December 20, 2015 State Dept. says Iran's pick for UN ambassador 'troubling' amid outrage over hostage crisis link The State Department is raising “serious concerns” over Iran’s new nominee for ambassador to the U.N., who was involved with the group that took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days and held American diplomats hostage in 1979.
December 20, 2015 Ex-State Department intelligence analyst sentenced for leaking documents In a court proceeding Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Stephen Kim's criminal act was "a very serious one" committed by a national security expert who lost his "moral compass."
December 20, 2015 State Department to spend $400,000 for camel statue in Pakistan The State Department plans to spend $400,000 in taxpayer dollars to purchase a camel statue for the new American embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
December 20, 2015 US ambassador to India resigns amid strained ties between nations The American ambassador to India said she has resigned and will retire before the end of May, ending a two-year tenure after the strip-search of an Indian diplomat in New York City badly damaged U.S.-India ties.
December 20, 2015 Rubio expresses 'concern' over still-vacant State Dept. religious freedom post The office within the State Department develops policies regarding religious freedom and monitors religious discrimination and persecution worldwide.
December 20, 2015 Obama administration working on non-lethal aid package for Ukraine The incremental assistance would be aimed at bolstering the Ukrainian military as it seeks to halt the advances of pro-Russian forces in the east, as well as showing symbolic U.S. support for Ukraine's efforts.
December 20, 2015 Kerry, Russian counterpart meet on Ukraine crisis Russia on Sunday set out demands for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine, saying the former Soviet republic should be unified in a federation allowing wide autonomy to its various regions as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Paris in another bid to calm tensions.
December 20, 2015 Kerry arrives in Paris for meeting on Ukraine After a week of travel in the Mideast, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry changed course and arrived in Paris Saturday for talks with his Russian counterpart on the Ukraine crisis.
December 20, 2015 Mixed Message? State Dept. warns against Ukraine travel, promotes Ukraine travel Just three days after the State Department issued a travel warning for Ukraine, it began promoting a campaign urging Americans to visit the country, prompting confusion and concern from some foreign policy observers.
December 20, 2015 State Dept. spends over $50G on Mitsubishi trucks for Albanian border police The U.S. government has already bought six L200 Double Cab Mitsubishis for the Albanian Border Police (ABP), and said the two additional vehicles will “fulfill the ABP’s needs.”