President Barack Obama captured a second White House term in yesterday’s U.S. election, blunting a mighty challenge by Republican Mitt Romney as Americans voted for a leader they knew over a wealthy businessman they did not.

Obama, America's first black president, easily captured far more than the 270 electoral votes needed for victory and further cemented his place in American history Tuesday, despite having his first term dominated by stubbornly high unemployment and Americans' anxiety about their future.
Obama's re-election to another four-year term should guarantee the future of his signature legislative achievement, a health care overhaul, which Republicans hoped to overturn. Internationally, it means the United States is likely to continue a foreign policy emphasizing multinational partnerships in dealing with issues such as Syria's civil war and Iran's nuclear program — an approach Romney derided as weak. Obama's victory could also come as a relief to China since Romney had pledged to declare it a currency manipulator, potentially leading to sanctions and escalating trade tensions.

Thousands of Obama supporters waving small American flags and cheering athered in the cavernous McCormick Place convention centre on the lakefront in Obama's hometown of Chicago. They hugged each other, danced and pumped their fists in the air when TV networks declared Obama the winner. Excited crowds also gathered in Ne.