November 20, 07 Distribution

Middle East:

Upcoming Middle East Talks To Launch a Process, Rice Says – November 14 Conference in Annapolis, Maryland, will focus on two-state solution

A proposed Middle East peace conference will launch ongoing discussions aimed at creating a Palestinian state and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The United States plans to host the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in either late November or early December.  Among essential issues to be discussed are the right of return of refugees, the future of Jerusalem and the borders of a future Palestinian state.  (Read More)

Remarks of Consul General acob Walles during a Nablus Celebration with Prime Minister Fayyad

Nablus has long been the commercial and economic engine of the northern West Bank.  Recent years have seen a decline in economic activity and an increase in lawlessness.  I am pleased that recent actions by the PA have begun to change this situation for the better, and significant improvements are already visible here on the streets of the city.  (Read more) 

Jerusalem-Ramallah Road Gets First Major Upgrade in 40 Years

While Palestinian leaders negotiate complex issues on the road map to peace, the Palestinian people negotiate potholes on the road to Ramallah.  But that is changing.  The main highway connecting the bustling West Bank town of Ramallah to Jerusalem has been neglected for years.  It has changed little since the days of British control, and no major repairs have been undertaken to this narrow and badly potholed highway.  (Read more)

Medical Program Brings Care to Isolated Palestinian Seniors

Three Palestinian nurses from Dar al-Kalima Wellness Center hefted a brand new mattress into the trunk of a taxi and headed over the back roads to Shwaware, a windblown hamlet east of Bethlehem, the West Bank, where goats graze the barren slopes between the houses.  (Read more)

US Society and Culture:

Saudi-Born Woman Prepares Third Run for California Assembly

In a heavily Republican district, Democrat Ferial Masry has lost her race for the California 37th Assembly district seat twice.  Yet, "I never feel like a loser," Masry told USINFO. "I'm always a winner." Masry, a Saudi-born woman who immigrated to the United States in 1979, believes her races always have been about more than winning the votes of those living in her Ventura district, northwest of Los Angeles.  (Read more) 

International Education Week

The United States will celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide during the eighth International Education Week, November 12 – 16.  The 2007 celebration is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.  It is also part of the Bush administration’s efforts to prepare Americans for a global environment and to attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.  (Read more)

First-time International Student U.S. Enrollments Up 10.2 Percent

The number of non-U.S. students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions during the 2006-2007 academic year rose by 3 percent to a total of 582,984, and new enrollments rose sharply, according to the Institute of International Education's (IIE) 2007 report on international education exchange.  (Read more)

Record Numbers of U.S. Students Are Studying Abroad

The number of Americans studying abroad -- which has risen 150 percent in the past decade -- continues to set records, rising 8.5 percent in 2005-2006, according to the Institute of International Education's (IIE) 2007 report on international education exchange.  “The opportunity for more young Americans to study abroad is a goal shared by the president, the secretary of state, and leaders in Congress, industry and academia,” IIE President Allan E. Goodman said in issuing the report, Open Doors 2007.  (Read more)