Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh was born in Boston but raised in Shrule, Co Mayo.

AS HILLARY CLINTON celebrates the birth of her grandchild and edges closer to deciding on a US presidential bid, an Irish-American governor could be getting ready to rain on her parade.

President Barack Obama has moved to deepen the US military role in the volatile Middle East, vowing to wage an unrelenting counter-terrorism effort that will rely on air strikes to target Islamic State (IS) fighters in both Iraq and Syria.

Hillary Clinton’s political allies would like Democrats to believe she is closer to potential primary rival Elizabeth Warren on issues than her previous record would suggest, according to David Sirota.

Former President Bill Clinton says he does not know if his wife, Hillary, is going to run for president, adding “she hasn’t asked me yet”.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton said she feels “emboldened” to run for the presidency because of Republican criticism of her handling of the deadly 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya.

Author and poet Maya Angelou, who rose from poverty, segregation and violence to become a force on stage, screen and the printed page, has died. She was 86.

There was a flamboyant pop star, a veteran singer, a TV star, some supermodels, and one of the world’s most powerful philanthropists. Even a former secretary of state who may soon be running for president.

Ex-congressman and struggling mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner said a video showing him in a shouting match with a bakery customer is just an example of him putting a heckler in his place.

US vice president Joe Biden has opened up about a possible third presidential run in 2016.

Susan Rice, the embattled UN ambassador, abruptly withdrew from consideration to be the next secretary of state today after an ugly standoff with Republican senators who declared they would vigorously oppose her nomination.

The US State Department today ordered the departure of all family members and non-essential US government personnel from its embassies in Sudan and Tunisia and warned US citizens against any travel to the two countries due to security concerns over rising anti-American violence.

Egypt’s Islamist-dominated parliament opened a new front in the country’s leadership showdowns today by meeting in defiance of orders that disbanded the chamber and brought President Mohammed Morsi in conflict with both the powerful military and the highest court.

Syria’s president has accused the United States of fuelling a violent uprising against his government.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said time is running out on Syrian peace hopes and warned that the Syrian state could collapse.

China has denied criticism by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that it is hampering efforts to end the Syrian conflict by supporting president Bashar Assad’s government.

US and Russian diplomats have held talks on Syria ahead of an international conference on Saturday that aims to ease Syrian president Bashar Assad from power.

Syria said it shot down a Turkish military plane that entered Syrian air space, while Turkey vowed to “determinedly take necessary steps” in response.

Chrystia Freeland meets three public leaders who are exploiting social media to forge a direct connection with their communities

Shells slammed into the central Syrian city of Homs today, killing more than two dozen people, activists said, as Syria’s government defied ceasefire demands and international efforts to boost the rebels.

The US is “cautiously optimistic” of strong support for a new UN Security Council resolution condemning the violence in Syria and calling for a political transition in the country.

Western and Arab diplomats have launched a major offensive at the UN in the hope of overcoming Russia’s opposition to a draft resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad relinquish power.

Thousands of mourners chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” as an Iranian nuclear expert killed in a bomb blast was buried today.

Czechs are bidding an emotional farewell to Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright who led their peaceful revolution that brought to an end decades of Communist rule.

PRIME Minister Vladimir Putin strongly criticised US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday, accusing her of encouraging and funding Russians protesting election fraud.

Tens of thousands of Syrian protesters shouted for President Bashar Assad’s death today in a dramatic escalation of their rage and frustration, defying bullets and rooftop snipers after more than a week of intensified military assaults on rebellious cities, activists and witnesses said.

THE Syrian army launched raids on rebel areas yesterday, defying growing international reproach over the regime’s crackdown on the five-month-old uprising.

Syrian troops tightened their siege on the city of Hama today drawing a fresh wave of international condemnation against a regime defying the growing calls to end its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Syrian president Bashar Assad issued a general amnesty for prisoners that includes those deemed to have committed political “crimes” as pressure built from a 10-week-old uprising that his regime has failed to quell with overwhelming military force.

THE killing of Osama bin Laden is a watershed moment for Pakistan’s confrontation with homegrown terrorism, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday.

US President Barack Obama says the world is better and safer because of the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Nato powers rejected Muammar Gaddafi’s call for a ceasefire and negotiations today, saying they need “actions not words,” and aid ships were prevented from docking in a besieged coastal city while the alliance swept the port for mines.

At least six leading opposition activists have been detained in the continuing crackdown on protesters in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, reports say.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is flying to Egypt to press transitional leaders to follow through on pledges for democratic reform after the ousting of the country’s long-time autocratic president in a popular revolt.

Rebels are holding out in part of the strategic oil port of Ras Lanouf after fierce fighting with Muammar Gaddafi loyalists in central Libya.

Hundreds of armed anti-government forces backed by military defectors who control the city closest to the capital Tripoli today prepared to repel an expected offensive by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi surrounding Zawiya.

The US government is set to throw its weight behind a European effort to expel Libya from the UN’s top human rights body and name a special investigator to look into alleged atrocities committed by Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

THE US has appealed for an orderly transition to lasting democracy in Egypt, even as escalating violence in the American ally threatened Middle East stability and confronted President Barack Obama with his most critical foreign policy challenge to date.

EGYPT’S most prominent reform advocate called yesterday for President Hosni Mubarak to resign after the powerful military stepped up its presence across the anarchic capital, closing roads with tanks and sending F-16 fighter jets streaking over downtown.

Israel has been sharply criticised after its refusal to halt settlement construction forced Washington to drop efforts to relaunch Mideast peace talks.

North Korea has today accused South Korea of using civilians as human shields around artillery positions on an island attacked by the North, seeking to justify a bombardment that killed four South Koreans and sent tensions soaring.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was welcomed by thousands of Lebanese supporters today in a visit that underscores the deep divisions between the Hezbollah militant group and Lebanon’s pro-western factions.

MILITANTS launched mortar shells into Israel and Israeli jets bombed targets in Gaza, just as Israeli and Palestinian leaders held peace talks in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has arrived in Egypt to start a second round of Middle East peace talks.