Democrat Barack Obama held onto his solid lead in the polls and appeared confident of capturing the US presidency in the historic race, but steeled his supporters for a crescendo of vicious attacks in the final hours of the campaign.

Barack Obama urged Americans to look to the future today as they make up their minds with just 10 days left in the race for the White House.

Frustrated Republicans voiced concern with their own presidential candidate, John McCain, as he continued to blast frontrunner Barack Obama as harmful to the middle class.

Democrat Barack Obama won the endorsement today of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican and fellow African-American who served as the country’s top diplomat in the first George Bush administration.

John McCain failed to stop his Democratic rival Barack Obama’s momentum in a debate which offered only an occasional direct confrontation between the two men, according to a post-debate poll by CNN.

Karen McCarthy reports from New York on the trail of deceit as US presidential candidates take liberties with the truth.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama temporarily toned down his campaign as Hurricane Ike made its devastating sweep across Texas, while his running mate Joe Biden prepared to take on a more prominent role in criticising his old friend and now rival, Republican John McCain.

The heated presidential race will pause today, the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, as both John McCain and Barack Obama honour those killed in the attacks.

It was an election about unity, non-partisanship and getting America back on track, until Senator John McCain reignited a war that could cost the Democrats the election.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin are "lying about their records", their Democratic rival Barack Obama said.

The Washington Post is reporting that Republican vice US presidential nominee and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has charged her state a daily allowance, normally used for official travel, for more than 300 nights spent at her home.

JOHN McCAIN, whose running mate disclosed that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, has opposed proposals to spend federal money on teen-pregnancy prevention programmes and voted to require poor teen mothers to stay in school or lose their benefits.