Focus Washington 2023 from

Senior US Diplomat Says Relationship with Saudi Arabia in Very Good Shape

September 22, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

In one of the first comments since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s first interview with a Western outlet since 2019, a senior US diplomat said on Thursday that Washington’s bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia […]

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State Department Charges Former Contractor with Espionage

September 22, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A former US government contractor, a naturalized US citizen born in Ethiopia, was charged yesterday with spying on behalf of an unspecified foreign state, the US Justice Department announced, noting that the accused stole top […]

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Washington to Support EU Windfall Tax on Frozen Russian Assets

September 21, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Calling the proposal a sensible way to help finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen voiced support for the European Union’s plan to impose a windfall tax on profits generated by frozen Russian sovereign […]

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Ukraine Fight Can Be Sustained, Claims General Milley

September 21, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The war in Ukraine could be sustained because the United States and its allies are “rich,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley noted on Tuesday at a press conference in Germany. […]

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Nagorno-Karabakh Announces Ceasefire with Azerbaijan While Baku Declares Victory

September 20, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have announced their decision to cease hostilities with Azerbaijan following a proposal by local Russian peacekeeping forces and just one day after Baku initiated a so-called counter-terrorism operation in the breakaway […]

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Biden and Netanyahu to Meet at UNGA Sidelines, Discuss Saudi Normalization

September 20, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have arranged a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York during which a potential Israel-Saudi normalization deal and Iran are […]

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Five Americans Released from Iranian Detention Back on US Soil

September 19, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Following the initial stop in Doha, Qatar, the five Americans, all of whom had been designated as wrongfully detained in Iran, freed this week from Iranian detention returned to the US early Tuesday, CNN reports. […]

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Armenia Accuses Azerbaijan of ‘Unleashing Large-Scale Aggression’

September 19, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After Baku announced a major new military offensive in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh it claimed to be aimed against Armenian military assets in the region, the Armenian Foreign Ministry accused it on Tuesday of […]

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New Low in Russia-US Trade, US Census Bureau’s Data Shows

September 18, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

According to data from the US Census Bureau, trade turnover between Russia and the US plummeted in July amounted to $277.3 million, plunging to its lowest level since the start of the Ukraine conflict, the […]

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US-Iran Prisoner Swap Successful, Five Americans on Their Way Home

September 18, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Five American prisoners left Iran Monday as part of the prisoner exchange plan that has also seen five Iranians imprisoned in the US released in accordance with an agreement brokered by Qatar that also saw […]

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US Auto Workers Union to Stage Historic First Strike at ‘Big Three’ Plants

September 15, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Strikes at plants of the US “big three” automakers – Ford, Stellantis (which owns Chrysler), and General Motors – started last night at midnight for the first time in the union’s history after Detroit’s Big […]

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Trump: The US is ‘Going to Hell’

September 15, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

America is in rapid decline but re-electing him would give the country a last chance to turn things around, Donald Trump has said Thursday in an interview for the SiriusXM satellite radio station. “Our country’s […]

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US Ambassador Summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry after Diplomats Expelled from Russia

September 14, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The interference by the US Embassy in Moscow in the internal affairs of Russia is unacceptable and will be vigorously suppressed, states the information from the Russian Foreign Ministry with regard to declaring two employees […]

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UN Believes Most Deaths in Libya Floods Could’ve Been Avoided

September 14, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

As relief workers struggle to deliver crucial aid in a humanitarian effort stifled by political divisions and debris from the flash floods that tore through Libya, the United Nations said Thursday that most of the […]

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Weeks-Long Manhunt Ends with Recapturing of Escaped Brazilian Convict

September 13, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Pennsylvanian state police said on social media that it managed to recapture convicted murderer, Brazilian Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from a Pennsylvania jail last month and eluded for weeks the expanding manhunt. After he broke […]

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Austrian Chancellor Can’t Imagine Türkiye Becoming EU Member

September 13, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Türkiye does not stand a chance of ever becoming a member of the EU and the bloc has to acknowledge that, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has stressed Tuesday urging Brussels to discontinue the stagnant accession […]

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US Threatens with New Sanctions Ahead of Putin and Kim Meeting

September 11, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

As North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un is reportedly traveling towards Vladivostok for a summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, during which, as Washington believes, he’ll likely discuss the possibility of North Korea providing Moscow […]

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US Announces New Strategic Deal with Vietnam

September 11, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Amid strained relations between both Hanoi and Washington with China, the White House announced Monday that the US and Vietnam have agreed to dramatically upgrade their bilateral relations following a meeting between President Joe Biden […]

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US Nixes Testing the First-Ever Hypersonic Long-Range Missile

September 7, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The Pentagon canceled on Wednesday the test flight of the US hypersonic weapon Dark Eagle, which was meant to be the US Army’s first hypersonic long-range missile in its arsenal. Per the US Department of […]

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African Union Granted G20 Membership on Par with EU

September 7, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The African Union was granted Thursday permanent membership to the G20 grouping of nations in a move that would give the continental body of 55 member states the same status as the EU. The membership […]

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US to Give Ukraine What it Needs for Counter-Offensive, Blinken Pledges

September 6, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

US will Kyiv what it needs to succeed in its counter-offensive against Russian forces US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged during a surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital – the first trip there by […]

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Proud Boys’ Tarrio Gets 22 Years in Prison for Capitol Riots

September 6, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

US District Court Judge Timothy Kelly has sentenced the former leader of the right-wing activist group Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, to 22 years in federal prison for his role in organizing the US Capitol riot […]

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Rumors India May Change Name Fueled by Bharat G20 Invitation

September 5, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A state-issued invitation to the G20 summit referred to India as Bharat has created buzzing speculation over the rumored government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans to scrap the official use of the country’s English […]

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Saudis Establish Global Water Organization

September 5, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Monday that the Gulf kingdom, responding to warnings that world water consumption is set to double in the coming decades, has launched an international body aimed at funding […]

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Iran’s Lack of Cooperation Regrettable, IAEA Says

September 4, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that Iran has made no progress on outstanding issues, including an improved monitoring system for Tehran’s nuclear program, calling the situation regrettable. Back in March, Tehran vowed to […]

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China’s Xi Won’t Attend G20 Summit, Biden Disappointed

September 4, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After Beijing confirmed Monday that Chinese PM Li Qiang will lead China’s delegation at the summit of the Group of 20 nations in New Delhi, meaning Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend, President Joe […]

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Christie’s Halts Auction of Late Austrian Billionaire’s Jewels Due to Nazi Ties

September 1, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

An upcoming auction of a late Austrian billionaire’s jewels at Christie’s was canceled Friday after ties to Nazi Germany prompted intense scrutiny and after multiple Jewish groups protested against the sale over her late husband’s […]

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Rising Rubella, Measles Cases among Children in Yemen Worries the WHO

September 1, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After more than 34,000 instances of measles and rubella among children in Yemen, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concerns in a statement on Thursday about rising cases of the diseases. As of July, the […]

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Kyiv’s Calls in Vain for US to Ramp Up Oil Restrictions on Russia

August 31, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Kyiv’s repeated requests for the US to tighten the price cap on Russian oil have been rejected by the White House due to concerns that new drastic measures could undercut the global economy. The Washington […]

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Washington Deeply Concerned about Gabon’s Evolving Events

August 31, 2023 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After a group of military officers claimed they had taken over Gabon’s government in an apparent coup and placed in house arrest President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Putting an end to the 55 years of rule […]

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