Washington  - US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle reported income of more than 2.6 million dollars in 2008, documents released by the White House showed Wednesday.

The vast majority of the 2,656,902 million dollars reported by the Obama's came from proceeds from the president's book sales, the White House said. The couple paid 855,323 dollars in federal income tax and 77,883 in Illinois state income tax.

The Obama's donated 172,050 dollars to charity.

New York, April 13 : The Obamas are using their own money to renovate the White House, forgoing the 100,000 dollars in federal funds that is traditionally allotted to new presidents for such renovation projects.

First Lady Michelle Obama''''''''s communications director Camille Johnston said that the Obamas, who are worth millions, will pay to overhaul the White House residence from their own pockets.

London, Apr 10 : US First Lady Michelle Obama planted first fruit and vegetable seedlings in her White House kitchen garden along with a group of elementary school children.

The 1,100-square-foot L-shaped garden includes spinach, assorted types of lettuce, herbs along with dill, oregano and rosemary - onions, shallots, cucumbers, peppers and peas.

The First Lady will be planting tomato vines in about three weeks. She will also be adding blueberries to her kitchen garden "by June".

Washington, Apr 8 : After US P

Washington, April 6 : U. S. First Lady Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, will feature with her in the May issue of Essence magazine.

Marian joined her daughter for a joint interview and cover shoot for the U. S. Mother's Day issue of the magazine.

The interview was conducted in Michelle's East Wing Office at about a month after the inauguration.

The mother-daughter duo discussed family, life in the White House, and the importance of good role models.

London, April 5 : Michelle Obama may have wowed the Brits with her chic outfits during her London visit but top US fashion designers worry her designs “don’t carry the right message”.

According to Oscar de la Renta, a firm favourite amongst previous First Ladies, the mum-of-two’s choice of switching between young and foreign designers could do a little rethinking.

"American fashion right now is struggling," the Telegraph quoted him as telling Women''s Wear Daily (WWD), the "fashion industry bible".