Expanded bilateral meeting with Aquino and Obama
Watch Rappler #39;s full coverage of the first day of Obama #39;s visit here: http://rplr.co/obamainph In this video, the beginning of the expanded bilateral meeting with President Aquino.
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Expanded bilateral meeting with Aquino and Obama - Video
Seeking to ratchet up pressure on Vladimir Putin, President Barack Obama said the United States will levy new sanctions Monday on Russian individuals and companies in retaliation for Moscow's alleged provocations in Ukraine.
Obama said the targets of the sanctions would include high-technology exports to Russia's defense industry. The full list of targets will be announced by officials in Washington later Monday and are also expected to include wealthy individuals close to Putin, the Russian president.
"The goal here is not to go after Mr. Putin personally," Obama said. "The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions that he's engaging in could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul."
Obama announced the sanctions during a news conference in the Philippines, his final stop on a four-country Asia swing. The president has been building a case for this round of penalties throughout his trip, both in his public comments and in private conversations with European leaders.
The new sanctions are intended to build on earlier U.S. and European visa bans and asset freezes imposed on Russian officials, including many in Putin's inner circle, after Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine last month.
White House officials say they decided last week to impose additional penalties after determining that Russia had not lived up to its commitments under a fragile diplomatic accord aimed at easing the crisis in Ukraine. But the U.S. held off on implementing the sanctions in order to coordinate its actions with the European Union, which could also announce new penalties as early as Monday.
The failed diplomatic agreement reached in Geneva just over a week ago called on the Kremlin to use its influence to get pro-Russian insurgents to leave the government buildings they have occupied in eastern Ukraine. But those forces have not only balked at leaving those buildings, but have also stepped up their provocations, including capturing European military observers who were paraded by the militants before the media Sunday.
Despite the deteriorating situation, Obama said Russia still has the opportunity to resolve the Ukraine crisis through a diplomatic path. But he voiced pessimism about whether the new sanctions package would be enough to change Putin's calculus.
"We don't yet know whether it's going to work," he said.
European diplomats were set to meet in Brussels Monday to discuss slapping asset freezes and travel bans on more officials associated with Russia's actions on Ukraine. The EU has so far sanctioned 33 individuals over the Crimea annexation.
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Obama: US to Levy New Russia Sanctions Monday
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President Barack Obama is sending his deepest condolences to those affected by a deadly tornado that ripped through Arkansas.
Obama says he wants everyone affected to know that the federal government is on the ground to help. He says the Federal Emergency Management Agency will work with local officials.
Obama says, quote, "Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild, as long as it takes."
The president is also praising the heroic efforts of first responders and neighbors.
A broad tornado killed at least 11 when it sliced through suburbs in Arkansas on Sunday at the start of the U.S. tornado season. Another person died in Oklahoma.
Obama spoke at a joint news conference with Philippine President Benigno Aquino while traveling in Asia.
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Obama Pledges Federal Help After Deadly Tornado
Reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
But Obama also said he thinks such remarks from ignorant folks draw outrage because theyre so out of sync with the American self-concept.
Weve made enormous strides, but youre going to continue to see this percolate up every so often, Obama said. Americans have to be clear and steady in denouncing such comments, he said, but should also remain hopeful that part of why some statements like this stand out so much is because there has been this shift in how we view ourselves.
Sterling has stirred anger after allegedly making derogatory remarks about black people in an audio recording released by celebrity gossip site TMZ. In it, a man identified as Sterling criticizes his girlfriend for posting on Instagram a picture of herself with Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people," the man says in the recording. He later adds, "I'm just saying, in your Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself walking with black people.
Obama commented on the statements when asked about them during a press conference in Malaysia, a country of multiple ethnic groups that wrestles with its own issues of diversity.
Like Malaysia, we constantly have to be on guard against racial attitudes that divide us rather than embracing our diversity as a strength, Obama said. We have to make sure that we stay on top of it.
Obama said he is confident that the National Basketball Assn.commissioner will address the situation on behalf of a league that he said is beloved by fans all across the country.
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Obama decries 'racist' remarks attributed to Donald Sterling
Islam, Interfaith, Environment, Pope, Obama- end times deception! - Prophecy in the News Apr 26 2014
There are MAJOR end times deceptions surrounding Islam, interfaith, environment, the Pope, and Obama. The excuses of "Interfaith" and that of "Saving the environment" /"Sustainable development"...
By: Purvigiggle
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Islam, Interfaith, Environment, Pope, Obama- end times deception! - Prophecy in the News Apr 26 2014 - Video