerry challenged Congress on Monday to go beyond its investigations of embassy security and help ensure that U.S. embassies and consulates abroad have the resources they need for appropriate security. His comments come as the Republicans continue to press for answers about the Obama administration's handling of last year's deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

Correction: Tunisia-Salafi Crackdown story

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:56:33 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia - In a May 15 story about the Tunisian government taking a harder line on preaching by ultraconservative Muslim groups ahead of this past weekend's conference by the group known as Ansar al-Shariah, The Associated Press reported erroneously that about 40,000 people attended the group's conference last year. About 4,000 people attended the conference in Kairouan in 2012.

Russian TV: American accused of spying flies out

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:55:21 -0400

MOSCOW - The U.S. Embassy employee accused of spying in Moscow flew out of Russia on Sunday, five days after he was ordered to leave the country, NTV television reported.

Obama: Congress must 'fully fund' embassy security

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:43:29 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama called on Congress Thursday to "fully fund" his administration's budget request for embassy security. The request came as Obama seeks to get ahead of the controversy over his administration's response to the attack last September in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans.

Diplomat in Russian spy scandal from St. Louis Co.

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:58:06 -0400

ST. LOUIS - The U.S. diplomat caught up in a spying investigation in Russia has family in suburban St. Louis and graduated from high school there.

Senate panel approves US ambassador to Libya

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:48:10 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday approved President Barack Obama's nominee for U.S. ambassador to Libya, a post that has been vacant since insurgents attacked the diplomatic mission in Benghazi last September, killing Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Obama to name Crocker to broadcast governing board

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:42:06 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he will nominate former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker to the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Officials: US forces on alert in response to Libya

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:38:28 -0400

WASHINGTON - Marines and other U.S. forces in Europe are on a heightened state of alert in response to a deteriorating security situation in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, two U.S. officials said Friday.

Venezuela: US officials get access to American

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:53:06 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's government has granted U.S. diplomats access to a California man who is being held while he awaits trial on charges of espionage and fomenting unrest.

Jihadi peril makes its way to Tunisia

Thu, 09 May 2013 06:08:43 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia - The hunt for al-Qaida-linked militants in a mountainous region near Tunisia's borders with Algeria in recent days has raised alarm that the birthplace of the Arab Spring has become the latest battleground for violent jihadis.

Indonesia anti-terror squad kills 7 militants

Thu, 09 May 2013 05:37:40 -0400

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia's elite anti-terrorism unit conducted several bloody operations to root out suspected Islamic militants, killing seven and arresting 13 others, police said Thursday as they continued to investigate an alleged plot to bomb the Myanmar Embassy.

Analysis: Syria has limited response options

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:21:41 -0400

BEIRUT - The Syrian regime on Tuesday dispatched an obscure proxy, a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group, to threaten retaliation for two Israeli airstrikes over the weekend.

Bulgarian honor bid in DC stirs Holocaust debate

Tue, 07 May 2013 14:08:57 -0400

WASHINGTON - A request by the Bulgarian Embassy to name a Washington intersection after a favorite native son - a man credited with helping save the country's Jewish population from deportation - has gotten tangled up in a broader debate about whether the nation is accurately accounting for the actions of its leaders during the Holocaust.

Diplomat: US team stopped from going to Benghazi

Mon, 06 May 2013 22:06:47 -0400

WASHINGTON - Four members of Army special forces ready to head to Benghazi, Libya, after the deadly assault on the American diplomatic mission had ended were told not to go, according to a former top diplomat.

Family: No US access to man held in 'nightmare'

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:20:20 -0400

CARACAS, Venezuela - U.S. diplomats have been given no access to a California man held in Venezuela for nearly two weeks in what his family on Monday called a "nightmare" that unfolded after he was accused of being a spy fomenting postelection unrest.

Cuban spy unrepentant, but hopes for better ties

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:09:18 -0400

HAVANA - A Cuban intelligence agent who spent 13 years in a U.S. prison said Monday he still has affection for America and hopes to see the two countries reconcile, but added that he does not regret for a moment his decision to spy for Cuba.

In CAR, diamonds are a rebel's best friend

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:06:44 -0400

NDELE, Central African Republic - Armed with rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov rifles, Seleka rebels who ousted Central African Republic's president six weeks ago are solidifying their control over the country's lucrative diamond industry and have even been selling some of the stones, witnesses here in the isolated and violent north say.

Aerosmith drops Indonesia show over security fears

Sun, 05 May 2013 22:41:07 -0400

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Aerosmith canceled a show in Indonesia after authorities there said they had foiled a bomb plot targeting the Myanmar Embassy.

Malaysian police probe American pastor's death

Sun, 05 May 2013 00:29:44 -0400

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian police are investigating the death of an U.S. pastor found at his home with his hands and legs bound and a cellphone charger cable around his neck.

US calls for NKorea amnesty for sentenced American

Thu, 02 May 2013 23:55:32 -0400

WASHINGTON - The U.S. called Thursday for North Korea to grant amnesty and immediately release a Korean-American sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for "hostile acts" against the state.

Indonesia says 2 arrested for Myanmar Embassy plot

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:50:06 -0400

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia's elite anti-terror squad seized five homemade bombs and arrested two suspected militants who allegedly planned to attack the Myanmar Embassy to protest that country's treatment of Muslims, police said Friday.