WASHINGTON -- A Democratic strategist says Sen. Barack Obama should not try to knock Sen. Hillary Clinton out of the presidential primary race in Pennsylvania.Clinton has consistently led in Pennsylvania, the largest prize remaining to the two candidates, but Obama has narrowed the gap.The Illinois senator also has far more cash on hand, allowing him to open 30 offices in the state to Clinton's 21 and to spend five times as much on TV advertising.But ... [full story]

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a Chicago woman cannot sue for the death of a fetus from an alleged accident-forced abortion.Michelle Williams was 10 ½ weeks pregnant when she was involved in a two-car crash on Oct. 15, 2002. Her fetus was not injured but she suffered a broken hip and pelvis, the Chicago Tribune said.Williams said doctors told her emergency room X-rays indicated the risk of birth defects and that ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES -- Some superdelegates are leaving Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in favor of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., whose arguments are "more persuasive," a pollster says.Clinton, already trailing Obama in the total popular vote and in money, is trying to keep her edge in the number of superdelegates who support her, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. Superdelegates do not have to follow a state's primary results.But Obama is attracting superdelegates because "his arguments are ... [full story]

BAYTOWN, Texas -- Police in Baytown, Texas, said Friday they are investigating the death of a newborn baby in a school restroom.A 14-year-old girl, who police believe had concealed her condition with baggy clothes, gave birth to a boy at Cedar Bayou Junior School on Wednesday. When an ambulance crew arrived, the baby was dead, officials told the Baytown Sun.Police treated the case as a homicide, but Capt. Roger Clifford, head of investigations, said that ... [full story]

BEIJING -- Chinese officials plan to hire a global public relations firm to repair China's reputation before the Olympics in light of the Tibet protests, sources say.The public relations agency will give advice to China on how to restore the country's global reputation, the Financial Times reported Friday.A number of U.S. and British agencies have been asked to meet with Chinese officials to talk about the job, including public relations strategies to be used before ... [full story]

OTTAWA -- The Canadian government will prosecute seal hunt protesters whose ship had a showdown with the coast guard, a government minister said.Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn said the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society would face charges over a weekend incident in which its ship and a coast guard vessel came in contact twice, The Gazette newspaper in Montreal reported Friday."We will protect our sealers. ... We will pursue charges," Hearn told Parliament Thursday.Federal seal hunt regulations ... [full story]

SEOUL -- North Korean officials have asked China, rather than South Korea, for 500,000 tons of rice because of a diplomatic flap with Seoul.The switch came amid flaring tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul during which the North threatened to cut off dialogue with the South and claimed the countries were on the brink of war.Yonhap cited a report in North Korea's Hankyoreh publication and an unnamed South Korean diplomatic source for its article. The South ... [full story]

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Lawmakers in some states, saying they're tired of waiting for a federal response, have started taking forceful steps to help U.S. homeowners avoid foreclosures.Aggressive measures -- from moratoriums on foreclosures to payment deferrals for some subprime mortgage holders -- are being considered by state legislators frustrated by what they view as an inadequate response from their federal counterparts, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.Congress is considering several mortgage-related bills, but state ... [full story]

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki promises more offensives like last week's Basra battle even after reports that hundreds of Iraqi forces deserted the fight.More than 1,000 soldiers and policemen were reported to have refused to fight or abandoned their posts during the inconclusive Basra assault, a senior Iraqi official told The New York Times.Iraqi military officials said the group included dozens of officers, including at least two senior field commanders, casting doubt on ... [full story]

TORONTO -- A Toronto butcher who won $14.5 million in a lottery says he gave away 30 tons of chicken legs to customers to honor the anniversary of his father's death.Jose Lima, 52, made good Thursday on a promise of free chicken he made when he collected his winnings last week, and went further when crowds exceeded his expectations, the Toronto Star reported.Lima, who has been a manager of two Portuguese meat markets for almost ... [full story]