Senators will wine and dine in private with the papal nuncio in Leinster House tomorrow — a year after blistering criticism of the Vatican in the Dáil.

A fourth child has died following a house fire early today which police are treating as suspicious.

The US has condemned “in the strongest possible terms” a bomb attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in which four people were killed and 27 injured.

US president Barack Obama has said he remains confident that a government shutdown can be avoided this weekend if negotiators can build on constructive talks over a public spending impasse.

DISENCHANTED voters in both parties turned against the establishment, choosing a conservative “Tea Party” newcomer over a handpicked Republican favourite and dumping veteran Democratic Senator Arlen Specter ahead of November’s midterm elections.

US President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will skip the Republican National Convention because of mounting concerns about Hurricane Gustav, the White House said today.

Barack Obama blamed fierce attacks by rival Hillary Clinton for his defeats in big Democratic primaries, and quickly made good on a promise to sharpen his criticism of her in what promised to be a drawn-out White House brawl.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama girded themselves for more fierce battles in their tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination, as Clinton disclosed she lent millions of dollars to her presidential campaign to fuel the costly White House fight.

THE war for the White House is being fought on many fronts, and among the battles is that between the Bush twins and the Kerry daughters.

Vietnam war hero John Kerry today emerged as the man who will challenge George W Bush for the White House at the presidential election.

The gardaí did a good job policing Leinster House demonstration, Fine Gael justice spokesman John Deasy claimed today.

A woman has been seriously injured in a Dublin house fire overnight.