Washington - In his waning hours as a civilian Tuesday, president-elect Barack Obama sought the spiritual solace of church in a Washington thrumming with the happy cheers of human masses.

At noon (1700 GMT), Obama will become commander-in-chief of the US military as the first black US president, when he must tackle the unprecedented challenges of two wars and plummeting economy.

Following inaugural tradition, Obama, 47, and his wife Michelle, 45, dressed in a yellow sheath and matching coat, left Blair House, where White House guests stay, to attend services at nearby St John's Episcopal Church.

Washington, Jan 20 : American actor Tom Cruise has revealed that he will be watching the inauguration of Barack Obama as US's new president on board a plane travelling to London.

Cruise is currently in Germany for the Berlin premiere of his hit new movie Valkyrie on January 20, which means that he will miss out on the inauguration.

But the Top Gun star definitely does not want to miss out on the event, and has plans of taping the TV special, so that he can catch up with the historic event as he flies to Britain.

Tehran - Iran hoped that new US-President Barack Obama will "choose the right path" towards Iran, ISNA news agency reported Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that the US had no correct approach towards Iran and always been the "troublemaker."

"But if Obama chose the right path, compensated the past, lifted hostility and [US] hegemony, and revised the previous political mistakes, we would have no hostility," Mottaki said.

Jerusalem - The inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States is a great day for the US because his "most unusual hope and election, only ten years ago, would have been unimaginable," Israeli President Shimon Peres said Tuesday.

"What made history ugly, unmistakably, was basically slavery and there were two sorts of slavery: men upon women and white upon black," Peres said.

Washington, Jan 20 : Barack Obama’s autographed pictures with former US Presidents, which will be an collector’s item, may go for 6000 dollars.

Obama, along with presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, agreed to sign 250 prints of a staff photograph.

Each president will eventually receive 50 copies that have been signed by all five of them, according to a White House official and an Obama transition aide, Politico. com reported.

Washington, January 20 : The Obama family will be allowed to select from among thousands of pieces of furniture located in a secret, 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Maryland, for use in the White House.

According to reports, the First Family will have their choice of any presidential sofa, table or chair that is still in working order.

The exact location of the warehouse has not been revealed.

Presidents and their families have dipped into the treasure trove for years.