World

April 22, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

Earth Day, one day set aside to appreciate the earth, started as a grassroots environmental campaign that has since grown into a global day of awareness. Cities around the world are holding events to mark the anniversary and long-standing meaning of the day.

SAN FRANCISCO – The 40-year-old muralist stood at the top of the iron stepladder and aimed his spray can at a concrete wall on Haight Street one Thursday morning last November. A few passers-by with cameras tried to get a picture of the painted wall.

Just as America thought it pressed the “reset” button on Russian relations, anti-Americanism has become a central component of the Kremlin’s foreign policy plan.

John Otis and Juan Forero field questions from the audience during a discussion on Colombia at the Inter-American Dialogue.: By William W. CummingsJournalists, diplomats, policy makers and members of various Latin America-related non-governmental organizations overflowed the conference room in the Washington, D.C.

President Barack Obama is expected to urge the American public to have patience with his policy in Afghanistan during tonight's State of the Union speech. The president and administration officials first took the case for a troop increase to lawmakers and voters last December, meeting mixed reaction from both sides of the aisle as well as voters who are depicted by pollsters as increasingly fatigued by the lengthy conflict.

Big Ben, Parliament: Photo by hyku, courtesy of Creative CommonsA unified front concerning the future of the Afghanistan conflict is the focus of an international conference that will be held in London on Thursday. Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the summit last November in hopes of matching the military force with a "political momentum," as troops start withdrawing in 2011.

Volunteers watch for news about the ongoing situation in Haiti.The Haitian Embassy swarmed with activity Wednesday.

A week after a devastating earthquake rocked the small Carribbean nation and caused almost 200,000 in casualties, people from across the area have flocked to the Hatian embassy to offer donations and assistance.

Matthew Henkes returned to his room at the Caribe Hotel in Port-au-Prince after a meeting with the Haitian Minister of the Environment. He was working as a USAID contractor on watershed initiatives designed to double the yield of Haiti’s farmers while teaching them more sustainable agricultural practices. The meeting had been stressful, and he needed to unwind. He removed his dress shirt, emptied his pockets onto the bed, took a deep breath and went toward the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

At the National Naval Medical Center, Rear Adm. Matthew Nathan briefs his men, who're deploying to Haiti aboard the U.S.N.S. Comfort. Photo by Kathryn Yao for the American ObserverThe National Naval Medical Center deployed several hundred soldiers to Haiti on January 15 via the USNS Comfort, a mobile hospital on water with 1,000 beds and medical supplies, to help with the earthquake relief mission.

Christianity and Judaism –– two different religions brought closer to light as the days of December become shorter and darker.  Christians celebrate Christmas and Jews celebrate Hanukkah, and candles play a role in each of their traditions.