Washington  - US president-elect Barack Obama has turned down the chance to meet with foreign leaders at Saturday's economic summit in Washington, choosing instead to keep a low profile during the emergency gathering.

Obama intends to remain at home in Chicago when 20 foreign leaders meet to outline a plan to stave off a global recession following the autumn meltdown in financial markets.

The latest news reports suggest that Eric Schmidt, Google Inc. chief executive officer won’t take a technology post in President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet. In a TV interview conducted on Friday, Schmidt declined such a post.

During the campaign for the presidency, Obama said, “I would create a cabinet post similar to a chief technology officer to advice on tech issues.” Some watchers claimed to have seen Schmidt, a strong supporter of Obama, most likely with the motive to be tapped for that post.

Washington, Nov. 12 : White House aides are reportedly fuming over leaked reports that President Bush had offered a political compromise in which he would support a bailout for the auto industry in exchange for Obama''s support of a free-trade deal with Colombia.

According to the president-elect''s aides, Obama told Bush that he favors appointing a czar to oversee any bailout for the nations'' domestic automakers. That appointee would have power to push for reforms in an ailing industry on the brink of bankruptcy.

Washington, Nov. 12 : The Taliban has warned U. S. President-elect Barack Obama to retreat from Iraq and Afghanistan or his fate will be more "shameful and despicable" than President Bush''s.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group, the Taliban said: “Obama''s victory a week ago proved Americans want to end both wars. Americans do not want their children to be fodder of war flames any more" since the U. S. faces "defeat and disgrace."

Chicago, Nov. 12 : Incoming U. S. First Lady Michelle Obama has reportedly called up former First Lady Hillary Clinton for pointers on protecting her two young daughters from the media maelstrom at the White House.

“Michelle may not have loved the senator, but she always respected how the Clintons raised Chelsea,” Politico quoted a person familiar with Clinton’s end of the call, as saying.