Cartagena, Colombia–(ENEWSPF)–April 14, 2012. – As Prepared for Delivery – Thank you, President Santos, for welcoming us here today and for your leadership in bringing our nations together. Thank you to you, Foreign Minister Holguin and to the people of Cartagena and Colombia for your wonderful hospitality. I think it’s fair[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 14, 2012.  Earlier today, in remarks at the Plenary Session of the 6th Summit of the Americas, President Obama highlighted his efforts to engage countries of the region as equal partners to leverage connections throughout the hemisphere to improve the lives of people across the Americas. The President[Read More…]

Cartagena, Colombia–(ENEWSPF)–April 14, 2012 – 10:43 A.M. COT PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, first of all, I want to thank President Santos and the people of Colombia for the extraordinary hospitality in the beautiful city of Cartagena.  We’re having a wonderful time.  And usually when I take these summit trips, part of my[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 14, 2012. One of the fundamental challenges of our time is building an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. And as many Americans rush to file their taxes this weekend, it’s worth pointing out that[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 13, 2012. Index for Today’s Briefing DEPARTMENT Guinea-Bissau Situation DPRK Missile Launch/ IAEA/Food Aid/ Security Council Meeting/ Nuclear Testing Regional Relationships/Humanitarian Assistance PAKISTAN Administrator Shah Visit Parliamentary Review/ Drone Strikes Visit of Finance Minister Shaikah INDIA Shah Rukh Khan Delay at New York Airport SYRIA Monitoring Mission/ Ceasefire[Read More…]

NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–13 April 2012.  With at least a million people in need or urgent humanitarian help in Syria, the immediate priority for humanitarian organizations is to obtain unhindered access, especially to people in areas which have seen heavy fighting, the United Nations humanitarian chief said today. “It is extremely important[Read More…]

GENEVA–(ENEWSPF)–13 April 2012.  Four United Nations independent human rights experts today urged authorities in Bahrain to immediately release a human rights defender serving a life sentence handed down by a military court on alleged terrorism-related charges. Bahrain’s National Safety Court, a military court, sentenced Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja to life imprisonment on[Read More…]

NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–13 April 2012.  Despite its failure, the launch of a so-called ‘application satellite’ by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is “deplorable”, Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon said today and urged the country to not undertake further actions that could increase tension in the region. Early this morning, DPRK authorities launched[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 13, 2012.  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today assessed a civil penalty of $50,000 against Frontier Airlines for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities. “The Department of Transportation is committed to ensuring that airline passengers are treated fairly, and passengers with disabilities are no exception,” said[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–April 13, 2012.  Bosco Ntaganda, the Congolese warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, lived for years in a comfortable villa in Goma, rubbing elbows with humanitarian workers, Congolese security officials, and in plain view of United Nations peacekeeping mission. Despite his war criminal status, he has remained able[Read More…]