Tag Archives: sudan

Chinese President Hu’s State Visit / Remembering Sargent Shriver / New York Arabic Music

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Chinese President Hu Jintao meets with President Obama and other U.S. officials during a one day state visit. R. Sargent Shriver dies at 95. The vote in Southern Sudan represents an “historic milestone.” The U.S. brings street lights and new security to Kabul, Afghanistan. And finally, meet Arab-American Singer Gaida and her New York Arabic music.

President Hu’s State Visit
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President Obama welcomes China’s President Hu Jintao to the White House calling for greater cooperation in security and economic relations, and also calling for greater respect for universal human rights. “We have an enormous stake in each other’s success,” Obama says at the formal White House arrival ceremony on the south lawn. It is the eighth time the two world leaders have met face-to-face in two years.

Sudan’s “Historic Milestone”
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Southern Sudan’s referendum on self-determination marks “a historic milestone” for the Sudanese, says Ambassador Princeton Lyman, head of the U.S. State Department’s Sudan Negotiation Support Unit. Lyman testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs January 18.

Sargent Shriver: 1915-2011
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R. Sargent Shriver, founder of the Peace Corps, the Special Olympics and programs to combat poverty in the United States, dies at age 95 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Lighting the way in Kabul
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent $160,000 to install 28 streetlights along a busy commercial street in the Afghan capital of Kabul and another 170 or so will go up in coming months. The project is funded by the Army Corps’ Commander Emergency Response Program, which targets projects that directly benefit a local community.

Meet the Songstress Gaida
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Arab-American Singer Gaida was born in Germany, raised in Syria and is currently a New Yorker. Since her professional debut in 2006, Gaida has won rave reviews and her work has appeared in several movies. “I call my music New York Arabic music,” Gaida, above, says. “It is like me: I am an Arab New Yorker.”

The U.S. Prepares for Hu / Assessing Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan / An Iranian American Star

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The United States is “preparing diligently” for Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit. A top U.S. diplomat discusses the political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and the coming vote in Sudan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates heads to China, Japan and South Korea. Construction of coal-fired power plants is on the decline in the United States. And, finally, meet Iranian-American actress Sarah Shahi.

Preparing for Hu
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Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi meets with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other senior U.S. officials ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s January 19 state visit to the United States. In remarks with Yang, Clinton says Hu’s visit is “very much anticipated and looked forward to,” and the Obama administration is “preparing diligently” for it.

An Historic Occasion in Sudan
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The January 9 referendum in Sudan will be an “historic occasion” for the Sudanese and all Africans, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says.

The Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire
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Carson also says the political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire is a challenge to democracy not only in that country but across West Africa and worldwide. “There is no question that the election in Côte d’Ivoire was stolen,” he says.

Gates Travels to Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans talks with high ranking officials during an upcoming trip to China, Japan and South Korea. Gates will stress the importance of  a sustained and reliable military-to-military relationship between the United States and China. 

Rethinking Coal
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Construction of coal-fired power plants has slowed significantly in the United States as a sluggish economy and uncertainties surrounding future energy policy make electric utilities rethink their investment plans. Power companies did not break ground on a single new coal plant in 2009 or 2010, the environmental group Sierra Club reported recently.

An Iranian-American Star
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Sarah Shahi, right, stars in a new American TV show, a first for an Iranian-American actor. Shahi, of Texas, plays lawyer-turned-mediator Kate Reed in Fairly Legal, which premieres January 20 on the USA Network.

Obama in Indonesia / A U.S.-Indonesian Partnership on Water / The Hispanic Vote in America

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President Obama delivers remarks in Indonesia. The U.S. and Indonesia team up to improve water services. It takes international cooperation to go after sophisticated criminal syndicates. The U.S. sets conditions that could lead to Sudan’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In Australia, ministers meet. And, finally, the Hispanic vote flexes its muscle in U.S. elections.

Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
President Obama says that since becoming president he has worked to repair relations between the United States and Muslim communities around the world that have been frayed over many years by mistrust and suspicion. “We can choose to be defined by our differences, and give in to a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress,” he says. Above, Obama talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta.

Obama Questions New Israeli Construction
President Obama says Israel’s plan to build 1,300 new apartments in East Jerusalem is not helping the ongoing peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking in Jakarta, Obama says he had not yet had a full briefing concerning Israel’s intentions in the announcement of the new construction, but said “this kind of activity is never helpful.”

Obama’s Return to Indonesia
Barack Obama said it felt “wonderful” to return to Indonesia as President of the United States many years after he had lived in the country for four years as a boy. “The sights and the sounds and the memories all feel very familiar and it’s wonderful to be able to come back as president and hopefully contribute to further understanding between the United States and Indonesia,” Obama said November 9 in a press conference with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A Water Partnership for Indonesia
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is continuing its partnership with Indonesian organizations to help 2 million people gain access to improved water supplies and 200,000 people gain access to adequate sanitation facilities. The effort builds on 66 months of programs across Indonesia through the USAID-funded Environmental Services Program.

Cooperation on Crime
The Obama administration is developing innovative global partnerships across the Pacific and Atlantic to fight increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises.

U.S. Makes Offer to Remove Sudan from Terror List
The United States has conditioned its willingness to accelerate the process of removing Sudan from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism provided that Sudan fully implements its obligations under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including preparing and conducting a January 9, 2011 referendum in southern Sudan and respecting the referendum results.

U.S.-Australia Talks
Women’s empowerment and military cooperation topped the agenda as the defense and foreign ministers of Australia and the United States met in Melbourne. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the session “a broad, far-reaching and extremely valuable set of consultations.”

The Hispanic Vote in America
The 2010 midterm elections in the United States demonstrated the growing importance of the Hispanic vote across party lines, according to election analysts. Hispanics generally favored Democratic candidates over Republicans, and some analysts credit them with keeping the Senate in Democratic hands. At right, Nevada Democrat Harry Reid greets Hispanic supporters at an October rally.

Fighting Cholera in Haiti / Fresh Water Funds for Jordan / A Boost For African Farmers

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The U.S. is moving to speed aid to help Haiti fight a deadly cholera outbreak. Jordan is getting fresh water aid. In Africa, they’re turning to an age-old construction technique.  The U.S. enforces new fuel rules for trucks and buses. With just weeks remaining before its election, Sudan has its work cut out for it. And, finally, a photo gallery on a program to share agricultural techniques with African farmers.

U.S. Cholera Aid for Haiti
In response to the outbreak of cholera in Haiti, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince issued a disaster declaration to speed U.S. funding and medical assistance to the country in recent days. Cholera has killed 259 people and infected more than 3,000 others in Haiti. At right, women cover their mouths and noses as they wait for their children to be treated for cholera symptoms.


A Grant for Jordan’s Water
The Obama administration is investing $275 million through the Millennium Challenge Corporation to help provide nearly two million Jordanians with reliable access to clean water and to address water scarcity.

Building Earthen Structures
Two American professors are sharing knowledge with Saudis on how to build, maintain and restore earthen structures, using natural resources such as soil, through a U.S. Embassy speakers program. Earthen construction may be more practical than modern construction techniques because of its durability and because it has a milder environmental impact.

Big Rigs Face New Fuel Rules
For the first time in U.S. history, the government is imposing fuel efficiency standards for trucks and buses, starting with vehicles that hit the market in 2013. The U.S. Department of Transportation says the new rules will save 500 million barrels of oil for vehicles of the model years 2014 through 2018, and 250 tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the life-time of the trucks.

In Sudan, the Vote Approaches
Authorities in Sudan face a tight deadline to complete preparations for a crucial set of votes in January that will decide on independence for Southern Sudan and Abyei, says General Scott Gration, the U.S. special envoy for Sudan. He called on the parties to come to a new round of talks in Ethiopia in late October “with an attitude of compromise.”

An African Delegation Learns about U.S. Agriculture
Recently, the U.S. welcomed African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) ministers and delegates to the Ninth AGOA Forum, in Kansas City Missouri, where the visitors got the chance to observe American agricultural practices first-hand. Find out more about their trip in this photo gallery. At left, delegates participate in a lively discussion with American farmer Tom Waters on chicken farming and feed strategy.

U.S. Pakistan Talks / A Cholera Outbreak in Haiti / The U.S. Vote

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The United States and Pakistan continue strategic talks. Health officials fear an outbreak of Cholera in Haiti could spread, read what the United States is doing to help. The rule of law in Latin America is on the agenda at a conference in California. The U.S. government is turning to American farms for fuel. Somalia needs more international help. And, we’ve got a pair of reports about the coming elections in the United States.

U.S.-Pakistan Dialogue
The latest round of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue demonstrates a commitment to strengthening the relationship between the two countries based on values, mutual respect, trust and interests, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “We came together in this Strategic Dialogue to discuss how to help the Pakistani people in the areas that Pakistani people themselves had identified as their more important concerns,” Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said. Aat right, Clinton and Qureshi at an earlier meeting.

Fighting Cholera in Haiti
The U.S. government is working rapidly to respond to a cholera outbreak in northwestern Haiti that officials fear could lead to a country-wide epidemic.

Democracy in Latin America
In California, at a conference of Latin American leaders, the focus was not on past triumphs, but on the issues and challenges that many countries face today in strengthening democracy and the rule of law.

U.S. Calls for More Somalia Aid
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says more countries need to contribute troops and assets to the African Union Mission in Somalia. He says allowing Somalis to simply fight amongst themselves “is in no one’s interest.”

From Fields to Fuel Tanks
The U.S. government plans to ramp up production and consumption of biofuels to help lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil, and to create new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

U.S. Prepping for Midterms
On November 2, Americans will cast their ballots in midterm elections that will determine who will represent them in the 112th Congress, scheduled to convene in January 2011. In electing a new Congress every two years, American voters decide who will speak for them in crafting legislation, determining government spending and overseeing the activities of the executive branch.

U.S. Voters as Decision Makers
When Americans vote in the midterm elections, they will select their future leaders and decide a wide range of ballot issues, including how their taxes are spent or what rights their state constitutions guarantee.

A Busy Day in Brussels || An Environmental Success Story || A “Paradigm Shift” in Health Care

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Busy in Brussels, Secretary Clinton discusses NATO and Pakistan. There’s hope ahead of a crucial vote in Sudan. A new initiative is spurring interfaith action to improve Muslim countries. China and the U.S. are partnering on air quality. Counterfeit drugs are a pandemic. And finally, experts call for a “paradigm shift” in health care in Africa.


NATO’s 21st Century Threats
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to focus on 21st century threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and ballistic missiles. “Relying on the strategies of the past simply will not suffice” says Clinton, right with Gates. The two also express support for the alliance’s proposed Strategic Concept.


Taxing Pakistan’s Wealthy
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Pakistan to collect taxes on its wealthier citizens in order to help pay for the country’s recovery from flooding that could ultimately cost tens of billions of dollars.

The Timeline in Sudan
Following a week-long visit to southern Sudan, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice reports that the Sudanese people remain hopeful ahead of a January 9, 2011 referendum on the region’s independence.

“Partners for a New Beginning”
Partners for a New Beginning (PNB), an initiative joining American private sector and civil society leaders to strengthen opportunities in Muslim countries, adds further support to President Obama’s vision of “a new beginning” for the United States and Muslim communities across the globe.

A U.S.-China Success Story
AirNow International, a joint U.S.-China air quality program, is cited as a bilateral success by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson during a visit to the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

The Danger of Counterfeit Drugs
The key to fighting a global “pandemic” of counterfeit drugs is building partnerships among drug companies, pharmaceutical trade groups, law enforcement and customs officials worldwide, experts say. Rubie Mages, a security official with U.S. drug manufacturer Pfizer, says pharmaceutical companies must “monitor the supply chain” and report counterfeit drugs to authorities.

Changing Health Care in Africa
Experts say a “paradigm shift” is needed in health care in Africa to include greater focus on the prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and not just infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. Silver Bahendeka, chair of the International Diabetes Association’s Africa region, predicts that “Africa will have the highest percentage of increase in the number of people with diabetes over the next 20 years.” Left, Archbishop Desmond Tutu is examined for diabetes in South Africa.