WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s efforts next week to persuade Asia-Pacific leaders of his commitment to the region may be undercut by distractions in Washington, where budget fights may come to a head while he is away.

Obama embarks on a nine-day trip to Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia on Friday that he will use to highlight U.S.-Asian economic ties and the long-standing U.S. role in the region’s security.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s efforts next week to persuade Asia-Pacific leaders of his commitment to the region may be undercut by distractions in Washington, where budget fights may come to a head while he is away.

Obama embarks on a nine-day trip to Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia on Friday that he will use to highlight U.S.-Asian economic ties and the long-standing U.S. role in the region’s security.

CANNES, France, Nov 3 (Reuters) – White House officials bristled on Thursday at the suggestion U.S. power within the G20 had been diminished by budget woes back home, as Europe looked toward an economically self-confident China for help.

“Our ability to contribute, our ability to lead and our ability to influence the outcome of these sorts of issues is not tied necessarily to having the American taxpayer pay for every problem,” said top White House aide Michael Froman.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama faces the delicate task of pushing European leaders to solve their debt crisis without appearing to lecture them at a summit of world economic powers this week.

Obama heads to France later on Wednesday to urge Europe to fix the long-running crisis that could send the already-weak U.S. economy into another recession.

WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Senior Obama administration
officials and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators agreed on
Wednesday to push for cybersecurity legislation as quickly as
possible, the White House said on Thursday.

White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the officials
went to Capitol Hill “to discuss the growing cybersecurity
threats to our nation and the need for prompt legislative
action to ensure the U.S. government has the authorities it
needs to keep the nation safe.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday hailed Muammar Gaddafi’s death as a warning to authoritarian leaders across the Middle East that iron-fisted rule “inevitably comes to an end,” and as vindication for his cautious strategy toward Libya.

Obama joined U.S. politicians and ordinary Americans in welcoming the demise of Gaddafi, who was for decades regarded as a nemesis of American presidents, and he also claimed some of the credit for the Libyan strongman’s downfall.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday hailed Muammar Gaddafi’s death as a warning to authoritarian leaders across the Middle East that iron-fisted rule “inevitably comes to an end,” and as vindication for his cautious strategy towards Libya.

Obama joined U.S. politicians and ordinary Americans in welcoming the demise of Gaddafi, who was for decades regarded as a nemesis of American presidents, and he also claimed some of the credit for the Libyan strongman’s downfall.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama gave a partisan-tinged speech to dedicate a new memorial to Martin Luther King Jr., likening the battle for racial equality to his political struggles in a divided Washington.

In a Sunday address that sounded at times like a sermon, the Democrat said that nearly 50 years since King’s famous “I Have A Dream” oration on the National Mall, the monument to him symbolized the need to fight on for social justice.

WASHINGTON/SANTA CLARA, California (Reuters) – When U.S. restrictions on work permits barred Intel from moving nearly 50 Finnish engineers to the United States this year, the microchip maker reluctantly parked them in a new research center in Finland.

U.S. and multinational firms are chafing at delays and difficulties securing visas that effectively require them to keep high-skilled workers abroad instead of expanding operations in the United States.

, Oct 16 (Reuters) – When
U.S. restrictions on work permits barred Intel (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) from
moving nearly 50 Finnish engineers to the United States this
year, the microchip maker reluctantly parked them in a new
research center in Finland.

U.S. and multinational firms are chafing at delays and
difficulties securing visas that effectively require them to
keep high-skilled workers abroad instead of expanding
operations in the United States.