#deptofstate

[yostivanich]

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said it was "paramount" for Egypt's economy to "get back on its feet" during talks in Cairo. He urged the government to reach a deal on $4.8bn (3.2bn) IMF loan that could help overcome a severe economic crisis. Mr Kerry is also expected to urge the government and the opposition to reach a political consensus after months of protests. His visit comes ahead of elections boycotted by the main opposition group. The National Salvation Front (NSF) says electoral laws favour allies of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in April's parliamentary elections - a charge he denies.

[yostivanich]

A US government report on controversial plans to build an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas says the project raises no major environmental concerns. Other options than the Keystone XL pipeline could be worse for climate change, the state department said. However, the 2,000-page report did not go as far as recommending that the project proceed. This $7bn (£4.5bn) pipeline is meant to bring oil from the tar sands of Alberta to the refineries of Texas. It is supported by industry but opposed by environmentalists, who have staged protests outside the White House. State department approval is needed because the pipeline crosses a US border. The latest report said damage to the environment by the 1,700-mile (2,735km) pipeline would probably be limited, if certain safety measures were used. The White House stalled the pipeline project in 2011 amid concerns it would damage the environment along the route.

[yostivanich]

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making "excellent progress" after a blood clot was found between her brain and skull, doctors say. They said she will make a full recovery and will be released from hospital once a blood-thinning dosage has been set. Mrs Clinton, 65, was admitted to a New York hospital on Sunday, having suffered a concussion earlier in the month when she fainted and fell over. She is due to stand down before President Obama begins his second term. Doctors said an MRI scan on Sunday had revealed the formation of a "right transverse sinus venous thrombosis" - a clot in the vein behind Mrs Clinton's right ear in the space between the brain and the skull. "It did not result in a stroke, or neurological damage," said Dr Lisa Bardack and Dr Gigi El-Bayoumi, who were treating Mrs Clinton at New York's Presbyterian hospital. The secretary of state was said to be in good spirits and "engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff," added the doctors in a statement. Doctors discovered the clot during a routine follow-up MRI scan on Sunday, said her spokesman, Philippe Reines, adding that she was being treated with anti-coagulants.

[yostivanich]

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accepted all 29 recommendations in a report into a deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The report found that systemic failures at the state department led to insufficient security at the consulate. But it found no individual official ignored their duties, and the review has not suggested disciplinary action. The 11 September attack saw Ambassador Christopher Stevens, as well as three other Americans, killed. The report found a "lack of proactive leadership" among certain senior state department officials. But it also said there had been "no immediate, specific" intelligence about threats to the mission. The Obama administration's handling of the attack in Benghazi has become the focus of Republican criticism. Officials initially said the attack had developed out of protests against an anti-Muslim video. But later intelligence reports suggested it was possibly tied to al-Qaeda affiliates.

[yostivanich]

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suffered a concussion early last week after fainting and striking her head, the State Department disclosed on Saturday.

[yostivanich]

The US Department of State has said it had no actionable intelligence about plans for last month's deadly attack on the American consulate in Libya. The 11 September Benghazi assault, in which the ambassador and three others died, was unprecedented in recent diplomatic history, officials added. The incident is politically sensitive, just weeks ahead of the US elections. State department officials are due to testify before Congress on Wednesday about their handling of the attack. The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the detailed briefing appears to be an effort to preempt criticism the agency is expected to face from the panel. The hearing is part of an investigation into the security situation in Benghazi leading up to the attack and is the first public inquiry on Capitol Hill into what went wrong. The state department has launched its own internal review of events.