United States:Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has gained an important boost with the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, Iowa's most influential newspaper, as polls show her trailing Barack Obama in the state.
Mrs Clinton's campaign hopes the endorsement marks a turning point in the race after six weeks of negative headlines that have also seen her poll lead disappear in two other early-voting states, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
In 2004, the Des Moines Registerendorsement was widely credited with propelling John Edwards from single digits to second place in Iowa, although it failed to stop John Kerry winning the state's caucuses. This year, Mr Edwards, Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton each lobbied hard to win the paper's seal of approval and yesterday's decision surprised most political commentators.
"The job requires a president who not only understands the changes needed to move the country forward but also possesses the discipline and skill to navigate the reality of the resistant Washington power structure to get things done. That candidate is New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton," the paper said.
The paper's editorial board, which traditionally supports Democrats in general elections, said that the crucial question centred on which candidate was best prepared to take on the challenges facing the US.
"That readiness to lead sets her apart from a constellation of possible stars in her party, particularly Barack Obama, who also demonstrates the potential to be a fine president. When Obama speaks before a crowd, he can be more inspirational than Clinton. Yet, with his relative inexperience, it's hard to feel as confident he could accomplish the daunting agenda that lies ahead," it said.
Mr Obama has surged in recent polls and Mrs Clinton was last week forced to apologise to him after one of the co-chairs of her New Hampshire campaign suggested that Mr Obama's admission that he used drugs as a teenager could leave him open to damaging questions from Republicans in a general election campaign.
The Clinton campaign has continued to raise questions, however, about Mr Obama's electability and former president Bill Clinton suggested at the weekend that the Illinois senator is not ready to be president.
"He's got great skills. It depends on what the American people and the Democrats in the first instance believe is more important. Is it more important to have somebody who is basically by his very nature a compelling, incredibly attractive, highly intelligent symbol of transformation, or is it more information to have somebody who also would similarly symbolize change by being the first woman president, but has actually done incredible numbers of different things to change other people's lives?" Mr Clinton said.
In the Republican race, John McCain yesterday won endorsements from the Des Moines Registerand the Boston Globe. Mr McCain is banking on a strong showing in New Hampshire to revive a presidential bid that has struggled in recent months against Rudy Giuliani, the national frontrunner, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is polling well in early-voting states.
In Iowa, the Republican race is between Mr Romney and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who has shot into a double-digit lead in the state. Mr Romney survived a grilling yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press, defending his change of heart on abortion, which has seen him abandon the pro-choice position he held for most of his political life.