Coughing up predictions

New York (AP) - Most Americans expect to see a black president and cures for Aids and cancer in the 21st century, an opinion poll has found. But they doubt medicine will conquer the common cold.

Given a checklist of possible events in the 21st century, 75 per cent of the 800 Americans questioned for the Time magazine-CNN poll said they expect a cure for Aids. Eighty per cent expect a cure for cancer; and 39 per cent a cure for the common cold. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. A majority also foresee more poverty (61 per cent), disease (53 per cent), and environmental disasters (59 per cent).

In politics, the next century will bring both a black president and a woman president, 76 per cent said. Thirty-two per cent say they will meet beings from other planets.