JERUSALEM -- Israel has decided to ban the entry of foreign ministers from Arab countries who planned to visit Ramallah in the West Bank on Sunday for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel's state-run Kan TV News reported on Friday night.
Israeli Foreign Ministry officials were quoted as saying that the planned visit by foreign ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates was "a defiant act" intended to advance discussions on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"Israel will not cooperate with moves aimed at harming it and its security," the officials were quoted as saying. (Israel-West Bank Meeting-Arab Ministers)
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MADRID -- Shaikha Al Nowais is set to become the first woman to hold the position of secretary-general of UN Tourism in the organization's 50-year history.
Her nomination was confirmed during the 123rd meeting of the Executive Council of the Madrid-based organization, held on Thursday and Friday on the outskirts of the historic city of Segovia, central Spain.
If her nomination is ratified, Al Nowais, who hails from the United Arab Emirates, will assume the role in 2026, succeeding current Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, who has served since 2018. (Spain-UNWTO-Appointment)
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HAVANA -- The Cuban government summoned the highest diplomatic representative of the United States in the country, Mike Hammer, to protest his "provocative and irresponsible" behavior, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.
The ministry delivered a note of protest to Hammer, chargé d'affaires of the United States in Havana.
"By inciting Cuban citizens to commit criminal acts of marked gravity, attack the constitutional order or encourage them to act against the authorities, and to demonstrate in support of the interests and objectives of a hostile foreign power, the diplomat assumes a provocative and irresponsible conduct," said the note. (Cuba-US-Diplomacy)
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KIEV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he discussed the meetings of Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Türkiye in a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The prisoners-of-war exchange was "an important but unfortunately, the only one" achievement of the first meeting in Istanbul, which took place on May 16, Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
He emphasized that a ceasefire is necessary in order to make further progress toward peace. (Ukraine-Russia-Conflict)
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NEW YORK -- The U.S. Department of State on Friday ordered all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to "immediately begin additional vetting" for anyone seeking a visa to travel to Harvard University for "any purpose."
According to a diplomatic cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and seen by local media, the "additional vetting" comprises "a complete screening of the online presence" of the applicants, and "such applicants include, but are not limited to prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists."
The word "any" is underlined with bold font in the passage, while the cable states that the screening applies to "any" nonimmigrant visa applicant for "any" purpose.
The cable instructs U.S. consular officers to have applicants who are otherwise eligible for a visa to set their social media accounts to public and then refer their cases to the Fraud Prevention Unit, who should conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting of each such applicant, including social media activity ... and more generally any online presence, to identify possible inadmissibilities. (US-Visa-Harvard-Additional Vetting) ■
