Protecting the US president has presented the secret service with the greatest challenge in its history. But who wants to kill him? And how likely are they to succeed

Rahm Emanuel, the president’s tough backroom operator, has found himself at the centre of a career-threatening row Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s outspoken chief of staff, has become embroiled in a public row with his critics amid accusations that he has damaged the standing of the presidency and undermined his boss. Emanuel has become the subject of an intense war of words between those who blame him for the failings of Obama’s tough first year in office and those who insist that Obama should have listened to him more. If the controversy deepens any further, some feel that he may be forced to resign.

As opposition grows and President Hugo Chávez cracks down on the press and TV, journalists walk a fine dividing line between doing their job – and jail Another humid night in Caracas, and in a cafe off Avenida Francisco De Miranda a television glows in the corner. President Hugo Chávez is making a speech.

What the parties are, and what they stand for State of Law The list of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Notionally cross-sectarian, with some Sunni and Christian groups, however its support base comes largely from the Shia majority. A big winner in the 2009 provincial elections, but weakened by failure to deliver services since

A private college in Akron has entered the bachelor’s degree market that the University of Akron dominates locally. The Akron Institute of Herzing University on South Arlington Street aims to enroll almost 300 students by next year in …

He need not ‘ballyhoo’ a ‘black agenda’ but solving problems that affect African-Americans would strengthen the US as a whole Over the past week, the recording of an on-air argument between Reverend Al Sharpton, the prominent civil rights leader, and Tavis Smiley, a well-known African-American media personality, has been circulating in the black US media. Sharpton and Smiley’s public fight has brought to the fore a significant issue that has been emerging as a key point of discussion over the past year: whether or not President Obama is doing enough for black people. Smiley, who has been highly critical of President Obama for quite some time, believes that the president is not doing enough for African-Americans and that African-American leaders are giving him “a pass” for not doing so.

Travel bans and asset freezes imposed on Robert Mugabe serve only to divide the already fragile power-sharing, South African president says The South African president, Jacob Zuma, began his three-day state visit to the UK today with a call for international sanctions on Zimbabwe to be lifted.

The South African president is visiting Britain Age: 67. AKA: His Excellency, the President of South Africa. Marital status: Married.

Grumpy Abe — Sun Feb 28 12:00:00 UTC 2010 SO MY CONSERVATIVE friends are sitting there at lunch and insisting that the economic stimulus program – I will take this slowly in hopes of getting it get it right – “has not created a single …

Exclusive: While parliament is in recess, president unilaterally decrees he can appoint entire panel, reigniting fears of fraud The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, has unilaterally taken control of the country’s top electoral watchdog, provoking outrage from western diplomats, the Guardian has learnt. The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), which forced Karzai into a runoff election after it disqualified nearly 1m fraudulent votes in last year’s presidential election, previously included three foreign experts named by the UN.