Washington - The man regarded as second-in-command of terrorist group al-Qaeda condemned US president-elect Barack Obama Wednesday in the group's first audio message since his election, using racial slurs and calling his victory an "admission of defeat" in Iraq.

Ayman al-Zawahiri called Obama "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans," citing Malik al-Shabazz and Malcolm X, both controversial figures who preached violence during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Washington, Nov. 19 : Before tackling any of their party’s broad, long-term legislative priorities, President-elect Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress should focus on rebuilding Americans’ basic trust in government, according to a new report by the centrist Democratic group Third Way.

“In recent years anti-government ire has cooled, but that does not mean that there has been a huge surge in support for its opposite,” said William Galston, a former Clinton administration official and University of Maryland professor who co-authored the report.

Washington, Nov. 19 : US President-elect Barack Obama is likely to be tested on decisions related to domestic spying.

When he takes office, Obama will inherit greater power in domestic spying power than any other new president in more than 30 years, but he may find himself in an awkward position as he weighs how to wield it.

According to the New York Times, a court has already ordered the government to turn over information on any federal eavesdropping conducted in the case of Ali al-Timimi, who was convicted of supporting terrorism.

Dubai, 19th Nov. 2008 -- The infamous US prison in Cuba, Guantanamo Bay, had never been a huge campaign issue for Barack Obama, the incoming US president, a UAE daily paper commented.

''It was not at least the most important issue of the campaign for the Democratic presidential candidate. There were far more serious issues like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and of course the bigger issue of current economic mess at home,'' wrote Khaleej Times in its editorial.

Ramallah - US president-elect Barack Obama telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and promised him that his administration would continue efforts to advance the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement sent to reporters overnight that in Tuesday's telephone conversation, the first since he was elected, Obama stressed his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel.

Chicago, Nov. 19 : After running a campaign known for its almost military-like cool and discipline, US President-elect Barack Obama is now assembling a staff whose members are known for their combativeness.

His chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is a take-no-prisoners politician known for his willingness to butt heads with adversaries.

Obama’s top liaison to Congress, Phil Schiliro, is a skilled political infighter and his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, is one of the few people who can boast of shouting down Sean Hannity of Fox News on Hannity’s own show, reports the New York Times.