London, January 31: Tracking the eye movements of some people as they watched Barack Obama's inauguration on TV, a group of Scottish researchers found that the new U. S. President had a magnetic appeal on the viewers.

During their study, researchers at the University of Edinburgh observed that despite potential distractions like the Obama family and the rows of distinguished guests, the viewers'''' eyes remained fixed on the President for almost the entire time he was on screen.

Havana  - In a surprising reversal, ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has attacked US President Barack Obama's foreign policy initiatives as "abusive," and compared them to those of George W Bush.

In two articles last week, Fidel had stressed the "sincerity" and "honesty" of the new White House resident.

But in his most recent piece published by Cuban media Friday, Fidel - who has not been seen in public since July 2006 - used harsh language previously reserved only for Bush.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed during a telephone conversation Friday to closely work together to the fight off the global financial crisis, the White House said.

Obama also stressed the need to correct global trade imbalances and to take steps to get credit markets moving again, the White House said. The credit freeze is seen as the main culprit in the economic crisis.

Obama and the Democrats traditionally take stronger stands than Republicans over trade deficits suspected of hurting workers in the United States.

Tehran - Iran expects US President Barack Obama to adopt a fair and rational approach toward the Islamic state, former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani said at a Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran.

"Repeating the policies by [former US president George W] Bush would not solve anything, but the new administration should adopt a fair and rational approach toward Iran," said Rafsanjani, who still plays an influential role in Iran's political scene as head of the Experts Assembly, the country's highest clerical body.

Melbourne, Jan 30 : Online registrations for the White supremacy group, Klu Klux Klan (KKK), have significantly increased following Barack Obama's presidential win.

Former KKK leader and imperial wizard, Johnny Lee Clary, said that the current global financial crisis and political change in the United States were fuelling klan membership for the first time in decades.

Washington, Jan. 30 : Michelle Obama made her first public appearance since Inauguration Day, when she sat in the front row as President Barack Obama signed legislation on the issue of equal pay.

According to Politico, she nodded her head and at one point tapped her heart.

The bill, known as the Lilly Ledbetter Act for the person who brought the case, reverses a Supreme Court ruling that sharply limited the frame employees had to file pay-discrimination lawsuits.

Activists called her presence at the signing a statement.