The sanctions freeze all U.S. property and assets of the designated entities while barring U.S. citizens from doing business with them.

U.S. sanctions Iranian entities for election meddling

Israel and Sudan agreed to normalize ties in a U.S.-brokered deal on Friday, the White House said, ending decades of hostility as one of Africa’s largest countries joined a broader diplomatic realignment in the Middle East.

Palestinians condemn Israel-Sudan diplomatic ties

With Joe Biden & DonaldTrump electronically muted for portions of the debate, the constant interruptions were replaced by a sharply defined personal attacks, accusations & confusion. WION brings you the best moments from the final Presidential Debate 2020.

Personal attacks, confusion & time

In their final chance, DonaldTrump & and Joe Biden unleashed a series of falsehoods, misleading & exaggerated statements. WION fact-checks the Final Presidential Debate2020.

Falsehoods, misleading & exaggerated claims

India will be hosting the third India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on 27 October 2020 in New Delhi. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper will be visiting India on 26-27 October 2020 to participate in the Dialogue. From the Indian side, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will lead the delegations from the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, respectively.

Your Story: India-US 2+2 Talks: US warns Sri Lanka's growing closeness with China

As Donald Trump and Joe Biden brace for the final Presidential Debate 2020, the president is unhappy with the newly added mute feature & the third debate moderator Kristen Welker. Who is Kristen Welker & why is the President angry before the final showdown? Susan Tehrani explains.

US Election 2020: Bracing for last verbal battle

In the western region of the key swing state Pennsylvania, a roadside farmhouse has been converted into a shrine for Donald Trump. the faithful GOP voters who call themselves the 'Trump Nation' visit & collect merchandise from the newly built Shrine. WION reports.

US Election 2020: 'Trump nation' in rural Pennsylvania

Infuriated by Barack Obama's triggering rally address, Donald Trump attacked his predecessor in his campaign in the state of North Carolina. Trump portrayed himself as a Lone Warrior against the Democrats. WION reports.

US Election 2020: Infuriated President attacks predecessor

The U.S. intelligence body obtains first concrete evidence of foreign interference in the #USElection2020 at a crucial pre-poll stage. John Ratcliffe & FBI director Christopher Wray announced that Iran & Russia are reportedly trying to influence the election result. WION reports.

US Election 2020: Iran & Russia meddling in U.S. Election

Barack Obama headlined a drive-in rally in Philadelphia for his mate Joe Biden. In a scathing rebuke backed by sarcasm, The former U.S. President ripped Donald Trump apart for a series old & new issues. WION reports.

US Election 2020: A scathing rebuke at President Trump

The United States has sanctioned five Iranian groups that it says attempted to interfere in the upcoming presidential election between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Watch report.

WION Dispatch: US punishes Iran for 'election interference'

Watch the final round of presidential debate of the 2020 US election between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Watch: Final round of presidential debate of the 2020 US election between Donald Trump & Joe Biden

US judiciary committee approves Amy Coney Barrett nomination. The committee's approval for Amy Coney Barrett for Donald Trump's Supreme Court choice has cleared the way for full senate vote.

US judiciary committee approves Amy Coney Barrett nomination for Supreme Court

Donald Trump's business links with China have hit his campaign. A new report reveals: 1 - Trump maintains a bank account in China 2 - Trump's businesses paid $188,561 as taxes in China 3 - Trump secured trademark approvals after he became President

Gravitas: Trump has a bank account in China

The US Department of State has approved the potential sale of three weapons systems to Taiwan, including sensors, missiles, and artillery that could have a total value of $1.8 BN. Watch report.

US helps Taiwan build defences against China: US to sell missiles, artillery to Taiwan

The U.S. government has not determined what caused some U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers to suffer from a mysterious, debilitating affliction while they were overseas, despite devoting vast resources over more than three years to investigating it, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.

Starting in late 2016, dozens of U.S. officials and family members living in Cuba and China or traveling for work in other countries, including Russia, reported contracting an illness that has become known as Havana Syndrome, based on where it first publicly emerged. The symptoms included headaches, memory loss, vertigo, nausea, bloody noses and hearing strange sounds.

Some U.S. officials, including experienced CIA analysts, and scientists believe the victims were targeted by a foreign adversary wielding weaponized microwave radiation. Russia beamed microwaves at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in the 1970s and 1980s, and it has more recently harassed diplomats and fueled violence against U.S. soldiers.

Other U.S. officials and scientists say the injuries may be the product of a psychological illness, or even pesticides.

Pompeo, who was the CIA director before leading the State Department, said the government was still examining multiple theories in what he described as “a very complicated situation.”

“There is not yet any complete U.S. government analysis which definitively tells us precisely how these all came to be, whether they’re part of a single cohort,” Pompeo said at a news conference.

“There are significant U.S. government resources now, what, three-plus years on, devoted to getting to the bottom of this and then holding those responsible accountable — should we determine that that’s required,” he said.

Pompeo was responding to a reporter’s question about what the State Department was doing to protect diplomats, and why there appeared to be deep disparities in the response to the episode in Cuba compared to the one in China. Pompeo took umbrage at the question.

“Yeah, that question is kind of like, ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ ” Pompeo said. “Right? Right?”

The question referred to the findings of separate investigations in The New York Times and GQ published Monday. Many U.S. government employees and family members who left China in 2018 after falling ill have had to fight the Trump administration for benefits, and some say that has led to retaliation by the government. Some victims are believed to be permanently injured.

The articles also revealed new victims — CIA officers who had recently made short trips overseas. One suspected attack took place in Moscow. In other cases, the officers were meeting with partner intelligence agencies to discuss plans to counter Russian covert operations, The Times found.

CIA Director Gina Haspel is not convinced Russia carried out attacks that caused the illnesses, officials said. Russia has denied any role.

The investigations led to some lawmakers criticizing the Trump administration over the reported mistreatment of diplomats and spies. The lawmakers are also calling for Pompeo and other top officials to stop concealing information on the suspected attacks.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said Tuesday that the articles were “deeply troubling and should spur the Trump administration to do everything in its power to protect federal employees from these attacks and investigate the full scope of this threat.”

“These findings should put an end to the foot-dragging, evasiveness and obstruction at the State Department to deliver benefits to all of these injured federal employees and their families, and get to the bottom about what happened,” she added.

A half-dozen U.S. officials told The Times that the Trump administration’s responses to the suspected attacks varied based on political considerations.

In Cuba, where President Donald Trump sought to undo President Barack Obama’s rapprochement, the State Department withdrew all but a handful of U.S. diplomats. It also expelled Cuban diplomats from the United States.

But the administration took a softer approach in China as Trump pursued a trade agreement with Xi Jinping, the authoritarian leader whom the president praises. And Trump has also tried strengthening ties with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

On Wednesday, Pompeo said “there were no politics attached to this” and it was “patently false, clearly false, unambiguously false” that the administration’s responses to the episodes were conditioned on political goals.

“We don’t want any country around the world to think for a moment that they can do something, and we won’t take serious action,” Pompeo said.

The State Department has refused to provide basic information to Congress about the episodes — even obscuring the number of U.S. government employees and family members affected worldwide. Lawmakers and scientists also fear the department is trying to bury a detailed report on the episodes it received in August from a committee at the National Academies of Sciences.

On Tuesday, after The Times reported on the State Department’s refusal to release the report to the public or Congress, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Ca., said on Twitter that he had just directed aides to request the report from the department.

He wrote: “There’s no reason @SecPompeo should be hiding this information from the American people.”

Marc Polymeropoulos, a 26-year CIA clandestine officer who retired after the suspected attack in Moscow left him with constant migraines, said Wednesday that the current situation was similar to an earlier instance in which the U.S. government refused to recognize combat injuries. “This is the CIA’s gulf war syndrome,” he said.

The U.S. government has not determined what caused some U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers to suffer from a mysterious, debilitating affliction while they were overseas, despite devoting vast resources over more than three years to investigating it, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.

The U.S. government has not determined what caused some U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers to suffer from a mysterious, debilitating affliction while they were overseas, despite devoting vast resources over more than three years to investigating it, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. Starting in late 2016, dozens of U.S. officials and family members living in Cuba and China or traveling for work in other countries, including Russia, reported contracting an illness that has become known as Havana Syndrome, based on where it first publicly emerged. The symptoms included headaches, memory loss, vertigo, nausea, bloody noses and hearing strange sounds. Some U.S. officials, including experienced CIA analysts, and scientists believe the victims were targeted by a foreign adversary wielding weaponized microwave radiation. Russia beamed microwaves at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in the 1970s and 1980s, and it has more recently harassed diplomats and fueled violence against U.S. soldiers. Other U.S. officials and scientists say the injuries may be the product of a psychological illness, or even pesticides. Pompeo, who was the CIA director before leading the State Department, said the government was still examining multiple theories in what he described as “a very complicated situation.” “There is not yet any complete U.S. government analysis which definitively tells us precisely how these all came to be, whether they’re part of a single cohort,” Pompeo said at a news conference. “There are significant U.S. government resources now, what, three-plus years on, devoted to getting to the bottom of this and then holding those responsible accountable — should we determine that that’s required,” he said. Pompeo was responding to a reporter’s question about what the State Department was doing to protect diplomats, and why there appeared to be deep disparities in the response to the episode in Cuba compared to the one in China. Pompeo took umbrage at the question. “Yeah, that question is kind of like, ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ ” Pompeo said. “Right? Right?” The question referred to the findings of separate investigations in The New York Times and GQ published Monday. Many U.S. government employees and family members who left China in 2018 after falling ill have had to fight the Trump administration for benefits, and some say that has led to retaliation by the government. Some victims are believed to be permanently injured. The articles also revealed new victims — CIA officers who had recently made short trips overseas. One suspected attack took place in Moscow. In other cases, the officers were meeting with partner intelligence agencies to discuss plans to counter Russian covert operations, The Times found. CIA Director Gina Haspel is not convinced Russia carried out attacks that caused the illnesses, officials said. Russia has denied any role. The investigations led to some lawmakers criticizing the Trump administration over the reported mistreatment of diplomats and spies. The lawmakers are also calling for Pompeo and other top officials to stop concealing information on the suspected attacks. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said Tuesday that the articles were “deeply troubling and should spur the Trump administration to do everything in its power to protect federal employees from these attacks and investigate the full scope of this threat.” “These findings should put an end to the foot-dragging, evasiveness and obstruction at the State Department to deliver benefits to all of these injured federal employees and their families, and get to the bottom about what happened,” she added. A half-dozen U.S. officials told The Times that the Trump administration’s responses to the suspected attacks varied based on political considerations. In Cuba, where President Donald Trump sought to undo President Barack Obama’s rapprochement, the State Department withdrew all but a handful of U.S. diplomats. It also expelled Cuban diplomats from the United States. But the administration took a softer approach in China as Trump pursued a trade agreement with Xi Jinping, the authoritarian leader whom the president praises. And Trump has also tried strengthening ties with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. On Wednesday, Pompeo said “there were no politics attached to this” and it was “patently false, clearly false, unambiguously false” that the administration’s responses to the episodes were conditioned on political goals. “We don’t want any country around the world to think for a moment that they can do something, and we won’t take serious action,” Pompeo said. The State Department has refused to provide basic information to Congress about the episodes — even obscuring the number of U.S. government employees and family members affected worldwide. Lawmakers and scientists also fear the department is trying to bury a detailed report on the episodes it received in August from a committee at the National Academies of Sciences. On Tuesday, after The Times reported on the State Department’s refusal to release the report to the public or Congress, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Ca., said on Twitter that he had just directed aides to request the report from the department. He wrote: “There’s no reason @SecPompeo should be hiding this information from the American people.” Marc Polymeropoulos, a 26-year CIA clandestine officer who retired after the suspected attack in Moscow left him with constant migraines, said Wednesday that the current situation was similar to an earlier instance in which the U.S. government refused to recognize combat injuries. “This is the CIA’s gulf war syndrome,” he said.

US still seeking clues to mystery illness afflicting diplomats and spies

India and US will hold their third edition of 2+2 ministerial dialogue on October 27 in New Delhi, India.

Third India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue to be hosted by India on Oct 27

The United States has placed new restrictions on Chinese media firms. The state department has designated 6 Chinese media outlets as foreign missions.

US places curbs on six more Chinese media outlets

The maker of Purdue pharmaceuticals has pleaded guilty to to three federal criminal charges for production & sales of opioid drugs. The pharma giant has agreed to pay more than $8.3 billion.

Purdue Pharma to plead guilty; Pay $8.3 billion over opioids

United States' Director of National intelligence, John Ratcliffe has said that Russia & Iran have both taken actions to trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

US intel agencies: Iran & Russia have tried to interfere in 2020 election

In a fresh step in its confrontation with China, US has designated operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions. Such a designation requires the outlets to inform the US State Department of their personnel rosters and real-estate holdings. US Secretary of Stae Mike Pompeo said that the fresh step was taken to resist communist propoganda. Pompeo also said that the US is going to start a dialogue with European Union on China.

The State Department named the newly designated publications as the Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, the Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, the Beijing Review, and the Economic Daily. It brought to 15 the number of Chinese media outlets so designated this year.

It was the latest U.S. step to curb Chinese activity in the United States in the run-up to the Nov. 3 presidential election, in which President Donald Trump has made a tough approach to China a key foreign policy theme.

Pompeo said the move was part of efforts to push back against "Chinese communist propaganda efforts" in the United States.

"They are also substantially owned, or effectively controlled by a foreign government," he said.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-what-to-expect-as-donald-trump-joe-biden-gear-up-for-final-presidential-debate-337034">What to expect as Donald Trump, Joe Biden gear up for final debate</a>

"We are not placing any restrictions on what these outlets can publish in the United States; we simply want to ensure that American people, consumers of information can differentiate between news written by a free press and propaganda distributed by the Chinese Communist Party itself. Not the same thing."

The editor-in-chief of Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper said in a tweet that the U.S. had "gone too far" and that China would retaliate.

"As long as Chinese media outlets suffer actual harm, Beijing will definitely retaliate, and US media outlets' operation in HK could be included in retaliation list," Hu Xijin said.

The State Department has required Chinese media outlets to register as foreign missions and announced in March it was cutting the number of journalists allowed to work at U.S. offices of major Chinese media outlets to 100 from 160.

In response, China expelled about a dozen American correspondents with the New York Times, News Corp's Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

The United States also said last month it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds.

China's embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Washington designated four major Chinese media outlets as foreign embassies in June and five in February.&nbsp;

(With Reuters inputs) 
&nbsp;

In a fresh step in its confrontation with China, US has designated operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions. Such a designation requires the outlets to inform the US State Department of their personnel rosters and real-estate holdings.

In a fresh step in its confrontation with China, US has designated operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions. Such a designation requires the outlets to inform the US State Department of their personnel rosters and real-estate holdings. US Secretary of Stae Mike Pompeo said that the fresh step was taken to resist communist propoganda. Pompeo also said that the US is going to start a dialogue with European Union on China. The State Department named the newly designated publications as the Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, the Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, the Beijing Review, and the Economic Daily. It brought to 15 the number of Chinese media outlets so designated this year. It was the latest U.S. step to curb Chinese activity in the United States in the run-up to the Nov. 3 presidential election, in which President Donald Trump has made a tough approach to China a key foreign policy theme. Pompeo said the move was part of efforts to push back against "Chinese communist propaganda efforts" in the United States. "They are also substantially owned, or effectively controlled by a foreign government," he said. Also Read: What to expect as Donald Trump, Joe Biden gear up for final debate "We are not placing any restrictions on what these outlets can publish in the United States; we simply want to ensure that American people, consumers of information can differentiate between news written by a free press and propaganda distributed by the Chinese Communist Party itself. Not the same thing." The editor-in-chief of Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper said in a tweet that the U.S. had "gone too far" and that China would retaliate. "As long as Chinese media outlets suffer actual harm, Beijing will definitely retaliate, and US media outlets' operation in HK could be included in retaliation list," Hu Xijin said. The State Department has required Chinese media outlets to register as foreign missions and announced in March it was cutting the number of journalists allowed to work at U.S. offices of major Chinese media outlets to 100 from 160. In response, China expelled about a dozen American correspondents with the New York Times, News Corp's Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The United States also said last month it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. China's embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington designated four major Chinese media outlets as foreign embassies in June and five in February. (With Reuters inputs)

Days ahead of elections, US designates six Chinese firms as foreign missions

Joe Biden's not-so-secret weapon Barack Obama to make his debut at the campaign trail. The former Commander-in-chief will headline a drive-in rally in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Can Obama end trump's presidency?

Biden's former boss comes to the rescue

In the US, major insurance companies have doubled their profits amid the pandemic. While Insurers in India are facing the charge of denying payments. WION's Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: Coronavirus and Health insurance: The business of pandemic

The US charged six current and former members of Russia’s military intelligence agency for allegedly carrying out some of the world’s most destructive hacking attacks from 2015 to 2019.

Your Story: US charges 6 Russian intelligence agents over cyberattacks

The Quad now has a distinct military dimension. Australia will now join India, US, and Japan in the Malabar Exercise next month. While Japan is arming a rival of China. WION's Palki Sharma tells you how an Indo-Pacific alliance against China is taking shape.

Gravitas: Countering the Dragon: How an Indo-Pacific alliance is taking shape

Australia is set to join the Malabar trilateral naval exercise comprising India, Japan and US. The naval exercises will have all 4 Quad members now.

News Alert: Australia to join Malabar naval exercise for the first time

Japan is likely to join the United States and Europe to regulate the “Big Tech” companies.&nbsp;

Kazuyuki Furuya, chairman of Japan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) told Reuters on Monday that the country could also initiate a probe into mergers and dealings that involve Fitbit, a fitness tracker company.

If the scale of any merger is unprecedented, the country intends to launch investigations.

"If the size of any merger or business-tie up is big, we can launch an anti-monopoly investigation into the buyer's process of acquiring a start-up (like Fitbit)," he further told Reuters.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/india-news/twitter-issues-clarification-following-backlash-for-showing-jk-in-china-336376" hreflang="en">Twitter issues clarification following backlash for showing J&amp;K in China</a>

He added that Japan is closely observing similar moves in the world, especially Europe. ”We're closely watching developments including in Europe”, he added.

In August 2020, European Union regulators had initiated an investigation into a potential deal between Google and Fitbit. Alphabet’s Google was set to lock a $2.1 billion deal to counter Apple and Samsung in the wearable market.

After this move, the country will be able to effectively challenge market abuses by the four Big Tech companies - GAFA, or Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon which are currently under scrutiny in Europe and the United States.

Furuya further told Reuters that GAFA companies follow similar business practices globally, and called global coordination “crucial”.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/chinese-hackers-targeting-biden-and-trump-are-faking-mcafee-software-google-336251" hreflang="en">Chinese hackers targeting Biden and Trump are faking McAfee software: Google</a>

"This is an area I will push through aggressively. “We'll work closely with our US and European counterparts, and respond if to any moves that hamper competition”, he said.

Furuya took charge of the position in September, and also suggested that they would also be observing Japan’s phone market.

Japan is likely to join the United States and Europe to regulate the “Big Tech” companies. Kazuyuki Furuya, chairman of Japan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) told Reuters on Monday that the country could also initiate a probe into mergers and dealings that involve Fitbit, a fitness tracker company.

Japan is likely to join the United States and Europe to regulate the “Big Tech” companies. Kazuyuki Furuya, chairman of Japan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) told Reuters on Monday that the country could also initiate a probe into mergers and dealings that involve Fitbit, a fitness tracker company. If the scale of any merger is unprecedented, the country intends to launch investigations. "If the size of any merger or business-tie up is big, we can launch an anti-monopoly investigation into the buyer's process of acquiring a start-up (like Fitbit)," he further told Reuters. Also read: Twitter issues clarification following backlash for showing J&K in China He added that Japan is closely observing similar moves in the world, especially Europe. ”We're closely watching developments including in Europe”, he added. In August 2020, European Union regulators had initiated an investigation into a potential deal between Google and Fitbit. Alphabet’s Google was set to lock a $2.1 billion deal to counter Apple and Samsung in the wearable market. After this move, the country will be able to effectively challenge market abuses by the four Big Tech companies - GAFA, or Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon which are currently under scrutiny in Europe and the United States. Furuya further told Reuters that GAFA companies follow similar business practices globally, and called global coordination “crucial”. Also read: Chinese hackers targeting Biden and Trump are faking McAfee software: Google "This is an area I will push through aggressively. “We'll work closely with our US and European counterparts, and respond if to any moves that hamper competition”, he said. Furuya took charge of the position in September, and also suggested that they would also be observing Japan’s phone market.

Japan likely to join US, Europe in regulation of Big Tech companies

According to a report the Chinese government has warned the US that it may detain Americans in China in response to the justice department’s prosecution of Chinese military-affiliated scholars.

China responds to FBI's detention of Chinese scholars

Thousands of women took to the streets of Washington DC & across the United States on Saturday as part of the women march against President Donald Trump's recent nominee to the Supreme Court Amy Coney Barrett.

US: Protest erupt against Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick

The US & Israeli delegations have landed in Bahrain to move forward on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Historic flight from Israel to Bahrain; Ceremony to mark the formalisation of ties

China warns US of detaining Americans over prosecutions: Report

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