Chicago/Washington, Jan. 5: A sentimental Barack Obama says he was choked with emotion as he locked up his Chicago home and arrived in Washington D. C. on Sunday night to have himself inaugurated as the United States' 44th President on January 20.

Chicago, Jan. 1: Legal experts have said that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is being judged prematurely in connection with trying to sell Barack Obama''s Senate seat.

Legal experts have said that that the governor has not been convicted or indicted, and his public treatment -- even at the hands of his fellow Democrats -- raises questions about whether Blagojevich is unfairly being viewed as guilty out of the gate.

Chicago(US), Dec. 31: Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has named former state Attorney General Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U. S. Senate, stunning lawmakers both in his home state and in Washington.

Blagojevich told a press conference in Chicago that Burris was a candidate of "unquestioned integrity" and urged the public not to "allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man."

Washington: According to a new study, long sleep can reduce the risk of heart disease. Study by research team at the University of Chicago suggests that participants, who slept an hour longer per night than others, had a lower incidence of coronary artery calcification.

Washington, December 20 : A team of researchers from the university of Montreal and the University of Chicago claims to have made a discovery that can improve scientists' understanding of ion channels, which are akin to little ''nano-machines'' or ''nano-valves'' inside the body.

The discovery attains significance as ion channels, when malfunction, can cause genetic illnesses that attack muscles, the central nervous system, and the heart.

Reporting their work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers said that they had developed a new method to detect the movement of single proteins that control the ion exchange between the cells and their environment.

Chicago, Dec. 17 : Everyone knows that US President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with sports, and to prove it, he has assembled what he proudly calls ''the best basketball-playing cabinet in American history''.

According to The Telegraph, the latest to join the ranks is Arne Duncan, 44, Obama''s education secretary.

Duncan is a 6ft 5in tall former co-captain of Harvard''s basketball team who also played professionally in Australia.