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U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver his farewell address to Americans today, in Chicago, ten days ahead of the handover to Donald Trump, a man he has described as polar opposite.

Obama’s speech will be a parting shot “to say thank you” to Americans “and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here”.

Chicago is Obama’s adopted hometown, where he met his wife, Michele and was elected an Illinois senator.

In his invitation on January 2 to Americans to attend the ceremony, Obama had written:
“In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead.

“On Tuesday, January 10, I’ll go home to Chicago to say my grateful farewell to you, even if you can’t be there in person.

“I’m just beginning to write my remarks. But I’m thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you’ve changed this country for the better these past eight years and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.

“Since 2009, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger.

“That’s because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding — our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better.

“So I hope you’ll join me one last time. Because, for me, it’s always been about you,” the outgoing two-term president said in his invitation.

 The White House said the outgoing president took the country out of one of the worst economic recessions.

“President Obama inherited an economy careening toward a second Great Depression, and he acted aggressively to arrest the crisis, restart growth and job creation, rebuild our economy on a stronger long-term foundation, and expand opportunity for all Americans.

“Since 2009, the unemployment rate has been cut by more than half from its peak.

“‘Yes, we can’. President Obama spoke these three words for the first time as a candidate in January 2008 in New Hampshire.

“After eight years, this remains a guiding principal that continues to inspire Americans across the country to come together and find their own ways to move our country forward.
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The oceanographic survey ship, USNS Bowditch, which deployed an underwater drone seized by a Chinese Navy warship in international waters in the South China Sea.
HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - A Chinese naval vessel seized a US underwater drone operating off the coast of the Philippines, sparking a protest from the Pentagon. 1. HAS ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?
While confrontations between US and Chinese military ships or planes occur on occasion, this is the first time China has seized an American underwater drone. The last major incident between the nations in the South China Sea happened in 2013, when a Chinese vessel nearly collided with the Cowpens, an American missile-carrying cruiser. Four years earlier, Chinese ships had reportedly harassed the US Navy vessel Impeccable, leading to American protests. In 2001, shortly after former President George W. Bush took office, a Chinese jet collided with a US spy plane operating in the South China Sea, which made an emergency landing on Hainan Island. China eventually released the crew and the plane after the US expressed regret for the death of a Chinese pilot and for entering Chinese airspace without verbal clearance.
2. WHAT IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM?
China and the US have different interpretations of what military activities can take place near a nation's shores. China has long opposed US military patrols and surveillance within its exclusive economic zone, an area stretching 200 nautical miles from land. The US views anything beyond 12 nautical miles as international waters in which military activities can take place. In recent years, the US and China have joined agreements that aim to reduce the chance of conflict during unplanned encounters at sea. China has also sought to avoid moves that raise tensions as it builds up military installations on islands it claims in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
3. WHAT'S SURPRISING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT?
The location of the seizure - about 50 nautical miles away from the Philippines - is particularly interesting. Not only is outside of China's exclusive economic zone, but also beyond its more expansive nine-dash line encompassing about 80 per cent of the South China Sea, according to Greg Poling of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
4. WHAT COULD EXPLAIN THE SEIZURE?
Many theories are floating around. According to Zhang Baohui, director of the Centre for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, one possibility is that the American drone was conducting surveillance against a Chinese nuclear submarine, and China felt the need to deny the US vital military secrets. Alternatively it may have been a response to Pacific Command chief Harry Harris's comments last week that the US would confront any Chinese attempts to control the South China Sea. Less likely, it may be due to President-elect Donald Trump's recent questioning of US policy towards Taiwan or a move by an overly assertive military commander. "Chinese naval and coastguard vessels operate within the bounds of guidelines that are centrally dictated by officials in Beijing," said Ashley Townshend, research fellow at the United States studies centre at the University of Sydney. "Any changes to established patterns of maritime behaviour, like Thursday's drone incident, would normally need to be pre-approved - particularly if the new actions are likely to be provocative."
5. WHERE ARE THINGS LIKELY TO GO FROM HERE?
Early indications appear that China will return the drone. The Global Times, a state-run newspaper affiliated with the Communist Party, cited an unnamed Chinese official saying it seized the unidentified device due to concerns over navigation safety. China had received the US request to return the device, and the matter should be resolved smoothly, the report said.
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