Bester News

The U.S.-Palestinian Partnership is helping prepare a new generation of leaders essential to the successful creation of a Palestinian state, an undertaking that the State Department’s James Glassman says shows “the solid and continuing commitment of the United States government to the Palestinian people.”

Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, today produces a small but important portion of the world's coffee.  The U.S. Agency for International Development is helping Ethiopian growers fill the global niche for exquisite, high-end coffees that bring premium prices.

Forty researchers of Arab descent meet on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience to discuss ways to empower Arab scientists and promote neuroscience in the Middle East. America.gov talks with some of the scientists about their aspirations and concerns.

The Iraqi Cabinet approves a new U.S.-Iraqi security agreement calling for a full withdrawal of American forces by the end of 2011. In addition to the withdrawal date, the agreement would place new limits on U.S. forces operating in Iraq. The agreement now moves on to Iraq’s parliament for approval.

Less than a month after officials from countries around the world met in Washington for the White House Summit on International Development, another group of leaders is meeting to discuss financial turmoil that could derail critical progress made to date on diseases that threaten global health and security.

The United States quickly sent humanitarian relief to Pakistan after a series of earthquakes and aftershocks hit the mountainous region of Balochistan in October.  So far, $2.5 million has been channeled to the region through the U.S. Agency for International Development and partners such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

President Bush says that among the most powerful experiences of his presidency is witnessing a new and more hopeful era dawning in Africa. “Over the past eight years, it's been moving to watch courageous Africans root out corruption, and open up their economies, and invest in the prosperity of their people,” he says.

Dairy production is spreading among Ethiopian farmers, increasing rural incomes and improving nutrition.  A joint project by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the American dairy company Land O’Lakes is focusing on developing Ethiopia’s dairy industry.