Trump keeps Obama's LGBTQ non-discrimination policy

US President Donald Trump will keep an executive order issued by his predecessor, Barack Obama, banning private companies doing business with the federal government from discriminating against homosexual, bisexual and transgender employees, the White House said Tuesday.

Trump "is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community," the White House said in a statement. "President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election."

"The President is proud to have been the first ever Republican Party nominee to mention the LGBTQ community in his nomination acceptance speech, pledging then to protect the community from violence and oppression," the White House said.

The statement refuted rumors that Trump intended to scrap Obama's 2014 executive order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace.

The executive order explicitly prohibits discrimination against transsexual employees.

At the time the order was issued, according to the White House, more than four in 10 homosexual and bisexual people had experienced workplace discrimination because of their sexual orientation, and 90 percent of transsexuals had suffered from harassment or abuse because of their gender identity.

Source: EFE

Obama confident Islamic State will be driven from Mosul

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed confidence that Iraqi forces and their allies will force Islamic State to abandon Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.

He acknowledged, however, that the campaign to retake Mosul will be a "difficult fight."

"The start of Iraqi operations to liberate Mosul is another major step forward," Obama told reporters during a joint appearance at the White House with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Monday saw the start of an offensive by Iraqi and Kurdish fighters aimed at liberating Mosul from IS, who have occupied the northern city since June 2014.

"There will be advances and there will be setbacks," Obama said of the military campaign, though adding that "ISIL (Islamic State) will be defeated in Mosul."

"In addition to rooting out ISIL, our focus jointly is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians who are escaping the fight," the president said.

The U.S. and other Western nations, including Italy, are providing support to the Iraqi push to reclaim the city.

Obama pointed out that among foreign countries, Italy is second only to the U.S. in the number of military personnel in Iraq, where the Italians have assumed responsibility for training Iraqi police.

Source: EFE

Obama congratulates Bob Dylan, one of his "favorite poets," on Nobel

President Barack Obama on Thursday congratulated musician and songwriter Bob Dylan, one of his "favorite poets," for being awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature.

"Congratulations to one of my favorite poets, Bob Dylan, on a well-deserved Nobel," Obama said on Twitter.

Source: EFE

Michelle Obama: Say "enough" to Trump for "intolerable" treatment of women

First lady Michelle Obama on Thursday urged all Americans to say "enough is enough" to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's "intolerable" treatment of women, because "this is not normal" and cannot be "ignored."

"This wasn't just locker room banter, this was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior," Obama said at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Source: EFE

Russia's Putin suspends plutonium cleanup accord with U.S. because of 'unfriendly' acts

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday suspended an agreement with the United States for disposal of weapons-grade plutonium because of "unfriendly" acts by Washington, the Kremlin said.

A Kremlin spokesman said Putin had signed a decree suspending the 2010 agreement under which each side committed to destroy tonnes of weapons-grade material because Washington had not been implementing it and because of current tensions in relations.

The two former Cold War adversaries are at loggerheads over a raft of issues including Ukraine, where Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and supports pro-Moscow separatists, and the conflict in Syria.

The deal, signed in 2000 but which did not come into force until 2010, was being suspended due to "the emergence of a threat to strategic stability and as a result of unfriendly actions by the United States of America towards the Russian Federation", the preamble to the decree said.

It also said that Washington had failed "to ensure the implementation of its obligations to utilize surplus weapons-grade plutonium".

The 2010 agreement, signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called on each side to dispose of 34 tonnes of plutonium by burning in nuclear reactors.

Clinton said at the time that that was enough material to make almost 17,000 nuclear weapons. Both sides then viewed the deal as a sign of increased cooperation between the two former adversaries toward a joint goal of nuclear non-proliferation.

"For quite a long time, Russia had been implementing it (the agreement) unilaterally," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists on Monday.

"Now, taking into account this tension (in relations) in general ... the Russian side considers it impossible for the current state of things to last any longer."

Ties between Moscow and Washington plunged to freezing point over Crimea and Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine after protests in Kiev toppled pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich.

Washington led a campaign to impose Western economic sanctions on Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.

Relations soured further last year when Russia deployed its warplanes to an air base in Syria to provide support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops fighting rebels.

The rift has widened in recent weeks, with Moscow accusing Washington of not delivering on its promise to separate units of moderate Syrian opposition from "terrorists".

Huge cost overruns have also long been another threat to the project originally estimated at a total of $5.7 billion.

Source: Reuters

US President Obama: Shimon Peres a giant of the 20th century

The President of the United States on Friday exalted the late former President of Israel to the heights of 20th century greats as he closed tributes at the funeral service in Jerusalem.

Sharing the stage with the flag-draped coffin of Shimon Peres, Barack Obama addressed an audience of world leaders and dignitaries who had gathered at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl national cemetery for the funeral of one the founders of modern Israel.

"In many ways he reminded me of some of the other giants of the 20th century that I've had the honor to meet, men like Nelson Mandela, women like Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth," the American statesman said in a eulogy that lasted almost half an hour.

Obama said that Peres' life encapsulated "the story of the Jewish people."

"A free life in a homeland regained, a secure life of a nation that can defend itself by itself, a full life of a friendship with nations who can be counted on as allies, always... this was Shimon Peres's life," Obama added.

However, the president also acknowledged the presence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the service as a signal that the peace process was ongoing.

The poignancy of Abbas' attendance was captured in a gesture when he was filmed shaking hands with current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a funeral that prompted the biggest security operation in the country's history.

Around 8,000 security agents were deployed onto the streets of Jerusalem to ensure that proceedings would not be hindered amid heightened tension in the region.

Netanyahu and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin also gave personal eulogies at the funeral of Peres.

The late Israeli statesman was described by PM Netanyahu as a "great man of Israel" and a "great man of the world," adding that the world should find hope in his legacy.

Rivlin, who opened the testimonies, said that not only was Peres blessed to have served as both prime minister and president of Israel, but that the country itself was blessed to have been served by Peres.

"People came from near and far to pay tribute to you. All over the world, people will miss you. We here, already do," Rivlin said.

Also in attendance at the Mount Herzl funeral were former US President Bill Clinton, who also spoke at the eulogy, King Felipe VI of Spain and the presidents of Mexico, Germany and France; Enrique Peña Nieto, Joachim Gauck and Francois Hollande, respectively.

The prime ministers of Italy, Matteo Renzi, and Canada, Justin Trudeau, attended as well, as did Prince Charles of Wales.

In a career spanning over six decades, Peres has occupied virtually every major political office in Israel.

He was president from 2007-2014, served twice as prime minister, has represented five political parties in the Knesset (Parliament) and held 12 ministerial positions since he entered politics in the 1950s.

Following the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1994, Peres, as foreign minister, received the Nobel Peace Prize together with then-Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Arafat.

News of Peres' death was announced on Wednesday, two weeks after the former statesman suffered a stroke.

Source: EFE

Obama recommits to peace pact in Middle East as tribute to Peres

United States President Barack Obama reiterated Wednesday his commitment to a peace pact between the Israelis and the Palestinians as a tribute to his "friend" Shimon Peres, who died Wednesday aged 93 years after suffering a stroke.

"Tonight, I can think of no greater tribute to his life than to renew our commitment to the peace that we know is possible," Obama said in a statement in which he called Peres the "essence" of Israel.

Source: EFE

Obama hits campaign trail for Clinton

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday hit the campaign trail on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee - and his former secretary of state - Hillary Clinton, going on to harshly criticize her Republican rival, Donald Trump.

"I could not be prouder of the leader we have nominated to take my place. So even though I've run my last campaign, I'm going to work as hard as I can this fall to elect Hillary Clinton as our next president," said Obama in a speech before the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Obama showed up at a campaign rally almost like a teen pop star to shouts of "I love you" from attendees, although Clinton was not on hand, given that she is still recovering from a fainting spell last Sunday caused by pneumonia and becoming overheated at a 9/11 memorial ceremony.

"I am really into electing Hillary Clinton. This is not me going through the motions here," Obama said at the rally. "Sometimes folks are kind of surprised by that because they remember, man, you guys had a tough (presidential primaries) fight eight years ago. Every time I thought I was ahead, it was like climbing up the ... steps" in the movie "Rocky."

He also said that the measures he had taken during his administration are having results, but "everybody" knew that change was not going to come overnight and could not be accomplished in just one presidency, and so now he is working to elect Clinton to carry on his work.

"We have one candidate who ... has more qualifications than pretty much anyone who has ever run for this job," he said, going on to contrast the vision of a "steady and true" Clinton presidency with Trump, who he said "isn't fit in any way, shape or form to represent this country abroad and be its commander in chief."

"I keep on reading ... that Trump's got support from working folks. Really? This is the guy you want to be championing working people? The guy who spent 70 years on this earth showing no concern for working people?" said the president.

"He wasn't going to let you on his golf course, He wasn't going to let you buy into his condo. And now he wants to be your champion?" he asked.

Voter surveys continue to show Clinton is leading Trump in Pennsylvania, considered to be a crucial state in the November election and which in the last six presidential contests has gone for the Democrats.

Trump was also scheduled to campaign in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, hoping to garner votes from those who are discontented with the country's industrial reconversion and manufacturing crisis, which has economically displaced many middle class families.

The president said that Trump's brand of conservatism is very different from that of President Ronald Reagan. "(Reagan) called America a shining city on a hill. Donald Trump calls it a divided crime scene," he remarked, adding that the mogul's campaign is "not offering serious solutions. They're just fanning resentment and blame and anger and hate. And that is not the America we know."

He also noted that Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and is "saying (Putin is) a strong leader because he invades smaller countries, jails his opponents, controls the press, and drives his economy into a long recession."

On the other hand, he said he saw firsthand how Clinton - as secretary of state - lobbied in favor of the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden, opened diplomatic channels and promoted democracy, worked tirelessly and flew all over the world in pursuit of U.S. foreign policy goals.

Source: EFE

Rússia espera que Putin e Obama falem sobre Síria no G20

Os presidentes da Rússia, Vladimir Putin, e dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, não programaram uma reunião bilateral na cúpula do G20 que começa neste fim de semana na China, mas é provável que aproveitem a reunião para, pelo menos, falarem sobre a Síria, disse nesta quarta-feira o porta-voz do Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov.

"Não está prevista uma reunião, mas acreditamos que é muito provável que Putin e Obama tenham a oportunidade de conversar durante a cúpula. De uma forma ou de outra, está claro que ambos vão trocar opiniões sobre o assunto sírio", disse Peskov em entrevista coletiva.

Apesar de todas as diferenças que os dois líderes mantêm sobre o presente e o futuro da Síria, Rússia e Estados Unidos vêm cooperando como nunca neste assunto nas últimas semanas, tanto para coordenar suas operações no terreno, como para assentar o caminho para a paz no país árabe.

Os dois países negociam no mais alto nível um cessar-fogo durável na Síria, mas não foram capazes até agora de coincidir em quais milícias armadas sírias pertencem à oposição moderada e quais fazem parte de organizações terroristas.

O governo americano reconheceu que os jihadistas da Frente al Nusra lutam ao lado da oposição moderada em Aleppo e prometeu separar seus aliados dos terroristas, mas também acusou o regime sírio de Bashar al Assad, que é um aliado da Rússia, de bombardear a população civil e exigiu o fim desses ataques.

A Rússia, por sua vez, defende que a operação militar em Aleppo, a segunda cidade mais importante do país, tem objetivos humanitários e denuncia que parte da oposição armada apoiada pelos EUA se nega a respeitar o cessar-fogo e prefere lutar lado a lado com os terroristas.

Fonte: EFE

Juiz barra política de transgêneros de Obama

Um juiz norte-americano barrou uma orientação do governo do presidente dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, segundo a qual alunos transgêneros de escolas públicas devem ter o direito de usar os banheiros de sua escolha, emitindo uma injunção de caráter nacional solicitada por um grupo de 13 Estados liderado pelo Texas.

Reed O'Connor, juiz do Distrito Norte do Texas, disse em uma decisão emitida no final do domingo que o governo Obama não seguiu os procedimentos devidos de divulgação e comentário ao lançar as diretrizes, que afirmou contradizerem os textos legislativos e regulatórios existentes.

O'Connor, indicado pelo ex-presidente republicano George W. Bush, disse que as diretrizes dos réus, que incluem os Departamentos de Educação e Justiça dos EUA, são legislativas e substantivas.

"Embora os réus tenham caracterizado as diretrizes como explicativas, acontecimentos pós-orientação e seu efeito legal concreto provam que são 'compulsórias por natureza'", escreveu.

O escritório do Procurador-Geral do Texas, Ken Paxton, um republicano que processa o governo Obama com frequência, disse estar satisfeito com a decisão contra um "abuso de poder federal ilegal".

Advogados do Departamento de Justiça tentaram derrubar a injunção, argumentando que as diretrizes federais emitidas em maio não são obrigatórias nem têm consequências legais.

A diretriz divulgada pelos Departamentos de Educação e Justiça disse que as escolas públicas devem permitir que os alunos transgêneros utilizem banheiros, vestiários e outras instalações de uso íntimo que correspondem à sua identidade de gênero, e não ao seu gênero de nascimento, ou lidar com a perda de fundos federais.

Conforme a injunção, o governo Obama está proibido de obrigar a adoção das diretrizes "contra os demandantes e suas respectivas escolas, conselhos escolares e outras instituições públicas do setor educativo", escreveu O'Connor.

Na esteira de conquistas marcantes dos direitos dos gays, como a legalização nacional do casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo em 2015, os direitos dos transgêneros vêm se tornando cada vez mais um pomo da discórdia nos EUA, e o uso de banheiros públicos está sendo um dos principais elementos da polêmica.

Fonte: REUTERS

President Obama: a smooth Brexit process is in everyone's interest

President of the United States, Barack Obama, urged on Friday that the British exit from the European Union be a smooth transition amid warnings from the European Council that brexit will have serious geopolitical consequences.

Speaking prior to a NATO Summit scheduled to last until Saturday, Obama spoke of the strength and importance of the US-EU relationship, describing the bloc as a great political and economic achievement that must be preserved.

Source: EFE

Obama signs law to restructure Puerto Rico's debt

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday signed the so-called "Promesa" law establishing a route for restructuring Puerto Rico's $70 billion debt, as well as forming a fiscal control board to deal with the island's financial problems.

The president signed the legislation in the Oval Office just one day before the Friday deadline for Puerto Rico to make its next debt payment of $2 billion.

"It is an important first step on the path of creating more stability, better services and greater prosperity over the long term for the people of Puerto Rico," said Obama, while acknowledging that there is still more work to do.

Attending the signing was Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

Obama said that the law is not "perfect" but it does move in the right direction and gives Puerto Rico the chance both to resolve the uncertainty regarding its debt and to begin growing economically again.

The president noted that Puerto Ricans have suffered one of the worst financial and fiscal crises in memory.

He said that because of the U.S. commonwealth's inability to restructure its debt hospitals and ambulance services had become unable to operate, basic services had been suspended and government workers had not been paid.

He promised to keep working to make Puerto Rico's economy sustainable over the long term and emphasized that his administration is committed to providing Puerto Ricans with the help they need.

Under the new law, the fiscal supervisory board may annul any law passed by the island's government that it deems to be in violation of "Promesa," and it may force local authorities to sell assets, merge agencies and lay off government workers to keep costs under control.

For these and other reasons, some senators, including Democrat Robert Menendez and independent Bernie Sanders, have called the law "colonialist" and "interventionist" and have opposed it.

Source: EFE

Nuclear terrorist attack would 'change our world', says Obama

The world has taken "concrete" steps to prevent nuclear terrorism, he told the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

But the so-called Islamic State (IS) obtaining a nuclear weapon is "one of the greatest threats to global
security," he added.

More than 50 nations are represented at the summit.

IS has already used chemical weapons in Syria.

"There is no doubt that if these mad men ever got their hands on a nuclear bomb or nuclear material, they would certainly use it to kill as many people as possible," he said.

"The single most effective defence against nuclear terrorism is fully securing this material so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands in the first place."

He said the world cannot be "complacent" and must build on its progress in slowing the stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

Mr Obama hailed his own nuclear agreement with Iran, which has been criticised by Republicans and other groups for the sanctions relief it provides. He called it a "substantial success".

"This is a success of diplomacy that hopefully we will be able to copy in the future," he said.

World leaders convening in Washington for the summit expressed concern about North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, and Russia's lack of attendance exemplified the struggle of worldwide unity on preventing nuclear attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to attend the summit, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan cancelled his trip after the deadly bombing in Lahore. Both countries are nuclear-armed.

Source: BBC

Hollande pedirá a Obama e Putin uma coalizão única contra EI

O presidente da França, François Hollande, reivindicou nesta segunda-feira a criação de uma "única coalizão internacional" contra o Estado Islâmico (EI), para o que se reunirá nos próximos dias com os presidentes dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, e da Rússia, Vladimir Putin.

Em discurso no Palácio de Versalhes perante o parlamento reunido de forma extraordinária em sessão bicameral, Hollande assinalou que seu país pedirá uma reunião "no prazo mais breve" do Conselho de Segurança da ONU para aprovar uma resolução contra o EI.

"Até então, a França intensificará suas operações" na Síria, disse, acrescentando que a incorporação do porta-aviões Charles de Gaulle aos bombardeios, a partir de 18 de novembro, "triplicará nossas capacidades operativas".

Em um discurso repleto de medidas e anúncios, o presidente francês explicou que deu instruções a seu ministro da Defesa, Jean-Yves Le Drian, para que peça a seus colegas da União Europeia (UE) que quando um Estado-membro seja agredido "todos os demais" o ajudem.

"A Síria se transformou na maior fábrica de terroristas", declarou em seu discurso, de pouco mais de meia hora de duração.

Hollande considerou "vital" que a Europa acolha os imigrantes que pedem asilo, mas também pediu "controles sistemáticos e coordenados" nas fronteiras da UE e reivindicou a aprovação do arquivo europeu de passageiros aéreos (PNR) antes do final de ano.

Fonte:Exame/Abril

Putin responsabiliza EUA por crise de refugiados na Europa

Vladimir Putin: "Nós na Rússia, já previmos há vários anos problemas de envergadura se nossos parceiros ocidentais seguissem com essa sua política externa errônea, sobretudo nas regiões do mundo muçulmano"
O presidente da Rússia, Vladimir Putin, responsabilizou os Estados Unidos e a sua política no Oriente Médio pela avalanche de refugiados que chega atualmente à Europa.

"A Europa segue às cegas essa política (dos EUA) no marco de seus compromissos de aliados e depois arca com todo o peso" das consequências, disse Putin nesta sexta-feira aos jornalistas durante o Fórum Econômico de Vladivostok.

O presidente russo comentou que vê "com perplexidade como alguns meios de comunicação americanos criticam à Europa por uma excessiva, segundo eles, crueldade com os imigrantes", enquanto os próprios EUA não sofrem a avalanche de refugiados de países em guerra no Oriente Médio, na Ásia Central e no norte da África.

"A crise (de refugiados) era de se esperar. Nós na Rússia, e esse humilde servidor, já previmos há vários anos problemas de envergadura se nossos parceiros ocidentais seguissem com sua política externa errônea, sobretudo nas regiões do mundo muçulmano", lembrou Putin.

O chefe do Kremlin reiterou que essa política realizada até hoje pelo Ocidente pretende impor seus valores e padrões nessas regiões sem levar em conta suas peculiaridades históricas, religiosas, nacionais e culturais.

A primeira coisa que é preciso fazer para resolver o problema dos refugiados, segundo Putin, "é lutar juntos contra o terrorismo e os extremismos de todo tipo, principalmente nos países com problemas".

Putin reforçou que a Rússia quer impulsionar a criação de uma coalizão internacional para combater os jihadistas do Estado Islâmico (EI), uma proposta que já fez ao presidente americano, Barack Obama, e também a vários líderes do mundo árabe.

"Apesar de ser impossível hoje em dia que todos os países interessados em lutar contra o terrorismo se organizem no campo de batalha, seria preciso conseguir pelo menos uma coordenação entre eles", advertiu Putin em alusão à recusa do Ocidente, da Arábia Saudita e da oposição síria em lutar junto às tropas do presidente Bashar al Assad.

Enquanto Moscou considera que uma coalizão militar que una o regime de Damasco com sua oposição na luta contra um inimigo comum impulsionará o processo político na Síria, Washington se propôs a estender seus ataques aéreos às tropas de Assad se estas atacarem as milícias apoiadas pelo Ocidente.

A Rússia reiterou em muitas ocasiões suas críticas às potências ocidentais por minar as posições de Damasco, alegando que essa estratégia apenas debilitará a capacidade das autoridades sírias de fazer frente à ameaça do EI.

Fonte: http://exame.abril.com.br/mundo/noticias/putin-responsabiliza-eua-por-crise-de-refugiados-na-europa