New York gunman kills 13, commits suicide

The slayings took place on the main floor of the American Civic Association (ACC) in Binghamton, 135 miles (217 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

The gunman, reported by media outlets to be of Vietnamese origin, had barricaded a car against the back door of the center to prevent escape. He then entered the front of the building and opened fire, apparently committing suicide soon after.

Dozens more people spent four hours cowering in the center's basement, waiting to be told by police that they were safe to leave.

Local police chief Joseph Zikuski said that there were "14 confirmed dead in the building" and that he had "very good reason to believe that the shooter is among the dead at the scene."

"We removed safely 37 people. Four people we removed are wounded. All four are listed in critical condition," Zikuski told a press conference.

However, he cautioned "by no means are we 100 percent sure" about the killer's body being among those at the building.

Zikuski said that the emergency call was made by the first woman shot by the gunman, a receptionist shot in the stomach but who pretended she was dead until she could make her escape.

"A lone gunman entered the building and immediately shot her and another receptionist. Unfortunately that (second) receptionist is now deceased. Then he went into another room and shot several more people."

Two handguns were recovered at the scene, he said.

CNN identified the gunman as Jiverly Wong, in his early 40s, from Johnson City, near Binghamton, where he lived with his mother. Police have searched his home, CNN said.

Zikuski said the gunman had been "recently terminated from a job. He didn't speak English very well," and was feeling pretty low.

US President Barack Obama, on a visit to France, said he was "shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence."

Many of those in the center, which helps people prepare for citizenship tests, were apparently of Vietnamese origin and did not speak good English.

Eyewitness Richard Griffis told CNN the school was "kind of a melting pot for people."

New York state Governor David Paterson said victims were there to pursue "the American dream."

"There still is an American dream and all of us who are Americans will try to heal this very, very deep wound in the city of Binghamton," he said.

The outburst of violence apparently was over quickly, but hours of tension followed.


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Baitullah Mehsud claims responsibility for US shooting

Islamabad, April 4: Pakistan`s Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud on Saturday claimed responsibility for the attack on a US immigration centre in New York, Geo TV reported. 13 people were killed in the attack. "I accept responsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to US drone attacks," Mehsud told media men by telephone from an undisclosed location. A man armed with two handguns killed 13 people at an immigration services centre before apparently turning the gun on himself, said authorities in Binghamton, upstate New York. They identified the killer as Jiverly Wong, an immigrant from Vietnam.

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G20 Leaders will pump $1 Trillion

Leaders of the world's most powerful countries have agreed to pump $1 trillion into the ailing global economy by 2010.

In a news conference to mark the end of the London G20 summit, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the funding formed part of a package that would shorten the recession and save jobs.

U.S President Barack Obama said later the G20 summit had been “very productive” and should mark “a turning point” in the pursuit of economic recovery. He also pledged that the International Monetary Fund would be reformed.

“By any measure, the London summit was historic,” he told a post-summit press conference.

“It was historic because of the size and the scope of the challenge that we face and because of the timeliness and the magnitude of our response.”

Agreements have been made to give the International Monetary Fund, which helps country's with struggling economies, a $750billion (£510billion) rescue package.

This consists of a $500billion boost plus a $250billion IMF "overdraft" in Special Drawing Rights (the currency of the IMF) that can be used by the world's poorest countries. There also will be about $250bn committed to boost international trade.

Other measures included action to “clean up” the banks — with new rules on pay and bonuses — and imposing sanctions on countries that do not sign up to anti-tax haven regulations.

Declaring that India was the new global power, US President Barack Obama said the country is a critical player on the world stage. Obama was speaking after he had his first meeting with PM Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

Brown, speaking on behalf of the G20 leaders, said: “We believe that global problems require global solutions. This is the day that the world came together to fight back against the global recession, not with words but with a plan for global recovery and reform.”

Mr Brown said new rules on pay and bonuses “at a global level” that reflected actual performance not failure would “encourage corporate responsibility in every part of the world”.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the summit agreements saying: "Very, very good, almost historic compromise."

A long line of limousines containing other world leaders streamed through London’s Docklands amidst extremely tight security for the G20 summit. President Obama had warned that agreement at the summit was essential if the world was to avoid the mistakes which led to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof also said today that the price of failure would be "beyond catastrophic". He told reporters at the ExCel Centre: “Normally in summits you get a nice agreement but nobody takes it seriously. We had better take it very seriously indeed.”

Hopes of a deal hit a last-minute stumbling block after French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German chancellor Angela Merkel last night warned they would not sign up unless there was tougher regulation of financial markets.

At a joint news conference yesterday, they said that it was a “red line” issue and that they would speak with “one and the same voice” in the talks today.

Mr Sarkozy in particular has faced accusations of grandstanding for the benefit of a French domestic audience, a claim he angrily brushed aside insisting that his hard-line stance was nothing to do with “ego or temper tantrums”.

Nevertheless the French president was a pointedly late arrival at last night’s working dinner for the leaders at No 10.

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Microsoft still interested in Yahoo

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is still signalling an interest in a deal to buy part of Yahoo.

Ballmer said at a technology and media summit in New York that a deal would help improve Microsoft's web search business by expanding the base of users.

More people using the search engine means more advertisers. And, Ballmer says, a larger pool of advertisers will allow for more tailored ads next to search queries.

Ballmer said he has had only one conversation with Carol Bartz since she became Yahoo's chief executive in January. Ballmer said he congratulated her and said he'd like to chat at some point about a possible deal.

Bartz's predecessor as Yahoo CEO, Jerry Yang, rebuffed a $47.5 billion takeover offer from Microsoft last year. Since then Microsoft has said several times it would be open to a deal involving the companies' search engines.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has continued to develop its own search technology as it struggles to catch up with Google and Yahoo. The internal name for one of Microsoft's new search concepts is Kumo, which has prompted some quizzical comments and sneers since it was leaked in a staff memo.

It probably will not be known as Kumo when it goes public, Ballmer indicated. "We need a name," he said.

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US H1B Visa cramping ends on February 17, 2011

According to the immigration department, the US government's controversial restriction on companies hiring skilled foreign workers with non-immigrant H-1B visas will continue for only two years.

As part of a stimulus package passed last month for revival of the economy, President Barack Obama signed a new law, named "Employ American Workers Act", which makes it difficult for the companies having received government bailout funds to hire H-1B foreign workers.

However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in a circular issued with its invitation of H-1B applications for the next fiscal, has now made it clear that the EAWA requirements are not permanent and would "sunset two years from the date of enactment."

EAWA, which prevents a company from displacing US workers when hiring H-1B specialty occupation workers if the company received stimulus funds, took effect on February 17, 2009 and it applies to any "hire" taking place before February 17, 2011.

The Act defines "hire" as an employer permitting a new employee to commence a period of employment; that is, the introduction of a new employee to the employer's US workforce.

USCIS has said that it would begin accepting H-1B visa applications from April 1 for the next fiscal and would subject the applications to various terms and conditions related to EAWA.

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Rupee falls to 50.46 per $, US sends $5 Billion to Pak

Just when it climbed out of the deep pit, the Indian market on Thursday fell into a bottomless crevasse as the rupee had settled at 50.46 per dollar, against Wednesday's close of Rs 49.94.

It is a record of sorts as it is the all-time lowest closing rate for the rupee against the dollar, even beating the 50.2 number on December 2nd 2007.

Meanwhile US has promised gifting billions of Dollars to terror haven Pak as economic and military aid. That after reports certify that Pakistan has been using American tax-payer money for deals with the terror outfit Taliban and that US arms have been ending up in the hands of the extremists.

This little brainwave is courtesy of Senator John Kerry who is considering a $5 billion aid to Pakistan. Also being contemplated is a $1.5 billion annual package for ten years.

"If we fail, we face a truly frightening prospect: terrorist sanctuary, economic meltdown, and spiraling radicalism, all in a nation with 170 million inhabitants and a full arsenal of nuclear weapons," he said. "The stakes could not be higher, and [this] report could not be more timely."

Needless to say, not many people agree with this decision.

"Not only is the United States paying the Pakistani government to abdicate territory to the Taliban, we get to fund the Taliban as well," said Bill Roggio, an expert in the war on terror, questioning the Kerry-Lugar proposal aimed to tripling military aid to Pakistan.

"It's time for the US. government to ask if it is getting a good return on its investment. Considering that more than $3.8 billion of $5 billion of US. aid to Pakistan has gone unaccounted for and the Taliban is being funded by the US, perhaps the answer is no," Roggio, who runs the blog Long War Journal, added.

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CIA helped India-Pak share 26/11 intelligence

America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has played a crucial role in India and Pakistan sharing secret intelligence information on Mumbai terrorist attacks, a media report claimed on Monday.

In a front page article, The Washington Post said CIA "orchestrated back-channel intelligence exchanges" between India and Pakistan with the top American intelligence agency itself playing the role of a neutral arbitrator.

"The exchanges, which began days after the deadly assault in late November, gradually helped the two sides overcome mutual suspicions and paved the way for Islamabad's announcement last week acknowledging that some of the planning for the attack had occurred on Pakistani soil, The Post quoted sources as saying.

"Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies separately shared their findings with the CIA, which relayed the details while also vetting the intelligence and filling in blanks with gleanings from its networks," the Post quoted sources as saying.

"The US role was described in interviews with Pakistani officials and confirmed by US sources with detailed knowledge of the arrangement. The arrangement is ongoing, and it is unknown whether it will continue after the Mumbai case is settled," the newspaper said.

The Post article is a revelation as so far only the role of FBI in the Mumbai investigation was known.

Bush, Clinton , 23 others blamed for financial crisis

Former US Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao are on the list of '25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis', compiled by TIME magazine.

The list also features former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, past Securities and Exchange Commission Chief Chris Cox, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and 'American Consumers', among others.

"TIME's picks for the top 25 people to blame for the financial crisis include everyone from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and former President George W Bush to the former CEO of Merrill Lynch and you -- the American consumer," the magazine said in an accompanying report published online.

New York financier Bernie Madoff, who has confessed to swindling funds to the tune of 50 billion dollars, former Merrill Lynch chief executive Stan O' Neal, former boss of Royal Bank of Scotland Fred Goodwin and former Iceland President David Oddsson are also on the list.

Pointing out that Bush embraced a governing philosophy of deregulation, the magazine said it trickled down to federal oversight agencies, which in turn "eased off on banks and mortgage brokers".

"... after the Enron scandal, Bush backed and signed the aggressively regulatory Sarbanes-Oxley Act. But SEC head William Donaldson tried to boost regulation of mutual and hedge funds, he was blocked by Bush's advisers at the White House as well as other powerful Republicans and quit.

"Plus, let's face it, the meltdown happened on Bush's watch," the report noted.

On Clinton, TIME said his tenure was characterised by economic prosperity and financial deregulation, "which in many ways set the stage for the excesses of recent years".

"Think of Wen as a proxy for the Chinese government particularly those parts of it that have supplied the US with an unprecedented amount of credit over the past eight years," TIME said while writing on Jiabao.

"If cheap credit was the crack cocaine of this financial crisis -- and it was -- then China was one of its primary dealers," the magazine noted.

Regarding American consumers, the report said in the 2008 third quarter, they started to save more and spend less.

"We have been borrowing, borrowing, borrowing living off and believing in the wealth effect, first in stocks, which ended badly, then in real estate, which has ended even worse.

"Now we're out of bubbles. We have a lot less wealth and a lot more effect... We enjoyed living beyond our means no wonder we wanted to believe it would never end," TIME said.

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Two Big Satellites Collide Over Siberia

Two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of two intact spacecraft in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the International Space Station.

NASA said it will take weeks to determine the full magnitude of the crash, which occurred nearly 500 miles over Siberia on Tuesday.

"We knew this was going to happen eventually," said Mark Matney, an orbital debris scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA believes any risk to the space station and its three astronauts is low. It orbits about 270 miles below the collision course. There also should be no danger to the space shuttle set to launch with seven astronauts on Feb. 22, officials said, but that will be re-evaluated in the coming days.

The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, which was launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite launched in 1993 and believed to be non-functioning. The Russian satellite was out of control, Matney said.

The Iridium craft weighed 1,235 pounds, and the Russian craft nearly a ton.

No one has any idea yet how many pieces were generated or how big they might be.

"Right now, they're definitely counting dozens," Matney said. "I would suspect that they'll be counting hundreds when the counting is done."

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What is THIS female doing at the White House??

The perks of being a President

Ali Campoverdi stripped off for Maxim in 2004 - and told the men's magazine that she was looking for a man who was 'passionate' about something. She is now an aide to a White House deputy chief of staff.

She has previously appeared American reality shows, including the dating show For Love or Money, where she was a 'million-dollar girl'.

The California native also appeared as a vampire hunted by Keanu Reeves in Constantine and was a finalist for the American version of The Apprentice with Donald Trump. And who is she dating? Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau! Aged just 27, he is the youngest chief speechwriter on record at the White House.

Mr Favreau has attracted a big following but his reputation took a blow when a photo emerged last December showing him drunkenly groping a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton at a Thanksgiving party and he was forced to apologise.

Mr. Favreau said that when he is writing, he stays up until 3 am and gets up as early as 5. He hasn’t slept for more than six hours in as long as he can remember, he told the New York Times.

Whether the feisty Ms Campoverdi will be happy with his workaholic habits remains to be seen.

Regarding her run at The Apprentice, she told Maxim: 'Yeah - I would’ve kicked ass on that show! Go ahead and call me, Trump!' She also told the magazine that 'Anyone who says they don’t have a dark side is lying or just not interesting.'

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Obama to be Dad for the 3rd time

US First Lady Michelle Obama is believed to be pregnant and expecting her third child, a media report in Britain said on Friday.

America is buzzing with hope that the 45-year-old wife of that country's first black President Barack Obama will soon give birth to a "White House baby", barely two weeks after his official inauguration, the 'Daily Star' reported.

Michelle and her 47-year-old husband already have two daughters, Malia (10), and Sasha (7).

Internet bloggers and journalists have in fact started the speculation as long ago as November.
And, now Los Angeles' celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, has written: "This is completely unconfirmed and at this point just a 'rumour' but... we're hearing the talk in (Washington) DC is that Michelle Obama is pregnant. Could this be true????? It'd be happy news! Hopefully it's a boy!"

Though both Michelle and Barack have clearly stated in the past that they intended to have no more children, the White House has done nothing to quell the gossip, it said.

An insider was quoted as saying: "Anything can be done to hide these sorts of rumours, and Barack and Michelle would not have wanted anything to detract from the importance of the inauguration day.

"Their advisers will have been kept up to speed and it is very possible that there may be some announcement in the very near future."

In fact, British media have already nicknamed Michelle as "America's Lady Diana".

"Not since Princess of Wales has there been such a glamorous role model at the apex of society. The First Lady has excited the fashion world, but like Diana she would rather champion the less fortunate than be a clotheshorse," another newspaper had said just days back.

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Media gets pissed off with Obama

Has the backlash already begun? Reporters' growing frustrations with President Obama's press team reached a high on Thursday because the White House 'stifled' press access to his oath re-do.

TV reporters and photo agencies were not allowed into the oath 're-do'. Photo wire services AP, Reuters and AFP were so mad that they refused to distribute the White House's PR snapped pix of the 're-do'.

In a statement, the AP said it believes “access for news photographers has been a time-honored tradition at the White House through many administrations and needs to be continued. We are working diligently with the White House staff to ensure this access.”

Former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers equated the oath re-do stumble as a rookie mistake.

But, experts say what remains to be seen is are these really 'rookie mistakes' or is Obama's press team asserting a new protocol, not bound to past traditions that White House reporters have grown accustomed to?

The press corps' privileges aren’t apparently written in stone and it’s the administration’s prerogative to change as they see fits. We assume this is change the press won't believe in.

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Here is Obama's Awesome Speech!

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the

People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

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Will clean Bush's mess

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America, at a historic ceremony in Washington DC.

Millions of people in the US and around the world watched as he pledged to "preserve, protect and defend" the US constitution.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

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Super Cheap Flights Save over 60%on Flights at India.com Advertise Here Write 4 India Hot Blogger? Feature yourself on Indiacom! Advertise Here

President Barack Obama plunges on his first day in office into the task of governing a nation he vows to change, calling together US economic and military leaders on Wednesday to address America's daunting challenges.

A day after claiming his place in history as the first black US president, he is faced with pulling the US economy out of its nosedive even as he moves on his promise to withdraw American forces from Iraq while sending still more soldiers to America's other war in Afghanistan.

In addition to meeting with his advisers, Obama welcomes public visitors into the White House, as Congress scrutinizes his economic revival plan and takes up the nominations of Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy Geithner for treasury secretary.

A new poll underscored the sense of anticipation that accompanied Obama into office.

The Associated Press-Knowledge Networks survey found that by a 3-1 margin, people feel more optimistic about the country's future now that Obama has been inaugurated, including 30 percent of Republicans.

"Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins ... Together, I am confident we will write the next great chapter in America's story," Obama declared on Tuesday night at the Commander in Chief Ball, one of 10 official inaugural celebrations that kept him and first lady Michelle Obama up into the early morning hours.

Obama's Democratic Party now controls both chambers of Congress and the White House for the first time since 1994, providing a chance for the new administration to succeed if he can work in concert effectively with lawmakers.

The capstone to four days of inaugural festivities takes place at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday morning, with a national prayer service that is a tradition dating to the time of George Washington, the country's first president. Obama and his wife were to welcome hundreds of members of the public to a White House open house, part of his pledge to make government and those who govern more accessible for the governed.

A meeting with his economic team was planned to assess his approach and plot the way forward. Taking over the White House with 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars in stock market savings lost, Obama said that turning around the limping economy is his first and greatest priority.

Congress already has given him a second installment of financial-industry bailout money, worth $350 billion, and is fast-tracking a massive economic stimulus bill of $825 billion or more.

"Fortunately we've seen Congress immediately start working on the economic recovery package, getting that passed and putting people back to work," he said in a television interview. "That's going to be the thing we'll be most focused on."

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World headlines today

Barack Obama was sworn into office for a second time on Wednesday amid legal concerns raised after he and US Chief Justice John Roberts erred on one word during Tuesday’s inaugural ceremony.

Washington Post: Obama’s Agenda: the Middle East, Economy and Ethics

President Obama launched immediately into the grim reality of his new job today, placing calls to the leaders of Middle Eastern countries and conducting his first presidential meetings on the economy and Iraq this afternoon.

Times of India: President Obama retakes oath of office

Barack Obama was sworn into office for a second time on Wednesday, amid legal concerns raised after he and US Chief Justice John Roberts erred on one word during Tuesday’s inaugural ceremony. Some constitutional scholars raised questions about whether Obama was technically the president after Roberts misplaced the word "faithfully" while administering the oath to Obama.

AUDIO: Listen to Obama take the oath of office

New York Times: Kennedy Is Said to Withdraw Senate Bid

Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York. Ms. Kennedy on Wednesday called Governor David A. Paterson to inform him that she was no longer interested in the post due to concerns about the health of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

USA Today: Senate confirms Clinton as secretary of State

The Senate confirmed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State on Wednesday as President Obama moved to make his imprint on US foreign policy, mobilising a fresh team of veteran advisers and reaching out to world leaders.

Telegraph: Barack Obama vows to clean up US politics

President Obama calls a halt to officials profiteering from government and freezes the pay of his top staff with a view to "reinvigorating our democracy and remaking our country".

Guardian: Whirlwind hits Washington as President Obama starts work

President Barack Obama yesterday devoted his first full day in office to ditching one discredited Bush administration policy after another - proposing the closure of the Guantánamo Bay prison and offering a new relationship to Iran.

Times, London: Obama hits the phone in Middle East peace push

President Obama placed the Middle East at the forefront of his first hours in office yesterday as he sought to make good on his promise of “ushering in a new era of peace”. In a flurry of telephone calls from the Oval Office, he reached out to leaders in the region and vowed to engage immediately in pursuit of a permanent Arab-Israeli settlement.

Herald Sun: Rudd condemns ’rape’ cleric

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has demanded an apology from an Islamic cleric who declared marital rape "impossible". A Melbourne Islamic cleric has told his male followers they can force their wives to have sex and hit them if they are disobedient.

Straits Times: New year home rush for Chinese New Year

The world’s biggest annual human migration this year has started earlier than usual, brought forward by the financial crisis which has hit China’s southern manufacturing and export hub of Guangdong especially hard. Just once a year, before the Chinese New Year, China’s 130 million migrant labourers get a chance to rejoin their families in their hometowns.

South China Morning Post: Army admits funding round-up of refugees

A colonel in the Thai army has confirmed its involvement in a programme to round up boatpeople from Myanmar and Bangladesh and send them back out to sea, saying it was done to "protect Thailand from harm" - and to help the refugees.

Japan Times: Congratulatory Aso requests early meeting

The government congratulated new US President Barack Obama on Wednesday and was quick to request an early meeting with him. Japan is eager to become one of the first nations, or at least the first Asian country, to meet with the new US administration as a sign that Washington prioritises bilateral ties with Tokyo.

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Obama acts on Guantanamo trials-innogration ceramony-obama take oath

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President Obama on the need to 'remake America'

Barack Obama has taken the oath of office and been sworn in as America's 44th president - and the country's first African-American leader.

More than one million people gathered in the National Mall in a wintry Washington DC, to see Mr Obama take the oath shortly after 1200 (1700 GMT).

He used his inaugural address to vow to begin the work of "remaking America".

The new US leader said his country faced a number of challenges but was entering a "new era of responsibility".

But a shadow was cast over Mr Obama's celebrations in the hours after his swearing-in, as veteran Senator Ted Kennedy collapsed during the inaugural lunch.

Mr Kennedy, whose support was seen as influential in winning over Democratic voters for Mr Obama, has been seriously ill with a brain tumour and has previously undergone surgery.

Barack Obama is sworn in as America's 44th president

Earlier, in his inaugural address, Mr Obama made reference to the scale of his achievement at being the first black American elected to the White House, in a remark that gathered one of the biggest cheers of the speech.

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed... why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

The new president takes office amid a dismal economic climate and with the US still embroiled in two wars.

See map showing key sites of Inauguration Day

Speaking to the vast crowd, stretching as far back as the Washington Monument in the distance, he was quick to admit that the US is in the midst of a crisis - a fact now "well understood".

America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child... [and] we are ready to lead once more Barack Obama President of the United States

"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened," he said, blaming the current situation both on the greed of a few and the "collective failure" of many.

He branded healthcare "too costly", said schools "fail too many" and charged that US energy policy both strengthens enemies and threatens the planet.

"The challenges we face are real," Mr Obama said. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.

"But know this America - they will be met."

Invoking the memory of the US's Founding Fathers, Mr Obama said he would strive to rebuild his nation's standing in the world, saying: "We are ready to lead once more."

He addressed the foreign policy challenges facing the US, saying the US would "responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan".

Crowds at the inauguration of Barack Obama describe their experiences

The new president also addressed the world's poor and the Muslim world, much of which angrily opposed the actions of the previous administration.

From now on, Mr Obama said, the US would seek "a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect".

The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in Washington, says Mr Obama delivered a difficult inaugural message.

Its task, our correspondent notes, is to lift hopes and hearts at a moment when every economic indicator is falling.

Solemn vows

On a day of unprecedented security in Washington DC, the inauguration ceremony began on the West Front Lawn of the US Capitol, where Congress sits, with an opening prayer asking for the protection and safety of the new president and vice-president.

US BLACK HISTORY MILESTONES 1861 - Civil war starts 1865 - Civil war ends, leading to abolition of slavery 1870 - Hiram Revels is first African-American senator. African-American men gain the vote, but face resistance and intimidation 1954 - Civil disobedience campaign starts 1963 - Martin Luther King: "I have a dream" speech 1964 - Civil Rights Act 1965 - Right to vote guaranteed

Mr Obama - introduced to the crowd as Barack H Obama - stood solemnly during the invocation by conservative Rick Warren, his eyes closed in the final moments before he took office.

Aretha Franklin then sang against a backdrop of clear blue skies and a light wind. Thousands waved flags as the soul legend sang to a rapturous reception.

Joseph Biden, a veteran senator, was then sworn in as vice-president by the longest-serving member of the US Supreme Court.

The focus then shifted to America's first black president.

Using his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, he placed his hand on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861 and repeated the oath of office, promising to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States".

Hundreds of thousands of visitors had arrived in Washington in the days before the inauguration, and vast numbers braved early-morning cold to secure a vantage point for the midday ceremony.

Competition for tickets along the parade route was fierce, as was the scrum for standing room in the National Mall.

Officials in Washington reported record numbers of passengers on the city's subway network early on Tuesday, and police were forced to close a key entry point hours before event began because of overcrowding.

Before the ceremony began, Michelle and Barack Obama attended a private church service at St John's Episcopal Church alongside Joe Biden and his family.

They then headed to the White House for coffee with outgoing President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.

The group - including Mr Cheney in a wheelchair after pulling a back muscle - then left for the US Capitol.

Mr Bush has now left Washington by helicopter bound for Midland, Texas, before heading to the family ranch at Crawford.

Mr Obama and his wife, by contrast, have a series of lavish inaugural balls to attend.

INAUGURATION DAY

1. 1700GMT/1200EST Obama is inaugurated as US president on the West Front Lawn of the Capitol building
2. Obama escorts former President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on the presidential procession prior to their departure
3. 1920GMT/1420EST Parade starts along Pennsylvania Avenue
4. Obama will review troops from behind a bullet-proof screen in Lafayette Park, behind the White House
5. President Obama and the First Lady will attend a series of celebration balls, returning to the White House at 0725GMT/0225EST Wednesday

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Nicole Scherzinger wants to settle down with Lewis Hamilton

Washington, Dec 11 : Pop star Nicole Scherzinger has revealed that she has invested a lot in her relationship with sportstar Lewis Hamilton, and is convinced that they will marry.

The Pussycat Dolls band member, who has been dating Hamilton since last year, declared her intention of marrying the Formula 1 ace, saying: "Well, everybody wants that in the future."

"So it''s about working towards that and not just wishing it to happen," Contactmusic quoted Nicole, as telling Britain''s Fabulous magazine.

Meanwhile, Scherzinger recently revealed that her racy outfits leave Hamilton jealous. (ANI)

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US warns Pak of 'unintended consequences'

WASHINGTON: Warning of "unintended consequences" if Pakistan did not act against the "non-state actors" who used its territory to stage attacks in Mumbai, the US today said it was "working hard" to verify what Islamabad was actually doing against such elements.

"... I think we have to be concerned because it's obviously a time of great outrage in India. And what I emphasised was that this was a threat to both Pakistan and India these terrorists," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview to the National Public Radio.

Pakistan, she stressed, needed to act since its territory had been used by "these non-state actors to make those (Mumbai) attacks."

"Also, Americans were killed, which gave the United States a special responsibility," Rice said.

Amid reports of arrest in Pakistan of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, the two top commanders of LeT which is blamed for the Mumbai strikes, she said she was "pleased" to see that some "important steps" are being taken in Pakistan.

"We are working hard to try and clarify and verify what is actually happening there, but there seem to be some positive steps being taken. The people who did this also wanted to abort what has been a positive direction in Pakistan-India relations," Rice said.

Noting that India and Pakistan were on the brink of war after the 2001 attack on Indian parliament, she said the ties between the two countries are "very different now."

"The Pakistani Government is a civilian government, a legitimate civilian government that has been reaching out to India, and vice versa. The Pakistani Foreign Minister was actually in India at the time that this took place. And so we have a lot to work with, and I think we're making some progress," Rice said. comments

Illinois governor arrested for trying to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat

(Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich - accused of a 'staggering' case of corruption - being greeted by president-elect Barack Obama

James Bone, New York and Kaya Burgess

The Governor of Illinois was arrested today for trying to sell off Barack Obama's vacated US Senate seat in an explosive case that has cast a spotlight on endemic corruption in the President-elect's home state.

Prosecutors charged that Rod Blagojevich, the two-term Democratic governor, discussed trading the open Senate seat for a position in President-elect Obama's Cabinet, and also considered asking for a substantial salary for himself at a non-profit foundation or a trade union affiliate, a lucrative corporate directorship for his wife, and even cash up front.

His chief of staff, John Harris, has also been arrested.

FBI wiretaps allegedly caught the governor saying that the Senate seat "is a f***ing valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing".

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