Obama Times are tough "but we're tougher"

President Barack Obama called for an end to "Washington games" and for Congressional Republicans to support initiatives to promote job creation benefiting the middle class.

Speaking to a Labor Day rally in Detroit, a city he said had been "to heck and back," Mr. Obama challenged Congressional Republicans to put the country ahead of party.

In a preview of his speech Thursday to a joint session of Congress, Mr. Obama proposed boosting construction and infrastructure projects - and included some finger-wagging at critics. "We have more than one million unemployed construction workers ready to get dirty right now," he said. "Labor's on board and businesses [are] on board. We just need Congress to get on board."
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Hackers 'kill' Obama in I-Day hoax

WASHINGTON: Internet vandals hacked into Fox News' Twitter account and "assassinated' ' President Obama on Monday, but the morbid hoax was killed swiftly in an era of instant communication.

Hackers broke into the conservative media network's Twitter feed and issued a series of six tweets reporting that Obama had been shot to death at a restaurant in Iowa and the shooter was unknown.

One tweet, using Obama's Twitter handle to inform him of his own "death,'' read, "President @BarackObama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds would have proved too much. It's sad 4th for #america #obamadead RIP.''

Another tweet anointed vice-president Joe Biden as the successor, saying, "We wish @joebiden the best of luck as our new President of the United States. In such a time of madness, there's light at the end of the tunnel.''

President Obama was safely ensconced in the White House with plans to spend the July Fourth holiday at a barbecue on the South lawn with military families and administration staffers, followed by a concert and viewing of Independence Day fireworks.

A group connected to the hacker collective Anonymous calling itself "scriptkiddies' ' claimed credit for the attack, mocking Fox News "because we figured their security would be just as much of a joke as their reporting".

In a brief statement posted on its website, Fox News said it "regrets any distress the false tweets may have created' ' and said the hacking is being investigated. The attack is the latest in the series of wanton hacking of corporate and government websites by so-called "hacktivists" .

SCRIPTKIDDIES PLAY PRANKS

President @BarackObama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds would have proved too much. It's sad 4th for #america #obamadead RIP We wish @joebiden the best of luck as our new president of the United States. In such a time of madness, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
for more detail visit timesofindia.indiatimes.com 

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Obama says sorry to Karzai for civilian deaths

WASHINGTON: 
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday expressed his “sorrow” in a video-conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai over recent civilian casualties in Afghanistan, his spokesman said.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama spoke to Karzai for an hour and discussed a number of topics, including the implications of the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a US special forces raid in May.
“The president expressed his sorrow over tragic civilian casualties, most recently in Helmand province,” Carney said. “Both leaders noted that the Taliban are responsible for the great majority of civilian losses, and agreed that every loss of civilian life is a tragedy and undermines our mission that focuses on protecting the population.”
Karzai last week issued a stern warning to the US military to avoid operations that kill civilians, after he said 14 people allegedly died in an airstrike in Helmand.
The International Security Assistance Force put the death toll at nine and apologised, while saying the strike was carried out after insurgents who had earlier killed a US marine hid in a compound and carried on firing.
Western military figures say that hiding among civilians is a regular Taliban tactic when they are being pursued by international forces.
Karzai’s angry reaction to the killings represented the latest sign of tension between Kabul and Washington, at a time when Obama is deliberating over the size of a troop drawdown he has promised for July this year.
Carney said Obama and Karzai also agreed on “their shared commitment to Afghan-led reconciliation, progress on forging an enduring US-Afghan strategic partnership, and transition to Afghan leadership for security.”
Obama has not yet decided on the “pace and the scope” of the drawdown, he said, though added the president would consult Karzai when he has reached a conclusion.


Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2011.

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Obama signs 4-year Patriot Act extension in France

WASHINGTON – Congress on Thursday passed a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. Votes taken in rapid succession in the Senate and House came after lawmakers rejected attempts to temper the law enforcement powers to ensure that individual liberties are not abused.
Following the 250-153 evening vote in the House, the legislation to renew three terrorism-fighting authorities headed for the president's signature with only hours to go before the provisions expire at midnight.
With Obama currently in France, the White House said the president would use an autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president. Minutes before the midnight deadline, the White House said Obama had signed the bill.
Obama said he was pleased the act had been extended.
"It's an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat," he said after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
for more detail visit yahoonews.com

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Obama prepares for royal reception in London

LONDON - President Barack Obama is trading in the charm of a small Irish town for the pomp and pageantry of Buckingham Palace during a state visit to Britain two days at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Obama arrived in London Monday night, a little earlier than planned, due to security concerns on a cloud of volcanic ash blown into Britain from Iceland. The navigation path of the ash forced the president to make a hasty departure from Dublin.

While Obama will tackle thorny issues of foreign policy in the coming days, the opening rounds of his tour of four European countries are all about personal politics made him so beloved in this continent as a presidential candidate and the first days of his term in office.

While in Ireland, Obama embraced the touch of Irish family history, drinking a pint of Guinness with a distant cousin in the village of Moneygall and delivering a rousing speech on relations between the U.S. and Ireland before tens of thousands of people crowded into the center of Dublin.

In London, the president and his wife, Michelle, embrace the tradition and history of the royal family of Britain, which is experiencing a resurgence in popularity after the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known as Princess Catalina .

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