Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled the plug on the traditional group photo after several European officials threatened to boycott or walk out of the snapshot that usually helps kick off such diplomatic gatherings.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday plan to show off a newly arrived oil tanker filled with Venezuelan crude to be processed in Texas refineries.

Rubio’s decision not to meet Narendra Modi last week was seen by some as a snub – but by focusing on business leaders and oil, the secretary of state made American priorities clear. Plus: the artist bringing a female perspective to men’s clothing

• Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

When the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited India for the second time this year, headlines concentrated on who he met and where he went.

The fact that Rubio bypassed New Delhi and did not meet the prime minister, Narendra Modi, during his trip last week, and instead traveled to the financial capital, Mumbai, where he met India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (pictured top with Rubio), and business leaders, did not go unnoticed. Nor did his decision to travel to Jamnagar, the small Gujarati town that is home to Reliance Industries’ colossal oil refinery complex.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Pool Reuters/AP

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Pool Reuters/AP

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Pool Reuters/AP

In a memo sent Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said his teams "have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with India's foreign minister in Mumbai on Tuesday as the two countries seek to deepen energy cooperation and move closer to finalizing a trade deal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is grappling with the implications of recent Washington moves benefiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, including waiving U.S. sanctions on Moscow and signing a deal to import Russian diesel.

This tour is intended to promote U.S. economic and security ties with Central and South Asia. But it has only tangential links to the Trump administration's current main foreign policy dilemmas in the Middle East and with the Russia-Ukraine war.