Posted: 1:03 am ET
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On February 15, the U.S. Senate confirmed the following career nominees to be U.S. Ambassadors to Gabon and to Rwanda:
Executive Calendar #667 – Peter Hendrick Vrooman, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Rwanda.
Tonight's moderator, Joel Danies, introduces @patrickgaspard, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. #EOHSpeakers pic.twitter.com/a0P9mzfSM6
— Embassy of Haiti (@EmbassyOfHaiti) March 28, 2015
Coming up tomorrow on @TheReporterET : An interview with Peter Vrooman, the departing chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa. pic.twitter.com/yW5mNsm3vO
— The Reporter (@TheReporterET) July 14, 2017
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US Embassy Cuba: New Mechanism For Brain Injury From an “Exposure of Unknown Origin”
Posted: 12:39 am ET
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The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Brain Injury and Repair was selected to coordinate the evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of 21 government personnel (11 women and 10 men) identified by the State Department and evaluated an average of 203 days following exposure to reported sound (described as “buzzing,” “grinding metal,” “piercing squeals” or “humming”) and sensory phenomena (described as pressure-like or vibrating and likened to air “baffling” inside a moving car with the windows partially rolled down) at the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba in late 2016.
“It’s like a concussion without a concussion.”
“Of the 21 individuals assessed at Penn, 17 reported cognitive or behavioral problems such as difficulty remembering, concentrating, or both. “It’s not that any patient can’t do a given task, but it requires way more effort,” said coauthor Randel Swanson, DO, PhD, a brain injury rehabilitation specialist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Brain Injury and Repair. “They don’t have as much cognitive reserve.”
The author and his coauthors signed a nondisclosure agreement with the State Department, “so they cannot discuss whether they know more about what happened in Havana than has already been made public.”
The study concludes that “The unique circumstances of these patients and the clinical manifestations detailed in this report raise concern about a new mechanism for possible acquired brain injury from an exposure of unknown origin.”
Take a closer look at the study focused on neurological symptoms among U.S. diplomats in Cuba with @LVHN's Steven L. Lewis, MD and our own Christopher C. Muth, MD: https://t.co/oz8fmw2Cju #Neurology pic.twitter.com/SB3nL7mspe
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) February 15, 2018
Neurological Manifestations Among US Government Personnel Reporting Directional Audible and Sensory Phenomena in Havana, Cubahttps://t.co/VQwbzJN15D
— Diplopundit (@Diplopundit) February 16, 2018
The mystery of the Cuban diplomatic malaise endures. Neurologists see concussion-like symptoms but can’t pin down a cause. https://t.co/Nx8th4NqwB
— Carl Zimmer (@carlzimmer) February 15, 2018
Watch / listen to @JAMA_current podcast re the #Cuba sonic attacks on US diplomats:
“Medical Findings From U.S. Government Personnel in Cuba” https://t.co/0lrDepbxpl— diplomattitude (@diplomattitude) February 15, 2018
Ruling Out 'Sonic Attack,' Docs Still Mystified by Brain Damage in US Staff in Cuba https://t.co/j4pjAv6uCZ pic.twitter.com/TeFYerAl5O
— Live Science (@LiveScience) February 15, 2018
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Tillerson Meets Erdoğan in Ankara With Turkish Foreign Minister as Interpreter
Posted: 12:35 am ET
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Today, Secretary Tillerson held a bilateral meeting with #Turkey’s President @rt_erdogan and Foreign Minister @mevlutcavusoglu in Ankara to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues. pic.twitter.com/HCRtipL96N
— Department of State (@StateDept) February 15, 2018
Secretary of State Tillerson is currently meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is the lone US representative and Turkey’s foreign minister is translating.
— Nicholas Wadhams (@nwadhams) February 15, 2018
This is the second Erdoğan – Tillerson meeting where all Turkish, American officials, and even the translators excluded.
Turkish FM functions as a translator. https://t.co/ofsDgYGxog
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) February 15, 2018
Not even a note-taker? Not a good idea TRex… https://t.co/C4cwReLrqv
— Svetozar (@CountTilly) February 15, 2018
Doesn't Tillerson understand that the translator (interpreter, actually) needs to be on his side? https://t.co/2G6HkUeSYn
— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) February 15, 2018
Saving money on translators, too? And the foreign FM will just share his notes of the T-E discussion with the State Dept. Or EUR can use their Magic 8 ball. 😭 It knows everything and always willing to share. https://t.co/xdDdi9f9WS
— Diplopundit (@Diplopundit) February 15, 2018
Im trying to understand — I never expected Pres Erdogan and Sec Tillerson to have a press conference but they did not even read statements following 200 minutes of a meeting? cc @DaveClark_AFP
— ilhan tanir (@WashingtonPoint) February 15, 2018
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson breaks protocol by meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan without a translator https://t.co/x9mSGhU8fl pic.twitter.com/ZmNdIV6fUt
— CNN (@CNN) February 16, 2018
Spoke too soon. There was a brief US readout, now deleted pic.twitter.com/zH1c1KnDBy
— Dave Clark (@DaveClark_AFP) February 15, 2018
AND NOW THIS, from people paying attention:
WATCH: Tillerson plays the waiting game in #Lebanon https://t.co/d8RuhazVx6 pic.twitter.com/y9n6wiaTrS
— The National (@TheNationalUAE) February 15, 2018
#Lebanese officials deny Rex #Tillerson was made to wait for meeting on purpose, but this image shows otherwise. The US Secretary of State is on a five-day regional tour taking in Lebanon as well as Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Turkey. https://t.co/YMLESED61p pic.twitter.com/6DYnP7Xpz7
— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) February 15, 2018
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