Burma warned over cyclone delays
The UN's humanitarian chief urges Burma to reconsider its attitude towards allowing aid teams into the country.

Teens given life for schoolboy murder
Two youths aged 14 and 17 are given life sentences for the murder of 16-year-old schoolboy Kodjo Yenga in west London.

Widower loses fight to stay in UK
A Filipino man whose wife, an NHS nurse, died after an injection mix-up during childbirth loses his fight to stay in the UK.

Hezbollah takes over west Beirut
Gunmen from Shia militant group Hezbollah take control of western Beirut, driving out government supporters.

Blast house 'targeted earlier'
The house at the centre of a fatal explosion was the target of a vandalism attack hours earlier, police say.

Second terror suspect wins bail
A tribunal has ruled a second Jordanian counter-terrorism detainee, known only as "OO", should be released.

Siege barrister shot five times
A barrister was hit at least five times by police weapons during a shoot-out at his home, an inquest hears.

Woman who poisoned husband jailed
A woman who gave her husband rat poison as she fleeced her mother-in-law is jailed.

BBC admits keeping charity money
The BBC is to broadcast an apology after admitting a subsidiary firm kept £106,000 from charity phone-ins.

Taser parties
Meeting the women shunning kitchen ware for stun guns

Wrong postcode?
The turf warfare that claimed the life of a teenage boy

High stakes
Global rifts are fuelling the Lebanese conflict

7 days quiz
Which style queen committed a grave fashion crime?

So solid Crewe?
On the trail in what is set to be a hard-fought by-election

Culture club
Each day we bin a million pots of yoghurt. Why?

Life for sword death gang members
Three teenage gang members get life terms for stabbing a 14-year-old boy through the heart with a sword.

City's 'warm welcome' for Rangers
Manchester authorities say there will be a warm welcome for Rangers fans for next week's Uefa Cup Final.

Teen is cleared of husband murder
An 18-year-old is cleared of murder but admits assault after a jury hears the victim had a heart condition.

Motorcyclist killed in road crash
A 20-year-old man becomes the third motorcyclist to be killed this year on Northern Ireland's roads.

Zambia seizes 'Chiluba millions'
Assets worth nearly $60m stolen under former President Chiluba have been recovered, Zambia's government says.

Bolivians to hold confidence vote
Bolivia will vote in a referendum on the rule of its leftist president as he struggles to enact reform.

Gaza mortar attack kills Israeli
A mortar attack from the Gaza Strip kills an Israeli civilian, police and medical officials say.

N Korea hands in nuclear records
North Korea hands thousands of pages of documents on its nuclear programme to a US negotiator.

Tanks rejoin Moscow V-Day parade
Tanks and missile launchers are featured in Moscow's Victory Day parade for the first time since the Soviet era.

Pakistan opposes US military aide
Pakistan asks the US not to appoint a military envoy who used to run the prison at Guantanamo.

Repossession orders climb by 17%
The number of people under threat of losing their homes has risen sharply in England and Wales, figures show.

Voters 'are confused by Labour'
Voters are confused about what Labour stands for, says minister John Denham as a poll puts the party on 23%.

Promises made over NHS overhaul
Ministers have sought to allay fears over the forthcoming overhaul of the NHS in England.

Catch-up reading scheme 'success'
A government-backed reading scheme shows lasting results for struggling readers, research suggests.

Great tits cope well with warming
Great tits in Britain seem to be adapting to climatic change, scientists report, unlike some other birds.

R Kelly porn trial gets under way
Singer R Kelly attends court to face charges of child pornography, six years after first being arrested.

Burma's emergency telecoms delay
Foreign aid workers dedicated to delivering emergency telecoms are prevented from going into Burma.

Food fight: US and Russian navies square off in sandwich contest
Sailors from the Russian and US navies square off in a sandwich-making contest for Victory Day.

Which nation is full of "overweight alcopop-swilling TV addicts"?
England is a nation of "overweight alcopop-swilling TV addicts", yet is also "beautiful and culturally diverse" according to a new guide book.

Rivals bullish over title decider
Avram Grant believes Chelsea are playing the best football while Sir Alex Ferguson says Bolton will make it hard for the Blues in Sunday's Premier League finale.

Magpies hold 'good' Keegan talks
The Newcastle board say they have held "constructive" talks with manager Kevin Keegan at a meeting in London.

What do you want to talk about?
What do you want the world to talk about?

Mistrust, misery mix in devastated Myanmar
CNN's Dan Rivers has left cyclone-ravaged Myanmar after sneaking into the country without the knowledge of the nation's secretive ruling junta. The government hunted the journalist even as it seized food aid and kept out relief agencies. "They're turning a bad situation into ... what really is criminal negligence on a massive scale," Rivers says.

The campaign for Sen. Barack Obama today announced the support of four new superdelegates -- including a previous backer of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The latest announcements narrow Clinton's lead in superdelegates to single digits. At the year's start, she led by more than 100 superdelegates.

Read full story for latest details.

Read full story for latest details.

Read full story for latest details.

Arkani-Hamed is only in his mid-30s, but he has already distinguished himself as one of the leading thinkers in the field of particle physics. His revolutionary ideas about the way the universe works will finally be put to the test at Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider.

Thanks to a nonprofit group, amputees wounded in war are getting around not in wheelchairs but in Segways. The advantages, they say, are they can move about in an upright position and people no longer look down on them.

President Bush briefly previewed the new role he'll be taking on Saturday: father of the bride.

We've sent the card, ordered the flowers for Mother's Day -- and we may even plan to call her. But if you had to describe everything your mom means to you in a single word -- what would it be? That's the assignment these iReporters accepted. Listen to what word they chose.

On Flooded Burmese Coast, the Smell of Rot and Death
Six days after a cyclone, it is clear the damage is great and that little aid has made it to villagers along the sea south of Yangon.

Burmese Junta Seizes Aid and Blocks Foreigners
The refusal to allow doctors and disaster relief experts to enter in large numbers contributed to the growing concern that starvation and epidemic diseases could end up killing people on the same scale as the cyclone.

Shiite Militias Seize Beirut Neighborhoods
Pro-government fighters have mostly left their posts and handed their weapons over to the Shiite militias.

News Analysis: Israel Readying for a Post-Olmert Era
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is a survivor, but he faces a bribery inquiry that is widely viewed as serious.

Obama Pulls Ahead of Clinton in Superdelegates
The superdelegate count was one of the few areas where Hillary Rodham Clinton still maintained an advantage.

Illegal Immigrants Turn to Traditional Healing
Health care for many undocumented immigrants is provided by a parallel system of spiritual healers, home remedies and self-medication.

New Signs of Attacks in Zimbabwe as Mbeki Arrives
As South Africa’s president arrived for talks, new evidence emerged of government attacks on the opposition.

Hints of a Rift at OPEC About Output
An oil official signaled for the first time in months that the oil cartel might increase its output if prices keep rising.

Trade Deficit Narrowed in March
The falling demand for imports is the latest indication that Americans are reining in their spending habits.

N.F.L. Says Spying Evidence Isn’t New
The N.F.L. said eight videotapes submitted by a former Patriots employee that showed the team spying on opponents were consistent with what the league already knew.

City Room: Con Ed Proposes Rate Increase
The utility asked state regulators to approve a three-year plan that would would raise rates by 4.9 percent a year through March 2012, or a total of $1.67 billion over the three years.

The Lede: Philadelphia Tense After Video of Police
Philadelphia pulls more cops off the street after a videotaped police beating of three suspects that some say had overtones of racism and revenge for the death of an officer.

City Room: 3 Hawks Born on West Side
Two hawks nesting in Riverside Park on the West Side, not to be confused with Pale Male and Lola on the East Side, celebrate the arrival of triplets.

Obama picks up 9 superdelegates, union endorsement (AP)

AP - Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign.

Clinton Still Hopes to Win Popular Vote
With Sen. Barack Obama now leading in the support of both pledged delegates and superdelegates -- adding at least seven more supers to his tally today -- ABC News reports that Bill Clinton is making the case that Sen. Hillary Clinton can still win the popular vote if she gets 80% support in West Virginia next week.

Unfortunately, "many in the crowd seemed to lose interest as he began his speech -- even during his appeal for a high voter turnout."

In an interview to be televised later tonight on Bloomberg TV, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) said Sen. Barack Obama isn't likely to pick Sen. Hillary Clinton as a running mate.

Said Kennedy: "I don't think it's possible."

He said Obama should choose a running mate who "is in tune with his appeal for the
nobler aspirations of the American people."

"Well, I don't think that carries any more weight than anyone who will argue that the fact that she only got 8 percent of the African-American vote in North Carolina indicates that she cannot get African-American votes in the general election."

-- Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), in an interview with the National Journal, on Sen. Hillary Clinton's contention that Sen. Barack Obama cannot win over white voters.

At a New Yorker conference this morning, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) -- who has been hiding under his desk during the Democratic presidential race -- acknowledged for the first time that Sen. Barack Obama is the "presumptive nominee" of his party.

When moderator Ryan Lizza pointed out that there are only 217 undecided super delegates left, Emanuel laughed and said "it's an exclusive club."

CQ Politics takes "a quick look" at the next six primaries and notes Sen. Hillary Clinton "appears to have the edge in two states and in Puerto Rico -- provided she continues to stay in the race -- and Sen. Barack Obama seems to have an advantage in three states."

Over at Political Insider, I also handicapped the remaining races.

A new American Research Group poll in West Virginia finds Sen. Hillary Clinton way ahead of Sen. Barack Obama, 66% to 23%.

Key findings: Clinton leads among men, 57% to 27%, and she leads among women, 72% to 20%. Clinton leads among white voters, 70% to 19%, and Obama leads among African American voters, 91% to 3%. African Americans voters, however, only account for 5% of likely Democratic primary voters in the state.

It's also interesting that "someone else" received 5% of the vote on the ballot question. John Edwards is still on the ballot in West Virginia, but his name was not mentioned in the survey.

As Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) contemplates his political future after admitting he fathered a child from an extramarital affair, a new SurveyUSA poll finds 61% of adults from his NY-13 district say he should remain in office, while 32% say he should resign.

In his long-awaited memoirs, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History, former JFK aide Ted Sorensen admits he "collaborated" on Profiles in Courage with then Sen. John F. Kennedy.

According to a Wall Street Journal review, Sorensen says, for the first time, that he "did a first draft of most chapters," "helped choose the words of many of its sentences" and likely "privately boasted or indirectly hinted that I had written much of the book."

Sorensen also admits that in 1957 -- just after the book won a Pulitizer Prize -- that Kennedy "unexpectedly and generously offered, and I happily accepted, a sum" for Sorensen's work on the book.

The overall review of Sorensen's book is glowing: "The heroic effort it required to complete this volume in the wake of his stroke, and to do so in a style that remains masterly, is itself an inspiration. Even when he is describing 40 years of post-White House law practice, there is hardly a page that does not confirm our sense of Mr. Sorensen as a writer of the first rank. If his active service to Kennedy is now concluded, we are still left with the inescapable sense that the words that the two men crafted together -- however one divides the credit -- will live on."

"I won't accept a cabinet post regardless of which of the three candidates wins the presidency."

-- Al Gore, quoted by the Bloomberg.

The Economist: "In cartoons there is often a moment when a hapless character, having galloped over a cliff, is still unaware of the fact and hangs suspended in the air, legs pumping wildly, until realisation dawns, gravity intervenes and downfall ensues. Hillary Clinton's campaign looks a bit like that this week. After her heavy loss in North Carolina and her barely perceptible victory in Indiana, a state she needed to carry triumphantly, Mrs Clinton's campaign is surely close to its end."

Special offer for Political Wire readers: Get a free trial subscription to The Economist.

According to The Politico, Sen. Hillary Clinton is asking some uncommitted superdelegates "if they could commit to her privately -- without the political risks of a public endorsement -- so that she could gauge whether she has the support she feels she needs to remain a viable candidate."

Sen. Barack Obama "already has begun pivoting toward the general election," the Wall Street Journal reports. "Soon, he is likely to unleash attack ads aimed at defining Sen. John McCain. With vastly more money, Sen. Obama will be able to flood the airwaves as voters are forming impressions."

Goal #1: Link McCain to President Bush as closely as possible.

"The comparison to President Bush is one of many reasons why Sen. McCain has walked a careful line as he defines himself. He helped shore up a Republican base with a string of conservative policy positions on the economy, Iraq, health care and judges. Though he has courted a maverick image of moderation, he has made clear that his policy agenda will contour to conservative thought."

"For the first time this campaign season," Sen. Barack Obama has surpassed Sen. Hillary Clinton's "support among superdelegates," according to the ABC News delegate estimate. 

Obama "picked up two superdelegates this morning giving him a new metric to tout in addition to his current commanding leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won, and money raised."

Sen. Hillary Clinton is "darting around the country like a full-fledged presidential candidate," but the Los Angeles Times notes that within her "circle of advisors and donors, the conversation has turned to how she can make a dignified exit from the race."

"For all the signs of normalcy, much of the infrastructure that keeps the New York senator's campaign going -- the aides, donors and political allies -- is resigned to the hard reality that the Democratic nomination now appears out of reach."

But just as she can't find a path to the nomination, she also doesn't have a clear path to exit.

"Having invested 16 months and raised more than $200 million in the campaign, Clinton may find it difficult to quit. Her campaign persona is now built on the idea that she's working-class America's scrappy warrior. So dropping out with six contests left in the campaign season would be awkward."

U.S. News and World Report: "Experts disagree on whether or not Clinton will actually stick in the fight until the Democratic National Convention in August. But the date looms large for another reason -- at least, if she hopes to recoup any of the millions she has sunk into the campaign. Thanks to a little-known provision in 2002's McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform bill, a campaign must repay the loan to a candidate before Election Day. In this case, that's the nominating convention. After the election has passed, a bankrupt campaign is limited to gathering just $250,000 from contributors, which means that modest sum is all it can give back to a candidate. In short, Clinton stands to lose $11,150,000."

Sen. Barack Obama's previously announced national voter registration drive is actually much more than that and something that "should scare the beejeesus out of the McCain campaign and the RNC," according to Marc Ambinder.

"The Vote For Change program will lay the foundation for Obama's general election get-out-the-vote efforts. Obama aides won't say much more, but I gather that the campaign is constructing an incredibly elaborate online interface to allow its more than a million donors and volunteers to directly persuade their neighbors through a variety of media. Names gathered from the voter registration effort will be merged with names gathered through Obama's primary efforts and the names off of the Democratic Party's integrated voter file as well as lists purchased from outside vendors."

The Politico has an excellent chart to keep track of the Democratic superdelegates and who they have endorsed and who is still uncommitted.

Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) acknowledged "that he fathered a child from an extramarital affair, answering questions that arose from his arrest on drunken driving charges last week," the AP reports.

"The disclosure clouds Fossella's political future. He faced a surprisingly tough re-election challenge in 2006, and Democrats were hoping to unseat him this year."

CQ Politics says Fossella "was under growing pressure" to resign.

President Bush's job approval rating has fallen to 28%, according to the new Gallup Poll.

Stunning: "Just 6 in 10 Republicans approve of the job he is doing, the lowest of his administration."

"The fight for Democratic superdelegates moved to the House floor on Thursday as Sen. Barack Obama spoke to dozens of Democrats in the House well," The Hill reports.

"Obama, increasingly looking like the Democratic presidential nominee, strode into the House chamber just before 11 a.m.as the House was beginning a series of votes. Obama, who was greeted with hugs and backslaps, slipped in the side door along with what appeared to be only his security detail."

Said Obama: "I wanted to see what's going on over here. I hear there's a lot of action on this side."

Ben Smith suggests several members previously committed to Sen. Hillary Clinton seemed to be "wavering."

"Unable to revive her presidential campaign at the polls," the Los Angeles Times says Sen. Hillary Clinton "now envisions a road to the nomination built on disputes over Democratic Party rules and fights over delegate selections. But on Wednesday even that route looked unattainable, with some key party officials warning that they would not cooperate with Clinton's strategy."

Democratic leaders "suggested that setbacks for Clinton's new strategy could come as early as May 31, when a party committee meets to consider the dispute over delegates from Florida and Michigan."

However, the New York Times notes that Clinton spokesman Phil Singer "estimated that in a best-case event," where Florida and Michigan delegates were seated according to each state's popular vote, Clinton "would still be about 100 delegates shy of the number needed."

Karl Rove: "This will be a very difficult year for Republicans. The economy's shaky state, an unpopular war, and the natural desire for partisan change after eight years of one party in the White House have helped tilt the balance to the Democrats."

However, Sen. John McCain "is the best candidate Republicans could have picked in this environment. With the GOP brand low, his appeal to moderates and independents becomes even more crucial."

Related from Marc Ambinder: "Data released today by the Democratic Party reminds us all of just how much of a Democratic year this actually is and just how valuable a party-building exercise a competitive primary can be."

ABC News This Week host George Stephanopoulos said that sources tell him that Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign debt could be as high as $20 million -- more than double earlier reports.

The Los Angeles Times reports Sen. Barack Obama "hasn't managed after months of political combat to force" Sen. Hillary Clinton "out of the presidential race, so he's about to try another approach: ignoring her."

"Confident that he has built a near-impregnable lead, his campaign aides said Wednesday that Obama would begin shifting his focus toward the general election."

"Obama still plans to campaign in states that remain on the primary calendar -- he is to appear in Oregon over the weekend -- but he may also start showing up in states that are considered important in the November contest: Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. (All three have held their Democratic primaries.)"

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News notes the Obama campaign "has begun talks" with Clinton administration "loyalists" in an attempt to "recruit field organizers, finance officials and press officers."

ABC News has learned that former Rep. David Bonior, the campaign manager for John Edwards' presidential bid, will endorse Sen. Barack Obama today.

Bonior is said "to like Obama's general positive tone, as well as Obama's message of change and stance against taking money from federal lobbyists."

What Is It with Men and Torture?
Hint: It's not just upbringing and culture.

Fattening Up Fashion Models
Is legislation the answer to ending anorexia in the fashion industry?

Obama Drama, Part I: Shooting the Messenger
Pennsylvanians never met a trans-fat they didn't like.

Low-Information Voter Indeed
If the Democrats lose another presidential election, this time it won't be their fault.

Genius: Hidden in Plain Sight
The breathtaking work of Santiago Calatrava is seen by many, known by few.

Universal Health Care Doesn't Mean We're Entitled to All the Health Care in the Universe
No end in sight to the spiraling costs of medical technology.

I Am Jello
Senator Jay Rockefeller's shameful post-9/11 record.

There Will Be Krov
Blood, oil, and Borat in Azerbaijan.

Obama: Eye to Eye with Israel -- or Wandering Eye?
"Once more -- this time with feeling," conservatives cry when Obama speaks of his commitment to Israel.

We Can't Take Iraq Neat, We Need a Chaser
We won't listen to war stories unless they're folded within another narrative -- like a thriller novel.

Pushing the Envelope of Journalism Until It's Inside-out
Anna Politkovskaya raised the bar on journalistic courage about as high as you can without a death wish.

 

FOOD: WOLFGANG PUCK'S KITCHEN   RSS

Recent Recipes: Vanilla Pound Cake with Raspberry Compote Three-Cheese Quesadillas and Classic Guacamole Carrot and Ginger Soup Crustless Caramel Flan Cheesecake Pork Loin with Thai Sauce and Papaya Salad Greek Salad with Shrimp New York Steak with Wasabe Sauce Pizza for Easter Brunch Making a Humble Soup Special Authentic Austrian Pasta Pan-Roasted Chicken Chunky Chicken Pot Pie Soup Fettuccine with Clams The world-renowned chef with an extraordinary passion for food now shares that passion in Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen.  Wolfgang Puck makes great cooking easier than you ever imagined. Each feature includes both an expert tip and an easy recipe - exactly what you need to transform your home cooking from acceptable to delectable. Click Here for More

 

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MOVIES: 2008 OSCARS

Recent Features: 80th Academy Awards Oscar Nominations and Winners 2008 "No Country" wins Best Picture, Best Director. Daniel Day-Lewis wins best actor for his role in "There Will Be Blood". Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton Win Supporting Role Academy Awards, "Ratatouille" awarded Oscar for Best Animation Feature Click Here for More