Barack Obama Live Blog

Leaders of the Group of Eight major economies are making progress on addressing the two biggest threats to their economies - the euro zone crisis and very high oil prices, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Saturday.

After an early morning bilateral meeting with US  President Barack Obama, Cameron said he detected a "growing sense of urgency that action needs to be taken" on the eurozone crisis.

"Contingency plans need to be put in place and the strengthening of banks, governance, firewalls - all of those things need to take place very fast," he told reporters.

He said German Chancellor Angela Merkel was "absolutely right" that every country needs to have in place strong plans for dealing with their deficits.

"Growth and austerity aren't alternatives," said Cameron. [Source: Reuters]

The Obama administration has expressing outrage that Syrian troops fired into a refugee camp in neighboring Turkey.

It said the cross-border attack coupled with incidents elsewhere bodes ill for a UN-brokered plan to end the violence.

One day ahead of a deadline for Syrian forces to withdraw from cities under that plan, the White House and State Department said that instead of improving, the situation was getting worse.

“We certainly have seen no signs yet of the Assad regime abiding by its commitments,'' Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said.

A "saddened" President Barack Obama hailed Coptic Pope Shenuda III as an "advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue" after the Egyptian spiritual leader's death on Saturday.

Obama said in a statement that he and his wife Michelle "are saddened to learn of the passing of Coptic Christian Pope Shenuda III, a beloved leader of Egypt's Coptic Christians and an advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue."

"We stand alongside Coptic Christians and Egyptians as they honor his contributions in support of peace and cooperation," the US president said.

Obama said he remembered Shenuda "as a man of deep faith, a leader of a great faith, and an advocate for unity and reconciliation."

"His commitment to Egypt's national unity is also a testament to what can be accomplished when people of all religions and creeds work together," Obama added.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered the nation's "deepest condolences."

"As we reflect on his life and legacy, we reaffirm our support to the future peace and prosperity of Egypt," she said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Egyptian people and all those who mourn Pope Shenuda III." [AFP]

President Barack Obama and the Republican presidential candidates clashed Tuesday over how to deal with Iran's nuclear programme.

The Republican contenders accused Obama of weakness, while Obama blasted back that presidents do not launch wars lightly.

The debate over an Iran strategy occurred as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was finishing a visit to Washington. It also coincided with Iran agreeing to allow nuclear inspectors to return to its nuclear facilities and the US and other world powers offering a restart in nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

"We have a window of opportunity where this can still be resolved diplomatically,'' Obama told his first news conference of the year.

"We are going to continue to apply pressure even as we provide a door for the Iranian regime to walk through where they can rejoin the community of nations.''

Obama spoke after Republicans Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich each presented themselves as hawkish alternatives to the president, unafraid of the consequences of military conflict.

The candidates paused while competing for votes in the high-stakes Super Tuesday primaries to join the speakers' lineup at a conference of America's leading pro-Israel lobby. Santorum appeared in person, while Romney and Gingrich spoke via satellite.

All spoke of the need for even tougher sanctions or military action against Iran.