Key members of Obama-Biden national security team announced

Chicago — President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their national security team today: nominating Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, selecting Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain as Secretary of Defense, nominating Eric Holder as Attorney General, nominating Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, nominating Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations and selecting General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as National Security Adviser.

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(C) Change.gov

U.S. Stands Ready to Assist India

The United States condemns the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and stands ready to assist the Indian government. The U.S. government continues to monitor the situation.

LinK: U.S. Stands Ready to Assist India

India, operations in final stages, 35 hostages rescued

The operations against the siege of Mumbai appeared to be nearing last stages with the evacuation of 35 hostages from Oberoi hotel but fierce battle was on to eliminate a small band ultras holed up in a Jewish building complex.
“It is just a matter of a few hours before we will be able to wrap up things,” Southern Command Chief Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj told reporters a little before noon outside Taj hotel as 35 hostages, including foreigners and a six-month old infant, were successfully rescued from Oberoi-Trident.
The new building of Taj hotel has been totally flushed out and cleared and handed over to police, he said adding that one terrrorist, possibly two, had moved into the adjacent old heritage building.
“We have heard the sound of a woman and a man, giving indications that they are being held hostage,” Thamburaj said but added that almost all guests and staff in the hotel have
been evacuated.
He conceded that the there were some casualties among the NSG commandos but would not disclose their numbers and whether they were fatal or otherwise saying that operational details would affect the “mental makeup” of terrorists.
Thamburaj said that operations had to be “deliberate and slow” to ensure the safety of the hostages, guests and hotel staff.
The commandos had been told not to rush things under the “pressure of media or citizens”.
He said some rooms in Taj are still bolted from inside and people inside are not responding, probably they are scared.
“As soon as communication and room services are restored, we will inform them about the situation and ask them to come out”.

Source: India.gov.in

Queen Rania of Jordan Accepts the Visionary Award on YouTube Live ‘08

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer present the inaugural YouTube Visionary Award to Queen Rania of Jordan. Queen Rania accepts via her own “Top Ten” style list.

Link: Queen Rania on YouTube - Queen Rania website

Geithner, Summers among key economic team members announced today

Chicago — President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their economic team today, naming Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Director of the National Economic Council. Obama and Biden also named Christina Romer as Chair of the Council of Economic advisors, and named Melody Barnes and Heather Higginbottom to serve as Director and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

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Link: Change.gov

A New Chapter on Climate Change

President-elect Barack Obama sent a video message to a summit meeting on global warming organized by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, implying that despite the continuing economic turmoil, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will remain a central component of Mr. Obama’s energy, environmental and economic policies.

Link: Dot Earth - Change.gov

President Bush Discusses Financial Markets and World Economy

President Bush on Thursday said, “We’re facing this challenge together and we’re going to get through it together. The United States is determined to show the way back to economic growth and prosperity. I know some may question whether America’s leadership in the global economy will continue. The world can be confident that it will, because our markets are flexible and we can rebound from setbacks. We saw that resilience in the 1940s, when America pulled itself out of Depression, marshaled a powerful army, and helped save the world from tyranny. We saw that resilience in the 1980s, when Americans overcame gas lines, turned stagflation into strong economic growth, and won the Cold War. We saw that resilience after September the 11th, 2001, when our nation recovered from a brutal attack, revitalized our shaken economy, and rallied the forces of freedom in the great ideological struggle of the 21st century.”

Link: In Focus Economy

(C) The White House

Veterans Day

President George W. Bush, joined by former astronauts Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, left, and Scott Carpenter, stand together during a moment of silence after tossing a memorial wreath Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 from the deck of the USS Intrepid into the Hudson River, during a Veteran’s Day tribute in New York.

(C) White House photo by Chris Greenberg

Link: Veterans Day

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day

GM rescue

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has thrown her support behind the premise that General Motors Corp. the largest U.S. automaker, is too big to be allowed to fail.
GM Judged Too Big to Fail as Pelosi Embraces Rescue -  Bloomberg 

Other articles
House to vote on emergency aid for auto industry Los Angeles Times
Pelosi supports new help for ailing US automakers
The Associated Press
New York Times
Reuters

Obama visits White House

President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush welcome President-elect Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama to the White House Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, after the couple’s South Portico arrival.

(C) White House photo by Eric Draper.

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