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Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II, born August 4, 1961, was the 44th President of the United States and the first black US president. He served as president between January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate in October 2009. He was succeeded by Republican Donald John Trump, who assumed office in January 2017.

Born

4 Aug 1961

Industry

Politics

Job Title

44th President of the United States of America

Chinese President Xi Jinping leads US counterpart Donald Trump through the Yundou Gate, inscribed with couplets from the Qianlong Emperor, inside the Zhongnanhai compound in Beijing on Friday. Photo: AP

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Xi Jinping welcomes Trump into China’s hidden heart: Zhongnanhai

Centuries-old trees and ‘most beautiful’ roses take centre stage as US leader taken on rare stroll around secluded, symbolic seat of power.

15 May 2026 - 10:32PMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summit

The toast, the tastes and the tech selfie that crowned the US-China summit

14 May 2026 - 10:17PMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summit

The message China wants to send by hosting Trump at Temple of Heaven

14 May 2026 - 6:29PMvideocam

Food and Drinks

Trump’s Beijing banquet: will it be Big Macs or Huaiyang cuisine in the Great Hall?

Discover how Huaiyang cuisine – China’s diplomatic delicacy – balances tradition and innovation to win over world leaders, from Nixon to Obama, in Beijing’s high-stakes banquet diplomacy.

13 May 2026 - 5:11PM

Donald Trump attends a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, in 2017. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Trump’s threats against Iran are historically illiterate

The US president’s threats to end Iranian civilisation expose his ignorance of the country’s long history.

9 May 2026 - 3:30PM

Myanmar

Myanmar’s military rulers hire Trump ally for US$50,000 a month to lobby Washington

Roger Stone has been commissioned to rebuild relations with the US, though analysts doubt Myanmar can escape its pariah status.

7 May 2026 - 4:13PM

Fame and celebrity

As David Attenborough turns 100, the star naturalist’s ‘unequalled’ impact

We look at Attenborough’s unique ability to tell nature’s story through his BBC shows on evolution to ocean plastic as he turns 100 on May 8.

7 May 2026 - 12:45PMvideocam

Naturalist David Attenborough’s documentaries have made generations of viewers “care about nature”. Here’s how, ahead of his 100th birthday on May 8. Photo: Blue Planet II

Fame and celebrity

Meet Matt Friend, whose comedy charms stars, presidents – and King Charles

Friend, whose CNN comedy special aired ahead of the White House correspondents’ dinner, is gaining acclaim for his celebrity impressions.

1 May 2026 - 6:00AM

Donald Trump

US Justice Department cites shooting as need for Trump’s ballroom

Trump’s DOJ gives preservationists Monday deadline to drop White House ballroom suit after shooting at hotel event.

27 Apr 2026 - 10:56AMvideocam

United States

Obama meets New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani before reading to preschoolers

The event comes days after Republican US President Trump said Mamdani was destroying New York with his tax policies.

19 Apr 2026 - 7:16AM

Former US president Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ during a reading event in New York on Saturday. Photo: AP

United States

Supreme Court justices lean towards Trump in asylum-processing case

The White House is defending US authority to turn away asylum seekers when officials judge the border to be too overburdened.

25 Mar 2026 - 4:24AM

A small group led by members of the clergy gather for a vigil at the US Supreme Court building in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

China-Japan relations

Trump’s biggest cheerleader? Why Japan’s Takaichi is making waves in China

White House photo of Japanese prime minister apparently dancing to a band draws derision on Chinese social media.

22 Mar 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

Japan

Japanese atomic bomb survivor who hugged Obama in Hiroshima dies at 88

Earlier this month, Shigeaki Mori warned that the world was at risk of another nuclear attack over the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

18 Mar 2026 - 3:15PM

China-Japan relations

Why Japan thinks China’s growing cultural clout is something it needs to counter

The global success of Chinese video games and animation – as well as the appeal of traditional culture – has triggered a reaction in Tokyo.

19 Mar 2026 - 8:33AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Bill, George, Barack or Joe: which ex-president gave Trump backing for Iran war?

Trump said his presidential pal told him, ‘I wish I did it.’ But all four living ex-presidents said they had not been in touch.

17 Mar 2026 - 10:15PM

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order at the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA

Two Sessions 2026

What’s wrong with a G2? Wang Yi lays out China’s case against great-power rivalry

Bloc confrontation is a path to disaster and the world must abide by the UN Charter, the foreign minister says.

8 Mar 2026 - 9:11PMvideocam

Fame and celebrity

Who was Ethel Kennedy – and was she really mean to Carolyn Bessette?

The Kennedy family matriarch and RFK’s widow, who raised 11 children, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama for her public service.

3 Mar 2026 - 6:00PM

Donald Trump

Trump gambles his Iran attack will save flailing Maga agenda

Faced with affordability concerns and plunging approval ratings at home, the US president is waging a war he once promised never to start.

1 Mar 2026 - 2:46AMvideocam

A person wearing an old military uniform and holding an anti-Trump sign takes part in a “March 4 Democracy” protest in Washington on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Crime

Son of slain director Rob Reiner pleads not guilty to parents’ murder

Nick Reiner faces two counts of first-degree murder over the double killing that sent shock waves through Hollywood.

24 Feb 2026 - 12:26PM

Donald Trump

Trump says he’s ordering release of US files on UFOs and aliens

US president directs the Pentagon to release records on extraterrestrial life after accusing Obama of disclosing ‘classified information’.

20 Feb 2026 - 2:02PM

United States

US civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies at 84: ‘my constituency is the damned’

The Baptist minister’s two presidential runs helped lay the groundwork for the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama.

17 Feb 2026 - 6:53PM

Jesse Jackson addresses the “Fairness in Democracy” rally on December 6, 2000. Photo: AFP

UFOs and Extraterrestrial Life

Are aliens real? Obama says yes but rules out long-running conspiracy

Barack Obama says a secretive US base isn’t holding extraterrestrials - unless a massive conspiracy kept him in the dark.

16 Feb 2026 - 1:13PM

Razor wire and security cameras at the entrance to Area 51 in Nevada. Photo: Reuters

Britain

Purrfect? Larry the cat marks 15 years – and 6 PMs – as UK’s chief mouser

Many cats have occupied the post since the 1920s with historical records even showing them in government residences in the era of Henry VIII.

15 Feb 2026 - 10:29PM

United States

Obama blasts ‘clown show’ after Trump’s racist monkey video

The ex-president said most Americans ‘find this behaviour deeply troubling’ and it will hurt the Republicans in the midterm election.

16 Feb 2026 - 11:18AMvideocam

United States

Epstein’s girlfriend married a woman, showing how he gamed immigration

The late sex offender used student visas, English language courses and sham marriages to keep foreign women in the US.

15 Feb 2026 - 1:30AM

An image of Jeffrey Epstein and Karyna Shuliak is seen at an unidentified location in one of the documents released by US authorities in January. US Department of Justice via AFP

United States

‘A giant scam’: Trump makes his biggest rollback of US climate policy to date

US president confounds critics as he repeals finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.

13 Feb 2026 - 1:47PM

The US repeal eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks. Photo: TNS

United States

Trump admin removes rainbow flag from birthplace of US gay rights movement

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it an ‘act of erasure’, while others described the move as an attack on the queer community.

11 Feb 2026 - 7:39AM

Donald Trump

Trump claims he ‘didn’t see whole’ racist post showing Obamas as apes

The White House initially defended the video clip as a Lion King meme, then blamed a staff member for posting it ‘erroneously’.

7 Feb 2026 - 3:58PM

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Barack Obama

Xi Jinping welcomes Trump into China’s hidden heart: Zhongnanhai

Centuries-old trees and ‘most beautiful’ roses take centre stage as US leader taken on rare stroll around secluded, symbolic seat of power.

The toast, the tastes and the tech selfie that crowned the US-China summit

The message China wants to send by hosting Trump at Temple of Heaven

Trump’s Beijing banquet: will it be Big Macs or Huaiyang cuisine in the Great Hall?

Discover how Huaiyang cuisine – China’s diplomatic delicacy – balances tradition and innovation to win over world leaders, from Nixon to Obama, in Beijing’s high-stakes banquet diplomacy.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Trump’s threats against Iran are historically illiterate

The US president’s threats to end Iranian civilisation expose his ignorance of the country’s long history.

Myanmar’s military rulers hire Trump ally for US$50,000 a month to lobby Washington

Roger Stone has been commissioned to rebuild relations with the US, though analysts doubt Myanmar can escape its pariah status.

As David Attenborough turns 100, the star naturalist’s ‘unequalled’ impact

We look at Attenborough’s unique ability to tell nature’s story through his BBC shows on evolution to ocean plastic as he turns 100 on May 8.

Meet Matt Friend, whose comedy charms stars, presidents – and King Charles

Friend, whose CNN comedy special aired ahead of the White House correspondents’ dinner, is gaining acclaim for his celebrity impressions.

US Justice Department cites shooting as need for Trump’s ballroom

Trump’s DOJ gives preservationists Monday deadline to drop White House ballroom suit after shooting at hotel event.

Obama meets New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani before reading to preschoolers

The event comes days after Republican US President Trump said Mamdani was destroying New York with his tax policies.

Supreme Court justices lean towards Trump in asylum-processing case

The White House is defending US authority to turn away asylum seekers when officials judge the border to be too overburdened.

Trump’s biggest cheerleader? Why Japan’s Takaichi is making waves in China

White House photo of Japanese prime minister apparently dancing to a band draws derision on Chinese social media.

Japanese atomic bomb survivor who hugged Obama in Hiroshima dies at 88

Earlier this month, Shigeaki Mori warned that the world was at risk of another nuclear attack over the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Why Japan thinks China’s growing cultural clout is something it needs to counter

The global success of Chinese video games and animation – as well as the appeal of traditional culture – has triggered a reaction in Tokyo.

Bill, George, Barack or Joe: which ex-president gave Trump backing for Iran war?

Trump said his presidential pal told him, ‘I wish I did it.’ But all four living ex-presidents said they had not been in touch.

What’s wrong with a G2? Wang Yi lays out China’s case against great-power rivalry

Bloc confrontation is a path to disaster and the world must abide by the UN Charter, the foreign minister says.

Who was Ethel Kennedy – and was she really mean to Carolyn Bessette?

The Kennedy family matriarch and RFK’s widow, who raised 11 children, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama for her public service.

Trump gambles his Iran attack will save flailing Maga agenda

Faced with affordability concerns and plunging approval ratings at home, the US president is waging a war he once promised never to start.

Son of slain director Rob Reiner pleads not guilty to parents’ murder

Nick Reiner faces two counts of first-degree murder over the double killing that sent shock waves through Hollywood.

Trump says he’s ordering release of US files on UFOs and aliens

US president directs the Pentagon to release records on extraterrestrial life after accusing Obama of disclosing ‘classified information’.

US civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies at 84: ‘my constituency is the damned’

The Baptist minister’s two presidential runs helped lay the groundwork for the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama.

Are aliens real? Obama says yes but rules out long-running conspiracy

Barack Obama says a secretive US base isn’t holding extraterrestrials - unless a massive conspiracy kept him in the dark.

Purrfect? Larry the cat marks 15 years – and 6 PMs – as UK’s chief mouser

Many cats have occupied the post since the 1920s with historical records even showing them in government residences in the era of Henry VIII.

Obama blasts ‘clown show’ after Trump’s racist monkey video

The ex-president said most Americans ‘find this behaviour deeply troubling’ and it will hurt the Republicans in the midterm election.

Epstein’s girlfriend married a woman, showing how he gamed immigration

The late sex offender used student visas, English language courses and sham marriages to keep foreign women in the US.

‘A giant scam’: Trump makes his biggest rollback of US climate policy to date

US president confounds critics as he repeals finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health.

Trump admin removes rainbow flag from birthplace of US gay rights movement

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it an ‘act of erasure’, while others described the move as an attack on the queer community.

Trump claims he ‘didn’t see whole’ racist post showing Obamas as apes

The White House initially defended the video clip as a Lion King meme, then blamed a staff member for posting it ‘erroneously’.

Opinion | Trump’s threats against Iran are historically illiterate