The number of empty houses and rental units in California has jumped over the past decade, according to new Census data released Thursday–another sign of how the Great Recession and housing bust have continued to batter the nation’s largest state. Some 8.1 percent of all housing units in the state were vacant in 2010, up […]

Last year China’s Yangtze River overflowed, causing the country’s worst flooding in more than a decade. CNN’s Eunice Yoon reports on Beijing’s expertise when responding to floods, learnt through years of bitter experience. This post was submitted by CNN / IM.

Qualifies eligible graduates to extend their post-graduate training WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today published an expanded list of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree programs that qualify eligible graduates on student visas for an Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension-an important step forward in the Obama administration’s continued commitment to fixing […]

Acclaimed Indonesian folk dancer, Didik Nini Thowok, and his associate ran a two day program, sponsored by Paguyuban Jawa Plus, in Los Angeles on April 30th and May 1st. The program was meant to instill an exchange of culture, through the fusion of different dance styles. The main message and tagline for the performance that […]

It seemed like the perfect China play, a way for investors to cash in on the world’s fastest growing economy. China MediaExpress Holdings Inc, which provides advertising on buses that clog the smog-choked streets of the country’s largest cities, was on a tear on the Nasdaq stock exchange. After rising 45 percent in 2009, the […]

Washington — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made it official Wednesday — he’s running for president. The Georgia Republican announced via Twitter that he is formally seeking the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Gingrich is widely viewed as the most serious official Republican candidate so far. “I’m announcing my candidacy for president of the United States […]

Editor’s Note: Recently, 69 percent of Californians said the state should tie student achievement to teachers’ pay. One teacher says giving bonuses, not punishment, would be fair. A recent Public Policy Institute of California survey on education shows 69 percent of Californians believe student achievement should be closely tied with teachers’ salaries. The finding shows […]

U.S.-China Comprehensive Framework for Promoting Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced Growth & Economic Cooperation   Following the consensus reached by President Hu Jintao and President Obama in Washington D.C. on January 20, 2011, the special representatives of President Barack H. Obama and President Hu Jintao, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, […]

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ______________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 10, 2011 WASHINGTON — Today, Domestic Policy Advisor and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes posted the following statement to the White House blog. .   Today, the President travels to El Paso, Texas — a historic, thriving and diverse […]

The Obama administration had “very detailed contingency plans” for military action against Pakistani forces if they had tried to stop the U.S. attack on Osama bin Laden’s compound, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the plan. Their names are not disclosed because of the sensitive intelligence information involved. “No firepower option was off the […]

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announce their split after 25 years of marriage. See how politics affected them. This post was submitted by CNN / IM.

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2011   Readout of the President’s Meeting with the Co-Chairs of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue   The President and the U.S. delegation met today in the Oval Office with China’s Special Representatives to the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, […]

Jakarta, Indonesia – Prosecutors in Indonesia demanded a life sentence Monday for radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir for a series of terror-related charges, including planning, attempting, funding and inciting terrorism. Some of the charges carry a maximum penalty of death. It’s the third trial of the fiery Bashir, who was most recently detained in August […]

When faced with unaffordable mortgage payments, your house can feel more like a cage than a home. You may feel trapped because it’s hard to know what to do to improve your situation, and you may just want to give up. Don’t give up! The reality is you don’t have to be a prisoner to […]

Amidst the highly charged debates on immigration and our economy, a remarkable fact often goes unmentioned: Many Americans owe their jobs to immigrant entrepreneurs. It isn’t just big tech companies like Google or Sun Microsystems. Here in Philadelphia, companies such as Al-Ameen Imports and Vitacare Home Health are prime examples. Both companies’ founders came from […]

When 18-year-old Amal al-Sadah became the fifth wife of 43-year-old Osama bin Laden in 2000, she was “a quiet, polite, easygoing and confident teenager” who came from a big, conservative family in Yemen, a relative told CNN in an exclusive interview. The relative, Ahmed, who knew al-Sadah growing up, said she came from a traditional […]