WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT Barack Obama expressed outrage on Monday over hefty bonus payments awarded to employees of insurer AIG and said he directed his treasury secretary to take all legal measures to block them.

Insurance giant AIG received some US$173 billion (S$265 billion) in government bailout money and is now paying US$165 million (S$253 million) in employee bonuses.

WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT Barack Obama will call on millions of supporters to knock on neighbors' doors this week to pressure Congress to pass his record US$3.55 trillion (S$5.44 trillion) budget, a Democratic official said on Monday.

Mr Obama will ask people who volunteered for his presidential campaign to gather signatures from neighbors to support his budget, which proposes a US$1.75 trillion (S$2.68 trillion) deficit to lift the country out of recession and lay the groundwork for healthcare reform and other big initiatives.

NEW YORK - CITIGROUP has nominated four new independent directors to stand for election at its annual meeting in April, as part of an ongoing shuffling of the troubled bank's board.