Latest News
 U.S.,
Portugal, Spain Sign Agreements on Crime and Terrorism
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano met
with Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba July 1 and signed
a Declaration of Principles formalizing the Immigration Advisory Program
(IAP) — which allows for the
identification of high-risk travelers at foreign airports before they
board aircraft bound for the United States — at Madrid Barajas
International Airport. The arrangement will help combat the use of
fraudulent travel documents, prevent terrorists and other criminals from
entering the United States, disrupt alien smuggling and promote
cooperation between DHS and the Ministry of the Interior. The week
before, she and Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba signed a Letter of
Intent to
expand science and technology cooperation in order to enhance security
and combat transnational threats. In Portugal on June 30, as part of
her weeklong trip to Europe and Kuwait, Napolitano met
with Portuguese Interior Minister Rui Pereira, Justice Minister Alberto
Costa and Foreign Affairs Minister Luís Amado. They signed a
Preventing and Combating Crime (PCC) Agreement that allows for the
exchange of biometric and biographic data to bolster counterterrorism
and law enforcement efforts in both nations while emphasizing privacy
protections.
 Obama
Announces Major Changes to Energy Conservation Standards for Lighting
President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced June 29
several innovative actions that will
promote energy efficiency while saving billions of dollars annually.
This announcement highlights the fact that clean energy not only makes
environmental sense, but it also makes smart economic sense.
"[O]ne of
the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to make our economy stronger and
cleaner is to make our economy more energy efficient," President Obama
said. The announcement, which takes effect in 2012, includes major
changes to energy conservation standards for household and commercial
lighting. It mainly focuses on General Service Fluorescent Lamps,
commonly found in residential and commercial buildings, and Incandescent
Reflector Lamps, commonly found in recessed and track lighting. "Now I
know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds
enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America
is used to light our homes and our businesses," the President said.
"Between 2012 and 2042, these new standards will save consumers up to $4
billion a year, conserve enough electricity to power every home in
America for 10 months, reduce emissions equal to the amount produced by
166 million cars each year, and eliminate the need for as many as 14
coal-fired power plants."
 U.S.
and EU Hold Talks on Air Services
"Delegations from the United States and the European Community and its
Member States met in Brussels on 25-26 June for a third round of
negotiations on a second stage agreement as provided in Article 21 of
the Air Transport Agreement," says a
joint statement issued on June 26.
"The discussions followed constructive exchanges in the EU-U.S. Second
Aviation Forum on Liberalisation and Labour ("Labour Forum") and EU-U.S.
Joint Committee meeting, which also took place in Brussels, on 22-23
June and 24 June, respectively. Both delegations indicated their desire
to conclude the talks before the end of 2010. The delegations discussed
further proposals on investment, environment, and other commercial and
regulatory matters for possible inclusion in a second stage agreement. A
further round of negotiations will be held in Washington, D.C. In the
week of 5 October 2009 to build on the progress already made. The two
delegations shared the view that, in particular, the social dimension of
transatlantic aviation relations should be addressed as part of the
negotiations." (More)
 Obama Praises Demonstrators’ “Enduring
Pursuit of Justice” in Iran
President Obama says the bravery of Iranian demonstrators as
they face brutality from their government is “a testament to their
enduring pursuit of justice,” and he said
if the
Iranian government wants respect from the international community, it
must respect the rights of its people. “The violence
perpetrated against them is outrageous. And despite the government’s
efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see
it, and we condemn it,” Obama said in remarks at the White House with
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on June 26. The Iranian people will be
the ultimate judge of their government’s actions, Obama said, and their
rights to assemble and speak freely are “universal aspirations.” (Remarks
by President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel;
More)
Updates for Travelers to the
United States
-Passport
Requirements for People Traveling Under the Visa Waiver
Program
-The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) is
collecting biometrics-digital
fingerprints-from non-U.S. citizens departing the United
States from two airports as part of a pilot program.
(Fact
sheet)
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