WHITE HOUSE

Kate Middleton, like Princess Diana, is beautiful, exudes confidence, class and has an amazing taste in fashion. Therefore, a comparison between the two is inevitable.

Barack Obama won an upset victory in Virginia in 2008, and many people believe he has no chance to win it again in 2012 with his approval ratings so low. But a new Quinnipiac University poll shows that Obama's position is stronger than one might think.

Hashemi is forbidden to leave the country.

Kate Middleton or, if one was to be official - Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge - exuded elegance and style, as she attended a military awards ceremony, The Night of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards at the Imperial War Museum in central London, on Monday. The resemblance to Princess Diana was, in many ways, striking.

The International Business Times has compiled comprehensive profiles of the top seven Republican presidential candidates, with complete rundowns of their political positions, from Rick Santorum on abortion to Newt Gingrich on taxes. These profiles will be updated as the primary campaign continues.

The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is actively considering a proposal that would allow for a reduction in the outstanding mortgage debt of homeowners in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama demanded Tuesday that House Republicans pass a short-term extension of a payroll tax cut, showing an unwillingness to back down in a fight that could result in higher taxes for 160 million Americans.

The U.S. Cabinet comprises the Vice President and the head of fifteen executive departments, the most prominent of which is probably the Secretary of State.

Newt Gingrich won the Tea Party Patriots straw poll on Monday, edging out Michele Bachmann and beating Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum by a large margin. It was a good sign for his campaign in the wake of fading support in national polls.

The 2011 White House Christmas tree, decorated in cards from the children of U.S. military members and medals from veterans by the family of President Obama, marks nearly 150 years of First Family trees celebrated over the years. View the slideshow to see photos of White House Christmas trees over the years.

The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il from a heart attack over the weekend has prompted an avalanche of reaction from around the globe.

President Barack Obama's backtracking from his earlier stand to veto the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has put Americans under the risk of losing their human rights. The Senate and Congress have already passed the bill and Obama now seems ready to sign a piece of legislature that could become a draconian piece of legislature making U.S. citizens vulnerable to legal abuse.

The Senate-passed bill is a two-month extension of the 2 percent payroll tax holiday, federal support of unemployment benefits and an extension of expiring Medicare provisions.

Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney receives millions of dollars a year in a retirement agreement with Bain Capital, nearly 13 years after he left the private equity firm he helped start, the New York Times reported Monday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack while on a train trip, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear programme.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack while on a train trip, state media reported Monday morning, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear program.

Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich threatened Sunday to have federal judges arrested if they disagreed with his policies as president, ratcheting up his attacks on the judiciary as he tries to halt a slide in his campaign.

The fate of an expiring tax break for 160 million American workers was in doubt on Sunday after the top Republican lawmaker declared his opposition to a two-month extension passed overwhelmingly by the Senate.

Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney sought to create doubts about rival Newt Gingrich among South Carolina conservatives on Saturday by criticizing his highly paid work for mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

The U.S. Senate OK'd on Saturday a $1 trillion bill to fund the government and a two-month extension of the payroll-tax cut, capping a contentious political year while preparing the arena for a fresh battle in 2012.

As President Obama, wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha send out their annual holiday portrait and release the 2011 White House Christmas card, tsee photos of the First Family celebrating the holiday season, from lighting the National Christmas Tree to greeting Santa's elves in D.C., and look back at Christmas with the Obamas in years past.