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U.S. Department of State

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Missing UPitt Student Sudiksha Konanki Vanishes During Beach Walk In DR Missing UPitt Student Sudiksha Konanki Vanishes During Beach Walk In DR
Missing UPitt Student Sudiksha Konanki Vanishes During Beach Walk In DR The search is on for a University of Pittsburgh student from Virginia who vanished while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. An "exhaustive" international search involving the US and Dominican Republic officials has been launched for Chantilly native Sudiksha Konanki, 20, who has not been heard from since last week. Konanki was reported missing on Thursday, March 6, while vacationing with five friends at a resort in Punta Cana, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Konanki, a citizen of India and permanent US resident, has not been seen since around 4:15 a.m. that …

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by Zak Failla
News
US Travel Advisory Expanded: These 23 Nations Now Under Warning US Travel Advisory Expanded: These 23 Nations Now Under Warning
US Travel Advisory Expanded: These 23 Nations Now Under Warning In a significant move to safeguard American travelers, the US Department of State has updated its travel advisory system, identifying 23 nations where heightened caution is urged.  The advisory system evaluates a range of risks, including crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health threats, and natural disasters. The State Department reviews Level 1 and 2 advisories annually, while Level 3 and 4 warnings are reassessed every six months.  According to a department statement, "A Travel Advisory will also be updated anytime there is a change in US government posture, normally as it relat…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
PA Teacher Jailed In Russia Designated As ‘Wrongfully Detained’: State Department PA Teacher Jailed In Russia Designated As ‘Wrongfully Detained’: State Department
PA Teacher Jailed In Russia Designated As ‘Wrongfully Detained’: State Department The U.S. Department of State has officially designated Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania teacher imprisoned in Russia, as “wrongfully detained,” officials confirmed on Friday, Dec. 27. Fogel, a former teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony in 2021 after being caught with medical marijuana, which he says was prescribed for chronic back pain. His imprisonment has sparked outrage among advocates and U.S. officials who have called for his release. The Russian court’s conviction and sentencing of U.S. citizen Brittney Griner spotlights o…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A confessed member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, NJ, must serve a little over two years before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Jackson was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. One of Jackson's associates told detectives t…

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by Jerry DeMarco