A U.S. ban on its citizens travelling to North Korea has come into effect, at a time of heightened tensions over North Korean missile launches. The new rule was announced after U.S. student Otto Warmbier died after being released from prison in North Korea. The State Department said it was necessary "due to the serious and mounting risk" of detention.

Many people think that international diplomacy is only conducted by national leaders at conferences and embassies. In fact diplomacy is conducted every day by average citizens. The United States Department of State is aware of the importance of citizen-level cross-cultural exchange as a means of increasing international harmony. The State Department refers to this citizen to citizen exchange as public diplomacy. The Rotary Club of Ellensburg, a chapter of Rotary International, is very involved in a particular form of public diplomacy: international student exchange programs.

Science and technology (S&T) play a critical role in a range of foreign policy issues, from driving economic development to responding to hostile governments and rogue organizations. Discoveries in nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and earth sciences offer new opportunities to improve human health, provide food and clean water, and issue warnings of impending natural disasters. Advances in information and communications technologies are having remarkable impacts on every walk of life.

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel led a delegation to Islamabad, Pakistan for the June 3 inaugural session of the U.S.-Pakistan Education, Science, and Technology Working Group, one of six such groups under the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue. Under Secretary Stengel and Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal met in Islamabad to highlight the numerous higher education programs and exchanges between the United States and Pakistan, especially those in the fields of science and technology.