Washington DC

USA: White House retracts statements accusing the Qassam Brigades of killing children

12 October 2023; MEMO: The White House retracted statements by President Joe Biden in which he expressed his dismay at what he described as violent images of an attack by fighters from the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades on Israeli children.

Biden said during his meeting with leaders of the Jewish community at the White House: “I never really thought that I would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children.”

'Unprecedented wave of labor strikes' in US affecting auto, health, entertainment industries

10 October 2023; AA: Three major labor strikes in the US have put the auto, health and entertainment industries in jeopardy of coming to a halt as union leaders continue to negotiate with corporate America.

"This is an unprecedented wave of labor strikes and labor protests," said Professor Kent Wong, director of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Labor Center. "There is tremendous economic insecurity among the working class."

US sends seized Iran ammunition to Ukraine

04 October 2023; MEMO: The US has sent Ukraine more than 1 million rounds of Iranian ammunition that had been seized last year, the US military said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

US naval forces, for years, have been seizing weapons believed to be from Iran bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, usually transported by fishing vessels.

US Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, said about 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds were sent to Ukraine.

Canadian allegations against India ‘serious’, need to be fully investigated: US

Washington, Oct 4 (PTI) The Canadian allegations regarding India’s involvement in the killing of a pro-Khalistan separatist are "serious" and need to be investigated fully, the White House has said.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

USA: Senior Senate Democrat threatens to block military aid to Egypt on human rights grounds

02 October 2023; MEMO: The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee vowed on Saturday to block military aid and arms sales to Egypt if it does not take concrete steps to improve human rights in the country, Reuters reported.

Democratic US Senator Ben Cardin issued the threat in a statement, saying: “It is imperative that we continue to hold the government of Egypt, and all governments, accountable for their human rights violations.”

Kuwait: Hackers breach US Pentagon website

26 September 2023; MEMO: A Kuwaiti criminal court revealed yesterday that it is looking into a case against a Kuwaiti national who hacked into the US Pentagon website, local media reported.

Al Rai newspaper reported that the hacker is a 28-year-old man, adding that his actions put the country’s ties with a key ally at risk.

US approves $500m military vehicle maintenance package for Saudi Arabia

23 September 2023; MEMO: The US State Department has approved a potential $500 million deal to provide maintenance support for Saudi Arabia’s fleet of combat vehicles, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced yesterday.

The deal would cover spare parts, components and repair services for vehicles, including Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles operated by the Royal Saudi Land Forces.

Saudi made it clear Palestine is part of any deal with Israel; Blinken

15 September 2023; MEMO: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken yesterday revealed that Saudi Arabia has made it clear to the United States that issues related to the Palestinians will be an essential part of any future agreement with Israel.

“It is also clear from what we hear from the Saudis that if this process is to move forward, the Palestinian piece is going to be very important too,” Blinken said, adding, “Normalisation cannot come at the expense of the Palestinian cause.”

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