Last year FLOTUS opted for simple chic in a Rachel Roy sheath dress, but she’s worn Barbara Tfank before, including this printed green number and the mint green frock Mrs. O wore while meeting the Duchess of Cambridge.

Tfank also recently dressed Adele.

The First Lady’s hair and makeup looked perfectly elegant as well… and we’re dying to see some photos of her shoes.

Check out pics below! We’ll add more as they come in.

Huffpo| January 24, 2012 | Huffpo|

The third appearance of the evening was at the landmark Apollo Theater in Harlem where Obama sang few bars of “Let’s Stay Together” by Reverend Al Green, to the public dismay (watch the video below). Amongst the guests at Lee’s residence, pool reporters noticed Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon, and former NY knicks guard Alan Houston.

Lee posted a photo of the President and a custom pair of Michael Jordan sneakers that were made bearing the Presidential Seal, writing, "President Obama Is A Huge Bulls And Jordan Fan.Here He Holds His Gift Of Spizikes From MJ Himself.YO."

After a few remarks to highlight some of this term achievements, including ending the war in Iraq, and the Military Don’s Ask-Don’t Tell Policy,  the president flew back to the White House. Shall we say the B.O. is ready for another term? Apparently, yes.

Watch:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman each won 2 votes of the 9 cast in the contest. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) each received 1 vote. Three Democratic ballots were cast for President Barack Obama.

According to the Associated Press, the group of 9 registered voters in Dixville Notch comprised three Republicans, two Democrats and four undeclared voters.

Dixville Notch has voted first in the state’s primary election since 1960. Town clerk Rick Erwin told Granite State-based station WMUR ahead of the contest, “It’s great that they respect the tradition.”

Voters in Hart’s Location also cast ballots in the contest shortly after midnight. Here’s a rundown of the results:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney received 5 votes, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) received 4, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman received 2, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich each secured one vote.

HuffPost’s Mark Blumenthal reports on the latest polls out on the race for the Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire:

Four new polls released over the weekend continue to show Mitt Romney heading for a comfortable victory in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, with some uncertainty remaining about the ultimate size of that margin and the race for second through fifth place. All four polls show increasing support for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, with some suggesting that Huntsman might close in on Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) for second place.

The four new surveys differed in their methods and timing, and perhaps as a result, showed slightly varying levels of support for former Massachusetts Gov. Romney. The polls — conducted by the University of New Hampshire and WMUR; Suffolk University and 7News; the Democratic Party-affiliated firm Public Policy Polling and the American Research Group — estimated Romney’s support between 35 and 41 percent of the likely primary voter. They also gave him leads over his nearest competitors ranging from 15 to 24 percentage points.

The two polls that tracked opinions over the course of the week showed slight declines for Romney. Romney was down two and five points respectively on the University of New Hampshire and Suffolk University surveys, compared to surveys conducted earlier in the week.

Le couple présidentiel a rejoint les cinq récipiendaires de la distinction la plus haute en art que les Etats-Unis remettent à ces artistes et à ceux qui font la culture. Parmi eux, le saxophoniste Sonny Rollins, l’actrice Meryl Streep, le chanteur Neil Diamond, le violoniste Yo-Yo Ma, et la chanteuse de Broadway Barbara Cook.

“En s’exprimant, ils nous aident à apprendre quelque chose de nous” remarqua le président Obama lors de sa courte élocution devant l’audience, en parlant des artistes. “Ils nous font rires. Ils nous font pleurer. Ils nous rassemblent. Ils poussent les frontières de ce que nous croyons possible. Et chacun d’eux a été béni d’un don extraordinaire. Ce soir, nous les remercions de partager ces dons avec nous.”

cameroonwebnews| 5 Décembre 2011 |

Regardez les photos de la soirée.

Regardez un extrait de la video  de la soirée

Le propos de Transparency International Cameroon, est dénué de toute circonlocution. «L’origine des difficultés et dysfonctionnements de tous ordres qui ont émaillé l’organisation matérielle du scrutin du 09 octobre 2011 est à rechercher ailleurs que dans la seule jeunesse d’Elecam (l’organe en charge de l’organisation des élections au Cameroun, ndlr). Le Cameroun n’étant pas à l’organisation de son premier scrutin, rien ne saurait justifier les rafistolages et la cacophonie ayant caractérisé la distribution des cartes d’électeurs, le recours, en violation de la loi en vigueur, aux chefs de quartier et de village pour la distribution des cartes comme un aveu d’échec et d’impuissance, la mauvaise communication autour des actions de cet organe en charge des élections.»

Conséquence, selon le rapport signé de Me Charles Nguini, le président de Transparency International Cameroon, «Environ 70% des personnes inscrites sur les listes électorales n’ont pas jugé utile de se déplacer pour aller voter, la majorité étant constituée de ceux n’ayant pas réussi à entrer en possession de leur carte d’électeur». Et ne pas faire les choses à moitié, ce rapport ne se prive pas d’illustrations factuelles.
«A titre d’illustration, au centre de vote du lycée de Bonamoussadi à Douala (région du Littoral) où étaient logés une vingtaine de bureaux de vote, au bureau de vote A, 350 cartes sur les 500 électeurs inscrits n’ont pas été retirées. Idem dans le bureau de vote B, où 380 cartes sur les 500 électeurs inscrits n’ont pas été retirées. A Yaoundé, l’Ecole du Centre administratif a connu une participation encore plus faible ; à l’Ecole publique de Bastos, nous avons eu un cas de 89 votants sur 414 inscrits. Ce scénario était identique dans de nombreux bureaux de vote du pays où le taux d’abstention a souvent frisé les 70%.» Et la liste des observations est encore longue.

Venant d’une institution à la notoriété et à la crédibilité mondialement établis, ce rapport devrait aider les décideurs euro-américains, à se faire une meilleure idée des contours du scrutin du 9 octobre dernier. Car Jusqu’à ce dimanche 16 octobre 2011, c’était le silence radio à Washington. Ni le président américain Barack Obama, ni sa secrétaire d’Etat Hilary Clinton ne s’étaient encore prononcés au sujet de l’élection présidentielle du 9 octobre dernier. Jusqu’ici, seul l’ambassadeur des Etats Unis au Cameroun a pu s’exprimer à ce sujet. Robert P. Jackson indiquait mardi dernier à Mutations au sortir d’une concertation avec Elecam, l’organe en charge de la conduite du processus électoral au Cameroun, qu’il y avait bien eu des «problèmes dans le processus électoral». Il n’en a pas dit plus sur ce thème et a même tenu à préciser que «l’élection présidentielle s’est déroulée dans le calme et la sérénité»

En France, le discours est contradictoire. Le personnage le plus important à s’être exprimé officiellement sur le sujet, c’est le ministre des Affaires étrangères. Alain Juppé indiquait mardi dernier que la «France considère que le déroulement de l’élection présidentielle dimanche au Cameroun est acceptable». Totalement moins dérangeant que le discours tenu la veille par le porte-parole du Quai d’Orsay, Bernard Valero. «Selon les premières informations, le vote s’est globalement déroulé dans le calme. Nous souhaitons que toute la lumière soit faite sur quelques incidents qui auraient eu lieu et que les autorités camerounaises établissent les responsabilités.» avait alors indiqué ce dernier.

On l’a vu, Alain Juppé dit avoir assis sa déclaration sur les rapports des observateurs de la Francophonie et du Commonwealth. Exact pour ce qui est de la Francophonie dont le chef de mission, l’ancien chef de l’Etat burundais, Pierre Buyoya, qui déclarait mardi dernier au sortir d’une audience avec le président Paul Biya que «les élections se sont passées dans le calme (…), malgré quelques incidents çà et là». Moins vrai en revanche, pour ce qui du Commonwealth. Le rapport de Fred Mitchell, qui en conduisait l’équipe des observateurs, parle en effet de «sérieux problèmes concernant la totale indépendance d’Elecam vis-à-vis du gouvernement. (…) la difficulté de faire la différence entre l’Etat et le parti au pouvoir quant à l’utilisation des ressources publiques durant la campagne».
Au-dessus de ces divergences de positions, plus notable est la déclaration du secrétaire général de l’Onu. Ban Ki-moon, s’est félicité le 11 octobre dernier, de la «la tenue pacifique» du scrutin du 09 octobre dernier, et a souhaité que «cette atmosphère paisible» perdure.

Serge D. Bontsebe |17 Octobre 2011 | mutations |

The Obamas stopped directly in front of the imposing 30-foot monument of King with his arms folded and looked up. The Nation’s first Black president was stared upon by the edifice of a man that 48 years prior stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial some 300 years away to talk about a “dream” that forever changed a nation. Obama is the dream realized. So its only natural that the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial gets dedicated on Obama’s watch.

“He had faith in us,” said Obama. “And that is why he belongs on this Mall: Because he saw what we might become. Without those glorious words, we might not have had the courage to come as far as we have. Yes, laws changed, but hearts and mind changed as well.”

The president, joined by his wife Michelle and two daughters, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, urged change takes time but called for more action in addressing issues related to poverty and unemployment.

“Look at the faces here around you,” Obama said. “You see an America that is more fair, and more free and more just than the one Dr. King addressed that day. We are right to savor that slow but certain progress.”

Obama urged, “I know we will overcome. I know this,” the president said, “because of the man towering over us.”

Hurricane Irene pushed back the August 28th date of the dedication, which was supposed to coincide with the day King gave his famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech from the March on Washington.

In addition to the Obamas and the Bidens, many other notables spoke — including civil rights icons such as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA),  Rev. Joseph Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson.  Poet Nikki Giovanni, actress Cicely Tyson, news anchor Dan Rather, King’s children Martin Luther King III and Rev. Bernice King, and King’s only surviving sibling Christine King Farris also addressed the event goers.

“I didn’t think my brother’s legacy could get much larger,” King’s 84-year-old sister Farris shared referring to the day when King received his own national holiday in 1983. “But I was wrong. Here I am witnessing my brother’s symbolic place on the national mall near America’s greatest presidents. Let this wonderful day mark another step toward the fulfillment of the dream.

The event, while entertaining with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Mary Mary and Aretha Franklin, also became political as well.

Many speakers used the platform to speak about King’s work with civil rights but they also spoke about social and economic justice, many times referencing the current “Occupy” protests happening nationally against wealthy individual and corporations saying that economic equality was King’s next focus.

Rev. Bernice King shared that her father was actively campaigning on behalf of poor people before he died.

“I hear my father say we must have a radical revolution of values and a reordering of our priorities in this nation,” Bernice King said. “I hear my father say, as we dedicate this monument, we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society, to a person-oriented society.”

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), the only one who spoke at the historic March on Washington that’s is still alive, said that King must be looked at as one of the founding fathers of the new America.

“He not only freed a people he liberated a nation,” said Lewis. “He challenged the most powerful nation to find its moral compass”

Martin Cicely king III said that while it’s great to have his father’s name on schools, streets, and buildings, he warned against getting caught up in King’s bigger than life presence lest forgetting what he stood for.

“Let’s not to place too much emphasis on Martin Luther King the idol, and not enough on the ideals of Martin Luther King.” King said sharing that the memorial should serve as a reminder to continue his father’s work and fight for justice.

Al Sharpton shared Martin Luther King III’s sentiment.

“This is not a monument of those times past,” Sharpton said. “This is a marker for the fight for justice today and a projection for the fight for justice in the future because we will not stop until we get the equal justice justice (that) Dr. King fought for.”

Pharoh Martin | October 17, 2011| newsOne|

In a letter to Congress, Obama said the troops will act as advisers in efforts to hunt down rebel leader Joseph Kony but will not engage in combat except in self-defense.

Pentagon officials said the bulk of the U.S. contingent will be special operations troops, who will provide security and combat training to African units.

The White House said the first troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday. Ultimately, they’ll also deploy in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Long considered one of Africa’s most brutal rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army began its attacks in Uganda more than 20 years ago but has been pushing westward.

The administration and human rights groups say its atrocities have left thousands dead and have put as many as 300,000 Africans to flight. They have charged the group with seizing children to bolster its ranks of soldiers and sometimes forcing them to become sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court under a 2005 warrant for crimes against humanity in his native Uganda.

Obama’s announcement came in low-key fashion — a letter to House Speaker John Boehner in which he said the deployment “furthers U.S. national security interests and foreign policy and will be a significant contribution toward counter-LRA efforts in central Africa.”

The deployment drew support from Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who has visited the region.

“I have witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the LRA, and this will help end Kony’s heinous acts that have created a human rights crisis in Africa,” he said in a statement. “I have been fervently involved in trying to prevent further abductions and murders of Ugandan children, and today’s action offers hope that the end of the LRA is in sight.”

But Obama’s letter stressed the limited nature of the deployment.

“Our forces will provide information, advice and assistance to select partner nation forces,” it said. “Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will … not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense.”

Most of the troops will deploy to regional capitals to work with government officials and military commanders on countering the rebels and protecting civilians, Pentagon officials said.

State Department officials portrayed the deployment as part of a larger strategy to combat the group that dates to the Bush administration but also includes legislation passed by Congress this year.

Victoria Nuland, a department spokeswoman, said the U.S. troops will aid in “pursuing the LRA and seeking to bring top commanders to justice.” The broader effort includes encouraging rebel fighters to defect, disarm and return to their homes, she said.

The administration briefed human rights activists ahead of the announcement, and their officials were encouraged.

“These advisers can make a positive difference on the ground by keeping civilians safe and improving military operations to apprehend the LRA’s top commanders,” said Paul Ronan, director of the group Advocacy at Resolve.

Col. Felix Kulayigye, Uganda’s military spokesman, said of the troops: “We are aware that they are coming. We are happy about it. We look forward to working with them and eliminating Kony and his fighters.”

Mark Smith | 14/10/2011 | AP|

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Lolita C. Baldor and Donna Cassata contributed to this report from Washington, AP writer Godfrey Olukya from Kampala Uganda.

Related articles

• Obama Sending Troops to Fight Lord’s Resistance Army (outsidethebeltway.com)
• What is the Lord’s Resistance Army? (news.blogs.cnn.com)
• Obama orders troops to help hunt African ‘army’ leader (cnn.com)

Ivory Coast’s president said he knows nothing about brutal killings committed by his forces the day after his inauguration and defended a senior officer accused of separate atrocities as one of the country’s best soldiers.

President Alassane Ouattara, whose election victory in November was followed by a violent, four-month-long standoff with the country’s former ruler, told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that all those found to have committed atrocities would be punished, no matter their position.

“I am against impunity,” he said.

But a report by Amnesty International released Wednesday accuses Ouattara’s Republican Forces of continuing to carry out violence and intimidation against ethnic groups perceived as having supported his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo. A different report by Human Rights Watch released in June alleges that forces loyal to Ouattara killed up to 149 people believed to be Gbagbo supporters.

The rights group cited a witness who said that a commander loyal to Ouattara, Cherif Ousmane, ordered the execution of 29 detainees. Two others said they saw Ousmane in a car that “disposed of the tortured and executed body of an infamous militia leader.”

“This cannot be true,” Ouattara said Friday. “Cherif Ousmane is one of the best soldiers.”

In fact, he added, soldiers who serve under Ousmane are known for being well-trained, polite and helpful.

“In any case, if we discover that anyone has committed atrocities, that person will be properly judged and sanctions will be taken,” the president said. Ouattara added that he believed the report was based on interviews with mercenaries.

But recent violence, including the separate massacre of up to 47 people on the banks of the Cavally River at the very least raises the question of whether Ouattara has any control over the forces that helped put him in office.

“If President Ouattara is serious about impartial justice, he needs to better ensure that leaders of his security forces don’t have blood on their hands,” said Matthew Wells, who authored the report by Human Rights Watch.

Ouattara’s victory in the West African country’s first free and fair election in a decade was perceived as a turning point. But the outgoing president, Gbagbo, refused to leave. Ouattara was only able to take office after he enlisted the help of a rebel army that helped him seize control of the country.

Almost 700,000 people remain in camps for displaced people in the country’s remote far west and in refugee camps across the porous jungle border in Liberia and Guinea.

The brutal killings documented by the AP took place deep into Gbagbo land on the river bank on the border with Liberia the day after Ouattara’s May 21 inauguration.

Ouattara’s forces opened fire with a machine gun, killing as many as 47 refugees who had gathered in the clearing to eat as they made their way back from Liberia, lured by Ouattara’s message of reconciliation.

Ouattara’s regional commander for western Ivory Coast, Capt. Eddie Mindi, said his soldiers opened fire after being attacked by Gbagbo’s mercenaries, and denied most of the dead were civilians. Ouattara said Friday he had never heard of Mindi.

Ouattara, in Washington for a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and the presidents of Benin, Guinea, and Niger, said it would take time for his country to heal after years of violence. He said a report on postelection violence by a national commission of inquiry would be sent to prosecutors by the end of the year.

“I think reconciliation has started,” he said.

Ouattara said he has accomplished a lot in the short time he has been in office, including restructuring the security forces and restoring confidence in the economy.

He invited refugees in camps in neighboring Liberia and Guinea to return home, and said he recently urged members of the army in exile to return.

“If there is nothing against them, obviously they will be free,” he said. “Especially I told them that their security will be guaranteed.”

DESMOND BUTLER | July 30, 2011 | The Seattle Times |

He spoke after a White House meeting with the presidents of Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Niger.

Obama: East Africa famine hasn’t gotten attention it deserves from US, needs world response

“We discussed how we can partner together to avert the looming humanitarian crisis in eastern African,” Obama said. “I think it hasn’t gotten as much attention here in the United States as it deserves.”

“But we’re starting to see famine developing in, along the Horn of Africa, in areas like Somalia in particular. And that’s going to require an international response. And Africa will have to be a partner in making sure that tens of thousands of people do not starve to death.”

A drought and famine in Somalia have affected more than 11 million people, including 2.2 million Somalis who live in an area controlled by the militant group, al-Shabab, where aid groups can’t deliver food.

The United Nations and the World Food Program delivered more than 50 tons of ready-to-use food and nutritional supplements to the capital of Mogadishu on Friday.

Obama said the four leaders are models for Africa because they have shown “extraordinary persistence” in promoting democracy despite great personal risk and enormous challenges, as in Ivory Coast.

Alassane Ouattara was elected president in Ivory Coast in November 2010 but had to sit on the sidelines for six months because Laurent Gbagbo refused to leave office. U.N. and French troops ultimately helped force Gbagbo from power, clearing the way for Ouattara to become president in April.

The three other leaders Obama met with are: Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin, Alpha Conde of Guinea and Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger.

Obama noted that the former French colonies have been independent for more than 50 years, a period that he said was marked by extraordinary progress and missed opportunities.

He said the leaders are committed to bringing democratic practices and economic prosperity and security to their people, and pledged that the “United States will stand with you every step of the way.”

Darlene Superville| July 29, 2011 | Washington Post|

Related articles

• Barack Obama urges global response to Africa famine (telegraph.co.uk)
• AP Exclusive: Ouattara: no knowledge of massacre (seattletimes.nwsource.com)