Washington, Nov 7: President elect Barack Obama has a selected his chief of staff and his name is Rahm. Though the name has nothing to do with the Hindu mythological figure of Ram, Indian Americans who are loyal Obama supporters are sure to be happy with the name that sounds so like the Hindu God.

Representative Rahm Emanuel is a former Clinton Administration official and a fellow member of Congress from Illinois and the President elect says that he selected Rahm for the crucial job because he has "deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our administration."

London, November 7: Gaffe-prone Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has given rise to a fresh controversy by praising U. S. President-elect Barack Obama’s suntan.

The entrepreneur, while on a Moscow visit, said last night that Obama was “young, handsome and tanned”.

His comment drew a lot of criticism.

“What’s the problem? It was a compliment. If these people don’t have a sense of humour why don’t they just...” British tabloid The Sun quoted him as responding to his criticisms.

Seoul - US president-elect Barack Obama vowed to closely cooperate with South Korea on achieving the nuclear disarmament of communist North Korea, the presidential office in Seoul said Friday.

Obama promised South Korean President Lee Myung Bak in a telephone conversation to further strengthen the alliance between their two countries. The incoming US president referred to the Seoul-Washington relationship as a "cornerstone of peace and stability in Asia," Lee's office said.

The two leaders also agreed to closely cooperate in dealing with the global financial crisis.

Washington, Nov 7: US President-elect Barack Obama is scheduled to hold talks with President George Bush on crisis issues, including Iraq and the ongoing recession in the economy, official sources said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Obama and wife Michelle would visit the White House on Monday, which will be their home after the inauguration on January 20.

Washington, Nov. 7: Imagine not inheriting a permanent bureaucracy. Freedom to bring in your own babus. It is every Indian politician's dream. Here in 'the land of the free', it is a privilege that the President enjoys. He is not encumbered with a permanent bureaucracy. So on January 20th, when President elect Barack Obama becomes President Obama, he will bring with him a whole new team.

He will not have to inherit a bunch of babus looking down their noses at the inexperienced head of government, something that happens in India every five years!

Washington  - Rahm Emanuel, the new chief of staff under president-elect Barack Obama, is a long-time Washington insider known for a hard-nosed but successful style.

Emanuel, 48, served as a senior advisor in the administration of former president Bill Clinton, distinguishing himself during Clinton's unlikely rise to power in 1992.

After being elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 from a district in his home town of Chicago, Emanuel rose quickly through the ranks in Congress.