Days before he is to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the United States is supporting jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The U.S. calls for a smooth transition of power after elections in Côte d’Ivoire. In the past couple of weeks, the U.S. has participated in five European summits. Mobile phones are giving people access to financial systems in Africa for the first time. An American educator will be speaking about higher education in Africa. And, an unlikely friendship grows from Seeds of Peace.

U.S. Backs Jailed Nobel Winner
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Barry White, the U.S. ambassador to Norway, will attend the December 10 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in a show of support for jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The U.S. House of Representatives has also passed a resolution honoring the Peace Prize winner for promoting democratic reform in China and calling for his immediate release from prison. At right, a banner picturing Liu is installed at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.

The Côte d’Ivoire Vote
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The U.S. urges President Laurent Gbagbo to hand over power and authority to Alassane Ouattara, who won the second round of Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election. If that does not happen, the U.S. will take further steps such as travel bans or sanctions directed against President Gbagbo, his family and associates, says U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson.

For U.S., Five European Summits
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The United States participated in five summits over the past couple of weeks, engaging with nations from Europe, Central Asia and North America. These summits presented “an unprecedented opportunity for engagement with our partners in Europe and Eurasia,” says Philip Gordon, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

Mobilizing African Banking
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In African countries such as Tanzania and Malawi, mobile telephones are taking a first step into the formal financial system. Almost 1 million active customers in Tanzania use mobile-phone payments to transfer funds to relatives, buy supplies, pay doctors and save money for future emergencies.

A Moroccan Higher Ed Conference
Barbara Brittingham, president of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, will be a featured speaker alongside leading Moroccan and international experts and officials at the Moroccan Fulbright Alumni Association’s annual conference.

Seeds of Peace Take Root
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Seeds of Peace is an organization that brings teens from conflict areas around the world to a summer camp in Maine, U.S.A., where they foster trust, understanding and communication. For Joseph Katona, left, a Jewish kid from Los Angeles, and Omar Dreidi, a Palestinian kid from Ramallah, it meant a lasting friendship.