A gunman and a police officer were among three people killed today in a shooting near a Texas university campus, police said.

Rick Santorum is poised to establish himself as the top conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, a day after jolting the Republican US presidential race by coming within eight votes of winning the Iowa caucuses.

A SQUEAKER of an Iowa victory in hand, Mitt Romney headed last night into the New Hampshire primary — in his own political backyard — insisting that staying power sets him apart from runners-up Rick Santorum and Ron Paul and the rest of the Republican presidential field.

Michele Bachmann has quit the Republican presidential campaign, saying she “decided to stand aside” in the wake of her sixth place finish in the Iowa caucuses.

Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann has ended her bid for the White House after coming last in the Iowa caucuses.

Mitt Romney was locked in a dead heat with Rick Santorum today in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, the opening contest in the campaign to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama.

Iowa Republicans prepared to cast the first votes of the 2012 presidential contest tonight, marking their choice for a candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in November.

Thousands of Iowa Republicans cast the first ballots of the 2012 presidential contest today, with front-runner Mitt Romney locked in a tight race with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.

THE volatile Republican presidential race in Iowa will come down to which way an enormous chunk of undecided voters breaks in the coming days.

Republican Mitt Romney is sensing an opening to win next Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses, and he is campaigning with increasing confidence – and a new crush of advertising – to bolster his closing argument: that he is the most electable candidate to challenge US President Barack Obama in November.

FROM whale sperm to colon cleansers, to the shape of a woman’s foot when she has an orgasm, celebrities did not disappoint during 2011 with their penchant for peddling suspect science in the world’s media.

Republican presidential candidates have one week to convince voters in Iowa that they are the one to defeat President Barack Obama next year.

MOST Americans say President Barack Obama should be voted out of office even though they have concerns about the Republican alternatives, a new poll suggests.

WITH the implosion of Herman Cain’s campaign amid accusations of adultery and sexual harassment, the once-crowded 2012 Republican presidential field appears to be narrowing to a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

REPUBLICAN presidential hopefuls Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann have both said they would reinstate waterboarding during interrogations of suspected terrorists, while rivals Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman both say they see the procedure as torture.

Republican presidential hopefuls Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann have both said they would reinstate waterboarding during interrogations of suspected terrorists, while rivals Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman both say they see the procedure as torture.

Republican presidential contenders turned the heat on the two frontrunners in a debate, attacking businessman Herman Cain’s economic plan as a tax increase and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney over his health care law.

EXPECT few job announcements from US companies in Ireland until after November 6, 2012.

Republican presidential rivals Rick Perry and Mitt Romney tangled over their records on creating jobs in a campaign debate that marked a contentious new turn in the race to pick a challenger to President Barack Obama next year.

The campaign chief and deputy campaign manager for Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann are leaving in a campaign shake-up.

TEXAS governor Rick Perry has ridden a wave of anti-government sentiment to top a crowded field of Republicans who want to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012.

With three big hitters in the field, the emergence of a Republican wildcard for the presidential race seems unlikely, writes Patricia Zengerle

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann got her Elvis Presley dates all shook up during a campaign stop in South Carolina.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama hits the road today for a Midwestern bus tour that he hopes will leave doubts over his leadership behind in Washington.

The 2012 Republican presidential race heated up as latecomer Texas Governor Rick Perry formally announced his candidacy and Iowans weighed in for the first time on their expanding field of presidential hopefuls, picking US Representative Michele Bachmann as their top choice for the party’s nomination.

Minnesota rivals Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann have sparred bitterly in a Republican presidential debate, trying to stand out ahead of an Iowa test vote with huge consequences.

WE’VE all seen the late-night TV ads in which the sultry voice whispers: “Hot girls in your area waiting by the phone now, call: 1590....”

REPUBLICAN Sarah Palin has said she is still considering a potential 2012 presidential run, though her daughter said she has already made up her mind and is keeping the decision secret for now.

US congresswoman Michele Bachmann kicked off her presidential campaign in Iowa, where a strong finish in the state’s early nominating caucus could position the anti-tax tea party candidate as a serious challenger to more mainstream Republicans hoping to take on President Barack Obama in 2012.

REPUBLICAN presidential candidates used their first big televised debate to lash out at President Barack Obama — but not each other.

With Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann’s quick rise from state lawmaker to unofficial Tea Party ambassador in Washington, her brazen style has kept Republican leaders on edge and appealed to those searching for a fresh, unfettered voice. She relishes the spotlight and seldom cedes ground.

Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann has formally entered the US presidential race.

ARSENAL have become the first British side to win the UEFA Women’s Cup after a goalless draw in their second leg with Umea.

RESCUE workers airlifted residents from a half-submerged riverside district of the Swiss capital yesterday as large swathes of central and southern Europe remained underwater and the death toll from flooding rose to 42.

Rescue workers airlifted residents from a half-submerged riverside district of the Swiss capital today as large swathes of central and southern Europe remained underwater and the death toll from flooding rose to 42.