Barack Obama spent two hours having private talks with President George Bush today as he visited the White House for the first time since becoming US president-elect.

US President-elect Barack Obama spoke with seven world leaders by phone yesterday, as he continues to prepare for taking office January 20.

US President-elect Barack Obama called the late President Ronald Reagan’s widow, Nancy Reagan, to apologise for joking that she had held seances in the White House.

US Senator Edward Kennedy is undergoing further evaluation at a Boston hospital, two days after the influential 76-year-old Democrat suffered a seizure.

Senator Edward Kennedy was taken to hospital in the US today after suffering a seizure at his home, his spokeswoman said.

Attacks on John Kerry’s war record may be beginning to have an impact, polls suggest, amid raised voices and new TV ads on a subject at least temporarily dominating debate in the close US presidential race.

US President George W Bush yesterday backed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage — a move he said was needed to stop judges from changing the definition of the “most enduring human institution”.

US president George Bush went on the attack today as he launched his re-election campaign, casting Democratic front-runner John Kerry as indecisive and warning that the party would raise taxes, expand the government and fail to lead on national security.