envoy news stories on Newser

Clinton Calls for Historic Meeting of US Envoys

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:44:10 CST

What with the crisis in Egypt and the fallout from the leaked diplomatic cables , the last few months haven’t exactly been calm for Hillary Clinton—and now the secretary of state is calling for an unprecedented meeting of US ambassadors. The top envoys from almost all of America’s 260 diplomatic...

In Venezuela Feud, US Yanks Ambassador's Visa

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:10:24 CST

The US and Venezuela aren’t playing nice in the sandbox: The US has revoked the visa of Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuelan ambassador since 2003, following Venezuela's Dec. 20 rejection of American envoy Larry Palmer. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has refused to welcome Palmer since July, when Palmer angered him by criticizing...

UN May Tap 'Envoy' to Greet ET

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 03:16:00 CDT

ET, phone the General Assembly. United Nations scientific advisory committees are about to debate whether to place the organization's Office for Outer Space Affairs in charge of coordinating humankind's response if and when extraterrestrials make contact. The unit's boss is Malaysian astrophysicist Mazlan Othman, called "absolutely the nearest thing we...

Biden Has Tricky Balancing Act on Iraq Visit

John Johnson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:33:35 CDT

High-level officials of Joe Biden's caliber usually stay in places like Iraq for a few hours, max. Biden, however, is now gearing up for the second day of his surprise visit. No wonder: In his new role as a sort of unofficial envoy to the nation, Biden has no small...

Clinton Moves to Beef Up State

Rob Quinn — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:20:02 CST

Hillary Clinton is already working to restore some of the strength sapped from the State Department under the Bush administration, the New York Times reports. Clinton is seeking a bigger budget for the department and wants to restore the role played by high-profile special envoys. Officials say Clinton also wants...

Hello, China: Meet Japan's New Envoy

Nick McMaster — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:00:05 CDT

Hello Kitty has been tapped as Japan’s cultural envoy to China, the AP reports. Japan’s ministry of tourism chose the über-popular icon to represent the country in its drive to attract 10 million annual visitors to the islands. Last year, tourists from China and Hong Kong made up 16.5%...

Hamas Rips Blair Peace Mission

Peter Fearon — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:18:49 CDT

Hamas, the Palestinian group now in control of Gaza, blasted Tony Blair's appointment as a Mideast peace envoy yesterday, characterizing the former British prime minister as "not honest and not helpful," and a puppet of the US and Israel, the BBC reports. Blair's new role, formalized hours after he departed...

Blair Tapped as Mideast Envoy

Peter Fearon — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:31:05 CDT

Tony Blair will move into a key post as international Mideast peace envoy after wrapping up 10 years as British prime minister tomorrow. President Bush personally mounted an "enormous push" for the appointment, which will be based in Jerusalem and will involve working with the Palestinians to prepare for negotiations...