The White House opened doors at online hot spots MySpace, Facebook and Twitter on Friday.
Content from US President Barack Obama’s Web site WhiteHouse.gov is being fed in real time to White House profile pages at MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.
“Technology has profoundly impacted how — and where — we all consume information and communicate with one another,” the White House said in a blog posting at WhiteHouse.gov titled “WhiteHouse 2.0.”
“WhiteHouse.gov is an important part of the Administration’s effort to use the Internet to reach the public quickly and effectively — but it isn’t the only place,” it said.
The blog posting referred to an Obama speech from a week earlier in which the president said the government needs to be more creative and transparent, and that he would “reach beyond the halls of government.”
“Beginning today, users can connect directly with the Obama administration on a daily basis to stay informed and educated about the priorities and activities of the United States government,” MySpace said.
“The community also provides users the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns directly to the White House by leaving comments and participating in discussion forums,” the social network said in a statement.
Indonesia was to sign an agreement to repatriate two British nationals, including a grandmother languishing on death row for drug-related crimes, an Indonesian government source said yesterday. “The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side of the transfer is agreed,” the source said, identifying Lindsay Sandiford and 35-year-old Shahab Shahabadi as the people being transferred. Sandiford, a grandmother, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs. Customs officers found cocaine worth an estimated US$2.14 million hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford’s suitcase when
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Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner yesterday signed a coalition deal, paving the way for Sanae Takaichi to become the nation’s first female prime minister. The 11th-hour agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) came just a day before the lower house was due to vote on Takaichi’s appointment as the fifth prime minister in as many years. If she wins, she will take office the same day. “I’m very much looking forward to working with you on efforts to make Japan’s economy stronger, and to reshape Japan as a country that can be responsible for future generations,”
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