Sasha and Malia Obama must give up $7,000 gift from Saudi Arabia
Reuters / Kevin Lamarque
U.S. President Barack Obama holds hands with daughters Malia (L) and Sasha as first lady Michelle Obama walks behind upon their return to the White House in Washington January 4, 2010, following their vacation in Hawaii.
Elspeth Lodge February 15, 2011 – 3:53 pm
Sasha and Malia Obama are two kids who probably never get a bad gift, especially not since their father became President.
Paul Bedard, who authors the U.S. News and World Reports blog Washington Whispers reports that Sasha and Malia Obama recently received two necklaces and two diamond earring sets worth $7,275 from Saudi Arabia.
Sadly, the Obama girls, won’t be allowed to keep their new jewelery.
“The U.S. constitution prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign sources,” says U.S News and World Report. “so when foreign dignitaries present extravagant gifts to federal employees or their family members, those presents get reported to the State Department and are often stored away or put on display.”
In the past the lucky ladies received two 15-piece nesting doll sets from Russia worth $500; four scarves, one teddy bear and a jewelry box from South Korea, worth $570; four dresses, two jackets by the designer Isabel Garreton from Chile worth $815; and four books and 17 DVDs from Australia worth $470.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan delays vote on naming mountain after Putin
Elspeth Lodge January 11, 2011 – 5:39 pm
REUTERS/Ria Novosti/Pool/Alexei DruzhininRussia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin holds a piece of excavation as he visits the site of the “Lena-2010″ Russian-German scientific expedition on Samoilovsky Island in Far Eastern Federal District, August 23, 2010. Putin traveled beyond the Arctic Circle on Monday to look into evidence on climate change after a record heatwave devastated central Russia this summer.
Kyrgyzstan prime minister Almazbek Atambayev will have to wait a bit longer to dedicate a mountain to his Russian counterpart, after his parliament on Tuesday differed a final vote to name a mountain after Vladimir Putin.
The 4,446 meter high mountain to be named stands near Mount President Boris Yeltsin (3,500 metres) and Lenin Peak (7,134 metres) in Chuy Province in the Tian Shan mountain range, near the border with China.
What isn’t clear is what exactly the mountain will go by if the bill passes:
RIA Novosti said the bill is for a mountain named ‘Vladimir Putin Peak,’ but, a earlier article by RIA Novosti said the name is slated to be ‘Mount Vladimir Putin,’ as does The Voice of Russia; the Moscow News reported that the mountain is to be called “Peak Vladimir Putin”; France24 and AFP say it will be the ‘Peak of Vladimir Putin.’
Kyrgyzstan was a republic of the Soviet Union before gaining independence in 1991.
Kyrgyzstan to name peak ‘Mount Vladimir Putin’
Getty ImagesElspeth Lodge January 5, 2011 – 4:06 pm
Historically, political figures have softened the heart and opened the mind of tough Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by giving him cute four-legged creatures, but Kyrgyztan’s PM Almazbek Atambayev has found another gift that will likely put him in Russia’s good graces for years to come. The Kyrgyztan parliament is in the process of naming a 4,500-metre mountain ‘Mount Vladimir Putin,’ reported RiaNovosti, BBC News and the Herald Sun; it will be in the Tian Shan mountain range not far from China’s border.
Photo from the website of the Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceIf the Kyrgyzstan parliament approves the mountain’s name PM Putin will be in well-known company — nearby will be ‘Mount Boris Yeltsin,’ named after Russia’s first president in 2002 — Also, close-by will be ‘Lenin Peak,’ which was renamed four years after the death of the first Soviet leader, reported RiaNovosti.
Officials believe the gift is meant symbolize the importance of the relationship between the two nations, it also shows gratitude for the extensive aid Russia pledged to give the Central Asian Country last December, when Kyrgyz premier Almazbek Atambayev visited Russia, reports All Headline News.
When the two PM’s met on Dec.27. PM Atambayev said “I have always said – when running for MP and for prime minister and when appointed as prime minister – that Russia is our main strategic partner. There is no alternative to it because we have a historical affinity and a shared past. I am convinced that only a united and common future is possible for our countries,” the Russian government reported in press release.
Putin himself has named a mountain, a 3,269 meter high mountain located in the westernmost area of North Ossetia, reported RiaNovosti on Dec.11. The PM named the Sugan Ridge mountain peak in honor of Russian Spies: the Peak of Russian Counterintelligence Agents. The name certainly isn’t as catchy or as ominous sounding as ‘Mount Putin.’
Other gifts Putin has received:
- Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov gave Putin his Bulgarian Shepherd ‘Buffy’ in 2009.
Nikolay Doychinov, AFP/Getty- In 2008 the PM received a two-and-a-half-month-old female Siberian tiger for his 56th birthday. The cub weighed around 20 pounds and was curled up within a wicker basket, on top of a tiger print cushion. Mr. Putin will not reveal who gave him the tiger.
Photo by the Associated Press (AP)
- Putin was presented with one of the smallest horses in the world during the opening ceremony of the International horse-racing complex in 2005.
Dmitry Azarov
- Former Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin gave Putin a Crocodile in 2002.
EU Times
- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev gave Putin a Persian gazelle in 2002.
photo from piperbasenji.blogspot.com
Abdella II, the King of Jordan, gave Mr.Putin two Pure Arabian colts and a filly, Isis in 2002.
Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu gave Koni, a Black lab, to Putin on New Years Eve in 2001.
ALEXANDER GREK/AFP/Getty Images
Iran
Iran cracks down on red roses, heart-shaped boxes ahead of Valentine’s Day
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Shot through the heart: Iran is nixing traditional Valentine’s gifts.
Elspeth Lodge January 24, 2011 – 3:20 pm
Government officials in Iran are less-than-tickled that their young are taking an interest in Valentine’s Day, viewing the new found observation of a holiday named after a Christian saint as a severe threat to traditional cultural practices.
“The authorities in Iran resist Western influence and blame many of Iran’s social ills on a ‘cultural assault’ from the West. Although the population is predominantly Muslim, many people, particularly the younger generation born after the revolution, have liberal attitudes and follow the same trends in music, film and fashion as people of their age would do in Europe,” reports euronews.
Iran’s printing works owners’ union says that the country has it own days to honour kindness, love and affection, reports Reuters.
While the holiday has not been officially banned, traditional Valentine’s gifts can no longer be sold in stores, including themed cards, red roses, teddy bears, candies and anything that comes in a heart-shaped box.
The printers’ union has taken legal action to ensure Valentine’s products are not created and therefore the holiday not promoted:
“Printing and producing any products related to Valentine’s Day, including posters, brochures, advertising cards, boxes with the symbols of hearts, half-hearts, red roses and any activities promoting this day are banned, said authorities, who threaten they will take “legal” action against those who ignore the ban,” reports Reuters.
According to Reuters, some nationalists have proposed filling the Valentine’s Day gap with “Mehregan,” a Iranian festival in existence since the pre-Islamic era (Mehr means ‘friendship,’ ‘affection’ or ‘love.’)
