Barack Obama

Obama defends Kaepernick's anthem protest

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback started the protest last month after he sat during the national anthem for a preseason game, saying he would not "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

Since then, other professional athletes have also chosen not to stand for the national anthem, sparking a national debate.

Obama: Why I won't say 'Islamic terrorism'

But on Wednesday at a CNN presidential town hall, he was asked to defend why he refuses to say "Islamic" terrorism to a Gold Star mother.

"My son gave his life for acts of terrorism," audience member Tina Houchins told Obama at the town hall moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper. "Do you still believe that the acts of terrorism are done for the self-proclaimed Islamic religious motive? And if you do, why do you still refuse to use the term ... Islamic terrorist?"

Obama called it a "sort of manufactured" issue.

Obama: 50 countries to take in 360,000 refugees this year

He told the United Nations General Assembly that world leaders, notably Germany and Canada, have vowed to double the number from last year.

"We are facing a crisis of epic proportion," Mr Obama said.

About 21 million refugees have been forced to flee their countries due to conflict or persecution, the UN says.

Nine million people alone have been displaced by the six-year conflict in Syria while more than four million others have fled the war-torn country.

US President Barack Obama urges China to tackle excess capacity

China has been accused of unfair practices by firms overseas for dumping products at low prices in their home markets.

In April, China promised to reduce its steel output, following a crisis meeting attended by 30 nations.

The President met Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement from The White House, President Obama also urged China to establish a level playing field, so that all firms can compete fairly in the country.

Woman asks Obama: What happened to my husband?

Forty-one years later, their paths converged again, in a way. Obama this week became the first sitting US president to visit Laos. Sombath, meanwhile, has vanished -- stopped on a street in this sleepy Mekong outpost in 2012, stuffed into a pick-up truck, and never heard from again.

Lao authorities have remained silent on the teacher and activist's disappearance, drawing the concern of human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Those organizations pressed Obama ahead of his trip here to raise Sombath's case with Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith.

That 'awkward moment' when Obama met Duterte after 'whore' spat

On Tuesday Mr Obama cancelled planned talks after the firebrand Mr Duterte called him the "son of a whore".

Wednesday's informal meeting took place before an Asean summit gala dinner.

While a Philippine spokesman said he was "very happy" it happened, the US side said they had a "brief discussion" in a pre-meal "hold space" for leaders.

Mr Obama and Mr Duterte are said to have entered the dinner venue separately at the summit in Laos and did not interact with each other during the event, which lasted one hour and 20 minutes.

Obama scraps planned talks with Duterte over 'son of whore' slur

The pair had been due to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a gathering of global leaders in the Laos capital Vientiane.

Mr Duterte had bristled at warnings he would face questioning by Mr Obama over a war against drugs in the Philippines that has claimed more than 2,400 lives in just over two months.

Police say about 900 of those killed died in police operations, and the rest were "deaths under investigation", a term human rights activists say is a euphemism for vigilante and extrajudicial killings.

Obama defends NFL player's anthem snub

Speaking in China, Mr Obama said the player had raised legitimate issues.

Mr Kaepernick stirred controversy when he sat during the national anthem to protest against racial injustice.

Some players have followed his example and sat or kneeled through the anthem.

Asked about the issue during a news conference at the G20 in Hangzhou, President Obama said it was tough for those in the military to understand why Mr Kaepernick might snub the national anthem.

But he said he did not doubt his sincerity to raise issues.

No US-Russia deal on Syria as Obama, Putin meet privately

The two leaders were conversing on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit here, according to a US National Security Council spokesman. More details about their discussion were expected later Monday, but US officials said before the summit that Syria and Ukraine would likely be on the agenda of an Obama-Putin huddle.

Louisiana flood: Worst US disaster since Hurricane Sandy

"Thousands of people in Louisiana have lost everything they own and need our help now," said Brad Kieserman, the Red Cross' vice president of disaster services operations and logistics.