President Barack Obama plans to observe the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks with a visit to the Pentagon.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters about Obama’s plans on Tuesday. Obama, however, has no plans to visit New York in the eighth year since the World Trade Center was destroyed.
“I believe he will [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Robert Gibbs’
Congressional Oversight Panel Versus Summers, Bernanke and Geithner
August 13th, 2009 |
No Comments
Yesterday’s report by the Congressional Oversight Panel on the bailouts concludes that banks remain threatened by billions of dollars of bad loans on their balance sheets, and more could fail if the economy worsens, and that – if unemployment rises sha…
Philippines mourns Corazon Aquino
August 1st, 2009 |
No Comments
The Philippines has declared 10 days of mourning for its former leader Corazon Aquino, Asia’s first female president, who has died at the age of 76.
Flags are at half-mast and hundreds of people have tied symbolic yellow ribbons to cars and trees.
Mrs Aquino had been suffering from colon cancer for more than a year and recently refused further treatment.
She became president when the 1986 "people power" uprising deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
"Cory remained untainted by corruption up until her last days in office"
Nelson, Long Beach USA
BBC News website reader
Hundreds of people have been visiting her home and the shrine where her 1986 revolution culminated, leaving yellow flowers and lighting candles.
Mrs Aquino’s body will lie in state at the De La Salle Catholic school in Manila from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
She will be buried beside her husband at the Manila Memorial Park in a private ceremony on Wednesday, her son said.
Coup attempts
"Our mother peacefully passed away at 0318 [1918 GMT Friday] of cardio-respiratory arrest," the son, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr, told the media.
"She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and the continuous love and support," he said.
"It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for the country."
Mrs Aquino, who was known as Tita (Aunty) Cory, had been admitted to hospital about a month ago suffering from a loss of appetite related to her condition.
A series of daily masses were held to pray for Mrs Aquino’s health, at least one of which was attended by her former political rivals, President Joseph "Erap" Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos.
Catapulted to the top
Mrs Aquino was catapulted into politics following the murder of her husband, the prominent Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, who had been preparing to run for president.
He had already spent seven years in prison following President Marcos’s declaration of martial law, with his wife as his only contact with the outside world.
Mrs Aquino said of her husband’s death: "What is more important is that he did not die in vain and that his sacrifice, certainly, awakened the Filipino people from their apathy and indifference."
After winning the presidential elections in 1986, she went on to run a country deeply divided after years of martial law and communist insurgency.
She battled several coup attempts against her rule, protected the country’s fledgling democracy and freed political prisoners.
In recent years, she campaigned against former President Estrada, but then reconciled with him to join protests against incumbent President Gloria Arroyo over allegations of vote-rigging and corruption.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and later received several awards and citations for her work to promote democracy and human rights.
Tribute from president
The current president of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, announced 10 days of national mourning.
"Cory Aquino helped lead a revolution that restored democracy and the rule of law to our nation at a time of great peril," she said.
"Our nation will mourn her passing. History was thrust upon her when her noble husband was cut down in the prime of his life, as he fought for democracy and the rule of law.
"She picked up the standard from the fallen warrior Ninoy and helped lead our nation to a brighter day…
"Our hearts go out to the family in this hour of grief and sorrow."
The US President, Barack Obama, has also paid tribute to Mrs Aquino.
His press spokesman Robert Gibbs said she had played a crucial role in Philippines history.
"Her courage, determination and moral leadership are an inspiration to us all and exemplify the best in the Filipino nation," he said.
Are you from the Philippines Did you ever meet Corazon Aquino Send us your comments using the form below:
A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
<p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
US seeks to continue car rebates
July 31st, 2009 |
No Comments
The US House of Representatives has approved extra funding to allow the Car Allowance Rebate System to continue.
Under the scheme, Americans who trade in their old cars for more efficient models receive cash payments.
The programme was backed by $1bn (£600m) of stimulus funds, but has proved so popular that more cash is needed to keep it going.
The House has approved an extra $2bn, and the Senate is expected to vote on the matter next week.
Seeking clarity
US car-dealers have been expressing concerns that they are receiving confusing information about the programme.
Some are unsure whether they should continue advertising the cash payments in case the government is unable to honour its promises.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has assured car-buyers that "if you were planning on going to buy a car this weekend using this program, this program continues to run."
"We are hoping for some clarity from the White House and Congress"
John McEleney
Chairman, National Automobile Dealers Association
But the administration has not made a commitment to continue the scheme beyond this weekend, so Congress is working to free up $2bn in extra funds from unused stimulus projects to extend the scheme.
"We are hoping for some clarity from the White House and Congress before the day is over," said John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Under the terms of the programme, which has been dubbed "Cash for Clunkers", Americans are being offered up to $4,500 if they scrap their old cars or trucks and exchange them for new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Officials projected that $1bn would be enough to fund 250,000 transactions.
They planned for the scheme to operate until 1 November or until the money ran out, but sales volumes have been unexpectedly high, and the funding is drying up more quickly than had been predicted.
No precise sales figures are available but the Associated Press has quoted Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow as saying that some 40,000 sales have been completed through the scheme, with dealers estimating that a further 200,000 deals are in the pipeline.
The scheme was designed to stimluate the US car industry, which has been hit badly by the global economic crisis.
Car sales for the first half of 2009 were down 35% from the same period in 2008, and observers are predicting only a slight recovery during the second half of the year. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
World awaits Obama’s choice in high profile beer sitdown
July 29th, 2009 |
No Comments
U.S. President Barack Obama, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley plan to sit down for a beer on Thursday.
The three men, surrounded by their families, will raise their glasses at the picnic table outside the Oval Office, weather permitting, CBS reports.
Asked if there would be pretzel or [...]
Twitter ‘not banned in White House’
July 28th, 2009 |
No Comments
Popular microblogging website Twitter is not banned in the White House, it has emerged.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was said to have previously said on C-SPAN that rules at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue required the use of the website be prohibited.
According to Mediaite, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said though Gibbs’ comment was accurate but [...]
Fox News Obsesses About Gates Arrest During Exclusive Gibbs Interview
July 26th, 2009 |
No Comments
The White House was hoping that the president’s impromptu address of the Skip Gates saga on Friday would effectively sweep the issue under the rug. They didn’t get their wish.
The first eight questions for White House Press Secretary Robert …
‘Tyranny and corruption must end’
July 11th, 2009 |
No Comments
US president praises host Ghana as model for prosperity and says continent’s era of corrupt ‘strongman’ governments must end
In his first visit to Africa since taking office, Barack Obama said today that the continent of his ancestors must overcome tyranny and corruption if it is to flourish.
Speaking in Ghana’s parliament, Obama said the key to Africa’s future prosperity was democratic and accountable government.
“Development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential,” he said.
In an tough speech aimed at politicians across the continent, he gave an unsentimental account of squandered opportunities since the end of colonial rule. “No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers,” he said.
“No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20% off the top … No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.
“Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.”
Obama conceded that colonialism had left a legacy of conflicts and arbitrary borders. “But the west is not to blame for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.
“Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at war,” he said. “But for far too many Africans conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.”
Earlier, after meeting Ghana’s president, John Atta Mills, Obama praised the country’s record of democracy and economic growth as a rare success in a continent beset by corruption and poor governance.
“We think that Ghana can be an extraordinary model for success throughout the continent.”
This morning, Obama was given a hero’s welcome in the country’s capital, Accra. Thousands of people wearing Obama T-shirts thronged the streets, cheering and waving as his motorcade swept past.
Walls and utility poles were plastered with posters of Obama and Mills, as well as the word “change” – the mantra of Obama’s presidential election campaign. Other posters showed the president and his wife, Michelle, with the greeting “Ghana loves you”.
Obama and his family arrived late last night from the G8 summit in Italy, where the world’s richest nations agreed on a $20bn (£12.4bn) food security plan to help poor nations feed themselves during the global recession.
Speaking in Italy before he left, Obama said: “There is no reason why Africa cannot be self-sufficient when it comes to food.”
The Obamas will visit Gold Coast Castle, a former British slave trading post. Michelle Obama is a great-great granddaughter of slaves.
The visit comes as the US plans a much more assertive policy in Africa, using both diplomacy and the threat of force to end the protracted conflicts in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, which are seen as two of the main obstacles to the continent’s progress.
“This is both a special and an important visit for him personally as president, but also for our country to articulate a vision for Africa,” said Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman.
Despite the enthusiastic reception from ordinary Ghanians, no major public events have been planned during Obama’s 21-hour visit, for fear it could cause a celebratory stampede, as almost happened during a 1998 stop by Bill Clinton.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds