europe

I am delighted to spend some time this afternoon outlining how and why we gauge the effectiveness of our PD programs, talk about evaluation strategies, and lay out statistics. But first, I want to share an experience I had in Bosnia Herzegovina last week. I tell you this because few things are more compelling than looking our program alumni in the eye, and talking to them face to face about their very personal experiences in the U.S.

The year 2012 has seen leadership change in several nations--including the United States, China, Russia and France, with Japan set to hold a general election on Dec. 16--and these transitions could have a major bearing on international relations and the global economy in 2013 and beyond.

Israel held a four-day conference aimed at giving young Russian-speaking Jewish communal leaders in Europe a training in social media that should enable them to promote the country’s image and to reverse anti-Israeli attitudes. The conference, held on November 21-25 in Maastricht, Holland, was organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Ministry for Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs.

The European Patent Office is a great European success that should be seen not only as a centre for patent granting excellence, but also as a means of generating European soft power across the world. So says the office’s current president Benoît Battistelli.

The European Film Festival activities were launched yesterday at a press conference hosted at the European Union Delegation. The festival brings together more than 14 countries with 20 films from England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, Italy, Poland, Austria and Sudan.

During the tour Cameron will seek to revive relations with both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the UK has significant business interests in the oil industry. In addition, Britain will also seek to peddle 100 Typhoon fighter jets to both nations in a deal worth a potential US$10 billion.

The British Broadcasting Corp. says someone is deliberately disrupting its broadcasts in the Middle East and Europe -- interference that follows previous accusations that Iran has attempted to jam the broadcaster's transmissions.

"The decision by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the European Union (EU) with the 2012 Peace Prize has come as a surprise to many. Defending its decision, the Committee in Oslo heralded over half a century of European stabilisation: ‘The union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe’.

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