Barack Obama cranked up his campaign in the final days before the Democratic convention, drawing closer to naming a running mate and attacking what he said was Republican rival John McCain’s habit of questioning his “character and patriotism”.

Paul McCartney has fuelled rumours he is set to wed American heiress Nancy Shevell after allegedly seeking out their families' approval of their union.

A judge has ruled against a pilot who sued the US Air Force for allegedly ruining his reputation in a friendly-fire bombing in Afghanistan that killed four Canadian soldiers.

Senator Barack Obama announced his bid to be America’s first black president by urging an end to the Iraq war and portraying himself as a fresh face capable of leading a new generation.

A senator who would be America’s first black president if elected will formally announce his White House candidacy today in the state capital where he began his political career only 10 years ago.

A judge in Springfield, Illinois, sentenced a bank robber turned in to authorities by his sons to 40 years in prison today.

The first ever “Redneck-a-palooza”, a country and western music festival, has been held in Springfield, Illinois.

Thousands of poisoned birds have dropped dead in an Illinois town.