Lahore, Oct 22 : A report published in the Boston Globe has said that like in the previous (2004) US presidential elections, Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden might once influence American voters’ minds if he releases a video now. In the last polls, Laden had injected himself into the campaign at the penultimate moment by releasing a nearly 15-minute videotape just four days before America went to the polls, said the report.

Reno (Nevada, US), Oct. 22 : Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin apologized Tuesday for suggesting some parts of America are more patriotic than others.

In an interview with CNN, Palin said she was referring to the "inspiring" patriotism she''s seen on the campaign trail.

"I say that this is true America. You get it, you understand how important it is that in the next four years we have a leader who will fight for you," Palin said.

Washington, Oct 22: A new research has suggested that faced with a dire shortage of mates of their own kind, corals may be able to cross-breed with certain other coral species to breed themselves out of a one-way trip to extinction.

This finding, released by scientists at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, has raised hopes for the ability of the world’s corals to withstand the rigors of changing climates and human impacts.

According to lead author Zoe Richards, coral reefs worldwide face a variety of marine and land-based threats and hundreds of corals are now on the red list of threatened species.

New York, Oct. 22 : Massachusetts Democrat Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry has been roundly criticized for implying that Republican presidential candidate John McCain wears adult diapers.

The one-liner came during a speech at a business summit in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Monday, when Kerry railed on the media for its election coverage.

Tokyo, Oct 22: The recent lay offs in the aviation sector and the buzz of a slump in the IT sector, have sent shivers down the backs of the working class, but Nandan Nilekani, co-chairman and co-founder of the Bangalore-based Infosys Ltd. told ANI there is no need to worry.

"We have already said the growth will be lowered at Infosys. We have lowered the guidance of the year of 13 to 15 per cent, but part of that is cross currency. But fundamentally, I think, there is growth and there will be jobs in the industry," Nandan said.

Madrid - While world leaders have fretted over a financial crisis that seemed to bring the global economy to the verge of collapse, Emilio Botin has kept his calm.

"Crisis? Who is in crisis?" the president of the Spanish banking giant Santander, whose capacity to weather the turmoil has impressed the world, asked in July.

"Not Santander," Botin answered his own question. "The crisis is like a child's fever. It starts very strong, then goes down."

Last week, the 74-year-old veteran banker spoke about the crisis with more concern, but dismissed talk of it originating in the United States or in subprime mortgages.