Scientists to Compile Data on Earth's Species, Launch Web Site Called Encyclopedia of Life. In a whale-sized project, the world's scientists plan to compile everything they know about all of Earth's 1.8 million known species and put it all on one Web site, open to everyone.

U.N. Raises Possible Negative Impacts on Environment, Food Security With Biofuels. Biofuels like ethanol can help reduce global warming and create jobs for the rural poor, but the benefits may be offset by serious environmental problems and increased food prices for the hungry, the U.N. said Tuesday in its first major report on bioenergy.

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When all the moving boxes are emptied on the ninth and 10th floors of 461 Park Avenue South, about 20 staffers affiliated with Governor Eliot Spitzer?s re-election campaign and the state Democratic Party will find themselves under the same roof.

But for two American-Jewish dynasties who covet control of the World Jewish Congress, the Bronfmans and the Lauders, Monday, May 7, will go down as the day that saw one family?s ambitions collapse in a heap, while another?s rose to heady new possibilities.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA?A day after the tornadoes and brown floodwaters swept across western Iowa, it was Hillary Clinton?s turn to make landfall.

In March 2004, the novelist and critic Susan Sontag delivered the first Nadine Gordimer lecture to audiences in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

When Rupert Murdoch appeared on Fox News, shortly after his $5 billion bid for Dow Jones became public, the News Corp. chief said that he didn?t expect much trouble from the newspaper?s rank and file.

Two years since dying after a routine face-lift, and 15 years since her First Wives Club novel made Olivia Goldsmith famous, the writer?s estate has sold her Soho loft at 458 Broadway for $2.7 million.

Renée Fleming can sing a mean Tchaikovsky, but can she renovate a two-unit Upper West Side penthouse? The 48-year-old diva paid $4,262,700 late last month for eight and a half rooms atop 200 West 86th Street, but she has a bit of work ahead of her.

Fresh from their splendorous turns as ice-skaters Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg in Blades of Glory, the funniest couple in Manhattan has made a multimillion-dollar condo upgrade.

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There may be a very simple reason that Madonna has yet to close on a townhouse for her highly anticipated return to the Big Apple: Her bids are too low.

How do you solve a problem like Gowanus? On the one hand, it?s an oddly quiet valley of low buildings and big skies between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, where pedestrian bridges cut across a winding canal. On the other hand, it?s a fetid, carcinogenic cesspool that?s proven resistant to nearly 100 years of attempted detox. If you squint, it could be Amsterdam. If you inhale, it?s Love Canal.

Mad scientists in Europe are breeding more new varieties of flowers than ever. But no matter, ask any florist in New York: The star of spring is always the peony. It is the Dior. ?No one has ever said, ?Don?t give me a peony,?? said Michael Davis, owner of Elan Flowers in Tribeca.

Contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers drive in droves.

Texas-based restaurateur Tim Love once galloped proudly into Manhattan, celebrated as a James Beard Foundation ?Rising Star.?

LOCATION: Mr. Mallin, you?ve emerged as the sort of go-to guy, lawyer-wise, for neighborhood activists looking to combat the proliferation of bars in their communities. How many bar-sprawl battles have you taken on now?

The average American may be growing fatter, but not for lack of information on getting thin.

Film Review: Rage Virus Festers in Lame Sequel `28 Weeks Later'. The U.S. military has occupied Britain to make it habitable again and stamp out the last vestiges of the "rage" virus that decimated the land in the horror hit "28 Days Later."

What Are Some Vacation Destinations Where My Money Will Go Far?. Q: I want to take a cheap summer vacation in a foreign country. What are some fun spots where my dollar will go far?

for the sale? Are any? Which are against?

There is no canned spaghetti in the Tribeca kitchen where Anna Boiardi entertains her guests. The granddaughter of Mario Boiardi?who together with his brother Hector founded the now-iconic prepared-pasta company Chef Boyardee?said she?s never heated up even a single serving.

Duke Energy 1st-Quarter Profit Dips Slightly, Utility Plans for Growth. Duke Energy Corp., one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, said Tuesday its first-quarter profit dipped slightly.

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PERSONAL SIDE: Hidden Talents of the Presidential Prospects. The presidential candidates have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Movie Review: Lohan's Off-Screen Antics Distract in `Georgia Rule,' but Only for So Long. With "Georgia Rule," Lindsay Lohan has made her "Gigli."

Clinton Foundation Deal to Lower Cost of AIDS Drugs, Offer Pill for Less Than $1 a Day. Former President Bill Clinton announced agreements with drug companies Tuesday to lower the price of so-called "second-line" AIDS drugs for people in the developing world and to make a once-a-day AIDS pill available for less than $1 a day.

Rock Musical `Spring Awakening' Takes New York Drama Critics' Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. "Spring Awakening," the Duncan Sheik-Steven Sater rock musical, has taken both the New York Drama Critics' Circle and Lucille Lortel awards for best musical of the New York theater season.

The Godfather. [

A Peek Into TV's Annual Frenzy of Pilot Season as the Networks Finalize Fall Schedules. San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone believes he may be a prophet. But not even he can predict if he'll be around come September.

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Detained on Money-Laundering Charges. Armenia's former foreign minister has been detained on suspicion of money laundering, security officials said Tuesday, in a probe that prompted criticism from opposition lawmakers.

Executives at a high-tech scientific-research center used by 10 universities and hospitals are saying that plans by the City University of New York to construct buildings close by would temporarily shut down operations and cause ?devastating? effects for years to come.

Too Militaristic? Growing Police Use of Armored Vehicles Raises Concerns. After six people were shot in the city's Homewood neighborhood in less than 24 hours, Pittsburgh police rolled in with a 20-ton armored truck with a blast-resistant body, armored rotating roof hatch and gunports.

U.S. Airport Directors Study Tough Israeli Security Measures Ahead of Summer Travel. With the heavy summer travel season looming, airport directors from U.S. cities on Tuesday studied Israel's airline passenger screening system, known as one of the world's toughest and most effective.

AP Interview: Narco Gangs Threatening to Turn Africa Into New Trafficking Hub, DEA Chief Warns. Colombian drug barons and criminal gangs are trying to turn Africa into a hub for shipping cocaine to Europe, the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

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San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone believes he may be a prophet. But not even he can predict if he'll be around come September.

Postal Service to Issue New Jamestown Stamp on Friday. A postage stamp commemorating the founding of the first permanent English colony in North America will be issued Friday.

Former President Clinton Creates Crossword Puzzle Clues for NY Times. What's a four-letter word for "words in some kvetching?"

Satellite Internet Companies Boost Capacity, Strengthening a Lifeline to Rural Areas. Michael Schuppenhauer, a biotechnology consultant, lives in an idyllic canyon off the Pacific Ocean near Half Moon Bay, Calif. On the other side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, just 40 minutes away, lies the heartland of the Internet: Google's headquarters and Silicon Valley.

Prince Will Play 21 Concerts in London This Summer; Says Show Will Change Every Night. Prince, whose hits include "Purple Rain" and "Kiss," will play 21 shows in London this summer.