04:33United States Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller urged 'parties to refrain from further violence' in Bangladesh during a press briefing in Washington DC on Monday after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned following a series of deadly clashes between police and protesters demonstrating against the government's job quota hiring system.
"Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead," he stated, noting that the US stands with Bangladeshis and calls for any government transition to 'be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh's laws'.
Hasina resigned and fled to India, with Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announcing that an interim government would be formed. The announcement came after thousands of demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence, ending her 15-year in power.
It comes after weeks of escalating violence across the country amid student protests over a quota system reserving 30 percent of government jobs for families of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
The protests resulted in over 200 deaths, sparking a broader campaign demanding Hasina's resignation and justice for those killed.
Speaking about Lebanon and the growing tensions in the region amid the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Miller warned Americans against travelling to the country.
"Lebanon is a Do Not Travel country; it’s a Level 4 country, and we issued a security alert encouraging US citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available for them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first choice route," he proclaimed.
The spokesperson also declared that Washington does not want to see Iran take any further action in response to the escalation in the region and remarked on Russia's contribution to the situation in the Middle East following Russian Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu's visit to Tehran.
He noted that there were a lot of challenging conversations with the families of the ones detained wrongfully overseas and stressed that the US 'didn't give up hope' and 'continued to work to secure all of their release'.
He also reiterated that the US, together with its partners Brazil, Mexico, and Columbia, continue to call for transparent election results from Venezuela, although they acknowledge that it "would require close scrutiny given the potential for tampering or manipulation in that timeframe."
Venezuela's National Electoral Council reported that Nicolas Maduro had won a historic third term with 51 percent of the vote to his primary challenger's 44 percent in the presidential elections. Russia, China, and others congratulated Maduro after his re-election, while the US said it had 'serious concerns' about the vote.
US State Dept spox urges 'parties to refrain from further violence' in Bangladesh, warns against travelling to Lebanon
United States Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller urged 'parties to refrain from further violence' in Bangladesh during a press briefing in Washington DC on Monday after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned following a series of deadly clashes between police and protesters demonstrating against the government's job quota hiring system.
"Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead," he stated, noting that the US stands with Bangladeshis and calls for any government transition to 'be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh's laws'.
Hasina resigned and fled to India, with Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announcing that an interim government would be formed. The announcement came after thousands of demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence, ending her 15-year in power.
It comes after weeks of escalating violence across the country amid student protests over a quota system reserving 30 percent of government jobs for families of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
The protests resulted in over 200 deaths, sparking a broader campaign demanding Hasina's resignation and justice for those killed.
Speaking about Lebanon and the growing tensions in the region amid the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Miller warned Americans against travelling to the country.
"Lebanon is a Do Not Travel country; it’s a Level 4 country, and we issued a security alert encouraging US citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available for them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first choice route," he proclaimed.
The spokesperson also declared that Washington does not want to see Iran take any further action in response to the escalation in the region and remarked on Russia's contribution to the situation in the Middle East following Russian Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu's visit to Tehran.
He noted that there were a lot of challenging conversations with the families of the ones detained wrongfully overseas and stressed that the US 'didn't give up hope' and 'continued to work to secure all of their release'.
He also reiterated that the US, together with its partners Brazil, Mexico, and Columbia, continue to call for transparent election results from Venezuela, although they acknowledge that it "would require close scrutiny given the potential for tampering or manipulation in that timeframe."
Venezuela's National Electoral Council reported that Nicolas Maduro had won a historic third term with 51 percent of the vote to his primary challenger's 44 percent in the presidential elections. Russia, China, and others congratulated Maduro after his re-election, while the US said it had 'serious concerns' about the vote.
United States Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller urged 'parties to refrain from further violence' in Bangladesh during a press briefing in Washington DC on Monday after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned following a series of deadly clashes between police and protesters demonstrating against the government's job quota hiring system.
"Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead," he stated, noting that the US stands with Bangladeshis and calls for any government transition to 'be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh's laws'.
Hasina resigned and fled to India, with Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announcing that an interim government would be formed. The announcement came after thousands of demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence, ending her 15-year in power.
It comes after weeks of escalating violence across the country amid student protests over a quota system reserving 30 percent of government jobs for families of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
The protests resulted in over 200 deaths, sparking a broader campaign demanding Hasina's resignation and justice for those killed.
Speaking about Lebanon and the growing tensions in the region amid the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Miller warned Americans against travelling to the country.
"Lebanon is a Do Not Travel country; it’s a Level 4 country, and we issued a security alert encouraging US citizens who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available for them, even if that flight does not depart immediately or does not follow their first choice route," he proclaimed.
The spokesperson also declared that Washington does not want to see Iran take any further action in response to the escalation in the region and remarked on Russia's contribution to the situation in the Middle East following Russian Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu's visit to Tehran.
He noted that there were a lot of challenging conversations with the families of the ones detained wrongfully overseas and stressed that the US 'didn't give up hope' and 'continued to work to secure all of their release'.
He also reiterated that the US, together with its partners Brazil, Mexico, and Columbia, continue to call for transparent election results from Venezuela, although they acknowledge that it "would require close scrutiny given the potential for tampering or manipulation in that timeframe."
Venezuela's National Electoral Council reported that Nicolas Maduro had won a historic third term with 51 percent of the vote to his primary challenger's 44 percent in the presidential elections. Russia, China, and others congratulated Maduro after his re-election, while the US said it had 'serious concerns' about the vote.