THE announcement by Sarah Palin that she will not seek the Republican nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in America’s presidential election next year, will provoke relief and disappointment in equal measure.

Barack Obama saluted the bravery of US troops who defended South Korea during its war with North Korea and condemned the communist North for continuing on a course that he said deepened its isolation and the poverty of its people.

'Sin City' actress Rosario Dawson has hit out over the celebrity status that US politicians seem to be cultivating in the run-up to America’s election.