Washington: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had been suffering from a stomach virus, fainted and sustained a concussion after becoming dehydrated, according to her spokesperson.
65-year-old Clinton would work from home till she recovers completely and would continue to be monitored by doctors. “While suffering from a stomach virus, Secretary Clinton became dehydrated and fainted, sustaining a concussion,” her close aide Philippe Reines, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said on Saturday. “She has been recovering at home and will continue to be monitored regularly by her doctors,” she said. “At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials. She is looking forward to being back in the office soon,” Reines said.
A senior State Department official was separately quoted as saying by CNN that the fainting occurred earlier in the week and the concussion was “not severe.”
Clinton will no longer testify Thursday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya in September.
William Burns and Thomas Nides, both Deputy Secretaries of State, will testify before that committee instead.
Obama likely to nominate Kerry for US Secretary of State
Washington: US President Barack Obama is likely to nominate Senator John Kerry as his next Secretary of State, according to the media reports.
69-year-old Kerry, currently the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations committee, has been a close confidant of Obama on his foreign policy issues.
Many a times Kerry has come to the rescue of the Obama Administration, especially when it comes to the US ties with Pakistan, wherein he traveled several times to address the strained relationship including the one in the immediate aftermath of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
If confirmed by the Senate, Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton, who has announced to leave the post by the end of the first term of the Obama Administration, which is January 20. Media reports said Obama made up his mind to nominate Kerry after his first choice Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN, withdrew herself from being considered for the post. (PTI)