Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America. The Capital is Caracas. The President is Hugo Chávez Frías. The Country profile , the CIA Factbook, and the history.




United States-Venezuela relations have traditionally been close, characterized by an important trade and investment relationship and cooperation in combating the production and transit of illegal drugs. However since the election of Presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and George W. Bush of the United States and particularly since the Venezuelan failed coup attempt in 2002 against Chavez; tensions between the countries have escalated.


Since Hugo Chávez was elected President of Venezuela, in 1998, the long-standing close diplomatic relationship between Venezuela and the United States have progressively worsened.

Chávez's public friendship and significant trade relationship with Cuba and Fidel Castro have undermined the U.S. policy of isolating Cuba, and long-running ties between the U.S. and Venezuelan militaries were severed on Chávez's initiative.

Chávez's stance as an OPEC price hawk has raised the price of oil for the United States, as Venezuela pushed OPEC producers towards a higher price, around $25 a barrel.[citation needed] During Venezuela's presidency of OPEC in 2000, Chávez made a ten-day tour of OPEC countries, in the process becoming the first head of state to meet Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War. The visit was controversial at home and in the US, although Chávez did respect the ban on international flights to and from Iraq (he drove from Iran, his previous stop).


But at the 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad from April 17-19, 2009 with 34 countries of the Organisation of American States (OAS) to reintegrate Cuba into the Western Hemisphere , President Obama reached out to Pres. Chavez and they shared a friendly handshake at the start of the Summit. The Venezuelan government called the handshake "historic" and hinted that it was the first step toward thawing the chill between the two nations.

"We shook hands like gentlemen. It was obvious it was going to happen," Chavez told reporters after the opening of the summit in Port of Spain. "President Obama is an intelligent man, different from the previous one."

Venezuela said the two leaders spoke of a mutual desire to change the relationship of their countries.

Pres. Hugo has called George Bush the devil and recently called Pres. Obama "a poor ignoramus." This was his response to Pres. Obama. In a January interview with Spanish-language U.S. network Univision, Pres. Obama said Chavez had hindered progress in Latin America, accusing him of exporting terrorist activities and supporting Colombian guerrillas.

But at the Summit, he told Pres. Obama: "I want to be your friend," and "President Obama is an intelligent man, different from the previous one." And he gave Pres. Obama a book.

He also approached Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss returning ambassadors to posts in Caracas and Washington.

Trinidad and Tobago

Caribbean countries are shown in Red







Trinidad & Tobago is in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American country of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. The capital is Port of Spain, but the largest city is San Fernando. The President is George Maxwell Richards, and the Prime Minister Patrick Manning served from 2001 - 2010. Effective 5.26.10, the PM is Kamla Persad-Bissessar . On 3 February 2013, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that the ruling party would nominate Anthony Carmona to succeed outgoing President George Maxwell Richards.

The country's profile . And the history of the country.




President Obama's Opening Ceremony at the Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago



Embedded video from CNN Video





Video link and Transcript


The President at the Summit of the Americas from White House on Vimeo.

Pres. Obama sees positive signs from Venezuela and Cuba

Pres. Obama extends hands to Chavez and Ortega

To Learn from History, Not Be Trapped by It

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez tells Pres. Obama, 'I want to be your friend' and gives him a book.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez once likened former President George W. Bush to the devil. But on Saturday morning, Chavez shook Obama's hand, patted him on the shoulder and gave him a book about Latin America's exploitation by foreign powers.


5.27.10 First female PM, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, sworn in.

Indonesia

Indonesia is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The Capital is Jakarta, and their major religion is Islam . They received their independence from Netherlands on August 17, 1945, but it was recognized on November 27, 1949. The President is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. His term ended on 10.20.14, and Joko Widodo resumed the presidency.

The Country profile , and the CIA Factbook.


Asian Countries






Embedded video from CNN Video





For years, the relationship between Washington and Jakarta has been cool, with the United States worried about Indonesia's track record on human rights, and Jakarta worried about the United States' armed interventions in Muslim nations: Afghanistan and Iraq.


Relations with the United States




After Pres. Barack Obama Jr's mother - Stanley Ann Dunham - divorced his father, Barack Obama Sr., she married Indonesian student Lolo Soetoro , who was attending college in Hawaii. When Suharto, a military leader in Soetoro's home country, came to power in 1967, all Indonesian students studying abroad were recalled, and the family moved to the Menteng neighborhood of Jakarta. From ages six to ten, Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, including Besuki Public School and St. Francis of Assisi School.

In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Armour Dunham , and attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school, from the fifth grade until his graduation from high school in 1979.



7.2.10 'Little Obama' movie opens.











11.9.10 Pres. Obama speaks at the University of Indonesia

North Korea

North Korea is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The official language is Korean.

Officially, North Korea is an atheist state. Although its constitution guarantees freedom of religion in Article 68, the principle is limited by the requirement that religion may not be used as a pretext to harm the state, introduce foreign forces, or harm the existing social order. Despite this constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies, according to Human Rights Watch, religious practice is restricted. Although proselytizing is prohibited due to concerns about foreign influence, the number of Christian churchgoers nonetheless more than doubled between the 1980s and the early 2000s due to the recruitment of Christians who previously worshipped privately or in small house churches. The Open Doors mission, a Protestant group based in the United States and founded during the Cold War era, claims the most severe persecution of Christians in the world occurs in North Korea.

There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. According to Religious Intelligence, 64% of the population are irreligious, 16% practice Korean shamanism, 14% practice Chondoism, 4% are Buddhist, and 2% are Christian. Freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies are constitutionally guaranteed, but religions are restricted by the government. Amnesty International has expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.

The Country profile , and the facts.

The Government is a single-party communist state. The leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son. On 12.18.11 Kim Jong il died . From late 2010, Kim Jong-un was viewed as heir apparent to the leadership of the nation, and following his father's death (12/17/2011) he was announced as the "Great Successor" by North Korean state television.




As a result of North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, there has been a series of meetings with six participating states ( six-party talks ): the People's Republic of China; the Republic of Korea (South Korea); the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); the United States of America; the Russian Federation; and Japan aimed to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.

News & Videos about North Korea

Timeline: North Korea

Talking to Kim Jong II. The world reacts to North Korean rocket launch.

NOTE 4.5.09: The U.S. says neither missile nor satellite reached orbit - the rocket launch failed. Parts landed in the sea of Japan, Pacific Ocean. The matter will be brought before the Council today at 3pm to determine if N. Korea violated any United Nations Security Council resolutions 1695 and 1718.



United Nations is warning N. Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program. Many world leaders are hoping China will step in with a persuasive voice.

President Obama on Weapons Proliferation in Prague, Czech Republic

6.12.09 United Nations Security Council voted to tighten sanctions.

U.N. Resolution 1874 includes a number of measures aimed at stopping North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, including tougher inspections of cargo, an expanded arms embargo, and new financial restrictions on North Korea, curbing loans and money transfers that serve as funding for their nuclear program.

North Korea has threatened to launch a long-range missile in retaliation for new sanctions passed by the United Nations Security Council following its May 25 nuclear test, as well as a series of missile launches. Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, Japanese Prime Minister Taro, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Chinese president Hu Jintao, and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speak on the issue of N. Korea's nuclear weapons.

N. Korea May Launch Missile Toward Hawaii.

They are accusing the U.S. of waging atomic war. They are responding to a meeting between S. Korean Pres. Lee and Pres. Obama reports MSNBC on 6.21.09.

North Korea threatens to harm US if attacked.

Pres. Obama said his administration and the U.S. military are fully prepared for N. Korea. He will not reward "belligerence and provocation."

South Korea

South Korea is a semi-presidential republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It borders North Korea to the north and closely neighbors China to the west and Japan to the east. Korea is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. South Korea is a developed country. It has the fourth-largest economy in Asia. South Korea is at the leading edge of the digital revolution. It is a trailblazer for high-speed and wireless internet services; in September 2008 officials said almost every household had a high-speed net connection.

Its capital is Seoul. The Government is a semi-presidential republic. The President Lee Myung-bak. He ended his five-year term on February 25, 2013, and was succeeded by Park Geun-hye . She is the first woman to be elected as President in South Korea.

According to the results of the census of 2015 more than half of the South Korean population (56.1%) declared themselves not affiliated with any religious organizations. In a 2012 survey, 52% declared themselves "religious", 31% said they were "not religious" and 15% identified themselves as "convinced atheists". Of the people who are affiliated with a religious organization, most are Christians and Buddhists. According to the 2015 census, 27.6% of the population were Christians (19.7% identified themselves as Protestants, 7.9% as Roman Catholics), and 15.5% were Buddhists. Other religions include Islam (130,000 Muslims, mostly migrant workers from Pakistan and Bangladesh but including some 35,000 Korean Muslims,the homegrown sect of Won Buddhism, and a variety of indigenous religions, including Cheondoism (a Confucianizing religion), Jeungsanism, Daejongism, Daesun Jinrihoe and others. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no state religion.

On December 9, 2016, Park was impeached by the National Assembly on charges related to influence peddling by a top aide. Her presidential powers and duties were suspended with the ratification of the impeachment proposal, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed those powers and duties as Acting President. The impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on March 10, 2017, ending Park's presidency and forcing her out of office.

The Country profile .







Pope Francis has celebrated a huge open-air Mass in the center of Seoul to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who were killed in the 18th and 19th centuries for refusing to renounce Christianity. Per Wikipedia, Christianity is South Korea's largest religion, accounting for more than half of all South Korean religious adherents. There are approximately 13.7 million Christians in South Korea today, about 63% of Christians belong to Protestant churches, while about 37% belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The number of Protestant Christians have slowly decreased since the 1990s, while the number of Roman Catholics has rapidly increased since the 1980s. Presbyterian denominations are the biggest Christian denominations in South Korea.





11.29.16: Corruption charges

Prosecutors have said they want to speak to Park Geun-hye after naming her as a suspect in a corruption probe involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil and other aides.

Choi has been in prison for weeks after being indicted on charges of fraud, abuse of power and coercion, accused of extorting millions of dollars from big businesses for her foundations and personal use. Offices have been raided, top executives hauled in for questioning and two of Park's former Presidential aides, among others, have also been indicted.

As President, Park Geun-hye is currently immune from prosecution. Though her lawyers have said she is willing to cooperate with the investigation, this week she claimed to be too busy to meet with prosecutors.


12.9.16: South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.


3.12.17: Park Geun-hye left the presidential Blue House two days after the Constitutional Court issued a verdict removing her from office over a corruption scandal.

Hwang Gyo-an is a South Korean lawyer and is the Acting President of South Korea, having continued in that role following the impeachment and removal of President Park Geun-hye by the Constitutional Court of Korea on 10 March 2017. He had already taken over Park's presidential powers and duties on 9 December 2016 when impeachment proceedings were launched against her by the National Assembly and she was suspended from the powers and duties of the office.

Czech Republic

Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The Czech Republic has been a member of NATO since 1999 and of the European Union since 2004. The Czech Republic is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The Capital is Prague. The official language is Czech.

President Václav Klaus's term ended 3.7.2013. The current president is Miloš Zeman.

The Country profile , the CIA Factbook.



NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports: The President's speech on nuclear weapons took on a more urgent tone as he stated the United States has the moral responsibility to act in ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

President Obama spoke in Hradcanske Namesti Square before he met with a summit of European Union leaders. He spoke about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and his hopes that European nations would join the United States in confronting the threat.





"... Now, one of those issues that I'll focus on today is fundamental to the security of our nations and to the peace of the world -– that's the future of nuclear weapons in the 21st century.

The existence of thousands of nuclear weapons is the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War. No nuclear war was fought between the United States and the Soviet Union, but generations lived with the knowledge that their world could be erased in a single flash of light. Cities like Prague that existed for centuries, that embodied the beauty and the talent of so much of humanity, would have ceased to exist.

Today, the Cold War has disappeared but thousands of those weapons have not. In a strange turn of history, the threat of global nuclear war has gone down, but the risk of a nuclear attack has gone up. More nations have acquired these weapons. Testing has continued. Black market trade in nuclear secrets and nuclear materials abound. The technology to build a bomb has spread. Terrorists are determined to buy, build or steal one. Our efforts to contain these dangers are centered on a global non-proliferation regime, but as more people and nations break the rules, we could reach the point where the center cannot hold............. And as nuclear power –- as a nuclear power, as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act. We cannot succeed in this endeavor alone, but we can lead it, we can start it................ Now, let me describe to you the trajectory we need to be on. First, the United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons. To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same. Make no mistake: As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies –- including the Czech Republic. But we will begin the work of reducing our arsenal. To reduce our warheads and stockpiles, we will negotiate a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Russians this year. President Medvedev and I began this process in London, and will seek a new agreement by the end of this year that is legally binding and sufficiently bold. And this will set the stage for further cuts, and we will seek to include all nuclear weapons states in this endeavor. To achieve a global ban on nuclear testing, my administration will immediately and aggressively pursue U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. After more than five decades of talks, it is time for the testing of nuclear weapons to finally be banned. And to cut off the building blocks needed for a bomb, the United States will seek a new treaty that verifiably ends the production of fissile materials intended for use in state nuclear weapons. If we are serious about stopping the spread of these weapons, then we should put an end to the dedicated production of weapons-grade materials that create them. That's the first step. Second, together we will strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a basis for cooperation. The basic bargain is sound: Countries with nuclear weapons will move towards disarmament, countries without nuclear weapons will not acquire them, and all countries can access peaceful nuclear energy....."

Russia

Russia , officially known as the Russian Federation, is a country in northern Eurasia. It is by far the largest country in the world, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area, spanning Eastern Europe and northern Asia.

The Country profile .



The capital is Moscow. The official language is Russian.

While Russians make up more than 80% of the population and Orthodox Christianity is the main religion, there are many other ethnic and religious groups. The ancestors of many of today's Russians practised Orthodox Christianity since the 10th century.

The president is Vladimir Putin. He succeeded Demitry Medvedev (3.2.08 to 5.2.12).

• KGB , the Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopanosti of the Soviet Union, was the world’s largest spy and state-security machine.


• USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (also known as the Soviet Union) was the new communist state established in 1922.


• The fall of the Soviet Union

4.19.10 Israel Won't Sign Non-Proliferation Treaty : Netanyahu will not go against "long standing policy" and sign treaty.




7.25.10 A Russian Milestone: 1st Black Elected to Office. Jean Gregoire Sagbo last month became the first black to be elected to office in Russia. In a country where racism is entrenched and often violent, Sagbo's election as one of Novozavidovo's 10 municipal councilors is a milestone. But among the town's 10,000 people, the 48-year-old from the West African country of Benin is viewed simply a Russian who cares about his hometown. Sagbo isn't the first black in Russian politics. Another West African, Joaquin Crima of Guinea-Bissau, ran for head of a southern Russian district a year ago but was heavily defeated. Crima was dubbed by the media "Russia's Obama." Now they've shifted the title to Sagbo, much to his annoyance.


Russia's black population hasn't been officially counted but some studies estimate about 40,000 "Afro-Russians." Many are attracted by universities that are less costly than in the West. Scores of them suffer racially motivated attacks every year — 49 in Moscow alone in 2009, according to the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy Task Force on Racial Violence and Harassment, an advocacy group.



12.24.10 START gets initial approval in Russia: The State Duma voted 350-58 in favor of it . The U.S. Senate approved the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, by a 71-26 vote on Wednesday 12.22.10. The U.S. Senate's approval of the treaty gave Obama a key victory on what has been considered one of his top foreign policy priorities.

U.S.-Russia Relations: "Reset” Fact Sheet.





March 2014 Russia-Ukraine conflict: The United States and its Western allies have imposed economic sanctions on Russian officials as a result of Crimea’s annexation. Russia responded by placing travel restrictions on U.S. officials.

Jul 17, 2014: The conflict dates back to before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated this past February, when protests for closer Ukrainian ties to the European Union drove out Ukraine's pro-Russian president,Viktor Yanukovych. He made the decision to suspend the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement and seek closer economic ties with Russia. This began a several-months-long wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Euromaidan, which later escalated into the 2014 Ukrainian revolution that ultimately resulted in the overthrowing of Yanukovych and the establishment of a new government. These events precipitated the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014.



7.25.14 Michael McFaul, a key architect of the reset policy who served as the American ambassador to Russia from 2012 until February of this year, was quoted as saying one of the reasons the reset initiative faded away ” was because “Putin decided it wasn’t in the interest of Russia the way he defines it.” Putin calculated demonizing the United States instead of cooperating would get him what he wanted: an economically and militarily strong Russia that would take its rightful place on the world stage, according to McFaul’s published comments.



8.3.16: Christians in Russia have said they are determined to preach the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission despite tough new laws signed by President Vladimir Putin that ban evangelism outside of churches.



8.4.16: Franklin Graham Moves World Persecution Summit Out of Russia Over New Bans on Evangelism.



10.22.16: The U.S. government has formally accused Moscow of conducting cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee to influence the elections in favor of Republican nominee Donald Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies any meddling. That is just one issue, however, involving Russia where Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton bitterly disagree.



2.24.22: Why is Putin invading Ukraine? Put simply, it appears as if Russian President Vladmir Putin views Ukraine as traditionally part of Russia, and would very much like it back under his country’s control.

London

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. The Capital is London. The Government is Constitutional monarchy (a form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king or queen ). The Monarch is Elizabeth II. The Prime Minister was Gordon Brown (June 27, 2007 – May 11, 2010). Effective 5.11.10 the new PM is David Cameron.

The Country profile .






Videos: Obamas in London

7.20.10 Pres. Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron blasted Scottish authorities' decision to release the convicted Lockerbie bomber last year and agreed on the need to push for a more transparent disclosure of the circumstances surrounding Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi's release. During a joint press conference at the White House they reaffirmed the "special relationship" between the US and UK. In their opening remarks at the press availability afterwards, the President and Prime Minister Cameron spoke about long term growth, long term stability and long term fiscal responsibility.

Their joint news conference: