Obama restores federal commission to address concerns among Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders

October 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama will personally join members of the Asian American community to celebrate Diwali, 'the festival of lights', at the White House next week. "At the East Room ceremony, the president will observe Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, a holiday celebrated across faiths on Oct 14," the White House announced Friday.

October 7th, 2009 Obama's coming Asian tour will exclude IndonesiaWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's first Asian trip as president will include Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea, but not Indonesia, where he spent four years of his life. Obama and his mother moved from Hawaii to Jakarta, Indonesia, when he was 6 years old.

September 10th, 2009 Obama picks GOP Senate aide for CFTC commissionWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has chosen a Republican Senate aide for a seat on the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The White House announced Scott O'Malia's nomination on Thursday.

August 13th, 2009 Obama to attend APEC conference in SingaporeWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will attend a meeting of Asian and Pacific leaders in Singapore in November. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced the trip Thursday.

July 28th, 2009 1 million more Americans volunteered in 2008WASHINGTON — A million more Americans took time out of their schedules to volunteer in 2008 than they did the year before even though the economy was in a downturn, a study found. A report by the government-run Corporation for National and Community Service showed that 61.8 million Americans volunteered in 2008, the largest number since 2005.

July 24th, 2009 Obama to address education reform on FridayWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning his attention to education and people with disabilities. He'll deliver remarks on how schools can compete for more federal dollars Friday afternoon at the Education Department.

July 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama's American Indian adviser on public engagement and comedian, Kal 'Penn' Modi, has said that he has no plans for taking on a full time career in politics any time soon. The New York Daily News quoted Penn, who is the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, a gig he landed after working his way up through Obama's campaign operation, as saying: "I have no plans to run for office anytime soon", before rushing off to his first big White House meeting.

June 26th, 2009 Senate confirms 2 for FCCWASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday confirmed Julius Genachowski as head of the Federal Communications Commission and Robert McDowell for a second FCC term. McDowell is currently the only Republican on the five-seat commission, which has been operating with three commissioners.

June 22nd, 2009 In SF, Michelle Obama calls on Americans to serveSAN FRANCISCO — First lady Michelle Obama wants Americans to make this a summer of community service. Obama is scheduled to put the idea into action Monday, joining California first lady Maria Shriver and local volunteers in refurbishing the playground at Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco.

June 9th, 2009 Minority lawmakers want bill to close health gapsWASHINGTON — Black, Latino and Asian lawmakers warned Democratic leaders that any health care overhaul that ignores health gaps between whites and minorities will face stiff opposition. The lawmakers said they would be hard-pressed to support a bill without a new program providing access to health care for all Americans.

May 14th, 2009 FTC suing companies to halt warranty 'robo-calls'WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are filing suits against several companies they say are behind a national wave of spam "robo-calls" that warn people their auto warranties are expiring and offer new service plans. The Federal Trade Commission says it has asked a federal court in Chicago to halt the illegal telemarketing campaign of "Your Car Warranty Has Expired." Officials say as many as 1 billion of the nuisance calls have been made to Americans.

April 28th, 2009 Solomon Islands launches reconciliation bidHONIARA, Solomon Islands — South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu called for reconciliation, not revenge, as he launched a commission Wednesday aimed at resolving ethnic tensions that saw hundreds killed and at least 20,000 driven from their homes. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tutu told the thousands who flocked to hear him in the capital, Honiara, that he hoped victims of the nation's troubles would not hold grudges or hatred.

April 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - 'Hannah Montana' star Miley Cyrus has struck back against the "racist" lawsuit filed against her, saying the woman suing her was only looking to "publicly embarrass and harass " her. Pictures of the 16-year-old had found their way on the Internet, depicting the star and a group of male friends pulling their eyes to apparently mock Asians.

April 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A Texas lawmaker suggestion that voters of Asian descent adopt names that are "easier for Americans to deal with" at the polls has outraged the Asian American community. According to Fox News, Texas Republican Representative Betty Brown made these comments on Tuesday as Ramey Ko, an associate member of the Organization of Chinese Americans, testified before the Texas House Elections Committee on voter identification legislation.

January 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The announcement of a six-event professional golf series in the Asia-Pacific region - China, Australia and South Korea, with the possibility of Japan joining in - has set the stage for a potential conflict with Asian Tour that governs golf in the continent. The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of Australia, which has been keen on a Tour to revive itself as its own tour has failed to elicit interest, announced the series with six events, three of which will be held in China.