Tens of thousands throng the streets of the Georgian capital at a political rally organised by billionaire opposition leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

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Opposition in huge Georgia rally

A man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s are killed and several others injured in an accident at a motor rally in County Cavan.

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Two die in motor rally accident

It was just the kind of information that could make you a million. But you couldn’t find it on Facebook or, for that matter, anywhere else on the Internet. In mid-May, as the social-networking company prepared for a public sale of its stock, an analyst at Morgan Stanley began advising clients orally that Facebook profits would probably be lower than previously estimated. Read full article > >

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Investors sue Facebook, advisers as scrutiny of IPO hype intensifies

Type in “Maya” and “ Doomsday ,” and search engines dredge up a ready supply of millennial bunkum. According to some fear mongers and fantasists, 2012 marks the end of one of the long cycles of the ancient Maya calendar and this naturally means we are in the end days of time. Forget Nostradamus, forget Y2K, forget that octogenarian evangelist who pegged the rapture to May 21, 2011 , then updated it to Oct. 21, 2011 and then, well, ate some crow. This is the real thing. Read full article > >

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‘Maya 2012’ exhibit at Penn Museum focuses on the people, their calendar and the myths

Ray Isle ( @islewine on Twitter ) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray. Ah, Sauvignon Blanc. It’s zesty, it’s crisp, it’s loaded with citrusy zing, it whets the appetite and it tastes great served cold on a hot day. And, once in a while, it smells like a green pepper exploded in your glass. Those aromas—shading from cut grass to green pepper to jalapeno—come from the presence in the wine of naturally occurring compounds called methoxypyrazines, which tend to be more present in cooler climate and/or underripe Sauvignons. (The specific compound is 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine, an excellent conversation-stopper for your next cocktail party.) Now some people, unsurprisingly, don’t like wines that smell of green peppers, and, honestly, most winemakers don’t like them either. But a certain amount of grassy greenness does give Sauvignon its allure for some folks. In the end, here’s my advice: If you like the peppery intensity that Sauvignon Blanc can have, head toward cooler climate regions, like New Zealand, South Africa’s Cape area and France’s Loire Valley. If you don’t like it, stick to warmer climates—Napa Valley would be a classic example. Oh, and that cat-pee aroma people sometimes find in Sauvignon Blanc? That’s mercapto-4-methyl-4-pentan-2-one. As any self-respecting tomcat will be happy to tell you. A good, not-green-at-all Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Franciscan Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($17) Mellow lemon-citrus and melon notes are the focus here; it’s appealingly crisp but definitely not on the peppery side.   A good, lightly grassy Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc ($13) Mostly from cooler coastal California vineyards, this is very impressive for the price—an ideal balance of zesty grapefruit with very light, freshly cut grass notes.   A good, quite peppery Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Graywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($19) Kevin Judd, proprietor of Graywacke, was the winemaker for 25 years at Cloudy Bay, the iconic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc producer. The third vintage from his solo project is terrific: intense passion fruit flavors, and there’s no mistaking that classic New Zealand peppery bite. More from Food & Wine America's Best Bars Best $15-and-Under Wines 15 Rules for Great Wine and Food Pairings Best Steak in the U.S. Memorial Day Party Recipes

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Snap into a Sauvignon Blanc

A rally car ploughs into spectators in the Var region of southern France, killing a marshal and one other person, and injuring 17.

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French rally car crash kills two

A rally is held to oppose the relocation of 32 ScottishPower office jobs across north Wales.

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Rally opposes office relocation

Before they die, the citizens of Washington, D.C., would like to achieve things both monumental and minuscule. They want to eat delicious food, travel the globe and — naturally — effect political change. They want to see the Earth from the Moon. They want to meet God. Read full article > >

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In D.C., private ‘bucket list’ dreams become public art

Before they die, the citizens of Washington, D.C., would like to achieve things both monumental and minuscule. They want to eat delicious food, travel the globe and — naturally — effect political change. They want to see the Earth from the Moon. They want to meet God. Read full article > >

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In D.C., private ‘bucket list’ dreams become public art

Ray Isle ( @islewine on Twitter ) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray. The sun is out, the gentle breezes are blowing, the gardens and the fields are burgeoning with new green leaves, and so now is the time to eat them. As a fairly carnivorous person, I tend to feel that if I’m going to be eating a salad, I might as well have some wine with it, just to give the whole enterprise some sort of point. To that end, here are a few thoughts about pairing wines with salads. Green Salad with Vinaigrette This illustrates a basic pairing idea, which is that acidity likes acidity. Pour a low-acid white like a Chardonnay with a vinaigrette, and you won’t taste the wine at all; pour a tart, zingy white like a Sauvignon Blanc or an Albariño, and the vinegar in the dressing will actually bring out the fruitiness of the wine. Essentially, food trumps wine when it comes to taste, so the tartness of the dressing makes your mouth perceive the wine as less tart than it actually is.   Salads with Creamy Dressings Ah, ranch dressing. Actually invented on a dude ranch, you know – the Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara. Then, in 1972, the brand was purchased by Clorox. Generally speaking, we don’t associate bleach with salad dressing, but there it is. Regardless, ranch dressing and others of its ilk are creamy, high in fat and modest when it comes to acidity. Oregon Chardonnays and Pinot Gris would both be excellent options; California Chardonnay, as long as it’s not so big and buttery that you ought to be pouring it on the salad itself, would also be good.   Frisée-Bacon Lardons-Egg I like to think of the French thought process behind this insanely good salad as something like this: “Sacre bleu! We take zee bacon and zee egg, and we put zem on top of the salad! Eet is like breakfast – with leaves!” Culinary geniuses, to be sure. But wine-wise, you’ve got egg (protein), bacon (protein, fat), bacon fat in the dressing (um, fat), a little tanginess and some greens. Think light red or a crisp rosé – a measure of tannins or acidity or both, and enough substance to go with a fairly filling salad. For an alternative, Champagne, which goes very well with eggs indeed.   Steak Salad I think the Tuscans have it right when it comes to the idea of steak and salad. Basically, take a big, beautiful steak (the classic bistecca fiorentina), grill it to perfection and slap it on top of a bunch of argula (which then wilts). Drizzle it with great olive oil. Sprinkle some sea salt on top. See? Steak + salad. Clearly, the thing to drink with a fine meal like this is a substantial Tuscan red: Chianti Classico Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. You’ll need those tannins to cut through the juiciness and fat of the meat. And the salad? Oh, right. It’s under the steak. Don’t worry about it. More from Food & Wine America's Healthiest Salads Best Steak in the U.S. Delicious Steak Recipes Fantastic Green Salads Spring Recipes

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What to sip with your salad

Scores of people have been injured in the Armenian capital Yerevan after clusters of gas balloons exploded at a political rally.

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VIDEO: Scores hurt at Armenian rally

W hen Jonathan Frederick Will was born 40 years ago — on May 4, 1972, his father’s 31st birthday — the life expectancy for people with Down syndrome was about 20 years. That is understandable. The day after Jon was born, a doctor told Jon’s parents that the first question for them was whether they intended to take Jon home from the hospital. Nonplussed, they said they thought that is what parents do with newborns. Not doing so was, however, still considered an acceptable choice for parents who might prefer to institutionalize or put up for adoption children thought to have necessarily bleak futures. Whether warehoused or just allowed to languish from lack of stimulation and attention, people with Down syndrome, not given early and continuing interventions, were generally thought to be incapable of living well, and hence usually did not live as long as they could have. Read full article > >

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Jon Will’s gift

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. A parfait way to begin May, May 1 is National Chocolate Parfait Day ! Depending on how you parfait, you can spend this perfect day celebrating one or two wonderful ways. Because parfait literally means “perfect” in French, you'll be sure to enjoy this dessert in at least one of its forms. In 1894, parfait began to describe a frozen French dessert made with sugar syrup, eggs and cream. When the dessert migrated to the U.S., we naturally had to put our own spin on things. The American chocolate parfait usually involves chocolate mousse or pudding layered with whipped cream, fruit, cookie crumbs or anything else delicious that you can imagine. You can also use a gelatin- or yogurt-based parfait and build from there. So dig into an American chocolate parfait for breakfast, and finish with a frozen raspberry and chocolate chip parfait . That way, the beginning and end of your day will be perfect.

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National chocolate parfait day

Spain seeks to rally international support as it prepares its response to Argentina’s expropriation of the Spanish-controlled oil firm YPF.

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Spain prepares Argentina response

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Seafood lovers are between a rockfish and a hard place: More than 80% of the world’s fisheries are being harvested at capacity or are in decline. In honor of Earth Day, April 22, what can consumers do to make sure their seafood choices aren’t further depleting the oceans? Chef Takao Iinuma brings a ray of light to the matter. Iiunuma is the executive chef at Genji Sushi, the purveyors of sushi and Japanese cuisine to Whole Foods Markets. Selecting Sustainable Fish Options for Earth Month: Takao Iinuma 1. Why is it so important to consume fish sustainably ? “Sushi is a culture, and learning to make sushi the traditional way has been passed down for generations. If we want to be able to continue the tradition of sushi culture for the next generations, we need to work to preserve the diversity of fish available.” 2. Which fish are most sustainable ? “It helps to remember these 4 'S' words to figure out if a fish is a good choice: small, shellfish, seasonal and silver. Small fish are lower on the food chain, so there are usually more of them. They also don’t live as long, so they replenish their own stocks more quickly. Shellfish, specifically mollusks like oysters and clams, actually filter water and make the environment cleaner, so farming them doesn’t have the environmental issues that many kinds of aquaculture have. In Japan, we traditionally celebrate seasonality and consume foods when they are at their peak. Not only does food that is in season taste better, but it naturally controls the supply because we are not taking something from the environment at the wrong time. A good way to eat seasonally is to eat locally since what is being caught in your area is what is in season where you live. Many silver fish are also small, such as sardines and anchovies, so they have two things in their favor. Mackerel (saba) , Pacific saury (Sanma), and Spanish mackerel (sawara) are examples of larger silver-skinned fish that are plentiful, healthy and delicious.” 3. What should every seafood lover know about responsible consumption? “The reason we have endangered fish populations is from relying too heavily on certain key fish . If we want to still be able to eat those fish in 50 years, we need to change that. Instead of ordering only salmon or tuna, try something new and local. Look at it as an opportunity to expand your tastes – you will get to enjoy more variety and help the planet at the same time.” 4. What are sustainability standards when it comes to fish? “There are so many factors that the experts consider when they determine the sustainability of a fish – where the fish lives (and the health of that environment), supply of wild stocks, how the fish was caught, etc. – that sometimes it seems like no fish is safe.  There are many fish species that we know very little about, so it is important to be careful and not to assume too much. The best bet is to buy your fish from a responsible source and ask questions . Also, look for a rating from a reputable foundation such as the Marine Stewardship Council or the Blue Ocean Institute .” 5. What are your favorite dishes that incorporate sustainable fish? “Sushi is a great way to enjoy many sustainable fish, especially silver-skinned fish like saba (mackerel), kohada (gizzard shad) and iwashi (sardine). Simple grilled fish is another great way to enjoy almost any fish, and you can easily adapt the menu to enjoy the best seasonal flavor.” Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.

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5@5 – Selecting sustainable fish for Earth Day