Tag Archives: water

Nuclear Crisis in Japan Grows / A Recipe for Peace in Sri Lanka / Air Force One

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In Japan, the nuclear crisis grows. The U.S. and Brazil partner to boost the farm sector in Mozambique, while a U.S. groups partners with Ethiopia on a clean water initiative. After decades of conflict, Sri Lanka is showing great economic and developmental promise. An ambitious agenda was set out during preliminary meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. And finally, for globetrotting presidents, Air Force One is the perfect ride.

Responding to Japan's Nuclear Crisis

In Japan, Nuclear Crisis Grows
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The Japanese government is telling citizens within 30 kilometers (48 miles) of a damaged nuclear power plant to stay indoors to protect themselves. The March 15 advisory said people near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant should attempt to prevent exposure to the colorless, odorless radiation which escaped from reactors.

U.S., Brazil Partner on Farming
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An agricultural collaboration among the United States Agency for International Development, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency and the government of Mozambique is set to bolster the latter’s farm sector. Mozambique imports most of its food, much of it from its neighbor South Africa, but many Mozambicans cannot afford the imported food.

In Ethiopia, a Clean Water Push
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Lori Pappas is the founder of the Global Team for Local Initiatives, which seeks to increase access to drinking water for the people of Ethiopia.

A Recipe for Peace in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka’s government needs to hold those who committed injustices and abuses during the country’s civil war accountable and work to create a political climate that will facilitate healing and durable peace, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake says. After decades of conflict between the government and Tamil rebels, Sri Lanka is showing great economic and developmental promise that can benefit its whole population, says Blake.

APEC 2011 Concludes
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Preliminary meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), the premier economic organization in the Asia-Pacific region, concluded March 12, setting an ambitious agenda for enhanced partnership in 2011. APEC fosters growth and prosperity by facilitating economic cooperation and expanding trade and investment throughout the region.

President Obama exits Air Force OneAir Force One
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It is unquestionably the most exclusive ride in the world: the gleaming, blue-and-white jumbo jet that answers to the call signal Air Force One.
It’s an American icon, as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon — the airplane that will take President Obama on his second journey to Latin America March 19. At right, Obama arrives at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, April 16, 2009.

Obama, Clinton Most Admired / Water, From the Makers of Coke / The Muslim World’s Diversity

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President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are the most admired man and woman, a new poll shows. In America, billionaires are giving away the bulk of their fortunes. The world’s largest soda maker is working on water projects in Africa. And an American photographer captures diversity in the Muslim world.

Obama, Clinton Most Admired
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For the third year in a row, a USA Today – Gallup poll has found that Barack Obama is the most admired male public figure. The most admired woman is Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has held the title 15 times since 1992. The survey was conducted between December 10-12, and is based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,019 adults. Participants were asked to name the man and woman living anywhere in the world they most admired.

A Billionaires’ Pledge 
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The two richest men in the United States, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, launched The Giving Pledge in June 2010, encouraging other billionaires, in the United States and abroad, to give away the bulk of their fortunes to philanthropic causes. As of December 2010, 57 billionaires have joined their campaign.

Coca-Cola’s Water Projects
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Cola-Cola Company, the world’s largest beverage maker, has formed a partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.N. Development Programme to launch or expand water projects in eight African countries. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.1 billion people—including more than 300 million Africans—do not have access to clean water.

Photo Gallery: The Diversity of the Muslim World
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American photographer Derek Brown, whose work has been featured in The Economist and other major publications, traveled to 28 countries for more than 18 months to photograph the diversity of the Muslim world. An exhibit of his work at the cafe Busboys and Poets in Washington drew raves. Andy Shallal, an Iraqi American and the owner of Busboys and Poets noted, “It makes people realize the Muslim world is beyond the Middle East — it’s far beyond that.”

The NATO and U.S.-E.U. Summits / Fighting Cholera in Haiti / Persian Poetry in New York

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President Obama heads to the NATO and U.S.-E.U. Summits in Lisbon, Portugal. Learn what the United States is doing to help Haiti battle a cholera outbreak. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton releases a study on religious freedom and discusses the importance of protecting Americans traveling overseas. According to a new report, Asian water supplies are at risk. A top U.S. terrorism official says cooperation among nations has been successful in fighting terrorism. A group of African journalists discuss professional issues. And, in New York City, a museum displays linkages between New York and the Spanish world, while a bar showcases Persian poetry.

Upcoming NATO and EU Summits
President Obama, right, will be attending the 2010 NATO and U.S.-European Union Summits in Lisbon on November 19th and 20th. The meetings are intended to demonstrate the central role of the United States’ relationship with Europe and the U.S.-European capability to meet global challenges.



An “Aggressive Campaign” Against Cholera
U.S. officials promise an “aggressive campaign” to help Haitian authorities fight the spread of cholera in their country through prevention techniques such as providing clean, chlorinated drinking water, oral rehydration therapy, education and additional funding to expand cholera treatment centers.

Religious Freedom and U.S. Foreign Policy
Promoting religious freedom is a core element of U.S. diplomacy, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says in releasing the 2010 Annual Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom.

Protecting Americans Overseas
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says it is important for the State Department and the American private sector to cooperate on protecting Americans who travel overseas.

Asian Water Supplies at Risk
A new report from the U.S. Agency for International Development outlines steps that can help mitigate the impacts of climate-change-induced glacier melt in the greater Himalayas area.

Nations Team Up Against Terror
Cooperation among nations fighting the global war on terror has been remarkable in the nine years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, says Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the State Department’s top counterterrorism official.

African Journalists in the U.S.
African journalists visiting the United States as part of the fifth Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists have a lot to say about professional standards and freedom of the press as they finished their three-week stay in the United States.

Spanish Connections in NY
This fall, the exhibit “Nueva York (1613-1945),” a collaboration of El Museo Del Barrio and the New-York Historical Society, will document four centuries of cross-cultural influence and cooperation between Latin America and Spain and New York.

In NY, New Persian Poetry
Since beginning five years ago, the Persian Arts Festival in New York has grown to offer music, films and other visual arts as well as literary events. Its audience is “very diverse,” says founder Mona Kayhan, including many people with no personal connection to Iran or Persian culture. At right, Sholeh Wolpé reads aloud from her work at the festival.