President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush briefly paid their respects Gerald Ford today, joining thousands of ordinary Americans in saying goodbye to the former president.

US President George Bush ruled out raising taxes to pay the massive costs of Gulf Coast reconstruction, saying other government spending must be cut to pay for a recovery effort expected to swell the national debt by $200bn (€164bn) dollars or more.

President George Bush, head bowed in prayer, today opened an ambitious second term in which he boldly promises to spark democracy in the Middle East and reshape state pension plans.

they tend to do when one of theirs has fallen, world leaders converged from near and far for the state funeral of Ronald Reagan who gently steered the Cold War towards a peaceful end.

President Mary McAleese is to fly to America tomorrow to attend the funeral of Ronald Reagan in Washington DC.

The Dean of Washington Cathedral has told the US service of remembrance that the Bush administration must guard against becoming the evil it deplores.