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Showing posts from March, 2021

US Senate confirms Linda Thomas-Greenfield's nomination as US ambassador to UN

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  Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a US diplomat with vast experience in Africa. She is a three-decade veteran of the US State Department.  The US Senate on February 23, 2021 confirmed  Linda Thomas-Greenfield  as  US ambassador to the United Nations.  Greenfield's name was nominated for the post by US President Joe Biden. The Senate voted 78-20 to confirm Thomas-Greenfield for the Cabinet-level position. Greenfield is the eighth confirmed member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet. Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a US diplomat with vast experience in Africa. She is a three-decade veteran of the US State Department.  Key Highlights  •  Linda Thomas-Greenfield is exceptionally qualified and in her new role, she will have to work to rebuild America's reputation and reasserting the first instrument of American power and diplomacy.  •  Her appointment comes as the Biden administration is taking steps to reassert the US position within the United Nations by reversing policy decisions taken by

EAM S Jaishankar meets Uzbekistan counterpart, discusses global, bilateral issues

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  The Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov has invited India to participate in an international conference on regional connectivity on July 15-16, 2021. The Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on February 25, 2021, met his counterpart from Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov, and discussed various regional, bilateral, and global issues. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs mentioned that during Abdulaziz Kamilov’s two-day visit to India on February 24-25, both the nations took stock of different aspects of bilateral cooperation between India and Uzbekistan. The External Affairs Minister tweeted about the meeting with his Uzbekistan counterpart and mentioned that both the ministers discussed bilateral relations including defence, development, trade, connectivity, and culture. Assessing the progress of India-Uzbekistan Summit 2020: During the meeting, both the ministers positively evaluated the progress on the outcomes of the India-Uzbekistan virtual Summit held

US President Joe Biden revokes Trump's green card ban

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  Former President Donald Trump had issued the ban in 2020, saying that it was required to protect the US workers amid high unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic. US President Joe Biden on February 24, 2021  revoked  former President Trump's decision to  freeze green card applications  and certain types of visas. Former President Donald Trump had issued the green card ban last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that it was necessary to protect the US workers amid high unemployment . Trump had blocked many green card applicants from entering the United States.  President Biden, reversed the ban, saying that the ban had prevented certain family members of US citizens and lawful permanent residents from reuniting with their families in the United States and harmed US businesses and hurt industries and individuals alike. Significance The newly elected US President had pledged to reverse many of Trump’s hardline immigration policies.  Trump's Green Card ban Former US Pre

US intelligence report reveals Saudi Crown Prince approved operation that killed Jamal Khashoggi

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  The United States has imposed sanctions on some of those involved but spared the crown prince himself in an effort to preserve relations with the Gulf kingdom. According to a US intelligence report released on February 26, 2021, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The United States has imposed sanctions on some of those involved but spared the crown prince himself in an effort to preserve relations with the Gulf kingdom. The Saudi government issued a statement rejecting the US report’s findings and repeating its previous statements that Khashoggi’s killing was a heinous crime by a rogue group, denying any involvement by the crown prince.  US response  While preserving ties to the 35-year-old crown prince, US President Joe Biden tried to make clear that killings of political opponents were not acceptable to the United States. Biden stated that he had told Saudi King Salman that Saudi