Washington: President Barack Obama is wishing for a "speedy recovery" for ailing former South African President Nelson Mandela. The 94-year-old Mandela is currently in a Johannesburg hospital, receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection.
White House spokesman Jay Carney says Obama, the first lady and everyone at the White House are concerned about Mandela's health. Carney says they all wish Mandela a "speedy recovery."
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to depart at the end of June on a three-country trip to Africa, including a visit to South Africa. Other stops are scheduled for Senegal and Tanzania. Obama and Mandela met when Obama was a US senator. Michelle Obama met Mandela when she travelled to South Africa on her own in 2011.
...
more
01:42 AM, Jun 12, 2013
Washington: President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate longtime adviser Jason Furman to be his new chief White House economist, an administration official said. Furman, who will replace economist Alan Krueger as chair of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), has a Ph.D in economics from Harvard University and has advised Obama since his 2008 election campaign. Furman has been instrumental in formulating administration policies on taxes, the...
04:39 PM, Jun 10, 2013
Jackson (US): A man has pleaded not guilty to sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama, a US senator and a local judge. The plea was made in a court filing on Tuesday on behalf of James Everett Dutschke of Tupelo. Dutschke is charged with sending the poison-tainted letters on April 8 to Obama, US Sen. Roger Wicker and Lee County Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland. Dutschke had been scheduled...
07:58 AM, Jun 06, 2013
Washington: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has no role in the future of the war-torn country and he has no other option but to go, the US has said. "We have said that Assad must go and that there is no future for him in Syria. That is not just our opinion, but that is the will of the Syrian people that they've made clear, and that is for a variety...
01:30 PM, Jun 01, 2013
Washington: A suspicious letter similar to the one sent to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been intercepted at the White House mail room, a media report said Thursday. Citing a report by CBS News, Xinhua said authorities intercepted the letter addressed to President Barack Obama that may have been contaminated with the deadly toxin ricin. Federal law enforcement officials said the letter was being tested for ricin. It was...
11:43 PM, May 30, 2013
Pakistan: Pakistani Taliban terrorists have chosen a new deputy commander to replace their previous second-in-command who was killed in a US drone strike in the North Waziristan region, sources in the terrorist group said on Thursday. The previous deputy commander, Wali-ur-Rehman, was killed in an attack by a missile-firing US drone aircraft in the terrorist stronghold of North Waziristan, on northwest Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Pakistani security officials...
04:55 PM, May 30, 2013
Washington: Highlighting the achievements of immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs, the White House on Wednesday presented three Indian-Americans with prestigious Champions of Change awards. The three Indian Americans among the 11 recipients are Shradha Agarwal from Chicago, Riddhiman Das from Kansas, and Amar Sawhney from Massachusetts. The Indian-Americans and others were felicitated at the "Champions of Change" event at the White House that highlighted immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs - the best...
12:46 AM, May 30, 2013
Washington: A top White House adviser insisted President Barack Obama learned that the federal tax collection agency had targeted conservative groups only "when it came out in the news" while Republicans continued to press the administration for answers on Sunday. The Obama administration has also been forced on the defensive over its handling of last September's terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans,...
09:20 PM, May 19, 2013
Washington: The police officer who risked his life to save victims of the Wisconsin Gurdwara shootout in 2012 was honoured by US President Barack Obama at a White House award ceremony. Six people were shot dead while three others injured when gunman Wade Michael Page went on a shooting rampage in August, 2012. The toll could have been much higher if not for Lieutenant Brian Murphy of the Oak Creek...
11:16 AM, May 12, 2013
Washington: Reporters and photographers were temporarily evacuated from the West Wing of the White House on Saturday morning as an electrical problem set off a smoke alarm. The First Family was not affected, a White House official said. "Early this morning, an electrical transformer near the West Wing malfunctioned and set off a smoke alarm in the West Wing. The transformer problem was quickly resolved," the official said. "Electricity and...
08:40 PM, May 11, 2013
Beijing: Internet users in China, a country with a long tradition of petitioning, are appealing to a new authority to resolve grievances and controversies such as the merits of salty or sweet tofu - the US White House petitions website. Created by US President Barack Obama, the online petitioning system was designed as an "easy way for Americans to make their voices heard", according to the website. But he may...
01:32 PM, May 08, 2013
Washington: Emphasising that North Korea has to pay for its recent provocative behaviour, US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-Hye have said that engagement process would be initiated if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear ambitions. "The key is that we will be prepared for a deterrence; that we will respond to aggression; that we will not reward provocative actions; but that we will maintain an openness...
11:50 AM, May 08, 2013
Washington: The US has honoured 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women, including two Indian-Americans, as "champions of change" in recognition of their significant contribution to the community. The two Indian-American women - Aparna Bhattacharyya from Atlanta and Pramila Jayapal from Washington State - were recognised at a White House event on Monday. A passionate advocate for immigrant survivors of family and sexual violence and ensuring they have access...
12:22 PM, May 07, 2013
Washington: Marking the community's heritage month this May, the White House has announced to honour 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women including two Indian-Americans as "champions of change" in recognition of their significant contribution to the community. The two Indian-American women to be recognised next week by the White House are Aparna Bhattacharyya from Atlanta and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state. They would be recognised along with 13...
07:59 AM, Apr 30, 2013
U.S. President Barack Obama poked fun at the media, his critics and himself on Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a star-filled event where journalists and celebrities mixed with the Washington elite. Joined at the dinner by his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, the president gently knocked Republicans for not working with him on policy priorities and made a rare reference to his race when urging the...
11:23 AM, Apr 29, 2013
Washington: US President Barack Obama has poked fun on himself about his young "Muslim Socialist" background and even copied his popular wife Michelle's new hairstyle to boost his image in his second innings at the White House. Obama stepped to the podium at the 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner as DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" played as an introduction and told the audience, "Rush Limbaugh warned you about...
04:40 PM, Apr 28, 2013
US President Barack Obama was at his funniest best at the White House Correspondents Dinner. While poking fun at himself, he spoke about getting bangs like First Lady Michelle Obama. ...
04:01 PM, Apr 28, 2013
London: Hackers compromised Twitter accounts of The Associated Press on Tuesday, sending out an erroneous tweet about an attack at the White House. The tweet said that there had been two explosions at the White House and President Barack Obama was injured. The attack on AP's Twitter account and AP Mobile Twitter account was preceded by a phishing attempt on AP's corporate network. The AP confirmed that its Twitter account...
11:46 PM, Apr 23, 2013
Washington: The US President Barack Obama has praised young Indian-American student for her science project at the third annual White House Science Fair here. "We're so proud of you. Keep up the good work," Obama said to 17-year old Meghana Rao from Portland, Oregon, after she explained her project based on 'biochar' (charcoal) to the US President at the annual White House Science Fair in which around 30 student teams...
08:00 AM, Apr 23, 2013
Washington: The United States has become the greatest economic power in the world as discovery, science and engineering is in the DNA of its people, the US President Barack Obama said. "America has always been about discovery, invention, engineering, science and evidence. That's who we are. That's in our DNA. That's how this country became the greatest economic power in the history of the world," Obama said in his remarks...
07:21 AM, Apr 23, 2013
