...reopen for up to six months. Until then, the Strait stays nearly closed. The world pays. And no one, including the man who started this, can say when it ends, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
Trump presidency was the first in more than 100 years not to feature a "first dog". Neither President Trump nor his wife Melania owned any pets.
The United States wants India and Pakistan to reduce tensions between them, the White House has said, insisting that the Barack Obama administration would continue to encourage the two countries to improve their ties. "The tensions between the two countries are something that the President discusses with each country when he has visited leaders in India or called leaders in Pakistan. And he will continue to address that and take steps to ease any of that tension," said US.
Having witnessed Barack Obama take over charge as the 44th President of the United States of America, George Bush and his wife Laura departed the White House for a helicopter ride to Texas.
On Monday, the White House witnessed a reception to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which was marked by the rhythms of bhangra music mixed by the effervescent DJ Rekha (Malhotra).In his welcoming remarks, President Obama said to loud applause and to peals of laughter, "I want to thank DJ Rekha who's been spinning a little East Room Bhangra for everybody -- mixing a hip-hop beat with the sounds of her heritage; making a uniquely American sound."
Shekar Narasimhan, a former trustee himself of the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary later this year, told rediff.com that after discussions the Temple chairman, president and other trustees assured that they will do whatever to 'support this historic Diwali ceremony'.
An unprecedented security breach took place at the high-profile 'black tie' state dinner, when a Virginia couple entered the White House uninvited and had a "wonderful time" in the company of President Barack Obama, the first lady, and the Indian prime minister.
The White House has said there is no evidence of a Trump-Russia collusion, hours after the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that it was probing Russia's meddling in last year's presidential polls, including possible links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
Karex, the Malaysian company that makes roughly one in five of the world's condoms -- about five billion a year, supplying Durex and Trojan among others -- announced this week that it is raising prices by up to 30 percent. The reason is the Strait of Hormuz.
Former United States President George Bush returned to his former home, where he shared space with his successor Barack Obama, as his portrait and that of former First Lady Laura Bush was unveiled at the White House on Thursday.
White House reporters were evacuated from the media briefing room in the middle of press conference by the presidential spokesperson Josh Earnest, after law enforcement agencies received a bomb threat call.
President Barack Obama's Indian- American infotech czar Vivek Kundra was on Wednesday 'reinstated' to his job at the White House, five days after he went on leave following Federal Bureau of Investigation's raids at his previous office, in a corruption case related to employees working there.
The president said Trump, who was present at the dinner, has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama's birthplace.
A New York-based Sikh rights group, which had earlier campaigned against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, has launched an online petition campaign urging President Barack Obama to cancel invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
Claiming yet again that he solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, United States President Donald Trump has said that 'no one in history is more deserving than him' of the Nobel Peace Prize, as he criticised former President Barack Obama for getting the honour even though he 'didn't do anything'.
At the black-tie event, Obama satirised everyone from Democrats to Republicans and from media to his potential White House successors, including Hillary Clinton.
United States President Barack Obama will "shortly sign" the Kerry-Lugar Bill on civilian and military aid to Islamabad to which Pakistani Army and its opposition parties have expressed reservations.
Indian-American actor Kal Penn has formally taken up his new assignment in the Barack Obama administration, where he will work as a bridge between the White House and the Asian communities.The 32-year-old actor took charge of his role as the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement on Monday."This is an incredibly historic time, I am deeply honoured to be here and I hope to serve my country to the best of my ability," Penn told reporters.
Clinton, who herself was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, announced her support during a virtual townhall with Biden, a former US vice president. "I am thrilled to be part of your campaign -- to not only endorse you but to help highlight a lot of the issues that are at stake in this presidential election," she told Biden during the joint livestream, according to The Hill.
Two Indian Americans, Pat Basu of Naperville, Illinois, and Sunny Ramchandani of Rowland Heights, California, were among the 2010-2011 Class of White House Fellows, announced by the White House on Tuesday after a highly competitive selection process.
'It is important to realise that the United States looks upon India as the world's largest democracy, as an important and vital ally in a whole host of things -- regional security, global trade, climate change'.
"The president has been quite frustrated, and in some cases even angry, about congressional inaction," he said.
The use of unmanned aircrafts in the fight against terrorism is "legal, ethical and wise", the White House has said, defending the decision of the Obama administration to use drones as a key tool against Al Qaeda terrorists. "We have acknowledged that sometimes we use remotely piloted aircraft to conduct targeted strikes against specific Al Qaeda terrorists in order to prevent attacks on the United States and to save American lives," White House Press Secy Jay Carney said.
As a result, as per the House version of the Bill, the Obama administration must certify that Pakistan has met before releasing $450 million in aid.
"Explore your passions. Learn who you are. Make mistakes -- you are allowed to," said Bush sisters in their letter to Obama girls.
Trump said he was deeply honoured to be joined by so many administration officials and leaders of the Indian-American community in celebrating Diwali -- the festival of lights.
Donald Trump, known for his unpredictable leadership style, divisive rhetoric targeting both allies and opponents, and the only US president to be impeached twice, left the White House on Wednesday with a tainted legacy never seen before in American political history.
Sidestepping Chinese opposition, United States President Barack Obama will meet the Dalai Lama at the White House on Wednesday, a move likely to infuriate China which considers the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader as a separatist.
The Hurricane hitmaker will join John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson, at the 'In Performance At The White House: A Celebration Of Music From The Civil Rights Movement show.'
Kiran Ahuja, the founding executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, has been appointed by President Barack Obama as executive director of the White House Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
"This petition has been archived because it did not meet the signature requirements. It can no longer be signed," the White House explained.
In addition to supporting the president-elect, Klain will work to build a diverse, experienced and talented team to help President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris meet the urgent challenges facing the country, a media release said.
The 77-year-old former US vice president will become the 46th president of the United States, CNN reported, after a victory in Pennsylvania, the state where he was born put him over the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
The announcement in this regard was made by Bill Daley, the new Chief of Staff of President Barack Obama, in an e-mail communication to the White House staff on Thursday evening.
Noting that the Barack Obama administration is keeping a close watch on the Hamid Karzai government, the White House on Wednesday said that the Afghanistan president should not expect a blank cheque in his second term. "I think you heard the President speak clearly at West Point (at New York in December 2009) and since then about the need to take governance seriously; that there was not an open-ended blank cheque for waste and abuse going forward in Afghan," said an official.
Barack Obama and Hu Jintao tried to pretend that they did not have to take any notice of India's invisible presence, but there it was, as an unseen guest and an indispensable factor in their deliberations and decisions, says TP Sreenivasan
The US intelligence community assesses that the Taliban leader Mullah Omar is now dead, although the circumstances of his death is not yet clear, the White House has said.
For the fourth successive year, Guru Nanak's birth anniversary was celebrated at the White House. Scores of Sikhs from across the country attended the event and were welcomed by key Obama administration officials from the offices of public engagement and the Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships respectively.
A Texas man arrested for intruding into the White House was armed with a foldable knife, prompting a comprehensive review of security procedures after two attempted breaches in 24 hours at one of the world's most heavily protected buildings.
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