Newsweek's Jonathan Alter explains how Democrats could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

One place where global food shortages are making very little impact is a roadside eaterie in Texas, where diners are invited to wolf down a steak the size of telephone directory in just one hour. The BBC's Kevin Connolly decided to see whether he could meet the challenge.

A US Air Force pilot dies after an accident involving two fighter jets training in the Gulf of Mexico.

Four men guilty of robbing cash machines are sentenced to prison terms of up to 12 years.

US scientists say a beast found in Texas is not the goat-sucker of American myth after all, but simply a bald coyote.

As the row between London and Moscow continues BBC News website readers recall the original Cold War.

The Litvinenko affair and Russia's resurgence have summoned back the spectre of the Cold War but what was the real thing like?

A fourth man appears in court charged in connection with a series of cash machine raids in Kent.

A fourth man is due to appear in court charged in connection with a series of cash machine raids in Kent.

Readers in the path of Hurricane Wilma have been describing the situation in their area ahead of its arrival.

Ten people die in Cuba as Hurricane Dennis batters the island with fierce winds and torrential rain.

US residents prepare to clean up after Hurricane Dennis hit, causing damage but not the devastation feared.

Is the success of Eminem's new album, Encore, down to 'stealth' publicity?

BBC News Online looks at the four major storms which battered Central and North America leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless.

Tropical storm Jeanne - the latest in a series of hurricanes and storms - heads for the Bahamas after killing eight.

US authorities begin relief operations as south-eastern states continue to assess Hurricane Ivan's impact.

The US Gulf Coast takes a pummelling as Hurricane Ivan roars inland, causing at least 12 deaths.

Two million people are urged to leave their homes along the southern US coast as Hurricane Ivan approaches.

Fierce winds hit Cuba's far western edge, as Hurricane Ivan touches the island on its way north.

Parts of the Caribbean are bracing themselves for the arrival of Hurricane Ivan within the next 36 hours.