But the untested Democratic Party of Japan will have to move quickly to keep support among voters worried about record unemployment and an ageing society that is inflating social security costs. ...read

Obama's tears for Ted Kennedy as 'greatest senator of our time' is laid to rest alongside assassinated brothers

After a funeral attended by four Presidents - and watched by millions on live TV across America - Teddy Kennedy was laid to rest in Washington near his assassinated brothers, Jack and Bobby.

NHS vs USA: The great healthcare face-off as seen by the BBC's former man in Washington

Just back from America to become Today's new presenter, BBC man JUSTIN WEBB gives his view of the great health debate - and how it affects his diabetic son

'Heartbroken' Barack Obama to deliver eulogy at Ted Kennedy's funeral

Mr Obama signed a proclamation that flags at the White House and all US public buildings will fly at half-mast until sunset on Sunday to honour the veteran politician.

The Obama family holiday snaps: U.S. president enjoys fast food and day at beach with wife and daughters

The Obamas looked like any ordinary family on holiday as they tucked into two big bags of fried seafood for lunch.

French spy 'kills his three Somalian kidnappers in dramatic escape'

The agent, one of two kidnapped last month, is safe but doubts remain as to whether a ransom was paid for his release.

Netanyahu claims 'we are making headway' in London talks with U.S. over West Bank settlements

Mr Netanyahu met U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell this morning in efforts to defuse an unusually public disagreement over West Bank settlements.

The Wikipedia police: Encyclopedia site recruits 20,000 editors to stop malicious tampering with entries

Wikipedia has been forced to abandon its policy of allowing anyone to edit its pages. The move is a response to the hijacking of the site by those with political or personal motives.

Ben Bernanke handed U.S. Federal Reserve's keys for a second time

President Barack Obama lavished praise on U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke as he reappointed him for a second term.

British soldier dies in hospital a week after he was wounded in Afghanistan explosion

The soldier was hurt while on a foot patrol near Sangin in Helmand Province on the evening of Saturday August 15.

President Karzai takes slender lead in Afghan presidential election as four more NATO troops are killed

The first official results of the increasingly bitter election were released in the Afghan capital Kabul yesterday as four more US troops were killed in a roadside bombing.

President Karzai takes slender lead in Afghan presidential election as four more NATO troops are killed

The first official results of the increasingly bitter election were released in the Afghan capital Kabul yesterday as four more US troops were killed in a roadside bombing.

One of Guantanamo's youngest detainees claims he was tortured at camp

Mohammad Jawad was accused of throwing a grenade that wounded two U.S. soldiers in 2002, but was ordered freed in July.

Israeli PM Netanyahu to meet Gordon Brown for talks on Middle East peace process

Though the Israeli prime minister says the talks will touch on other subjects he is likely to hear concerns about settlements on Palestinian territory.

Obama gives U.S. Fed boss Ben Bernanke a second term

Mr Bernanke's four-year term is up for renewal in January but is held in high regard for his roll in the bail out of the country's failing banks.

We'll find your ball: Armed U.S. Secret Service men lurk in the woods as Barack Obama plays a holiday round of golf

Barack Obama enjoyed a game of golf with friends yesterday while on his holiday, as armed guards hid in the bushes protecting him.

We DO like Mondays... but we really don't like the mid-week misery of Wednesday

With work beckoning after a relaxing weekend, Monday has traditionally been thought of as the most miserable day of the week.

LIZ JONES FASHION THERAPY: How Anna Wintour makes Meryl Streep look like June Whitfield

The September Issue follows the American Vogue team as they put together the most important edition of the year.

Dear Muammar... Happy Ramadan, Brown's letter to Gaddafi as FBI boss launches blistering attack at Lockerbie bomber's release

In an unprecedented attack, FBI director Robert Mueller told the Scottish Justice Secretary he was 'outraged' at the release of Abdelbaset Ali Al Megrahi.

Gaddafi embraces Lockerbie bomber and thanks his 'courageous friend' Gordon Brown for releasing him

In scenes that will provoke outrage among victims' families and the U.S. government, TV footage showed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi meeting Gaddafi in Tripoli.

In scenes that will provoke outrage among victims' families and the U.S. government, TV footage showed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi meeting Gaddafi in Tripoli. ...read

'All wee-weed up': Barack Obama drops a new clanger as he dismisses healthcare criticism

At a healthcare forum with Democratic activists, he compared the mauling he has recently received with the criticisms he endured during his presidential run.

Obama heads off on a break as poll suggests his star is waning

A Washington Post-ABC News survey showed today that fewer than half of Americans believe he will make the right decisions for the country.

Karzai and Abdullah both claim victory in Afghanistan presidential elections

Serving President Hamid Karzai's campaign chief Deen Mohammad said Karzai had won enough votes to secure a majority without the need for a second round run-off.

Two dead as car bomb rocks Baghdad market just one day after prime minister promises to improve security

Just minutes earlier, the truck had passed through a police checkpoint in southern Baghdad, but was not searched, said an official.

More than half of America against the war in Afghanistan for first time

Fifty-one per cent of those polled now say the war is not worth fighting, an increase of five percentage points in five months.

Lockerbie bomber flies home to a hero's welcome as Obama vents his fury at decision to free him

The Lockerbie bomber tonight landed in Libya to a hero's welcome as thousands, including the son of Libyan leader Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, greeted him at the airport.

Bikini clad Britney Spears makes her pitch to become US President on late night chat show

Bikini-clad Britney revealed how the country would be run if she were made President - including 'free pie for everybody'.

Now anti-Obama protesters toting ASSAULT rifles turn up at presidential rally

About a dozen people carrying guns - including at least two toting military-style assault rifle - milled among protesters outside the convention centre where Obama was giving a speech.

Unmasked: The Joker behind the spoof Barack Obama poster

The artist behind a poster depicting Barack Obama as Batman villain The Joker has been revealed as a 20-year-old Chicago student.

Nato soldiers and UN workers killed in Kabul suicide bomb 48 hours before Afghans go to the polls

A police source said one caused some damage inside the sprawling, fortified presidential palace compound, while a second hit the capital's police headquarters. Neither caused any casualties.

Back from the brink: Obama retreats on controversial U.S. healthcare plan

The U-turn came as the U.S. President sought to quell the growing row over Republican claims he was trying to socialise medicine.

Police spy in the sky buzzes BNP summer party, as four protesters are charged following clashes with officers

Police trying to ensure a BNP festival passed off peacefully used a remote-controlled 'spy drone' to monitor potential clashes.

He was my father, and therefore he had to be fine: Lembit Opik on the relentless illness that is Motor Neurone Disease

We cannot - and should not - seek to outwit the mortality of this human coil. But we should burn with ambition to end the most cruel of paths to our demise. MND is one of the cruellest.

Five top U.S. industry chiefs share a mind-boggling £1.1bn jackpot

The five highest-earning executives (including Larry Ellison, pcitured) took home a staggering £1.1billion between them last year

American citizen imprisoned for seven years in Burma released thanks to top-level U.S. visit

An American citizen imprisoned in Burma for swimming to the home of a detained democracy leader will be deported following the intervention of a top U.S. politician.

'My husband is NOT Secretary of State - I am!': Hillary Clinton's outburst after week of Bill stealing limelight

She has dealt with questions about her husband's private life with good grace. But Hillary Clinton decided enough was enough when she was asked what her husband Bill thought about a foreign policy issue.

'Would you like to be my homeboy?' internet sensation, 11, asks President Obama

It would be the scoop of a lifetime by anyone else's standards - but for 11-year-old Damon Weaver it was the natural next step in his budding journalism career.

Mandelson accused of 'breaking international trade law' with £340m loan to Airbus

The Business Secretary has announced taxpayer backing for the design and development of Airbus's new A350 long-haul jet.

Cameron slaps down NHS 'traitor' MEP who branded health service a failure

David Cameron was fighting last night to prevent the Tories again being labelled the 'nasty party' after one of his Euro MPs denounced the National Health Service.

Furious Kate Spall and Katie Brickell claim that their views on the NHS have been misrepresented by a free market campaign group opposed to Mr Obama's reforms in a bid to discredit the UK system. ...read

The British woman who joined up with U.S. critics of the NHS

Katie Brickell, 26, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer three years ago, recorded a video telling Americans how she was 'badly let down' by the NHS.

That darned squirrel's getting in on EVERYBODY'S act...

It started when a curious rodent decided to investigate the automatic camera set up beside a Canadian lake.

ARSENE WENGER INTERVIEW: The full transcript of Martin Samuel's fascinating meeting with the Arsenal manager - part II

Read every word of Sportsmail's brilliant meeting with Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman was interviewed by our Chief Sports Writer Martin Samuel at Great Ormond Street hospital and provided his insight into politics, art and, of course, football.

'I owe my life to the NHS': Stephen Hawking tells U.S. to stop attacking health service

The physicist spoke up for the NHS after the Republican Right claimed it was 'evil' and 'Orwellian' in a direct attack on Barack Obama's plans to overhaul health care in the U.S.

Only in America: Gunman waits outside town hall meeting for Obama - and police say it's OK

A 9mm pistol holstered clearly to his side, and holding a placard that references spilling the blood of patriots, this gunman is waiting for none other than Barack Obama.

Cold War in outer space: Russia to begin making its own 'Star Wars' missiles to counter American 'threat'

General Alexander Zelin said the United States will be able to hit any target in Russia from space by 2030, as he announced that Moscow will develop a new air defence system to avert the threat.

U.S economy set to come out of recession later this year, claim economists

The Blue Chip Economic Indicators survey of private economists showed about 90 percent of the respondents believed the economic downturn would be declared to have ended this quarter.

Taliban move to within an hour of Kabul as U.S considers sending new troops to Afghanistan

'It's a very aggressive enemy right now,' said U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal. 'We've got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It's hard work.'

MI6 boss denies torture collusion as Government faces mounting pressure on abuse of detainees abroad

Sir John Scarlett said officers had to protect the UK against terrorism, but stressed they were also committed to human rights and liberal democracy.

In peril in Pyongyang? How jailed female journalists were in greater danger sharing a plane with Bill Clinton

According to the hype, they were the brave journalists wrongly accused of spying in North Korea. So why, as they celebrate their freedom, is a very different picture starting to emerge?

Enjoying the view, Charles? Prince of Wales smiles as highland dancer's skirt blows up

Princes Charles gave a cheeky grin as the young woman revealed a little more than intended during the Mey Highland Games in northern Scotland.

Unmanned drone 'kills' Taliban chief with $5m bounty on his head

Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5million bounty on his head, is believed dead, along with his wife and bodyguards, following a missile attack.

Ahmadinejad sworn in for second time in Iran - but then takes swipe at West

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked ' disrespectful and interfering' Western countries as he was sworn in for a second term yesterday.

U.S Senate confirms first ever Hispanic Supreme Court judge as vote gives nod to Sotomayor

The U.S. Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor Thursday as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court.

As Bill Clinton returns to the U.S. with freed journalists, what was the price of deal struck with North Korea?

These emotional pictures show the joyful homecoming of two American journalists who were saved from 12 years hard labour in a North Korean jail by Bill Clinton.

Obama's healthcare reforms could result in 'abortion on demand'

Legislation being debated by the US Congress would undo current policy - which bans the use of federal funds to terminate pregnancies except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's health is endangered - and create a controversial system of government-sponsored abortion, they complain.

Hillary Clinton denies husband Bill apologised to Kim Jong-Il to secure release of jailed U.S. journalists from North Korea

Negotiations between the former president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ended with news of a pardon for Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Spoof poster of Obama's face painted as The Joker branded 'dangerous and mean-spirited'

The image shows him wearing the white face paint and smudged red lips of the character most recently played by the late actor Heath Ledger. Beneath the picture reads the word 'socialism'.

Will Barack Obama tax middle classes? U.S. finance chiefs flag tough measures to tackle growing budget deficit

Barack Obama's top economic officials have warned that America's middle class might have to pay more taxes to help deal with the spiralling budget deficit.

Five years ago, at the age of just 36, former model and TV presenter Sally Bee had three major heart attacks in a week. ...read

WORLD NEWS

• Brandishing a gun, Russian hardman Vladimir Putin sheds his 'tender' image
• Backlash against Obama is driven by racism, says former president Jimmy Carter
• It's ok to call your boss a 'son of a b***h', rules Spanish court
• 'Oh my God, you're alive': Father's joy after the army tells him his son was killed - but he wasn't
• Another week to live: Ohio delays execution after officials can't find inmate's usable vein in chilling botched attempt
• FBI storm lab technician's flat and take him away in handcuffs over Yale grad student's murder
• Caster Semenya 'bitterly upset' after South Africa subjected her to humiliating tests BEFORE international gender row
• Abortions pose a risk to future babies, says study
• Police investigate ELEPHANT accused of assaulting a woman in South Korea
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: Universal unveils wizard attraction at the World of Harry Potter
• I was tortured, says freed Iraqi journalist jailed for hurling shoes at George Bush
• Elton John 'is a sinner': Church attacks singer over his plan to adopt Ukrainian baby boy
• New York plans to ban smoking in public parks and outdoor spaces
• Blonde presenter axed from Berlusconi's TV channel for performing raunchy routine
• Sex attack suspect free to walk streets of Britain... because Australian police say it's too expensive to extradite him

Ovarian cancer early warning hope as 'killer' gene discovered

Scientists have pinpointed a common genetic flaw behind ovarian cancer raising hopes of earlier diagnosis of the devastating condition.

Roadside bomb kills at least 12 in Afghanistan

Violence has escalated across Afghanistan before the August 20 presidential poll, seen as a key test for Washington and Kabul.

Hallelujah! Halle Berry proves that life begins at 40-plus

Halle Berry has defied all prejudices to become a major Hollywood player, even having a fragrance named after her. But life hasn't always been so rosy for this human comet.

'When he's not arresting you, he's a really likeable guy': Black Harvard prof on white police sergeant

Barack Obama hosted his so-called 'Beer Summit' with a black professor and a white policeman at the White House grounds to try and cool the Harvard race row.

Now show some guts, Mr Johnson: Judges say Home Secretary CAN order Gary McKinnon to be tried here

Alan Johnson is under huge pressure to 'pluck up the courage' to save Gary McKinnon after judges warned he might kill himself if extradited.