In the News Archives - State Magazine

U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D. McFeeters speaks at the Planet Us event in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 25. Photo courtesy of Embassy Kuala Lumpur

Planet Us educates and encourages Malaysian youth

By Akash Suri Embassy Kuala Lumpur concluded Planet Us, its year-long campaign to address the climate crisis through sustainable action, Feb. 26. An interactive, educational exhibit, Planet Us informed and inspired more than 7,000 Malaysian...

Firefighters demonstrate the use of a fire blanket normally used for a vehicle fire during a crisis response exercise during ConGen Johannesburg’s training exercise in January 2023. Photo courtesy of ConGen Johannesburg

ConGen Johannesburg hosts crisis response exercise

By Denis O’Sullivan The Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is responsible for the safety of American buildings, information, and personnel at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. Thus, they take emergency management preparation seriously. One...

Embassy Colombo’s civil affairs team and the responders from the Sri Lanka Life Saving team conduct a medical rescue as part of their final exercise of a three-day seminar, Dec. 29, 2022. Photo by Kenneth Ji

Empowering community leaders in times of crisis

By Evan Downs and Julie Rowell “Your neighbor just called and said their five year old daughter is missing, what do you do?” That was the first question asked of Sri Lanka Life Saving and...

Finalists of the Kenya Business Drone Competition work in groups as they learn to operate professional grade drones at the Drone Space training field in Sigona in February 2022. Photo by Dan Muniu

Agri drone competition inspires youth to solve food insecurity

By Esther Kihang’ah After a successful first round of the Kenya Drone Business Competition in October 2022, more than 100 youth are putting their newly acquired drone technology business skills to use, and Embassy Nairobi...

Deputy Chief of Mission David Brownstein (fifth from left) stands with the English Access Microscholarship Teacher Training Program participants for a photo at Dar Almarifa Centre in Manama, Jan. 28. Photo by Salman Alsafairi

English language teacher training reshapes Bahraini women’s lives

By Sandra Story “You don’t talk the walk—you walk the walk.” That is how one participant summarized her cohort’s feelings about the innovative teacher engagement program Embassy Manama’s Regional English Language Office (RELO) carried out from spring...

Learning Agenda Question Team members gather for a photograph at a breakfast meet and greet in December 2022. Photo by Matthew Hermerding

Department’s Learning Agenda bolsters modernization efforts

By Harrison W. Brooks The Learning Agenda, a Department of State initiative launched in June 2022, aims to help the Department deliver on its mission to protect and promote the United States’ security, prosperity, and...

From left: Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Global Talent Marcia Bernicat honor Ambassador Ruth Davis on the 50th anniversary of TLG, Feb. 2. Photo by Freddie Everett

Secretary leads TLG’s 50th anniversary celebration

By Yolonda Kerney The Thursday Luncheon Group (TLG), launched a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary, Feb. 2, with a festive luncheon in the Department of State's famed diplomatic reception room, the Benjamin Franklin State...

James Taylor, exhibit specialist for the Office of Cultural Heritage, installs the exhibit of 1920s Lenox serveware in Embassy Warsaw’s chancery lobby. This china was commissioned by U.S. Minister to Poland John B. Stetson, Jr., and was used for almost 100 years. Photos courtesy of James Taylor

Setting the table for diplomatic history in Warsaw

By Glyn T. Davies Diplomatic negotiations typically occur in a conference room, but diplomacy itself is often best conducted over dinner. That’s why so much attention is paid to setting the scene for diplomatic dining:...

American becomes first woman to lead U.N. telecom agency

By Tamara L. Scott American Doreen Bogdan-Martin made history by shattering one of the oldest glass ceilings in the United Nations when she was elected as the first woman secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union...

Representatives from Embassy Cairo and the Egyptian government gather to celebrate the return of the Green Coffin to Egypt, Jan. 2. Photo by Nabil Fayek

Embassy Cairo celebrates return of historic sarcophagus to Egypt

By Alexander McLaren Embassy Cairo’s Department of Homeland Security team alongside Homeland Security Investigations in New York, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, and in coordination with Egyptian authorities,...