Tag Archives: cholera

In Indonesia, @America / North Korea Talks / Journalism in the USA

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There’s a new place for cultural exchange in Indonesia. North Korea’s recent provocative action has jeopardized peace and stability in Asia, the U.S., Japan and South Korea say. In Haiti, the U.S. is working to end the cholera outbreak. A new trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea will help both countries. Russian and U.S. authorities join forces in fighting drug trafficking. Jordanians get a lesson in conflict avoidance negotiations. We’ve got a climate control update from COP-16. And, finally, a report on the Edward R. Murrow program for international journalists.

In Indonesia, @america
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In Indonesia, Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Judith McHale, right, recently attended the opening of the new U.S. cultural center — @america. The center aims to expand engagement between young Indonesians and young Americans through interactive games and live events. McHale described @america as “what we hope will be the first of a new generation of American cultural centers.” 
 
 

New Condemnation for N. Korea
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Recent provocative action by North Korea has jeopardized peace and stability in Asia, foreign ministers from the United States, Japan and South Korea say. Above, left to right, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan jointly declared that Pyongyang’s “provocative and belligerent behavior … will be met with solidarity from all three countries.”

Fighting Cholera in Haiti
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U.S. officials are “working vigorously” with the Haitian government and international relief agencies in a joint effort to stop Haiti’s cholera outbreak from spreading and to treat the thousands of people already infected.

New U.S.-South Korea Trade Deal
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The proposed U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement helps the United States balance its economy with greater exports and also helps South Korea foster economic growth, President Obama says. At the White House, Obama says the deal will boost U.S. exports by $11 billion and support 70,000 jobs.

U.S., Russia Joint Drug Busts
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In the past year, some notable drug busts have grown out of bilateral cooperation through the Counternarcotics Working Group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission. An important component of resetting the relations between the U.S. and Russia has been in the area of drug trafficking, says Gil Kerlikowske, Director of White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Learning How to Negotiate
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William Ury, an experienced negotiation adviser and mediator, recently discussed conflict negotiation and mediation with Jordanians via digital video conference. One of the biggest challenges to negotiations, he says, is finding a way to say no that still achieves positive results.

The U.S. Climate Commitment
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Nearly a week into the COP-16 climate conference in Mexico, the U.S. delegation maintains that the United States stands by its commitments from last year’s Copenhagen Accord and remains prepared to move forward. Most important, they say, the United States is showing in real dollars and actions that it is addressing climate change at home and overseas.

International Journalists in the USA
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As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, 150 journalists from 100 nations spent three weeks in the United States. During their trip, the journalists, left, visited ABC News and had discussions with members of the network’s investigative reporting unit, its main nightly news program and its late-night newsmagazine.

 

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. 

Two Reports on Haiti / The U.S. Hopes for COP16 Progress / A Burmese Opposition Leader is Freed

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From Haiti, we’ve got reports on the cholera outbreak and an effort to restore the island’s devastated libraries. The United State hopes for progress during an upcoming international conference on climate change. Take a look at the U.S. election, from a different angle. Governments need help in fighting corruption. At the APEC forum in Japan, free trade is on the table. See how translating American plays into Russian is a form of cultural diplomacy. And, after years of house arrest, a Burmese pro-democracy activist is released to applause from the United States.

Cholera Mortality Rate Declines in Haiti
As the number of Haitians infected with cholera continues to climb, the overall mortality rate from the disease is decreasing, the State Department’s Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley says. Crowley says the shrinking mortality rate results from efforts to control the disease by the Haitian government, the U.S. and other international partners. At right, women cover their mouths and noses at a Haitian hospital.

 

Rebuilding Haiti’s Libraries
The American Library Association so far has collected $25,000 in donations for Haiti’s libraries from individuals, civic and youth groups, businesses and local libraries.

U.S. Seeks COP16 Progress
The United States expects progress toward a legally binding, global accord on climate change during the international COP16 meeting later this month in Cancún, Mexico. “It is profoundly in our own economic, environmental, and national security interests to act,” says Jeffrey Miotke, climate change coordinator for the U.S. special envoy for climate change.

A Discussion of the Midterms
As Americans headed to the polls November 2, international relations students at the University of Jordan spoke with political scientist Michael Cornfield via a digital video conference to learn more about the American electoral process. High on their list of questions: How would the results of the midterm elections affect the peace process?

Citizens’ Anti-Corruption Role
Civil society — including nonprofit organizations and citizen-activists — must demand accountability from governments for the fight against corruption to be effective, according to the hosts of an international conference meeting in Bangkok.

Talking Free Trade in Asia-Pacific
President Obama and other Asia-Pacific leaders pledge to work toward greater economic integration and creation of an Asia-Pacific free trade area. The 21-economies that make up the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum issue a joint statement after their meeting in Japan that praises APEC as “an engine for progress in the world’s most economically dynamic region.”

“The New American Plays for Russia”
Through “The New American Plays for Russia” project, American theater organizations and Russian theater professionals are working together to bring contemporary American drama to Russian audiences.

U.S. Welcomes Burma’s Release of Suu Kyi
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton welcome the release of Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. Obama said Suu Kyi, right, “is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world.”

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.