Posted by Bruce Hudspeth on Oct 05, 2009 - 05:05 PM
![Students use computers in the Jami Region of Khatlon province, Tajikistan, 2009. [State Dept. Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_1005_school_tajikistan_m.jpg)
The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in collaboration with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the EcoEnergy Alliance, a Central Asian NGO, recently launched a pilot program to provide independent sources of renewable energy and education assistance to remote rural communities in the multi-ethnic border regions of Tajikistan. The pilot site, an orphanage and school in the Jami Region of Khatlon province, provides uninterrupted electric power through solar modules for…
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Posted by Josh Glazeroff on Sep 18, 2009 - 11:49 AM
![Camels stand in River Yamuna with Taj Mahal in background, Agra, India, Apr. 17, 2008. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0918_taj_mahal_m.jpg)
For any parent, traveling with twins is twice the trouble and twice the fun. Now imagine traveling with two curious, energetic children in India, where cows, monkeys, dogs and the occasional elephant or camel roam the streets! Here the ordinary is extraordinary.
My wife and I have taken our children around quite a bit in the year since we’ve been in India. On weekends, we’ve taken train rides to impressive sites: the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Golden Temple in Amritsar and the Amber Fort in Jaipur. We’ve flown to destinations near (the hills of Simla) and far (the hills of Kathmandu). We’ve…
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Posted by Peter Villano on Sep 16, 2009 - 06:13 PM
![Minesweeper at a minefield on southeastern outskirts of Kabul, July 25, 2009. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0916_afghanistan_demining_m.jpg)
Last time I joined you on DipNote, I wrote about U.S. efforts to help Afghanistan clear landmines and unexploded ordnance left over from the 1980s-1990s through community-based demining. Since then, I’ve received a lot of questions about the ongoing effort to help Afghans safeguard their communities from these deadly hazards, a few of which I’d like to share with you today.
What areas of Afghanistan are most affected by landmines?
Landmines affect almost every province…
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Posted by DipNote Bloggers on Sep 11, 2009 - 07:20 PM
"Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming. We are especially honored to be joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs Spanta, whose presence at this ceremony symbolizes the enduring partnership formed between our two nations since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Thank you for coming, Minister Spanta.
We gather today to remember the victims of the September 11 attacks--the nearly 3,000 men, women and children who perished in New…
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Posted by Emma Smith on Sep 03, 2009 - 02:48 PM
![Deminer places disarmed landmine in safety area in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka, Feb. 24, 2004. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0903_sri_lanka_landmine_m.jpg)
How many landmines does it take to cripple a community? In a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I was surprised to learn that the answer could be zero.
We visited the northern village of Marathanmadhu, which the Sri Lankan Army suspected to be filled with buried landmines a deadly legacy in many parts of the country after a 20-year civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While the conflict finally ended earlier this year, residents of Marathanmadhu were among the approximately 280,000 Sri Lankans driven from their homes during the final round of fighting.
When our partners from Mines…
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