A1SaudiArabia.com

WASHINGTON – Facing a tough political environment, President Barack Obama on Saturday turned up the heat for the health care overhaul that has been his top priority for a year, yet has not been passed by a Democrat-dominated Congress.

The president used his weekly radio and Internet address to attempt to sway a public that has soured on the topic – and especially Democratic lawmakers who are wavering.

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TOKYO/WASHINGTON – Toyota Motor Corps president apologised to U.S. lawmakers and ended the day in tears, marking a potential climax to his companys safety crisis but leaving it with a long road to rebuild its reputation.

Akio Toyoda, peppered with questions about its massive series of recalls, told lawmakers he was “deeply sorry” for accidents and injuries involving its cars and acknowledged it had lost its way in its pursuit of growth.

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SEOUL, South Korea – Hyundai Motor on Wednesday announced a recall of about 47,000 of its new Sonata sedans to replace front door latches following a handful of customer complaints.

Hyundai, South Koreas No. 1 automaker, said it discovered a mechanical problem with the latches, which, in rare instances, will not close properly.

It said the recall was voluntary, meaning it was not required by regulators.

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WASHINGTON: Regulators on Friday shut down two big California banks, as well as banks in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Illinois, bringing to 140 the number of US banks brought down this year by the weak economy and mounting loan defaults.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over all seven. Regulators shuttered First Federal Bank of California, based in Santa Monica, with $6.1 billion in assets and $4.5 billion in deposits, as was as Imperial Capital Bank of La Jolla, Calif., with about $4 billion in assets and $2.8 billion in deposits.

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HONG KONG – Yang Rong was once celebrated as a pioneering automobile entrepreneur who founded the first Chinese company to be listed on Wall Street. Then, seven years ago, he fled to the US fearing arrest for alleged economic crimes.

Now, Yang is plotting a comeback as a hybrid carmaker in the US – a venture requiring billions of dollars that could face daunting odds amid a weak economy and against competitors such as Toyota and Honda that have already invested millions in “green” technology.

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WASHINGTON – Its official: Car shoppers are getting more time to trade in their clunkers for cash.

President Barack Obama signed into law Friday an extension of the stimulus program that proved so popular it ran out of money.

The Senate voted Thursday to triple the “cash-for-clunkers” fund to $3 billion and extend the program to Labor Day, assuming the new money lasts that long. The law gives owners $3,500 to $4,500 for trading in old cars that use a lot of gas for newer, more efficient vehicles.

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RIYADH: In another recognition of the Riyadh-based International Indian Schools quality education, a 17-year-old student has been chosen by the US Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) in Alabama to participate in a major space training program.

Ashaab Alam, a 12th grade student, is among a small number selected from all over the world to spend a week at the USSRC.

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ST. LOUIS – Carl Crawford pulled back a home run with a leaping grab an inning before Curtis Granderson tripled and scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth to give the American League a 4-3 victory over the National League on Tuesday.

“It was definitely probably the best catch I ever made,” said Crawford, the MVP. “I didnt think it was going to carry that far, but it carried and I just had to find the wall, make the adjustment and make the play on it.”

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