The Indian Panorama

Tag: Barack Obama

  • Trump signs bill blocking online privacy regulation

    Trump signs bill blocking online privacy regulation

    WASHINGTON (TIP): After his press secretary blasted it as an example of rampant government overreach, President Donald Trump has signed a bill into law that could eventually allow internet providers to sell information about their customers’ browsing habits.

    The bill scraps a Federal Communications Commission online privacy regulation issued in October to give consumers more control over how companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon share that information.

    Critics have argued that the rule would stifle innovation and pick winners and losers among internet companies.

    The regulation was scheduled to take effect later this year, but Congress used its authority under the obscure Congressional Review Act to wipe it from the books.

    With a Republican president in the White House, the GOP-controlled Congress has turned to the 20-year-old law to scrap numerous regulations that Republicans say are costly, burdensome or excessive, many of which were finalized in the closing months of Democrat Barack Obama’s presidency.

    Internet companies like Google don’t have to ask their users for permission before tracking what sites they visit, a discrepancy that Republicans and industry group have blasted as both unfair to companies and confusing to consumers. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said last week that the president’s support for the bill was part of a larger effort “to fight Washington red tape that stifles American innovation, job creation and economic growth.” “The president pledged to reverse this type of federal overreach in which bureaucrats in Washington take the interest of one group of companies over the interest of others,” picking the winners and losers, he said.

    Supporters of the privacy measure argued that the company that sells an internet connection can see even more about consumers, such as every website they visit and whom they exchange emails with, information that would be particularly useful for advertisers and marketers.

    Undoing the regulation leaves people’s online information in a murky area. Experts say federal law still requires broadband providers to protect customer information but it doesn’t spell out how or what companies must do, which is what the online privacy rule aimed to do. The absence of clear privacy rules means companies that supply internet service, and who can monitor how consumers use it, can continue to mine that information for use in their own advertising businesses. Consumer advocates also worry that the companies will be a rich target for hackers.

    Ajit Pai, the agency chairman appointed by Trump, has said he wanted to roll back the broadband privacy rules. Pai and other Republicans want a different federal agency, the Federal Trade Commission, to police privacy for both broadband companies like AT&T and internet companies like Google.

    Broadband providers don’t fall under the trade commission’s jurisdiction, and advocates say that agency historically has been weaker than the communications commission.

    Trump signed three other bills yesterday, including one that eliminates a rule that prohibited the use of tactics like baiting and shooting bears from the air on the National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska (AP)

  • Barack, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal

    Barack, Michelle Obama sign bumper book deal

    New York based publisher Penguin Random House has won the book industry’s most coveted contract: a deal to produce the memoirs of former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

    “The company has acquired world publication rights for two books, to be written by President and Mrs Obama respectively,” the publisher said in a statement.

    The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but bidding for the high-profile double book deal topped $60 million, a record sum for US presidential memoirs, according to the Financial Times.

    The deal was negotiated by Washington super-lawyer Robert Barnett who represented former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

    As part of the agreement “the company will donate one million books in the Obama family’s name to First Book,” a charity, Penguin said.

    Barack Obama is already the author of two memoirs and a children’s book.

    He has frequently declared himself to have a “writer’s sensibility” and has said he does not want to write a conventional blow-by-blow account of his time in the White House.

    Michelle Obama’s memoir is likely to be just as eagerly anticipated.

    A descendant of slaves, she became the first African-American first lady and garnered high approval ratings.

    “We are very much looking forward to working together with President and Mrs. Obama to make each of their books global publishing events of unprecedented scope and significance,” said Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle. (PTI)

  • Redefining Leadership ~ Obama makes way for Trump, and shallowness

    Redefining Leadership ~ Obama makes way for Trump, and shallowness

    America is going through, what historian Arthur M Schlesinger Jr. calls “cycles” in American history, when the tide of action, passion, idealism and reform gives way to seasons of drift, quiescence, hedonism, and cynicism. The cheapness and shoddiness of the moment that saw Americans put their money on a salesman like Donald Trump will peter out. The liberal moorings of the traditional Americans and the innovative and exciting energy of the immigrants would see the Trump interregnum off, without permanent damage to the American soul”, says the author.

    Barack Obama hasvacated the presidency of the United States, the most powerful and still the most consequential office in the world. As his successor, the Americans have opted for a man who has not held an elective office before nor has any record of public service. Modern day advertisement mechanisms and social media gladiators ensure that the winner is deemed to be endowed with all the virtues of a noble ruler; Donald Trump is already being serenaded as a worthy tribute to the American democracy and its capacity for innovation and inclusion. Inversely, the Democrats’ defeat in the race for the White House is seen – both by the Trump fanatics and the liberals themselves – as a repudiation of Obama’s legacy and his leadership. But a fair question needs to be asked: do we necessarily have to lower our standards by which to judge a leader just because Mr. Trump has managed to swagger his way to the White House?Are democracies increasingly doomed to be saddled with skilled demagogues?

    Every nation constitutes itself into a political community, with its own peculiar history and geography, with its own sense of comfort over distribution of power, wealth and privilege, and with its own set of ideals and principles. Every political community experiences convulsions and conflict when the realities of power do not match the professed ideals. The Americans see themselves as having organized the United States into a unique political community, premised on lofted principles of equality, openness and opportunity. Historically the United States benefited, economically and culturally, from the raw energy and enterprise of the immigrant; and, in the post-World War the American political community redeemed itself as it struggled to redesign its civil rights regime in line with its own protestations of equality for all citizens. Post 9/11, the United States took it upon itself to be the global prosecutor for democracy.

    When Obama won the presidency in 2008, his victory was a triumph of the American ideal. The Americans were finally beginning – or, so it seemed – to come to terms with the logic of their own democratic history. A black man had come to live in the White House. A glorious moment that redeemed the uniqueness of the American experiment. And, it was comforting that Obama had won the presidential race not by inciting racial animosities in the manner of a Malcolm X but by inviting the Americans to be true to their own nobler instincts, by offering intelligent and worthy answers to America’s problems, and by assuring the outside world of a moderate, reasonable American leadership. Ironically enough, he is often chided for being too professorial, too cerebral, and too nuanced to be an “effective” leader.

    Was he a bad leader? Obama’s eight years in the White House turned out, at best, to be a mixed blessing. As a matter of fact, this “mixed blessing” is now perhaps the inevitable verdict on almost every leader in the modern democracy; more so in the American political arrangement where the Executive is institutionally obliged to negotiate power and authority with the Legislature. Effective leadership does not easily or automatically accrue to the President. And, it was sought to be denied to the first black President from the moment he walked into the Oval Office. That, of course, is simply politics.

    Yet the basic question that students of democracy around the world have to ask and answer for themselves is: do we need to redefine the qualities we look for in our leaders? Just because a real-estate mogul can successfully tap into the presumed anger and resentment of the white Americans, does the task of leadership stand redefined? Do leaders have necessarily to be crude and corny, always over-eager to appeal to our ugliest and baser instincts? Ultra-nationalists are on the rampage in Europe and there seems to be inevitability about these rogues. Compassionate competence of an Angela Merkel is sought to be belittled, while demagogues are being heard respectfully. And, depressingly enough, the narrative industry is working overtime to rationalize the rise of Trump and other ultra-right leaders in Europe as a justifiable revolt against the elites and their presumed indifference to the masses’ concern. The so-called elites are deemed to have received their well-deserved karmic comeuppance.

    America is going through, what historian Arthur M Schlesinger Jr. calls “cycles” in American history, when the tide of action, passion, idealism and reform gives way to seasons of drift, quiescence, hedonism, and cynicism. The cheapness and shoddiness of the moment that saw Americans put their money on a salesman like Donald Trump will peter out. The liberal moorings of the traditional Americans and the innovative and exciting energy of the immigrants would see the Trump interregnum off, without permanent damage to the American soul.

    While arguments and slogans are necessarily designed to mobilize a section of the electorate in a partisan way, the task of the political leadership is inherently a noble quest, especially in a democratic format. The political leadership imposes a noble burden on a President or a Prime Minister – the burden of pursuit of national interest, even national glory, in a manner that redeems, rather than diminishes, the citizen. Whenever a leader fails to live up to the spirit of that noble burden, his own fellow-citizens end up paying a price as does the world at large.

    We increasingly like to live un-historically. While it may be fashionably easy to castigate Barack Obama’s inadequacies, it would be worthwhile to ponder what would have been America’s – and, the world’s – fate if he had failed to defeat his Republican rival in 2008. America and the world would have certainly hurtled down to the path of one confrontation after another, instigating instability and disorder on a grand global scale. If nothing else, we should be thankful that Obama could roll back the George Bush-Dick Chenny era’s excesses. At home, on Obama’s watch, the United States became a calmer and easier society, even if a lot of Americans did become angrier and wilder. Trump’s success in no way diminishes Obama’s accomplishments. It would be a terrible historical mistake to read Trump’s arrival as historically inevitable.

    Centuries ago Aristotle had hinted at our present-day dilemma: the man or group of men to govern solely for the best interests of the people at large is rare and hard to be found. Democracy, of course, constitutes the best and fairest mechanism to locate and anoint such honorable rulers. And, precisely for that reason, Trump’s victory cannot be used to lower the bar in democracies around the world.

    (The author is Editor in chief of Tribune group of newspapers)

  • Inauguration of the 45th President of the US in pictures

    Inauguration of the 45th President of the US in pictures

    US President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania leave St. John’s Episcopal Church on January 20, 2017, before Trump’s inauguration

    On January 20, 2017, the peaceful transfer of American power took place in Washington, DC, as the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama passed the office to President-elect Donald J. Trump.

    Hundreds of thousands attended the ceremony, gathering in the National Mall to hear the swearing in and Trump’s inaugural address, while groups of protesters clashed with police in some of Washington’s streets.

    President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and their wives then bid farewell to former President Obama and his wife, as the Obamas headed to Air Force One for one last flight.

     

    Au Revoir. Former President Barack Obama waves as he departs the U.S. Capitol
    Au Revoir. Former President Barack Obama waves as he departs the U.S. Capitol

     

  • Optimistic Obama: ‘We’re going to be OK’

    Optimistic Obama: ‘We’re going to be OK’

    WASHINGTON (TIP): In his parting message before Donald Trump took over, President Barack Obama assured Americans that “we’re going to be OK” but vowed to protect US’ “core values” and speak up against issues like discrimination, muzzling of press freedom and rounding up of young immigrants.

    “At my core, I think we’re going to be OK,” Obama said as he concluded his final news conference at the White House. “We just have to fight for it, work for it, and not take it for granted,” he said.

    Obama said he has given his best advice to his successor Trump to whom he passed on the baton January 20. “I have offered my best advice, counsel about certain issues both foreign and domestic,” Obama said, describing his conversations with the President-elect.

    “And my working assumption is, is that having won an election opposed to a number of my initiatives and certain aspects of my vision for where the country needs to go, it is appropriate for him to go forward with his vision and his values. I don’t expect that there’s going to be enormous overlap,” he said.

    He said now his priorities would be to do some writing, spend some time with his two daughters and Michelle. “I want to do some writing, I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much. I want to spend precious time with my girls,” he said.

    However, he said any effort to enforce systematic discrimination, erode voting rights, muzzle the press or round up young immigrants, would cause him to speak out.

    During the campaign, Trump vowed to ban Muslims from entering the United States and deport millions of illegal immigrants.

    After Trump’s victory in the November 8 presidential elections, Obama has met his successor only once, but the two leaders have spoken over phone quite frequently with the last one being reported to be on Monday.

    Obama said it may be that on certain issues, once Trump comes into office and he looks at the complexities of how to, in fact, provide healthcare for everybody-something he says he wants to do or wants to make sure that he is encouraging job creation and wage growth in this country, “that may lead him to some of the same conclusions that he arrived at once I got here”.

    Asked for a commenton his relations with his successor, Obama said: “I won’t go into details of my conversations with President-elect Trump. They are cordial. At times, they’ve been lengthy and they’ve been substantive. I can’t tell you how convincing I’ve been. I think you’d had to ask him whether I’ve been convincing or not,” he said when asked about the details of his conversations.”

  • Farewell, President Obama: A passionate reminder of US liberal values

    Farewell, President Obama: A passionate reminder of US liberal values

    Soaring oratory and strong emotions marked the farewell speech of the 45th US President, Barack Obama, 10 days before his successor is sworn in. The tradition dates back to President George Washington, reflecting the concerns of the outgoing leaders. President Obama, speaking in his hometown Chicago, strongly batted for his legacy, when he said: “By almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place” than when he was elected the first black President of the US in 2008. Expectedly, he listed out his achievements, domestic – tackling recession, revitalizing the automobile industry, creating new jobs – and international – establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba and the Iran nuclear deal.

    What also came through in this elegant address was his worry about the state of the country after a toxic election. “Democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted,” said the US President even as he regretted that “race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society.” Much is wrong with politics in America, from low turnouts to naked partisanship. “I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans,” he said, underlining the need to combat religious discrimination.

    President Obama has reminded the world of liberal values, multiculturalism and economic inclusiveness at a time when narrow-minded nationalism seeks to reverse the gains of the past several decades. He leaves office with a reputation of being an honorable and decent man, untarnished by personal scandals. In many ways he represented an aspirational vision of America, but one that was disconnected from the wide underbelly of the voting public that was successfully tapped by his successor. Obama created history with his election, he made history while in office, and going by what he said at his farewell speech, he may not be ready to become history just yet. He remains a powerful voice that we need to hear.

    (Tribune, India)

  • Four Indian Americans chosen for Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers

    WASHINGTON (TIP): On January 9, President Barack Obama named 102 scientists and researchers including Four Indian-Americans as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

    The ‘Fab Four’ Indian scientists are Pankaj Lal from Montclair State University, Kaushik Roy Chowdhury from Northeastern University, Manish Arora from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Aradhna Tripati from University of California, Los Angeles.

    ‘I congratulate these outstanding scientists and engineers on their impactful work,” President Obama said. “These innovators are working to help keep the United States on the cutting edge, showing that Federal investments in science lead to advancements that expand our knowledge of the world around us and contribute to our economy.”

    Pankaj Lal, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies and associate director PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies, Montclair State University. He undertakes integrative, interdisciplinary research that explores interconnections among society and the environment.

    Kaushik Roy Chowdhury is Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northeastern University and Faculty Fellow of the College of Engineering. He was earlier Assistant Professor in the same university from 2009-2015.

    Manish Arora, B.D.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., is the Director of Exposure Biology at the Senator Frank Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory in the Department of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Arora is an environmental epidemiologist and exposure biologist.

    Aradhna Tripati is Associate Professor. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at University of California, Los Angeles.

    The Presidential Early Career Awards highlight the key role that the Administration places in encouraging and accelerating American innovation to grow the economy and tackle greatest challenges.

    The awards, established by President Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.

  • President Obama delivers Nostalgic and Hopeful Farewell Address in Chicago

    President Obama delivers Nostalgic and Hopeful Farewell Address in Chicago

    An emotional President Barack Obama with the First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia Obama at his farewell address to the nation from McCormick Place in Chicago, January 10, Obama dwelt on the challenges before America’s democracy and sought to give a message of hope to American. “Let’s be vigilant. But not afraid”, he said.

    CHICAGO (TIP): President Barack Obama became nostalgic while delivering his Farewell Address in Chicago on January 10, 2017. Joined by first lady Michelle Obama, daughter Malia, and Vice President Joe Biden, the president credited Chicago for playing a crucial role in his life. “I first came to Chicago when I was in my early 20s, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life’, said Obama. “. It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.”

    Noting the increasing partisanship that marked his tenure as president, Obama warned another threat to democracy was the trend of people becoming “so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions instead of basing our opinions on the evidence is out there.”

    Obama mentioned the incoming president only once by name. “I committed to President-elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me. Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.”

    President Obama delivered his Farewell Address in Chicago on January 10, 2017. Watch it here:

    Here is an unedited transcript of President Obama’s remarks, as provided by the White House.

  • A rite of passage: Obama-to-Trump transition will see a new America and changed equations

    A rite of passage: Obama-to-Trump transition will see a new America and changed equations

    Never has the US seen a transfer of power in the White House as contentious and controversial as we are now witnessing. One has also rarely seen an electorate as polarized as it was during the Trump-Clinton no- holds-barred poll campaign. Many whites in small towns and rural America are now unfit for lucrative employment in an economically globalized world. Industrial production has moved from the US to distant lands like China. Moreover, with the advent of business process outsourcing, US companies are increasingly getting planning, design and even accounting work done in India and elsewhere.

    Donald Trump played on these white voter insecurities, while his rival Hillary Clinton appealed for African-American and Hispanic support, polarizing the electorate further. If Hillary focused on Trump’s sexual misconduct and his paying no income tax for decades, Trump hit back with Clinton’s improprieties in office, of violating official secrecy norms and obtaining financial support from countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar for her family NGO, the Clinton Foundation. The Russians obligingly hacked into sensitive websites, revealing embarrassing information about the inner workings of the Clinton campaign. When Trump won the election amid these raging controversies, despite Hillary Clinton getting two million more votes than him, demonstrations took place, with the media adopting blatantly partisan postures.

    These manifestations of white racist violence and behavior have led to anxiety and concern in the minds of many of the four million Indians living across the US, especially in Republican Party strongholds across the south and Midwest. The Indian community predominantly backed Hillary and the Democratic Party, though two Republican Governors of southern states are of Indian origin. President Trump himself remains an enigma, personally averring that he disapproves of racial and sectarian violence. In an election meeting in New Jersey organized by a group called the Republican Hindu Coalition, Trump condemned the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai and the attack on Indian Parliament. He described the attack in Mumbai as “absolutely outrageous and terrible”. He vowed to strengthen diplomatic and military ties with India while expressing admiration for the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.

    Trump is contemplating drastic changes in US foreign and economic policies. He has been strongly critical of American military interventions in Iraq, Libya and Syria. Though a large number of anti-Semitic bigots backed him, Trump will deal with Israel with even greater care and consideration than Obama. His own high-flying son- in-law, Jared Kushner, is an Orthodox Jew. Trump’s daughter converted to Judaism before she married Kushner. Breaking with the practices of his predecessors, Trump will insist that European NATO allies and Pacific partners like Japan and South Korea spend more on their defense, thus reducing the American “burden”.

    Trump will put an end to the post-Cold-War policy of “strategic containment” of Russia. He believes that Putin’s Russia is a “natural ally” to fight “Islamic extremism”. Trump’s National Security Adviser designate, Lt Gen Michael Flyn, has described Russia as a “natural ally” in confronting threats from “radical Islam”. Progressive easing of sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine and its takeover of the Crimean Peninsula is likely. This message on a new Russia-US relationship will shake both NATO and former Soviet republics ranging from Kazakhstan and Georgia to Latvia and Lithuania. While Trump and Flyn have warned of tough action against Iran, they will face opposition from Russia and China, apart from NATO allies like Germany and France. It remains to be seen if the Iranians cool their anti-Israeli rhetoric. The Americans, Russians and Iranians will, however, find themselves on the same side in dealing with developments in Syria. It also remains to be seen how Trump will deal with the economic and strategic challenges that a growingly assertive and jingoistic China poses.

    Apart from the comments that Trump made, while addressing members of the Indian community during his campaign, he and members of his family have fond memories of their experiences in their business dealings in India. They met a group of Indian realty tycoons on November 11 at the Trump Towers in New York. Trump reportedly expressed considerable happiness about the family projects in India, including the 800-ft 75-storeyed tower in Mumbai, designed to become the highest residential complex in the world. The 17.5-acre project, being designed by Trump’s companies, is said to include residential apartments, hotels, malls and entertainment hubs. The companies are also involved in real estate development in Pune.

    Modi recently told a dinner meeting hosted by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that he looked forward to meeting Trump. South Block knows that dealing with Republican administrations in Washington is much easier than dealing with their preachy Democratic Party counterparts. Foreign Secretary Jaishankar has, however, been circumspect about his meetings in New York with Trump’s senior advisers. But, given the domestic agenda of the incoming Trump administration, its proposed restrictions on outsourcing, could cause problems for our IT exports and for US companies choosing to relocate some of their activities to India. With Trump focused on “Make in USA”, there is likely to be some adverse impact on “Make in India”. With Brexit underway, there will be similar sentiments spreading to other countries. Finally, we need to look at future trends in US visa policies. Attorney General (designate) Jeff Sessions reportedly harbors racist sentiments.

    After the US military strike that took out Osama bin Laden, Trump has been stridently critical of Pakistan. Senator Sherry Rehman, who has been an astute Pakistan ambassador to the US and now heads the Jinnah Foundation in Pakistan, has painted a gloomy picture about the prospects for US-Pakistan ties. She believes that given his rhetoric, the Trump administration will not withdraw anytime soon from Afghanistan, spelling continuing problems for Pakistan. She warns: “Buckle up Pakistan, it’s a rough road ahead.” New Delhi, would, however, be well advised to not get too self-satisfied with these developments. We are seeing the emergence of a Russia-China-Pakistan triangle in dealing with developments in Afghanistan. How this will impact on US foreign policy in the Af-Pak region, given Trump’s inclination to shun foreign military adventures abroad and his aversion to Iran, remains to be seen.

    (The author is an Indian career diplomat)

  • US President Obama meets with German Chancellor Merkel, praises her leadership

    US President Obama meets with German Chancellor Merkel, praises her leadership

    BERLIN (TIP): The world is a lot different than when then-presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke to a euphoric Berlin crowd in 2008. After a visit to Greece, he was back in Germany – first for talks, a press conference and a private dinner Thursday, November 17 with Chancellor Angela Merkel and then a meeting Friday, with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. That Obama and the others are visiting Merkel is a sign of her importance in a world facing crises in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. His farewell foreign visit also comes on the heels of the election of Donald Trump, whose victory has caused shock waves in Europe.

    Obama spent most of his time huddling with Merkel, his closest counterpart who is now Europe’s most powerful leader as the continent prepares for Trump’s presidency.

    She expressed guarded optimism about Trump Thursday, her controlled demeanor barely reflecting an iota of worry about the man who lambasted her as a candidate. She praised Obama for facilitating a smooth transition, and said she was approaching Trump with an “open mind.”

    As her European counterparts face political challenges at home, Merkel has assumed a critical role in transatlantic ties, voicing strong support for Obama’s priorities on climate change, Russian sanctions and economic reform.

    The personal chemistry between the leaders was on display Thursday, Obama winking as he sat for talks in Merkel’s chancellery, and Merkel grinning as she anticipated a visit from Obama in his post-presidency.

    “I’m game!” she said.

    The German leader has not yet said whether she’ll run for a fourth term next year, though her political allies have signaled she will. Like leaders in France, Britain, the US and elsewhere, she’ll face challenges from far-right politicians who are running on an agenda of populist nationalism.

    Obama declined to push her to run Thursday, but suggested he would vote for her if he was German.

    President Obama praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a joint press conference in Hannover. He said he would continue to admire “his friend and partner Angela” as a private citizen, after he leaves office.

  • Donald Trump Transition Team announces Five-Year Lobbying Ban for those who want to join Administration

    Donald Trump Transition Team announces Five-Year Lobbying Ban for those who want to join Administration

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Two top Republicans working with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team told reporters in a phone call Wednesday, November 16 evening that they’re taking steps toward one of Trump’s campaign promises – to “drain the swamp” in Washington.

    Trump communications director Jason Miller and Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer announced anyone being vetted for a high post in the administration must provide a termination of lobbying form if they are a registered lobbyist.

    In addition, when officials leave the government, they will be banned from being a lobbyist for five years as part of the agreement to serve in Trump’s administration. “Not only will people will not be able to registered state or federal lobbyists, but when they leave government, they will be banned from being a registered lobbyist for five years,” Spicer said.

    “Why that is crucial is that it goes back to Mr. Trump’s goal of making sure that people aren’t using the government to enrich themselves and using their service in government to do that,” he added. President Barack Obama imposed a two-year lobbying ban for officials who left his administration, a policy instituted by executive order on his first day in office.

    Any ban on lobbying, however, depends on how it is written and enforced. A common practice in Washington is for key power players not to register as a lobbyist, but instead work as a consultant or adviser – allowing them to take their experience and contacts to make hundreds of thousands of dollars on K Street. “That’s the problem with the system – the system,” Trump said. “We’re doing a lot of things to clean up the system. But everybody that works for government, they then leave government and they become a lobbyist, essentially. I mean, the whole place is one big lobbyist.”

    Trump said relying on lobbyists now while planning to eliminate them later is no contradiction. “I’m saying that they know the system right now, but we’re going to phase that out. You have to phase it out,” Trump said.

  • Obama vows Smooth Transition of Power to Trump

    Obama vows Smooth Transition of Power to Trump

    WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama hosted, November 10, his successor Donald Trump at the White House to discuss smooth transition of power.

    Trump, 70, flew from New York on his private jet and landed at Reagan National Airport, just outside the nation’s capital.

    He broke from protocol and barred journalists from travelling with him to cover his first meeting with Obama.

    The president-elect was accompanied by his wife, Melania, who had a separate meeting with First Lady Michelle Obama. Melania was given a tour of the White House.

    The meeting between the President and the President-elect, originally to last 30 minutes, took 90 minutes during which the two discussed a variety of issues. Obama said his main task now would be a smooth transition of power. Trump was appreciative of Obama about whom he twice said, “He is a very good man”.

    However, nobody missed to notice the lack of warmth between the two who have been fiercely critical of each other. Donald Trump had questioned Obama’s birth in the US and has vowed to show the door to Obamacare, a legacy which Obama desired to leave. And Obama has repeatedly alleged that Trump is unfit to be the Commander in chief of the country.

    No love lost there.

  • Barack Obama’s hits Trump Hard On The 2016 Campaign

    Barack Obama’s hits Trump Hard On The 2016 Campaign

    US President Barack Obama delivered a fine speech while endorsing Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for the US polls this year.

    Obama’s oratorical skills have always been par-excellence but this year has seen some strong words from him. below are some of the best quotes:

    “America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “Fair to say, this is not your typical election. It’s not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice – about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me – to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “America has never been about what one person says he’ll do for us. It’s always been about what can be achieved by us, together, through the hard, slow, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enduring work of self-government.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “We are not a fragile or frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    On November 4, Obama addressed a rally in North Carolina as he urged American voters to choose hope over fear in the presidential polls.

    “I need you to vote. Don’t choose fear, choose hope. Don’t choose fear, choose hope. Don’t choose fear, choose hope. Go out there and vote. And if you do, we’ll remind the entire world why America is the greatest nation on Earth.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “If you believe we’re stronger together, then we can’t elect a President who vilifies minorities, mocks Americans with disabilities, calls immigrants criminals and rapists. Our Constitution does not allow that. There are places around the world that’s acceptable, but that’s not the United States of America.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “If you believe that America is stronger when everybody does their part, if you believe that America is stronger when everyone pays their fair share, then we can’t elect the first candidate in decades who refuses to release any tax returns; admits he has not paid federal income tax in years; somebody who stiffs small business people who do work for him or workers who’ve done work for him and he owes them.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    On November 3, Obama addressed an election rally in Raleigh, North Carolina and said that Clinton is the only candidate in the race to the White House, who has devoted her entire life to the people of America.

    “There’s only one candidate in this race who has devoted her entire life to lifting up that better America – and that is next President of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton. She’s the right person. She’s the right person at the right time.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

    “This choice actually is pretty clear, because the person that the Republicans nominated – even though a bunch of them knew they shouldn’t nominate him – the person they nominated who many of the Republicans he is running against said was a con-artist and a know-nothing and wasn’t qualified to hold this office.”
    – Barack Obama

    ————

  • Barack Obama’s Best Takedowns Of Donald Trump

    Barack Obama’s Best Takedowns Of Donald Trump

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has no shortage of critics. But the most outspoken – and funniest – is arguably none other than President Barack Obama, who has mastered the art of taking jabs at The Donald with barbed jokes. Here are his best takedowns of Trump so far.

    1. Conspiracy-Theoriest-in-Chief

    Obama had a lot of pep during the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner. Earlier that week, the state of Hawaii had released his long-form birth certificate, putting an end the arguably racist ‘birther movement’ led by Donald Trump. The birthers argued that Obama wasn’t born in America, so he was ineligible to be president. But only someone who sleeps in a tinfoil bed could cling to that conspiracy after Obama’s records were released.

    And Obama wanted to share that moment with Trump.

    “No one is happier to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that’s because he can get back to focusing on the issues that matter. Like did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?”

    2. Backing Trump’s Leadership

    At that same 2011 dinner, Obama backed Trump’s leadership credentials.

    “All kidding aside, we all know about [Trump’s] credentials and breadth of experience. For example…on an episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, at the steak house, the men’s cooking team did not impress the judges…and there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. So ultimately you didn’t blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night.”

    3. Weighing in on the Wall

    Trump hasn’t served a day in the Oval Office, but the White House is already having to clean up his messes. Last April, President Obama revealed that he has to spend time discussing the implications of The Donald’s foreign policy with world leaders who are worried about a possible Trump presidency.

    “I am getting questions constantly from foreign leaders about some of the wackier suggestions that are being made,” Obama told the White House press corps last April.

    Those suggestions of course include building building a giant wall along the Mexican-American border wall and to preventing cross-border remittances – i.e. blocking people living in the United States from sending money to Mexico.

    “Good luck with that,” Obama quipped.

    4. The Millennial President

    When endorsing Hillary Clinton last July, Obama suggested that every millennial you know has basically the same presidential qualifications as Trump, who has mastered riling up supporters with his outrageous posts on Twitter.

    “Everybody can tweet, but nobody actually knows what it takes to do the job until you’ve sat behind the desk,” Obama told supporters at a rally in Wisconsin. “I mean, Sasha [Obama’s younger daughter] tweets, but she doesn’t thereby think that she thereby should be sitting behind the desk.”

    He also hammered Trump’s foreign policy credentials while praising Clinton’s work as secretary of state.

    “America is really great,” he told the crowd, countering Trump’s campaign slogan. “Part of the reason for that is because we had an outstanding secretary of state. Part of the reason is that Hillary understood and continues to understand that a bunch of tough talk doesn’t replace the hard work of diplomacy. A bunch of phoney bluster doesn’t keep us safe. And she understands that we can’t retreat from a world that needs American leadership.”

    5. Vetting Trump’s Business Record

    Obama has spent years criticizing Trump’s credibility. But he doesn’t expect Trump will change his ways and start taking things like foreign policy seriously.

    “The Donald is not really a plans guy,” he said at the Democratic National Convention last July. “He’s not really a facts guy either. He calls himself a business guy, which is true. But I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who have achieved remarkable success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers and people feeling like they got cheated. Does anyone really believe that a guy who’s spent his 70 years on this earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to become your champion?”

  • Donald Trump claims ‘everything is rigged against him’, Clinton says

    Donald Trump claims ‘everything is rigged against him’, Clinton says

    WASHINGTON (TIP): After US President Barack Obama said on Oct 20 that Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump should stop “whining”+ , his party colleague Hillary Clinton took Obama’s comment further to say that “every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction, he claims whatever it is, is rigged against him.”

    In the third US Presidential debate today, Trump was asked specifically if he would allow a “peaceful transition of power” in the event he loses the election+ on November 8.

    Trump refused+ to say if he would.

    “..I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense. OK?” he said, grimly.

    Clinton then jumped in to say that every time something goes against him, Trump grumbles it’s “rigged.

    ” You know, every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction, he claims whatever it is, is rigged against him. The FBI conducted a year-long investigation into my e-mails. They concluded there was no case; he said the FBI was rigged. He lost the Iowa caucus. He lost the Wisconsin primary. He said the Republican primary was rigged against him. Then Trump University gets sued for fraud and racketeering; he claims the court system and the federal judge is rigged against him. There was even a time when he didn’t get an Emmy for his TV program three years in a row and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged against him,” Clinton said, laying bare his litany of being a sore loser.Trump responded to none of those instances Clinton mentioned, except the one about his TV show.

    “Should have gotten it,” he interjected about his reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice not getting the US TV Oscars that are called the Emmys.(AP)

  • America ‘needs an adult’ in White House: Michelle Obama

    America ‘needs an adult’ in White House: Michelle Obama

    PHILADELPHIA: Michelle Obama told a diverse and enthusiastic crowd in Philadelphia today that candidates don’t change once they become president and that America “needs an adult in the White House.”

    The first lady never mentioned Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during the rally at LaSalle University.

    But there was no question that she was warning voters that candidate Trump would be the same as President Trump.

    “The presidency doesn’t change who you are, it reveals who you are,” she told the cheering crowd. She referred to several comments Trump made during and after Monday’s debate, including his apparent acknowledgment that he’s paid no taxes some years. Trump said that makes him “smart.”

    “If a candidate is erratic and threatening, if a candidate traffics in prejudice, fear and lies on the campaign trail, if a candidate thinks not paying taxes makes you smart, or that it’s good business when people lose their homes; if a candidate regularly and flippantly makes cruel and insulting comments about women, about how we look, how we act well, sadly, that’s who that candidate really is,” she said. “That is the kind of president they will be.”

    She said the country needs a leader who is steady and measured because when making war-or-peace decisions, “the president can’t just pop off or lash out irrationally. No, we need an adult in the White House, I guarantee you.”

    She cast Clinton as a tough, compassionate fighter who doesn’t back down and who loves her country. “Experience matters, preparation matters, temperament matters,” she said. “Hillary Clinton has it all. She’s the real deal.”

    The first lady was heading to Pittsburgh for another rally for the Democratic presidential nominee later today. Trump’s campaign reacted to Obama’s speech with a statement saying Clinton is in “panic mode” in Pennsylvania because polls show the Republican presidential nominee surging in the battleground state.

  • BLACKBERRY, THE ORIGINAL SMARTPHONE, ENDS PRODUCTION AFTER GREAT RUN

    BLACKBERRY, THE ORIGINAL SMARTPHONE, ENDS PRODUCTION AFTER GREAT RUN

    WATERLOO, ONT (TIP): It’s official. BlackBerry Ltd., the Canadian company that invented the smartphone and addicted legions of road warriors to the “CrackBerry,” has stopped making its iconic handsets, a news report says.

    Finally, conceding defeat in a battle lost long ago to Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., BlackBerry is handing over production of the phones to overseas partners and turning its full attention to the more profitable and growing software business.

    It’s the formalization of a move in the making since CEO John Chen took over nearly three years ago and outsourced some manufacturing to Foxconn Technology Group. Getting the money-losing smartphone business off BlackBerry’s books will also make it easier for the company to consistently hit profitability.

    “This is the completion of their exit,” said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners. “Chen is a software CEO historically. He’s getting back to what he knows best: higher margins and recurring revenue.”

    Chen should be able to execute his software strategy as long as he keeps costs in line and maintains cash on the balance sheet, Gillis said.

    BlackBerry, based in Waterloo, Ontario, gained as much as 7.4 percent Wednesday, September 28, its biggest intraday jump since December. The shares were trading up 4 percent to

    C$10.83 at 12:53 p.m. in Toronto.

    Chen will still have to prove that he can continue to expand BlackBerry’s software business in an increasingly competitive space. 2015 File Photo/The Associated Press

    BlackBerry said it struck a licensing agreement with an Indonesian company to make and distribute branded devices. More deals are in the works with Chinese and Indian manufacturers. It will still design smartphone applications and an extra-secure version of Alphabet Inc.’s Android operating system.

    “I think the market has spoken and I’m just listening,” Chen said in a discussion with journalists. “You have to evolve to what your strength is, and our strength is actually in the software and enterprise and security.”

    The new strategy will improve margins and could actually increase the number of BlackBerry-branded phones sold, Chen said, as manufacturers license the name that still holds considerable sway in emerging markets like Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria.

    “This is the way for me to ensure the BlackBerry brand is still on a device,” Chen said.

    Although BlackBerry’s latest phone, the DTEK50, was already almost completely outsourced, the move is a big symbolic step for a company that once reached a market value of $80 billion. Today, it’s worth about $4.3 billion.

    When the BlackBerry 850 was released in 1999, it married a functional keyboard with email capability and essentially ushered in the modern smartphone era. With a proprietary operating system known for its watertight security, the phones became ubiquitous and extended the workday onto commuter trains and into restaurants and homes.

    They were an instant hit with business executives and heads of state alike. President Barack Obama was fiercely committed to his but finally ditched it earlier this year, reportedly for a Samsung.

    Then, in 2007, enter the iPhone, with its touchscreen interface and app store. People at first said they didn’t want to give up BlackBerry’s keyboard and simplicity. But the lure of apps eventually sent almost all its users to phones running Android or iOS.

    “It was inevitable at this point; they didn’t have the unit volumes to sustain the business profitably,” said Matthew Kanterman, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. “This is doubling down on the efforts to focus on software, which is really what their strength is.”

    BlackBerry shipped only 400,000 phones in its fiscal second quarter, half of what it sold in the same period last year. Apple sold more than 40 million iPhones last quarter.

    BlackBerry said software and services revenue more than doubled in the quarter from a year earlier to $156 million. Still, software revenue was down from the previous quarter’s $266 million, which Chen blamed on patent licensing deals that didn’t carry over into the quarter.

    Adjusted earnings were at break-even, compared with analysts’ estimates for a loss of 5 cents. Revenue in the second quarter was $325 million, falling short of analysts’ projections for $390 million. For the full year, BlackBerry expects a loss of 5 cents or to hit break-even, compared with what it said was a current consensus of a 15-cent loss.

    While investors appear to be relieved that BlackBerry finally threw in the towel on handsets, Chen will still have to prove that he can continue to expand the software business in an increasingly competitive space. So far, he has managed to hit his fiscal 2016 target of pulling in $500 million in annual software-only revenue last March. The next milestone is to grow that by another 30 percent by March 2017.

    Chen also aims to expand the margins of software products to around 75 percent from closer to 60 percent now, he said.

    BlackBerry’s most important software is its device management suite, which helps companies keep track of their employees’ phones and make sure sensitive communication stays within the business. BlackBerry bought one of its key competitors, Good Technology, for $425 million last year, but the market is crowded.

    “This doesn’t change the fact that there are still a lot of competitive threats,” Kanterman said in a phone interview. VMWare, IBM Corp. and Microsoft Corp. all have device management products and are taking market share by bundling them with other business-focused software they sell. In some ways, it doesn’t make sense for BlackBerry to remain a public company.

    Given its shriveled market value, it could be the right price for a private-equity takeover, or it could sell out piecemeal to a bigger company like Dell Technologies’ VMWare or Samsung.

    As BlackBerry reinvents itself, it will have to change how it’s perceived in the market. Investors still largely value BlackBerry as a hardware company, not the software provider it has become, Chen said.

    “As soon as that message is recognized, the stock will move to the right valuation,” he said.

  • Obama to attend Shimon Peres funeral in Jerusalem

    Obama to attend Shimon Peres funeral in Jerusalem

     

    WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Barack Obama will join other world leaders in attending the funeral of Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, the White House said sept 28.

    Obama, who ordered US flags at half-staff late Wednesday, “will lead the US delegation to Jerusalem to participate in the funeral,” the White House said.

    He is to depart for Israel Thursday and return after the ceremony on Friday.

    The US president led tributes to the elder statesman as a friend who refused to give up on the dream of peace.

    Peres’ commitment to Israel’s security and pursuit of peace was “rooted in his own unshakeable moral foundation and unflagging optimism” the US leader said in a statement.

    Obama is to join world leaders including former US president Bill Clinton, French President Francois Hollande and German President Joachim Gauck as well as Britain’s Prince Charles in attending Peres’ Friday funeral at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl, where many Israeli dignitaries are buried.

    Flags at the White House, on all public buildings and grounds, and at US buildings overseas will be flown at half-staff through sunset Friday “as a mark of respect for the memory of Shimon Peres,” the White House said in a statement. Peres, who was 93, held nearly every major office in the country, serving twice as prime minister and also as president, a mostly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014. (AFP)

  • #Pakistan a Terror State: Petition In United States Qualifies For Official Response

    #Pakistan a Terror State: Petition In United States Qualifies For Official Response

    New York: An online White House petition asking for Pakistan to be declared as a state sponsor of terrorism has crossed 100,000 signatures, thus qualifying to get a response from the Obama administration.

    Launched by Indian Americans on September 21, this petition has become the third most popular petition on the White House website with nearly 110,000 people signing the petition. The Obama administration now is expected to respond to it within 60 days.

    The online petition was created on September 21 and within 7 days has garnered enormous support.

    Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, along with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, introduced the ‘Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act’ in the House of Representatives.

    “This petition is important to the people of United States of America, India and many other countries which are continuously affected by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,” the petition said.

    An initiative of the US President Barack Obama, “We the People” online petition at the White House website provides a window to American citizens to campaign before the administration on a particular issue.

    Currently on top of the list is the petition seeking to stop construction of “Dakota Access Pipeline” which has more than 210,000 signatures, followed by another petition seeking not to make “Kratom a schedule I substance” which has 137,000 signatures.

    Meanwhile the White House said that it is currently focused on enhancing its counter-terrorism capabilities with Pakistan.

    “That (designating state sponsor of terrorism) is a very specific process and determination that involves a legal process and assessment,” White House Deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said.

    “Our focus with Pakistan is to enhance their capability and to deal with terrorist threats on their soil. They are fighting a serious and sustained campaign against violent extremism,” he said.

    “We do believe that they are making progress and taking steps to counter terrorist violence, but at the same time we have been very clear that they need to target all terrorist groups, including those that target Pakistan’s neighbours, and close all safe havens,” Mr Toner said.

    Mark Toner reiterated that it is the longstanding American position that the US believes India and Pakistan really stand to benefit from the normalisation of relations.

    “We encourage both India and Pakistan to pursue and engage in direct dialogue that is aimed at reducing tensions,” he said.

    “We have long said that with regard to Pakistan, with regard to India, with regard to the region, there is no zero-sum game here. We are pursuing very close relations with India,” the deputy spokesperson said.

    “We have a deep and broad bilateral relationship and multilateral relationship, or work our multilateral issues with India. They are the world’s largest democracy and we share a very similar vision of the world. And we obviously have very close trade and economic ties with India, and also that extends to security cooperation,” he said.

    “Similarly, we want to see Pakistan better able to respond to the threat that terrorism poses and terrorist groups that seek refuge in its territory,” Mr Toner added.

  • Indian-Origin Physician Gets National Humanities Medal In US

    Indian-Origin Physician Gets National Humanities Medal In US

    Washington: An Indian-American physician and author has been presented with the National Humanities Medal, America’s highest humanities award by US President Barack Obama for his contribution in the field of medicine.

    Currently a professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine, Abraham Varghese has authored several acclaimed books including ‘My Own Country’ and ‘Cutting for Stone’.

    He was presented with the medal along with several other recipients at a ceremony held at the White House yesterday.

    “The 2015 National Humanities Medal to Abraham Verghese for reminding us that the patient is the center of the medical enterprise,” the citation of medal read.

    “His range of proficiency embodies the diversity of the humanities, from his efforts to emphasize empathy in medicine, to his imaginative renderings of the human drama,” a military aide to the US President said, reading from the citation.

    “All of today’s honorees work in an age where the stories we tell and the technologies that we use to tell them are more diverse than ever before, and as diverse as the country that we love,” Obama said on the occasion.

    Started in 1997, the National Humanities Medal “honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects”.

    As many as 12 medals are awarded each year. Mr Verghese is a critically acclaimed, best-selling author and a physician with an international reputation for his emphasis on empathy for patients in an era in which technology often overwhelms the human side of medicine, the Stanford University said in a statement.

    “I felt strongly then and now that what I was writing about, and my interest in the human experience of being ill or caring for the ill, was as much a part of medicine as knowledge of the function of the pancreas, for example,” Mr Verghese, also a vice chair of Stanford’s Department of Medicine, said.

    He also directs the Stanford interdisciplinary center, Presence, which reflects these interests.

    Born in Addis Ababa in 1955, Mr Verghese’s parents were recruited by Emperor Haile Selassie to teach in Ethiopia.

    He grew up near the capital and began his medical training there. When the emperor was deposed, Mr Verghese briefly joined his parents who had moved to the United States because of the war, working as an orderly in a hospital before completing his medical education in India at Madras Medical College.

    After graduation, he left India for a medical residency in the United States and like many other foreign medical graduates, he found only the less popular hospitals and communities open to him, an experience he described in one of his early New Yorker articles, The Cowpath to America.

  • President Barack Obama Shares Tribute for Pramukh Swami Maharaj

    President Barack Obama Shares Tribute for Pramukh Swami Maharaj

    Chicago IL: Over 90 BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Mandir’s across the United States held tribute assemblies honoring the life and work of their late Hindu spiritual leader, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

    Community leaders, diverse religious figures, and public officials joined BAPS devotees in mourning this loss.

    President Barack Obama shared a personal message with BAPS tribute assemblies, “By paying tribute to a man who believed in the worth of all people and dedicated himself to serving those in need, we are reminded of the ways our common humanity will always bind us together.” President Obama lauded the late spiritual leader of BAPS by noting that Pramukh Swami Maharaj “was a trusted ear and revered voice for countless people, and the lessons of his humility stirred not only the hearts of his followers, but also of men and women across the globe who were fortunate enough to have crossed his path.”

    President Obama’s statement reflected Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s role as a father, teacher, mentor, friend, advisor, and ally – he was a spiritual guide who empowered people to live morally upright lives rooted in devotion that would transform their character, attitudes, and outcomes to provide greater happiness for both themselves and their families.

    “May the memory of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj continue to guide you, and may his legacy give us the courage to be our best selves”, concluded the President’s personal message. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former U.S. President Bill Clinton also shared their thoughts on the late leader’s legacy, “Pramukh Swami didn’t just teach virtues – he lived them every day… His example helped his followers find more harmony – both with others, and within themselves. And we hope that humanity will build upon his legacy for generations to come.”

    His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj Ji
    His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj Ji

    Pramukh Swami Maharaj lived by his simple but profound message, “In the joy of others lies our own.” This principle served as the core of his spiritual leadership. He had a tremendous capacity to extend his concern and support to those who sought his guidance and refuge. He counseled persons from all parts of the world, of different religions and languages, taking the time to understand their concerns and offering them solutions that would improve their personal and emotional well-being. From addiction, to illness, and even loss, Pramukh Swami Maharaj would guide, console and pray for their well-being.

    Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi addressed devotees before Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s final rites, saying, “His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj was a stalwart among humans who embodied compassion and humility…Today you have lost a Guru, but I have lost a father.”

    Born on December 7, 1921, Pramukh Swami Maharaj was initiated as a swami (Hindu ascetic) on January 10, 1940. In 1950, at the age of 28, he became the administrator and President of BAPS. Upon the passing of his guru His Holiness Yogiji Maharaj in 1971, Pramukh Swami became the spiritual leader and steadfastly led the organization for the next 45 years, expanding BAPS throughout the world. His legacy of over 1,100 mandirs is matched only by his extensive humanitarian work, including building numerous charitable schools as well as hospitals, and mobilizing volunteers in response to natural disasters. Most recently, through community walkathons, volunteers helped The Nature Conservancy plant 70,000 trees throughout North America.

    Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life and spirituality has left an indelible mark on countless devotees, who will continue living his life’s message under the guidance and leadership of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj (Keshavjivandas Swami), the sixth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

    Photographs and Press release by: Asian Media USA

  • Media outraged after Trump tricks them into covering his event

    Media outraged after Trump tricks them into covering his event

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has outraged the media after he duped them into broadcasting an infomercial for his new hotel on the pretext of a “major announcement” to get more than 20 minutes of free air-time yesterday Sep 16.

    Not only CNN but also all the major networks showed Trumps event at his newly inaugurated Trump International Hotel in Washington DC as pro-Trump military members started speaking.

    Ahead of the event, Trump had hyped over Fox News that he would be making a major announcement about the birther controversy of the US President, Barack Obama.

    All the news networks – CNN, MSNBC, and Fox – started carrying the event live.

    They kept on waiting for 20 minutes waiting for Trump to speak on the birther controversy.

    It was not before 20 minutes that the news networks apparently realised that they have been taken for a ride once again.

    “We got played, again, by the Trump campaign, which is what they do,” CNN’s chief national correspondent John King said after the news channel showed live the GOP nominee for nearly 20 minutes waiting for the major announcement coming from Trump.

    “He got a live event broadcast for some 20 minutes,” King said.

    Trump is known for spending less money on television advertisements, while his opponents Hillary Clinton is spending a huge sum of money.

    About five minutes after that Trump took the podium to speak four short statements.

    “Hillary Clinton in her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period. Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again,” he said.

    “We all got rickrolled and played,” rued Jake Tapper of the CNN.

    “It is insulting what he just did,” Congressman Gregory Meeks told the CNN.

    “And he has done it time and time and time again, which tries to divide us as a nation. Its like he thinks that its a game, youre playing a TV show,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Trump campaign prevented editorial access to his tour of the hotel. In protest television reporters erased the video of his hotel tour.

    The Washington Post slammed news channels for showing this event live.

    “While they waited, and waited, Trump provided what amounted to a campaign infomercial and shamelessly promoted his new Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington,” the daily said.

    “This is a campaign and a candidate that completely understands how the press works or doesnt work and exploits the blatant weaknesses of political journalism,” said Dan Gillmor, a media scholar at Arizona State University.

    On Twitter he called this episode “universal sewer dwelling” for cable news.

     

     

  • Obama to address UNGA on Tuesday

    Obama to address UNGA on Tuesday

    US President Barack Obama will address the UN General Assembly for the eighth and last time on Tuesday during which he will review some of the trends that have been shaping the international order for many years, his close aide has said.

    Obama leaves Washington DC for New York on Sunday morning for his last time attending the annual General Assembly Session as the US President.

    “I think with respect to the speech, what he will want to do is step back and review some of the progress thats been made over the last eight years, but also review some of the trends that have been shaping our international order for many years and that have led up to a really critical moment as the international community responds to a range of different crises,” Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters during a conference call.

    Giving a preview of his speech, Rhodes said Obama would likely offer his thoughts in this final forum to address the entire world about the types of approaches that they need to take as a national community to deal with a myriad of challenges.

    Obama will also talk about “how we can ensure that were continuing to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth; how we are promoting the type of inclusive governance that both respects the rights of individuals around the world, but also facilitate to the many challenges that we face — governance obviously being a critical component of what is needed to deal with issues in the Middle East and North Africa — and then discuss the type of international cooperation were seeking to build,” Rhodes said.

    “I think Paris is a good model for that in that it involves nearly every country in the world stepping forward and making commitments to work together to deal with the global challenge. I think the President will discuss how we can apply international cooperation to deal with the many issues that are shaping this period in time,” Rhodes said.

  • Trump owes Obama an apology: Clinton

    Trump owes Obama an apology: Clinton

    Washington, Sep 16 (TIP): Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, owes an apology to the US President Barack Obama for lying about the latters place of birth, his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton demanded today ramping up the attack on the real estate mogul.

    “Barack Obama was born in America, plain and simple, and Donald Trump owes him and the American people an apology,” Clinton said.

    Moments later Trump said that Obama was born in the US, but did not say anything about the apology.

    The White House said the US President does not care about the apology.

    The Democratic Party also demanded an apology from Trump on this issue.

    At a morning event, Clinton alleged that for five years Trump had led the birther movement to delegitimise the first black president.

    “His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history. Just yesterday, Trump again refused to say with his own words that the president was born in the United States,” she said.

    Trump, she alleged, “is feeding into the worst impulses, the bigotry and bias that lurks” in the country.

    “There is no new Donald Trump. There never will be. Trump looks at President Obama after eight years as our president, he still doesnt see him as an American,” she said.

    “Think of how dangerous that is. Imagine a person in the Oval Office who traffics in conspiracy theories and refuses to let them go, no matter what the facts are. Imagine a President who sees someone who doesnt look like him and doesnt agree with him and thinks that person must not be a real American. Trump is unfit to be president of the US,” Clinton said amidst applause from the audience.

    “We cannot become insensitive to what he says and what he stirs up. We cant just accept this. Weve got to stand up to it. If we dont, it wont stop. In addition to the President, Trump looks at a distinguished federal judge born in Indiana and he sees a Mexican, not an American,” she alleged.

    “He looks at a Gold Star family and sees them as Muslims, not patriotic Americans. He looks at women and decides how our looks rate on a scale of one to ten. I look at America, I see everyone. I see our great diversity which is one of our core strengths, not our burden. We know who Donald Trump is. Now its time for our country to show who we are and reject his divisive vision,” Clinton said.

  • US lifts Myanmar trade sanctions

    US lifts Myanmar trade sanctions

    WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama announced that US economic sanctions against Myanmar will be lifted, and trade preferences reinstated to provide duty-free treatment for goods from the Asian nation. The September 14 meeting in Washington was the first by Aung San Suu Kyi as Myanmar’s leader since her pro-democracy party won a stunning victory over the country’s military rulers in elections last year.

    “The United States is now prepared to lift sanctions that we have imposed on Burma for quite some time,” Obama said, speaking in the Oval Office with Aung San Suu Kyi at his side.

    Earlier, Obama notified the US Congress that he was reinstating preferential tariffs, known as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), for Myanmar, which provides duty-free access for goods from poor and developing countries.

    Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, was removed from GSP benefits in 1989 after the country’s ruling military junta brutally crushed pro-democracy protests.

    President Obama said the lifting of some sanctions would happen “soon”, but did not give further details.

    “It is the right thing to do to ensure the people of Burma see rewards from a new way of doing business, and a new government,” he said.

    He also paid tribute to the efforts made towards peace in the country, and the “enormous potential” of the country.

    Ms Suu Kyi called on the US Congress to eliminate all remaining sanctions against Myanmar.

    “Unity also needs prosperity,” she said. “People, when they have to fight over limited resources, forget that standing together is important.”

    “We think that the time has come to remove all of the sanctions that hurt us economically,” she said.

    Removal of long-standing sanctions against Myanmar will help foreign investment and boost the country’s transition to democracy, the White House said prior to the meeting of the two leaders.

    The US eased some sanctions earlier this year to support political reform, but maintained most of its economic restrictions with an eye towards penalizing those it views as hampering Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government.

    Myanmar’s military stepped back from direct control of the country in 2011 after 49 years in power, but maintains a commanding role in politics, controlling 25 percent of seats in parliament and leading three key ministries.

    Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the post of Myanmar’s president under the country’s military-drafted constitution, which rules her out because her sons are not Myanmar citizens. Instead, she serves as the country’s de facto leader by holding the positions of foreign minister and state counsellor.