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As Sen. Barack Obama opens his campaign as the first African American on a major party presidential ticket, nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the country are in bad shape and three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Lingering racial bias affects the public's assessments of the Democrat from Illinois, but offsetting advantages and Sen. John McCain's age could be bigger factors in determining the next occupant of the White House.

The Kremlin bells rang out a new era at noon yesterday when Dmitri Medvedev takes office as the third President of Russia and its youngest leader for 114 years.
But even at his inauguration Mr Medvedev, 42, is unable to escape the shadow of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. His first act as President will be to appoint his patron in a job-swap that allows Mr Putin to keep a firm grip on power.

Centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi warned of "difficult months ahead" as he declared a decisive victory in Italy's general election.
The 71-one-year-old media mogul said he was willing to work with the opposition to pass much needed economic reforms.
Mr Berlusconi spoke soon after rival Walter Veltroni admitted defeat.
The results return Mr Berlusconi for a third term in office as Italian prime minister. His new government will be Italy's 62nd since World War II.
The vote was held three years ahead of schedule after the collapse of Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition.