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Washington - Chrysler LLC hoped for a last-minute miracle to keep it out of bankruptcy as an ultimatum for the ailing US carmaker to restructure or lose the government's support was bearing down on the company Thursday.

As government-brokered negotiations between Chrysler and nearly 50 creditors went into Wednesday night, President Barack Obama offered few details but suggested the last-ditch efforts had yielded some positive results.

Washington - The US Congress on Wednesday approved President Barack Obama's 3.56-billion-dollar budget prescriptions for 2010 along strictly party lines.

The Senate voted 53-43 and the House of Representative 233-193 for the non-binding resolution, which sets out the framework for Congress to consider Obama's legislative priorities, including tax cuts for the middle class and an expansion of social spending in health care, energy and education.

Washington - US President Barack Obama said he was "gravely concerned" by the situation in Pakistan and expressed fears about the fragility of a civilian government struggling to contain the growing Taliban insurgency.

Obama said the Pakistani government lacked the ability to provide basic services for its people and promised the United States would do all it could to build up its institutions.

Washington - US President Barack Obama suggested last-minute talks to save Chrysler LLC from bankruptcy were yielding results, saying he was "very hopeful" Wednesday night that a deal could be reached with creditors.

"The details have not yet been finalized," Obama said of the government-brokered talks. "But I'm feeling more optimistic than I was" about a resolution.

Washington - US President Barack Obama said late Wednesday that there were no plans to close the country's border with Mexico despite a growing swine flu outbreak, but assured the public that his government was doing all it could to contain the threat.

Obama said closing the border was "akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out," as there were already nearly 100 cases confirmed in the United States, including one death.