Morning Brief: Clinton's challenge

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The odds that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination may have improved, the New York Times reports, but the numbers are still in Barack Obama's favor.

Europe

Results from the local elections in England and Wales are trickling in, and they are bad news for Gordon Brown and the Labor Party. No word yet on London, where conservative Boris Johnson seeks to defeat Labor's Ken Livingstone.

The euro's "bull run" may be coming to a close as growth slows in the eurozone.

U.S. President George W. Bush is pushing Europeans to embrace genetically modified crops.

Global Economy

ExxonMobil's oil production slid by 10 percent in the first quarter, even as the company chalked up record profits of nearly $11 billion.

Things are looking up on Wall Street.

Asia

China allowed actress and Darfur activist Mia Farrow to enter Hong Kong, where she renewed her call for a boycott of the Olympic opening ceremonies. The torch relay went OK today, however.

Representatives of the Dalai Lama are heading to Beijing soon.

Taiwan misplaced $30 million in foreign aid.

Middle East and Africa

Twin suicide blasts killed at least 35 people in Iraq's Diyala province.

An explosion at a mosque in northern Yemen killed 6 people and wounded 35 others.

Ousted Liberian dictator Charles Taylor had been stashing $5 billion in U.S. banks.

The official results in Zimbabwe are in: President Robert Mugabe with 43.2 percent and challenger Morgan Tsvangirai with 47.9 percent. A runoff is likely.

Americas

President Bush is calling for $770 million in food aid.

"DC Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey has killed herself. More here.

Americans are buying small cars at record rates.

Today's Agenda

President Bush speaks about the economy in St. Louis, Missouri; Vice-President Cheney heads to Oklahoma.

Macedonia is hosting a Central European summit.

Yesterday on Passport

• Five years after ‘Mission Accomplished’
• Former NBA star becomes humanitarian hero
• The miseducation of Christopher Hill