BARACK OBAMA

The Treasury is working on a number of fronts to use the government's $700 billion bailout fund to boost lending to small businesses, a senior Treasury official said on Wednesday, adding that tax incentives to boost hiring should be considered.

If the U.S. Congress fails to agree on a healthcare bill soon, the opportunity for a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion system will be lost for a generation, Vice President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama pushed fractious Senate Democrats on Tuesday to pass a broad healthcare overhaul and said he was cautiously optimistic they could iron out their differences to win the 60 votes needed.

The Obama administration said on Tuesday it will move some Guantanamo Bay detainees to an Illinois prison and hold U.S. military commission trials there in plans immediately criticized as risky by Republicans.

U.S. President Barack Obama has written a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il amid efforts by the United States to persuade Pyongyang to return to nuclear disarmament talks.

Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was briefly allowed out of her home on Wednesday by the military government to meet senior members of her party and one said they had agreed to changes in the party leadership.

World leaders took the stage at the largest ever climate talks on Wednesday as ministers scrambled to rescue troubled negotiations on a pact to avoid dangerous global warming.

A senior Iranian oil official said on Wednesday a move by U.S. lawmakers to target the Islamic Republic with fuel sanctions would not cause any problems because Tehran had many suppliers.

The United States must improve the business climate for manufacturers and not place undue regulatory burdens on the sector, the White House said on Wednesday ahead of a meeting focused on the industry.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged U.S. lawmakers to create incentives for American households to weatherize their homes and said the program would essentially pay for itself.

President Barack Obama visited a Home Depot on Tuesday in Alexandria, Northern Virginia and delivered a speech intending to stimulate the economy by creating more jobs.

Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) pledged on Monday to loan an additional $5 billion to small businesses in 2010, after the top executives for the largest U.S. banks met U.S. President Barack Obama.

A year ago the 27-year-old Jacksonville, Florida entrepreneur launched a website - Iwearyourshirt.com () - where he charged people to wear whatever shirt they sent him. On New Year's Day, he charged $1 and each successive day Sadler's fee went up a buck, so this New Year's Eve he will charge $365.

The Obama administration will announce plans later on Tuesday to acquire an Illinois prison and to send a limited number of detainees there from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. official said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai used a keynote anti-corruption speech on Tuesday to defend the most senior of his officials to be convicted of graft in years, a move that could anger Western backers who demand more accountability.

A Democratic proposal to ban the collection of doctors' prescription records for marketing purposes is unlikely to be included as part of the Senate's overall health reform bill, a Senate staff member said on Monday.

China has so far weathered the global economic downturn with its growth rate staying robust and no sign the government faces any major challenge to its rule. Following is a summary of key China risks to watch:

Citigroup Inc and Wells Fargo & Co said they were paying back funds to the U.S. government, in transactions that will end taxpayers' capital support of the biggest U.S. banks much sooner than had been expected just weeks ago.

A key ingredient for any climate change deal in Copenhagen this week will be a money pledge by rich countries to help poor ones fight global warming.

President Barack Obama said Monday that Banks must be active in helping accelerate the U.S. economic recovery after receiving help from taxpayers.

President Barack Obama told top U.S. bankers on Monday they owed it to the country to help lift the economy out of crisis by lending more money to small businesses in need and embracing financial reforms.