New York, Oct. 22: The standing of the Democratic presidential ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden improved during the three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows.

In a poll taken just before the first presidential debate, the Obama-Biden ticket held a five point edge, with 48 percent of likely voters backing the Democratic ticket and 43 percent supporting the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin.

London, October 22: Moles can no longer open their eyelids after adapting to an underground lifestyle, but they have still managed to retain the basics of vision, according to a new study.

"What we think we''re seeing in the mole is the very start of a breakdown in the eye. I think the moles would have no problem seeing light and dark," New Scientist magazine quoted Martin Collinson, a developmental biologist at the University of Aberdeen, UK, as saying.

For their research, Collinson and his colleague David Carmona studied eye development in Iberian moles, whose eyelids are glued shut thanks to their adaptation to subterranean life.

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.