Barack Obama Trapped By Spider-Man's Web

A photo of Barack Obama getting caught in Spider-Man's web outside the Oval Office has been released by the White House.

The playful encounter between the US president and a staff member's child dressed up for Halloween was captured by his official photographer Pete Souza.

Mr Obama raises his hands in mock fear as he pretends he has been trapped by the superhero.

The intimate snap has been seen by thousands of people since it was posted onto the president's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

On Wednesday Mr Obama was named as Time magazine's person of the year for the second time in four years.

The magazine said the US was in the midst of huge cultural and demographic changes and deemed the president to be both the symbol and in some ways a driving force behind that transformation.