BBC News with Sue Montgomery
Votes have been cast across the United States in a tightly fought presidential election with campaigning continuing even on polling day itself. The Republican candidate Mitt Romney is taking the rare step of campaigning in two battleground states as voting takes place. Speaking to supporters outside Cleveland, Ohio, he said it was critical that as many people go to the polls as possible.
People are making calls to get folks out to vote, because they know we get folks out to vote we'll have the real change, we really needed in this country. And I'm so excited about the prospects. I've got to tell you, I'm buoyed by the spirit of the people across the nation, the enthusiasm, the support, the energy. It is just amazing. Thank you.
By contrast, the Democrat incumbent , Barack Obama held his final rally late on Monday. Opinion polls have suggested that Mr Obama has a narrow lead in most of the key states, but the result will be very close.
We feel confident, we've got the votes to win, but it's going to depend ultimately on whether those votes turn out. And so I would encourage everybody on all sides just to make sure that you exercise this precious right that we have and that people fought so hard for us to have.
Special measures have been put in place to facilitate voting in large parts of the eastern United States still affected by last week's massive storm, while the majority of polling stations in New York are said to be working normally, some have had to rigged up in tents. Under emergency legislation people have been allowed to vote wherever they can get to with special buses provided to transport them.
The main Islamist group occupying northern Mali says it rejects all forms of extremism and terrorism. The Ansar Dine group urged the Malian government and other armed movements to engage in political dialogue following talks with the regional mediator , President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso. Richard Hamilton has more.
Ansar Dine which controls the feeble town of Timbuktu, a large tracts of the Arab northern desert is thought to have stoned people to death and amputated the hands of thieves under a strict interpretation of Islamic law or Sharia. But now it seems to be talking about peace. This apparent turnaround may be because of the very real threat of military intervention by international forces. West African army chiefs have been meeting in the capital Bamako to discuss such an operation in the north. And despite a long arduous process involving consultation with the United Nations, they are now very close to finalizing details of that action.
Several people have been killed in a bomb attack in the Syrian capital Damascus. The official Syrian news agency Sana said the blast took place in a northwestern suburb. The London based Syrian observatory for human rights said three bombs exploded killing at least ten people.
BBC News
Turkey's ruling AK party has submitted to parliament proposals aimed at transforming the powers to the president. Under the existing constitution, the president has a largely ceremonial role. The current Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he intends to run for the role of the president when the elections are held in 2014. Here is Tom Esslemont.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dominated Turkish politics for ten years. As Prime Minister, he's restored economic stability to a country once steeped in crisis. He's brought to heel Turkey's powerful military diminishing its ability to intervene in politics. To him it must feel as though there is little standing in his way to become a president and doing so obtaining more power. If successful he would continue to appoint ministers and under his party's plans make decisions without being hamstrung by parliamentary bureaucracy.
Canada and India have reached a deal that would allow Canadian companies to export uranium and nuclear reactors to India. The announcement was made in Delhi by the visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
Police in Venezuela have seized a stash of more than two and a half ton of Marijuana in the state of Tachira. The drug was hidden in a container which police said had come from neighbouring Colombia. One Venezuelan man was arrested. Police say they are working with their counterparts in Colombia to track down the smuggling ring which sent the consignment.
Spain's constitutional court has dismissed an appeal by the governing Popular Party challenging the legality of country's gay marriage law. The conservative Popular Party claimed that the law was against the constitution which, it said, recognised only the union of a man and a woman as marriage. The court rejected the argument and upheld the law which was passed seven years ago by a socialist government.
And that's the latest BBC News
參考譯文
Sue Montgomery為你播報BBC新聞。
美國各地已經(jīng)開始投票,總統(tǒng)選舉競爭非常激烈,競選活動甚至持續(xù)到投票日當天。自投票開始以來,共和黨候選人米特·羅姆在兩個戰(zhàn)場州的競選罕見地取得了進展。在克利夫蘭城外,羅姆尼對支持者說人們要盡快趕到投票點,這是很重要的。
人們呼吁大家出來投票,因為他們知道,這樣我們就能實現(xiàn)真正的改變,這個國家真的需要改變。我很高興有這么多支持者,我要說的是,美國各地人們的精神、熱情和力量令我感到鼓舞。實在太棒了,謝謝你們!
與此相反,民主黨現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)巴拉克·奧巴馬是在周一晚些時候舉行集會的。民調(diào)顯示在關(guān)鍵州的多數(shù)中奧巴馬微弱領(lǐng)先,但結(jié)果將勢均力敵。
我們相信我們會在投票中取勝,但這最終要取決于選票能否投出,所以我鼓勵各位確保自己履行了這一寶貴的權(quán)利,這個權(quán)利是前人通過艱辛斗爭為我們爭取來的。
為了方面受上周颶風影響的美國東部大部分地區(qū)的投票,已經(jīng)采取了專門措施,據(jù)悉紐約的主要投票站運轉(zhuǎn)正常,有的是在帳篷中進行的。根據(jù)緊急法案,人們可以在從任何能乘坐專門汽車的地方前來投票。
占領(lǐng)馬里北部的主要伊斯蘭組織稱擯棄任何形式的極端主義和恐怖主義。在與地區(qū)協(xié)調(diào)者布基納法索總統(tǒng)布萊斯·孔波雷會談后,“伊斯蘭后衛(wèi)”組織敦促馬里政府和其他武裝運動組織進行政治對話。理查德·漢密爾頓報道。
“伊 斯蘭后衛(wèi)”控制著小城廷巴克圖,據(jù)悉在阿拉伯北部沙漠里一大片地區(qū),根據(jù)對伊斯蘭法律的嚴苛解釋,這里允許用石頭砸死人,并肢解盜賊的雙手。但目前似乎已 經(jīng)在進行和平談判,之所以能暫時好轉(zhuǎn),可能是因為國際部隊的軍事干預構(gòu)成的實在威脅。西非陸軍參謀長已在首都巴馬科進行會談,商談北部的這次行動。盡管聯(lián) 合國對此進行了長期而艱難的協(xié)商,這次會談將幾乎可以確定這次行動的最終細節(jié)。
敘利亞首都大馬士革發(fā)生炸彈襲擊,導致7人喪生。敘利亞官方新聞機構(gòu)敘利亞阿拉伯通訊社稱爆炸發(fā)生在西北郊區(qū)??偛吭趥惗氐臄⒗麃喨藱?quán)觀察機構(gòu)稱三枚炸彈殺死了至少10人。
土耳其執(zhí)政的正義與發(fā)展黨向議會提交提議,希望將權(quán)力轉(zhuǎn)交給總統(tǒng)。根據(jù)當前的憲法,總統(tǒng)在很大程度上是儀式性的角色。現(xiàn)任總雷杰普·塔伊普·埃爾多安說,他準備在2014年總統(tǒng)競選中角逐總統(tǒng)職位。Tom Esslemont報道。
雷 杰普·塔伊普·埃爾多安操縱土耳其政界已10年,作為總理,他將一度瀕臨危機的土耳其恢復了經(jīng)濟穩(wěn)定。他迫使土耳其強大的軍隊削弱其干預政治的能力,看來 他似乎認為自己在成為總統(tǒng)已沒有多少障礙了,這樣做可以獲得更大權(quán)力。一旦成功,他將繼續(xù)任命部長,根據(jù)他所屬黨派的計劃做出的決定就不會受到議會當局的 破壞。
加拿大和印度達成一項協(xié)議,根據(jù)協(xié)議,加拿大公司將向印度出口鈾和核反應堆。加拿大總史蒂芬·哈珀來訪印度期間與印度總理辛格在會談期間發(fā)表了這個聲明。
委內(nèi)瑞拉警察在塔奇拉州擒獲一批重達2.5噸的大麻。警方稱這批被藏在集裝箱里的毒品是從鄰國哥倫比亞運來的,一名委內(nèi)瑞拉男子已經(jīng)被捕。警方稱正與哥倫比亞警方合作追蹤發(fā)出送貨發(fā)單的走私團伙。
西班牙立憲法庭駁回執(zhí)政的人民黨質(zhì)疑該國同性戀法合法性的起訴。保守的人民黨稱該法違反憲法,稱憲法只認可男女之間的婚姻。法庭駁回這一說法,支持7年前社會黨政府通過的這一法律條款。