The United States once again has vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that had demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

President Donald Trump has been using diplomatic appointments as a soft landing for officials leaving his administration.

A Russian-American woman freed by Moscow has arrived back in the United States as part of a prisoner swap completed as the two countries aim to repair ties.

Hamas has named the next three Israeli hostages it plans to release as part of the ceasefire deal.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has canceled what would have been his final official trip abroad as concerns grow over potential violence at next week’s presidential inauguration, the State Department said Tuesday. Pompeo was to have met with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Belgium's foreign minister while in Brussels. Officials said the cancellation of Pompeo’s trip was intended to support the transition and was not related to fears of violence. “The Department of State is well along in its transition efforts with President-elect Biden’s team," Ortagus said in a statement. The department had announced late Monday that Pompeo would be visiting Brussels on his final trip abroad.

MOSCOW – Russia said Tuesday it’s ready to accept a U.S. proposal to freeze the number of nuclear warheads and extend the two nations’ last arms control pact for one year and Washington responded that it's prepared to make a quick deal. “We appreciate the Russian Federation’s willingness to make progress on the issue of nuclear arms control,” Ortagus said in a statement. The pact limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance. After both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, the New START is the only remaining nuclear arms control deal between the two countries. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that Russia can’t agree to the U.S. proposal to limit tactical nuclear weapons alongside nuclear warheads that arm strategic missiles and bombers until Washington agrees to withdraw its nuclear warheads from Europe.

Mourners pray over the coffins of civilians killed by a Katyusha rocket attack near the international airport in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Several Iraqi civilians were killed and two severely wounded Monday after the rocket hit near Baghdad airport, Iraq's military said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)BAGHDAD – The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it was outraged by a rocket attack a day earlier that killed Iraqi civilians and called on the government to take action amid an impending diplomatic crisis between Baghdad and Washington. “We are outraged by yesterday’s rocket attack in Baghdad that killed civilians, including a mother and her children,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. A Katyusha rocket attack struck a residential home killing six civilians, all women and children, the night before.

Rain droplets line a railing along the waterfront of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Wednesday suspended or terminated three bilateral agreements with Hong Kong covering extradition and tax exemptions. President Donald Trump already had determined that Hong Kong was no longer eligible for the continued preferential treatment that it enjoyed based on its autonomy following its reversion to Chinese rule in 1997. These steps underscore our deep concern regarding Beijings decision to impose the National Security Law, which has crushed the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. The administration has already acted to end special trade and commercial privileges that Hong Kong had and has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials involved in enforcing the new security laws.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration on Sunday harshly criticized France for releasing an Iranian man wanted for prosecution by the United States in an apparent prisoner swap with Iran. Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that France had failed to uphold its obligations under a joint extradition treaty and harmed the cause of justice. Rohollahnejad was released from French custody on Friday in an apparent swap for French researcher Roland Marchal who had been detained in Iran for more than eight months on charges of violating state security laws. “The United States deeply regrets France’s unilateral decision to release Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad from its custody,” she said. It said France had planned to deliver Ruhollahnejad to the U.S. for his alleged role in violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.