The young president took much of the credit for the turnaround, claiming his administration had accomplished more than any other administration since FDR's in the 1930s. ...read

Why it can be good to be a bad mother in a world where modern parenting has become hideously competitive

No one wants to be called a Bad Mother - but do Good Mothers actually do a better job? Not so, says Ayelet Waldman, who argues that no woman is a perfect mother.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Queen anger over French D-Day snub (straight after her colt was eliminated from same-day Epsom)

It's said there are only two things the Queen has wanted in life - Prince Philip and a Derby winner.

Pentagon prepared to leave American fighting forces in Iraq for another DECADE, says top Army chief

General George Casey's comments came as a U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq yesterday, making May the deadliest month for American forces since September.

North Korea threatens to attack U.S. blockade ships days after N-bomb explosion

North Korea has threatened to attack U.S. and South Korean ships in taking part in a American-led programme searching for weapons of mass destruction.

Obama to name woman for Supreme Court post

Barack Obama is expected to name a woman with 'a common touch' as his first nominee for the Supreme Court.

Israel defies Obama call for a halt to settlements

Israel's prime minister has rebuffed White House calls for a freeze on building settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Sobbing five-year-olds snubbed at White House because they were late to see Obama

'We were going to the White House, but we couldn't get in so I felt sad,' said five-year-old Cameron Stine.

Living at the White House has made us a normal family: Michelle Obama's frankest interview yet

First Lady described how daughters Malia and Sasha were able to see their father regularly every morning and night for the first time.

Obama set to appoint close friend and fundraiser as London ambassador despite pledge to end cronyism

Louis Susman is expected to be confirmed in the role after Buckingham Palace reportedly approved the appointment earlier this month.

Iran test fires missile capable of reaching Europe, Israel and U.S. bases in Middle East

Iran claimed last night to have test-fired a missile capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East.

The end of the great American gas guzzler as Obama gets set to unveil toughest U.S. policy ever on fuel

President Barack Obama will unveil new fuel efficiency standards today in an effort to limit the release of greenhouse gases by cars and trucks.

Michelle Obama stresses the importance of art - at the museum where she and Barack had first date

Michelle Obama returned to the scene of her first date with President Barack Obama as she reopened a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Obama brokers historic chance for peace in the Middle East as Israel agrees to talks with Palestine

'There has never been a time when Israelis and Arabs see a common thread as we do today,' Israeli PM Netanyahu said.

Barack Obama heckled and interrupted by anti-abortionists during debate at Catholic university

President Obama told graduates at the University of Notre Dame, which opposes his abortion policy, that both sides must stop demonizing one another.

Israel gives out mixed messages on Palestinian state, ahead of crucial talks with Obama

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given out mixed messages on whether he will support U.S. President Barack Obama's pressure to support Palestinian statehood.

Barack Obama does U-turn on Guantanamo Bay terror trials

The surprise White House announcement reversed Mr Obama's campaign pledge to rely on America's conventional criminal court system.

Obama is 'siding with terrorists' over proposed release of photos showing abuse of Iraq prisoners

Barack Obama has come under fierce attack over his decision to release photographs showing abuse of prisoners held in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. journalist jailed for eight years for spying in Iran walks free... into her mother's waiting arms

This is the emotional moment a U.S.-born journalist was reunited with her mother as she walked free from an Iranian court that had overturned her eight-year jail sentence for spying.