Posted: 12:45 am EDT
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Via state.gov/Flickr:
Secretary Kerry Swears-In U.S. Ambassador to Malta Kathleen Hill U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry swears-in U.S. Ambassador to Malta Kathleen Hill, at the U.S. Department of State, in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 2015. [State Department Photo/Public Domain]
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Posted: 12:19 am EDT
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On April 9, we blogged about the U.S. Embassy in Beirut issuing a fraud alert on scammers impersonating Ambassador David Hale and the American Embassy in Lebanon (see U.S. Embassy Beirut: Ambassador Hale Does Not Want Your Money (Fraud Alert). On April 22, the U.S. Embassy in Valletta, Malta issued a similar alert to the Maltese public on scammers impersonating Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley.
Follow U.S. Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley’s official Twitter account. Now tweeting @AmbGinaAW pic.twitter.com/LDkKZvfumF
— U.S. Embassy Malta (@usembmalta) May 23, 2014
Internet scam artists have tried to impersonate U.S. Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley and the U.S. Embassy in an attempt to get Maltese people to send them money. Don’t believe them!
In several of these attempts, these criminals have contacted people via social media with an invitation to connect to “Gina Abercrombie.” When they have, they received a message saying that, for a certain sum of money, they could be named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations or United Nations Ambassador of Peace. In similar scams, victims were then requested to send money to an office in London. Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley does not make UN appointments and would not solicit funds from people. In other attempts, the perpetrators have sent unsolicited emails for fees to process immigrant visa documents and work permits.
Correspondence purporting to be from Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley requesting any payment of funds or personal information is false. We caution against providing any personal or financial information to unsolicited emails or social media contact.
If you would like more information about how the UN does appoint its Goodwill Ambassadors, please see the UN website: http://ask.un.org/faq/14597
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— Domani Spero
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The 2014 July 4th celebrations at our diplomatic missions actually started this past February, with the U.S. Embassy Kathmandu celebration of the 238th Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America on February 22, 2014. This was followed by the US Embassy in Oman which hosted its independence day event on March 25, 2014 (see Open Season: This Year’s July 4th Independence Day Celebrations Officially On). Here are the well-timed red, white and blue celebrations that caught our eyes this year.
In an unprecedented tribute to U.S. Independence Day, Rio de Janeiro’s iconic the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was lit with the colors of the American flag on July 3, 2014. U.S. Consul General to Rio de Janeiro John Creamer and Christ the Redeemer rector Father Omar Raposo were at the monument for the special lighting, which happens as Brazil hosts approximately 90,000 U.S. tourists for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Pretty cool!
USCG Rio/FB
This 4th of July cake was so huge that it needed six people to carry it into the event hosted by Ambassador Jeffrey Levine. We think that this cake was made by the Radisson Blu Hotel in Tallinn. We don’t know many many years the hotel has been making this cake for the annual event but just below the photo is the time lapse video showing the making of the 300KG 4th of July cake for Embassy Tallinn a couple of years ago. Amazing!
Independence Day Celebration, June 26, 2014
Photos by U.S. Embassy Tallinn
We’re hosting our #4thofJuly festivities this evening to mark the #USA‘s 238th Independence Day. Updates #USinKenya pic.twitter.com/x6aGUtToN1
— US Embassy Nairobi (@USEmbassyKenya) July 3, 2014
Flags of the 50 United States hanging above the Independence Day celebration at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday,June 24, 2014. (Photo by Musadeq Sadeq/U.S. State Department)
Ambassador David Hale hosted a celebration on June 17 at BIEL with Lebanese officials, members of Parliament, and Embassy guests in attendance.
Via US Embassy Lebanon/FB
#4thofJuly celebrations in New Delhi pic.twitter.com/cy38ft4dUl
— Kathleen Stephens (@AmbStephens) July 3, 2014
Embassy Canberra ran a social media Independence Day contest and came up with MasterChef Australia contestants akitchencat
and The Bread & Butter Chef Kylie Ofiu as winners to join them for the 4th of July bash. American chef Tory McPhail also arrived in Canberra last week and got the Embassy kitchen prepped and ready to feed over 600 people for the event hosted by Ambassador John Berry.
Photo via US Embassy Canberra/FB
This year’s Independence Day event in Wellington hosted by DCM Marie C. Damour had a#USA culinary theme. Check out some U.S. recipes at: http://www.discoveramerica.com/usa/culinary-landing.aspx Discover America. And here’s the Kentucky Honey!
Photo via US Embassy New Zealand/Flickr
U.S. Independence Day Event in Auckland, July 3, 2014.
#4thofjuly แขกในงานร่วมถ่ายรูปกับนักร้องเพลงแนวต่างๆในธีม “America’s Greatest Hits” pic.twitter.com/LszLN1cSmQ
— U.S. Embassy Bangkok (@USEmbassyBKK) July 3, 2014
A Villa Taverna l’Ambasciatore Phillips ha ospitato il ricevimento per il Giorno dell’Indipendenza, per celebrare l’America e l’amicizia con l’Italia, tra musica, hamburgers e, ovviamente… Fireworks!!
Via US Embassy Seoul/FB
Listos para recibir a nuestros invitados! #4JulioUIO pic.twitter.com/CqaHXUKKpR
— US Embassy Quito (@usembassy_quito) July 3, 2014
We’re excited to have @dominos with us today. Happy 4th, America. #july4tlv pic.twitter.com/HfyN1Wziyw
— USEmbassyTelAviv (@usembassyta) July 3, 2014
Embassy Malta had Route 66 as its event and menu theme; the celebration includes vintage American cars on display in the compound.
Photo via US Embassy Malta/FB
Becario crack preparado para la #fiesta4dejulioUSA @CondeDuqueMAD @MADRID #EEUU #MADRID pic.twitter.com/n9qtJtKCMt — US Embassy Madrid (@USembassyMadrid) July 4, 2014
En aquests moments està actuant el grup vocal a capella de @Yale University Whim ‘N Rhythm #4JulyBCN pic.twitter.com/ORRyiLE0Wj
— USConsulateBarcelona (@USConsulateBCN) July 3, 2014
Rydhave, all ready to receive over 1.000 of Embassy Copenhagen’s closest friends and contacts. Entertainment this year was provided by Basim, and the band The Sentimentals. The Embassy’s own Sonia Evans performed the American national anthem.The food at the event was supplied by CP Cooking.
Photo by US Embassy Denmark
Uplifting performance from @PresHall in Battersea Park, our future neighborhood & they let me try out the drums. pic.twitter.com/ADDxqK4Ivr
— Matthew Barzun (@MatthewBarzun) July 3, 2014
Lots of tasty-looking food at #July4Lornado! #4thOfJuly #yum https://t.co/7dSlhHWDDr
— U.S. Embassy Ottawa (@usembassyottawa) July 4, 2014
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— By Domani Spero
It happened last Saturday, August 24 in the island of Malta. Somebody was in a flat in Sliema when there was a “USA vs Malta street argument.” YouTube user jakovids filmed the incident and uploaded it to Youtube with the following note: “…some maltese driver refuses to reverse to make space for this American… next thing you know he’s out the car wanting to fight!” The video posted on August 24 has now gone “viral” with 107,257 views.
WARNING: video contains explicit language
On August 26, the US Embassy in Malta made the following statement on its FB page:
The U.S. Embassy deplores the conduct shown in the video. We regret such inexcusable behavior, whether on the part of an American citizen, or those of any other nationality. We strongly believe that everyone should be treated with respect and courtesy on the roads and in the streets of our towns and villages. We’re all in this together.
On August 27, the Times of Malta reported that the US embassy has refused to confirm or deny whether an American man seen verbally assaulting a Maltese driver in an online video is a member of its staff.
On August 28, the US Embassy has reportedly admitted that the American in the video is an embassy employee. “The US Embassy can confirm that the subject of this video was an embassy employee who has since departed,” the embassy said in a statement cited by The Times of Malta.
According to news reports, the U.S. Embassy also said Wednesday that the unidentified employee “did not comport with the standards of behavior that we expect from all embassy personnel.”
The statement is not available on the embassy’s website or the mission’s social media sites as of this writing.
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Below is one of four photos posted in Facebook by US Embassy Malta of Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley filming her video message for the Maltese public.
Photo from US Embassy Malta/FB
Interestingly enough, the video message is posted here in Facebook but not in the embassy’s YouTube channel, which has not been updated since Nov 10, 2011.
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