Obama urges repeal of tax breaks for oil firms

Seizing on an unexpected political opportunity, President Obama urged Congress to repeal tax breaks for oil companies and said he was "heartened" that the Republican House speaker had revived the idea.

Although Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) may have veered a bit from GOP talking points on taxes this week — telling a television interviewer that the government is low on revenue and oil companies ought to pay "their fair share" — an aide said Boehner did not advocate the sweeping repeal of subsidies that the president supported.

But Obama tried to make the most of the speaker's comments, which came in an ABC "World News" interview Monday. The president dashed off a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday reminding them that "high oil and gasoline prices are weighing on the minds and pocketbooks of every American family."

The back-and-forth came amid Republican demands for spending cuts, with some suggesting they might not vote to raise the federal government's debt limit in mid-May unless the administration agrees to significant reductions. If Congress fails to raise that ceiling when the country reaches it, the U.S. would default on its debts within a few months.

Obama has proposed reducing the deficit through a mixture of budget cuts and ending tax breaks for the wealthy, but Republicans are resistant to the idea of tax increases.

In his letter to congressional leaders, Obama said he was encouraged by Boehner's remarks, which seemed to be a concession to Democrats who have long sought to end the subsidies.

"Our political system has for too long avoided and ignored this important step, and I hope we can get together in a bipartisan manner to get this done," the president wrote.

Obama has proposed eliminating subsidies to oil and gas companies, which the administration pegs at $4 billion. Republicans have argued that they are necessary to keep the energy industry competitive and encourage domestic oil exploration.

A Boehner spokesman quickly shot down the possibility that the speaker was moving closer to the president's proposal.

"The speaker wants to increase the supply of American energy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and he is only interested in reforms that actually lower energy costs and create American jobs," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said. "Unfortunately, what the president has suggested so far would simply raise taxes and increase the price at the pump."

In the ABC News interview, Boehner said eliminating some subsidies was something "we certainly ought to take a look at." But he emphasized that he wanted to see how the details of the president's proposal would affect job creation.

"I want to see the facts. I don't want to hear a bunch of political rhetoric," he said. "You know, the No. 1 issue in my district and around the country is, 'Where are the jobs?' And I want to know what impact this is going to have on job creation here in America."

Still, the White House was gleeful about the speaker's remarks and used the opportunity to score points with consumers. The subsidies are unpopular, particularly during periods of rising gas prices.

Oil and gas companies are set to announce their earnings soon, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, adding that "they are expected to be quite large."

"While we certainly are glad to see companies making a profit, we do not believe that given the size of those profits — record profits, in some cases — that they need to be subsidized by the American taxpayer," Carney said. "Especially in these times of constrained budgets and especially when we need to use some of those dollars to invest in clean-energy technology, so that we can build the industries of the future, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create jobs in America."

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Favourite Indian Idol is......................

The countdown has begun. Only 8 contestants are left in Indian Idol 5 and all of them are extremely talented. Though it might be difficult for bigwigs like Anu Malik, Sunidhi Chauhan and Salim Merchant to choose one, we’re sure you have your favourite.

So who are you rooting for?
Tia Kar
This pretty Bengali girl is from Mumbai and has left everyone spellbound with what the judges call ‘a playback kind of voice’. In spite of having had no formal training whatsoever, she has managed to impress the judges with her melodious voice and winning attitude. Sunidhi Chauhan has even predicted that she’ll make it to the Top 5!


Swaroop Khan
Remember the boy in the Bournvita ad with a Rajasthani boy singing and another dancing? That boy is none other than Swaroop Khan. His music is an inheritance from his family and from his village in Jodhpur. With a very rare Indian style of singing, he perfectly blends tradition and melody. Though he’s never sung Bollywood songs before in his life, he’s making it big in Indian Idol.


Sreeram
Sreeram Chandra is a professional singer from Secundarabad and has even given his voice for some Telugu movies. If you were not really his fan, we’re sure after you heard his duet with musician Shankar Mahadevan on the song Breathless, you have become one. He literally left everyone breathless, with his rendition of the song! An idol from the South this time?


Shivam Pathak
This ambitious little boy wants to become a successful playback singer just like his idol Sonu Nigam and a music director too! Sunidhi Chauhan’s Jerry (The mouse) is an innocent, serious looking guy whose forte is his versatility. This cute curly-haired singer sure has a huge fan following.


Sashi Suman
His passion for music was so strong that he left his home, family et al at the tender age of 13. Trained in classical music, this simple 21-year-old boy from Patna is truly a rare find. Now all he has to do is to prove to his family that music is a profession too. Way to go kiddo!


Rakesh.jpg


Rakesh Maini
An entertaining performer and an excellent singer, Rakesh Maini is a complete package. His ‘chapa chapa charkha chale’ forced even Salim Merchant to vote for him! He took part in Indian Idol to fulfill the dream of his parents. Asha Bhosle even called him the best singer of the lot. Will this contestant from Agra make it to the top?



Naushad Ali Kawa
This exceptionally good 18-year-old singer from Jaipur has Sufi music running through his veins. He has been singing since the time he was three years old and he plays tabla too! Now that’s what we call versatility!

Bhoomi Trivedi
She gives a whole new meaning to the quote ‘try, try till you succeed’. She had auditioned for Idol 3 and Idol 4 but because of personal reasons even after being chosen couldn’t go forward. Now she’s one of the top 8 in Indian Idol 5. She shocked the judges with her Gujurati rap in the auditions and since then has never looked back.

Argentina beat Mexico

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Spain vs Portugal World Cup

Spain vs Portugal is one highly anticipated match as the fans of South Korea Uruguay matches are plenty! This 2010 World Cup game promises to be one of the best! Watch the FIFA World Cup 2010 Live Streaming of games free:Spain vs Portugal 2010 on the Official World Cup channel now.

This Spain vs Portugal 2010 match-up is one of the closest in the history books!

Lots of crazy matches have happened so far। The groupings for World Cup is getting tight। World Cup group A games have come down to the wire and World Cup group B games are going to be even tougher। Be sure to watch your favorite teams and support them as they go on their journey to be the 2010 World Cup Champions!

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Sania Mirza:Indian Tennis Player

Sania Mirza - Indian Tennis Sensation

Sania started playing tennis professionally in 2003. She made her career debut with India Fed Cup team, winning all three singles matches. However also won Wimbledon Championships Girls' Doubles title, partnering with Russian player Alisa Kleybanova in 2003. For her outstanding achievement in the sport, the Indian government awarded her with Arjuna Award in 2004. Later in 2006, she was again awarded by the Government of India with Padma Shri- the fourth highest civilian award of India.
Number of nicknames to her credit like - the ace Indian tennis player, tennis sensation of India, the tennis star of India, youth icon of India or the lone Indian flag bearer at world tennis circuit - Sania Mirza become a rage in India when she reached the forth round of US Open in 2005. With this she became the first and the only Indian woman to reach the 4th round of any Grand Slam event. Also the first Indian to get into the top 50 WTA (Women's Tennis Association) rankings. High rankings of her career till date are like 27 in singles and 18 in doubles.


The other awards to her credit includes WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2005. The same year she won her first WTA singles title at Hyderabad Open. In 2006, representing India at Doha Asian Games, Sania won silver in the women's singles, gold in the mixed doubles partnering Leander Paes and silver in Indian women's team. Recently Mirza won mixed doubles grand slam title pairing with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi at Australian Open 2009. She is the first Indian woman to win a grand slam title.

Giving good performance with each tournament Sania is on her way to success. When asked some time before, Sania told that her aim is to reach top 20 of the WTA listings. The best weapon of Sania is her powerful forehand, which is often compared with the German tennis beauty Steffi Graf. Not only forehand, but backhand and net game are also her weapons. The only thing Sania missing is consistency. Other players of her age are more consistent than her. But that may be because of injuries she is facing at early age of her career. But with hard work and luck, Sania will definitely be the top tennis player in world one day.