Obama hires new economic adviser

President Barack Obama says he wants his new economic adviser to give him guidance based on what's best for the country, not politics. Mr Obama said Alan Krueger, unveiled yesterday as the new chairman of the White House Council ofEconomic Advisers, would fill a crucial role on the White House economic team.

The President added that boosting the economy remained his "urgent mission" – and promised he would announce a new jobs plan next week to help bring down the country's 9.1 per cent unemployment rate.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Krueger will replace the former Council of Economic Advisers chief, Austan Goolsbee, who left the White House earlier this month.