Dublin, Jun 18 (EFE).- U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha on Tuesday wrapped up their brief visit to Ireland with a private guided tour of Wicklow Mountains National Park. Mrs. Obama and the girls have been taking in the sights here as President Barack Obama meets with other world leaders at the G8 summit in neighboring Northern Ireland. Malia, 14, and Sasha, 12, listened attentively Tuesday as tour guide George McClafferty told them about the Wicklow park's sixth-century monastic ruins.

By Sam Cage DUBLIN (Reuters) - With the president locked in high-level meetings at a secluded hotel in Northern Ireland, first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters took the chance to investigate their Irish roots. After arriving in Belfast with her husband on Monday, Obama crossed the border to Dublin to speak to university experts on the president's ancestors, attend a show of traditional Riverdance step dancing and visit the nearby Wicklow mountains.

By Joanne von Alroth Karen Pierog SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois legislature ended its spring session without final action on two major proposals to reform its deeply underfunded pension system - leaving the state's weak credit rating at risk of sinking lower. The state capitol's two most powerful politicians - House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, both Democrats - were unable to find a compromise to address the state's $100 billion unfunded pension liability.

By Roberta Rampton CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, whose agenda has been frustrated by Republicans in Washington, said on Wednesday he believed his party could reclaim control of the House of Representatives in the 2014 midterm elections but conceded it was an uphill struggle. The party in power in the White House typically loses seats in the first midterm election after a presidential campaign, and many political analysts believe Democrats could lose seats in Congress in 2014.