Ethiopian Ambassadors and Consul generals, who gathered for the annual Ambassadorial meeting, participated on the Tigrai Diaspora day festival in Mekelle. 

When African leaders arrive in Washington this week to meet with President Obama, one of the most politically sensitive issues expected to be discussed is the future of the U.S. commitment to global efforts to deal with HIV/AIDS. For more than a decade, the United States has taken the lead in this fight, providing significant funding — $52 billion so far — to the cause through a program known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

As Thailand’s armed forces fan out across its body politic and economy, the country’s international standing is increasingly challenged.  The tough responses from Western and some Asian governments are set to remain stiff and perhaps intensify if basic individual rights are further violated and threatened. 

DanceMotion USA is a cultural diplomacy program that supports U.S. foreign policy goals by engaging international audiences through educational opportunities, performance and cultural exchange. The program is a people-to-people international exchange initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, produced by BAM.

The political crisis over Ukraine has prompted ministers in London and Edinburgh to boycott the remainder of the UK-Russia Year of Culture, a celebration of the arts, education, sport and science that involves more than 250 events in both countries.

Russians and Westerners have diametrically opposed interpretations of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, recent polls demonstrate, and that determines the decisions taken by policy-makers on both sides, analysts told The Moscow Times on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama said the U.S. is expanding an initiative to develop and train political and economic leaders in Africa.  Obama is expanding a U.S.-based program for young African leaders, and the U.S. Agency for International Development is providing $38 million to create leadership centers in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Senegal.

This summer, 500 Africans studied business, leadership and public management on American campuses as part of a new State Department program.  The Obama administration has hailed the effort, which is part of the larger Young African Leaders Initiative, as a fresh take on public diplomacy.