Foreign policy

FILE - In this Sunday, July 21, 2019, file photo, the National Emblem of the People's Republic of China is covered in black paint thrown by protesters outside the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong. China’s central government has dismissed Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters as clowns and criminals while bemoaning growing violence surrounding the monthslong demonstrations.(AP Photo/Bobby Yip, File)
August 09, 2019 - 6:04 pm

China waiting out Hong Kong protests, but backlash may come

BEIJING (AP) — China's central government has dismissed Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters as clowns and criminals while bemoaning growing violence surrounding the monthslong demonstrations. That's partly out of concern that protesters' demands for expanded democracy could inspire like-minded...
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press availability with Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
August 09, 2019 - 10:39 am

State Dept report says 2017 hiring freeze badly hurt agency

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 2017 Trump administration hiring freeze at the State Department had devastating effects, hurting core functions such as providing services to U.S. citizens abroad and protecting embassies, the agency's internal watchdog said Friday. The department's inspector general said all...
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FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zari, center, leaves following a meeting with EU foreign ministers at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. government is placing financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating pressure campaign against that country. The highly unusual action, sanctioning the top diplomat of another nation, comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Jason Reed/Poo Photo via APl, File)
August 05, 2019 - 2:30 am

Iran FM: US sanctions against him 'failure' for diplomacy

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a "failure" for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf. "Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure" for any efforts at negotiations,...
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August 02, 2019 - 4:28 pm

North Korea confirms another test of rocket launcher system

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Saturday its leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test-firing of a new multiple rocket launcher system that could potentially enhance the country's ability to strike targets in South Korea and U.S. military bases there. The report by Pyongyang's official...
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In this photo released by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. President Hassan Rouhani suggested on Wednesday that Iran might release a U.K.-flagged ship if Britain takes similar steps to release an Iranian oil tanker seized by the British Royal Navy off Gibraltar earlier this month. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
August 01, 2019 - 12:58 am

Iran president: US sanctions on foreign minister 'childish'

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president lambasted new U.S. sanctions by the Trump administration targeting the country's foreign minister, describing the move on Thursday as "childish" and a barrier to diplomacy. Hassan Rouhani's remarks came after the Trump administration announced Wednesday it had...
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FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zari, center, leaves following a meeting with EU foreign ministers at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. government is placing financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating pressure campaign against that country. The highly unusual action, sanctioning the top diplomat of another nation, comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Jason Reed/Poo Photo via APl, File)
July 31, 2019 - 1:59 pm

US imposes financial sanctions on Iran's foreign minister

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic. The highly unusual action of penalizing the top diplomat of another nation comes a month...
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This Thursday, July 25, 2019, photo provided on Friday, July 26, 2019, by the North Korean government shows a test of a missile launch in North Korea. A day after two North Korean missile launches rattled Asia, the nation announced Friday that its leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test of a new-type tactical guided weapon that was meant to be a "solemn warning" about South Korean weapons introduction and its rival's plans to hold military exercises with the United States. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
July 30, 2019 - 4:15 pm

S. Korea says N. Korea has fired unidentified projectiles

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Wednesday fired several unidentified projectiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said, less than a week after the North launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea in a defiance of U.N. resolutions. Observers say the launches were...
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In this photo released by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. President Hassan Rouhani suggested on Wednesday that Iran might release a U.K.-flagged ship if Britain takes similar steps to release an Iranian oil tanker seized by the British Royal Navy off Gibraltar earlier this month. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
July 26, 2019 - 9:23 am

US officials: Iran test-launched a medium-range missile

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran test-launched a medium-range ballistic missile inside its borders, U.S. officials said Friday, defying Trump administration demands that it curtail the weapon program and demonstrating its intent to further push back against U.S. sanctions. The test came amid heightened...
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July 25, 2019 - 11:34 pm

Seoul: NKorea in worst economic contraction in 2 decades

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says North Korea has suffered its worst economic contraction in more than 20 years due to international sanctions and bad weather. The Seoul-based Bank of Korea said Friday that North Korea's economy shrank 4.1% last year from a year earlier. A bank statement...
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People watch a TV showing a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 25, 2019. North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, the first launches in more than two months as North Korean and U.S. officials struggle to restart nuclear diplomacy. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
July 24, 2019 - 5:35 pm

S. Korea says N. Korea fires 2 short-range missiles into sea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, the first weapons launches in more than two months as North Korean and U.S. officials struggle to restart nuclear negotiations. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the...
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