WASHINGTON: U.S. first lady Laura Bush said that White House is an inspiring symbol of national endurance. Now, as she and President George W. Bush prepare to leave after eight years, she is hosting a History channel special, "The White House: Behind Closed Doors." This 90-minute documentary is a combination inside look, history lesson and parting gift from a grateful resident."I'm very proud of how beautiful the White House is," Mrs. Bush said during a phone call Tuesday from the upstairs living quarters.She said she's proud, too, of the White House staff "all the people who work here, who've worked here for many presidents. This was a way for me to pay tribute to them as well; to thank them, here at the end of our time."Masterminded by George Washington the only president who never got to live there, the White House was first occupied by John Adams in 1800, and since then has been the official residence of 40-and-counting chief executives. It's a bustling place of business, and a unique museum.As with the United States itself, the White House has faced many challenges as early as 1814, when British troops set it ablaze. It was reduced to a charred shell. But within a few years, the White House was rebuilt.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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