Brussels  - European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday called on US president-elect Barack Obama and European leaders to deepen their transatlantic ties at a time of "great challenges".

London  - Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown Tuesday sent messages of support to US president-elect Barack Obama as parties were held across Britain to mark the handover of power in the United States.

The queen, 82, who has during her reign since 1952 met all US presidents with the exception of Lyndon B Johnson, is expected to meet Obama when he comes to London for a summit of G20 nations in April.

Details of the private message sent by the monarch on the eve of Obama's inauguration have not been released.

Washington  - US president-elect Barack Obama will dine on the eve of his Tuesday inauguration with several top Republicans in the Democrat's latest attempt to build bridges with the conservative party.

Obama will attend three separate dinners Monday evening with prominent current or retired Republican senators presiding: John Warner, Chuck Hagel and Lindsey Graham.

Washington  - While political junkies worry about Barack Obama's policies and plans, fashionistas are obsessed with another weighty matter: What will Michelle Obama wear to the bevy of inauguration balls on Tuesday?

The incoming first lady has already drawn admirers for her sophisticated but low-key style that mixes ready-to-wear pieces from such US shopping mall favourites as Banana Republic and J Crew with young designers and Chicagoans, like Maria Pinto.

At a height of about 1.52 metres, Obama is one of the tallest first ladies ever, and favours simple sheaths.

Washington  - Muslim Americans view Barack Obama's intention to use his middle name - Hussein - during the reciting of the oath of office as a sign that he's heeded their call for greater inclusion.

Promptly at noon (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, Obama will lay one hand on the Bible used by president Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and swear to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" as the country's 44th president and first African American in the job.