Latest news with #USEmbassy
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Six Americans arrested for trying to smuggle rice into North Korea
Six Americans have been detained in South Korea for trying to float 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, miniature Bibles, $1 bills, and USB sticks toward North Korea. The Americans, missionaries aged from their 20s to 50s, were apprehended on front-line Gwanghwa Island about 1.06am on Friday, local time. Cops grabbed them before they could throw the bottles into the sea so they could float toward North Korean shores on the tides, two Gwanghwa police officers alleged. They said the Americans are being investigated on allegations they violated the law on the management of safety and disasters. The officers, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to media on the issue, refused to provide personal details of the Americans in line with privacy rules. Gwanghwa police said they haven't yet found what is on the USB sticks. 'Because the suspects do not speak Korean fluently, we plan to conduct further questioning with the assistance of an interpreter,' they said. Plastic bags containing Bible passages are prepared prior to being thrown into the sea by North Korean defector activists on Ganghwa island, west of Seoul on May 1, 2018 The US Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment. For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB thumb drives carrying South Korean dramas and K-pop songs. This practice that was banned from 2021-2023 over concerns it could inflame tensions with the North. North Korea responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger. Last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites including the presidential compound. South Korea´s Constitutional Court struck down a controversial law in 2023 that criminalized the sending of leaflets and other items to North Korea, calling it an excessive restriction on free speech. But since taking office in early June, the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung is pushing to crack down on such civilian campaigns with other safety-related laws to avoid a flare-up tensions with North Korea and promote the safety of frontline South Korean residents. Police detained an activist on June 14 for allegedly flying balloons toward North Korea from Gwanghwa Island. Police created a dedicated task force to prevent items crossing the border into the North, in response to Friday's arrests. 'We will strengthen coordination with relevant bodies to completely block these leaflet operations and respond strictly to any violations according to the law,' they said. Lee took office with a promise to restart long-dormant talks with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee's government halted frontline anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts to try to ease military tensions. North Korean broadcasts have not been heard in South Korean front-line towns since then. But it's unclear if North Korea will respond to Lee's conciliatory gesture after vowing last year to sever relations with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification. Official talks between the Koreas have been stalled since 2019, when US-led diplomacy on North Korean denuclearization derailed.
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Zambia Takes Steps to Avoid Landing on US Travel Ban List
Zambia says it has made progress in addressing several concerns raised by the US government, as it seeks to avoid being placed on an expanded travel ban list. The southern African nation 'has formally responded to the US Embassy' and instructed its mission in Washington to engage the US government, Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe told lawmakers on Friday. 'Our goal is to have Zambia removed from consideration within the 60-day review period.'
India Today
19 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
India urges merit-based visa process as US mandates 5-year social media disclosure
The Indian government has responded to recent US visa requirements mandating that applicants disclose all social media platforms they have used over the past five years. The response came after a series of advisories from the US Embassy in India outlining the tightening of visa regulations, citing national security US Embassy in India issued a fresh advisory on June 26, 2025, informing that all visa applicants must provide usernames or handles for every social media platform used in the past five years when filling out the DS-160 form. Failure to do so, the embassy warned, could result in visa denial and ineligibility for future are required to declare that the information in their application is true and complete before submission. On June 23, the embassy further requested that F, M, or J category visa seekers, primarily students and exchange visitors, switch their social media accounts to the public to help authorities verify their identity and admissibility under US every visa adjudication as a 'national security decision', the US has been using all available data for screening digital posters shared by the embassy reiterated the message, stating that 'The United States requires visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on visa forms' and that 'all available information is used in screening and vetting.'INDIA CALLS FOR FAIR TREATMENTReacting to the new developments, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing in New Delhi that visa and immigration matters fall under the sovereign rights of each he added that India has taken note of the updated US guidelines and believes that 'all visa applications of Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit.'He assured that India remains in close engagement with the US on all matters related to mobility and consular services to safeguard the legitimate interests of Indian CONTEXT OF VISA ENFORCEMENTThe stricter visa scrutiny comes against the backdrop of a broader immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, as part of enforcement measures under the Trump administration. On June 24, the embassy stated that individuals violating immigration laws could face detention, deportation, and long-term visa advisories earlier this month, the US Embassy stressed that a visa is 'a privilege, not a right', warning that even legal visa holders can have their visas revoked for breaking US laws or using illegal June 16, the embassy added that new visa restrictions had been introduced for foreign government officials and violators, asserting that the US 'will not tolerate' illegal or mass immigration, nor the misuse of its visa system.(With PTI inputs)- Ends
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
First female US ambassador to Russia to leave her role
The first female US ambassador to Russia is leaving her role after serving through one of the most difficult periods in relations between the two countries. Lynne Tracy, who has been based in Moscow, said she is "proud to have represented my country" in the Russian capital "during such a challenging time". There is no suggestion she has been removed from her role by the administration. The departure of the career diplomat appointed by former president comes as Russia and the United States discuss a potential reset in their ties, which sharply deteriorated after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. President Donald Trump has said there are potentially big investment deals to be struck, but is growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have so far not resulted in a meaningful ceasefire. In a statement shared by the US embassy in Russia on Telegram, Ms Tracy said: "As I leave Russia, I know that my colleagues at the embassy will continue to work to improve our relations and maintain ties with the Russian people. "I have been inspired by my meetings with Russians who love their country and work every day for a better future. I would like to conclude with lines from Pushkin's poem 'To Chaadayev', which speak of the love for the Motherland that lives in each of us. Goodbye!" The embassy said it wanted to "express our gratitude for her contributions based on consistent diplomacy, deep respect for Russian culture, and dedicated service to the American people". Read more from Sky News: In a statement earlier this month, the embassy said Ms Tracy, who arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-US slogans when she went to the foreign ministry to present her credentials, would leave her post soon. She was notably involved in efforts to win the release of US citizens jailed in Russia, and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap. Ms Tracy, who took over from John Sullivan, had previously served as the second-highest official at the US Embassy in Moscow, the deputy chief of mission, from 2014 to 2017. She was the ambassador to Armenia at the time she was nominated to replace Mr Sullivan after he retired. Ms Tracy, who speaks Russian, had also worked at US diplomatic outposts including Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Kazakhstan. She majored in Soviet Studies and holds a law degree.
Reuters
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US ambassador to Russia leaves Moscow, embassy statement says
MOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, is leaving Moscow, her embassy said on Friday, noting she had served through one of the most strained periods in relations between Moscow and Washington. The departure of a career diplomat appointed under the administration of former president Joe Biden comes as Russia and the United States discuss a potential reset in their ties which sharply deteriorated after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. President Donald Trump has said there are potentially big investment deals to be struck, but is growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have so far not resulted in a meaningful ceasefire. "I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time. As I leave Russia, I know that my colleagues at the embassy will continue to work to improve our relations and maintain ties with the Russian people," the embassy cited Tracy as saying in a statement. It said Tracy's time in post had been marked by her belief that meaningful dialogue was important even during difficult times, the embassy said. The embassy said earlier this month that Tracy, who arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-U.S. slogans when she went to the Foreign Ministry to present her credentials, would leave her post soon. Her successor has not been publicly named. Her tenure is similar in duration to her predecessor, John Sullivan, who served as ambassador for two years and seven months from February 2020 to September 2022. Tracy was notably involved in efforts to win the release of U.S. citizens jailed in Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap.
