BBC news 2008-11-05 加文本

BBC News with Debora MacKenzie

Voters have been turning out in huge numbers for the elections in the United States. In Ohio one of the most heavily contested states, an official said the turnout could be as high as 80%. The two main contenders, the Republican John McCain and Barack Obama of the Democratic Party voted in their home states. As Jenner Bryon reports from Washington, much attention is focusing on the swing states.

Virginia could give the first indication of who will become the next president. The state hasn't voted Democrats since 1964, but opinion polls show it's within Barack Obama's grasp. If he wins here it could foretell a landslide victory. If the results are unclear, attention will turn to Ohio where polls close in another half hour, that's a must-win state for John McCain, who is also trying to win back Pennsylvania, which the Republicans lost in the last election. He’s spent a significant part of his limited resources campaigning in both states but still trails in the polls. Another key state is Florida, which has the most Electoral College votes of any of the battleground states. It was also the scene of the 2000 election debacle when a close vote triggered a protracted recount that eventually confirmed George W. Bush in office.

These two voters in Virginia spoke of the qualities of their chosen candidates, the first, a supporter of Barack Obama.

I think he is the very choice this year and as far as energy policies, foreign policy just much for a knowledgeable candidate.

I like John McCain. He’s got that presidential stuff from way back when I think he captured a little bit of it in the senatorial campaign for later on when we need him again. I like the slogan too, Johnny Mac is back.

There have been fierce clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, six militants were killed. This was the first Israeli attack on Gaza since a ceasefire in June. From Ramallah, Ali Margbu  reports.

It's been more than four months since Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip but late on Tuesday evening Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved some 500 meters into the central part of the territory backed by military aircraft. There were clashes with Hamas gunmen and air strikes. An Israeli army spokeswoman called it a pinpoint operation to destroy a tunnel which she said could be used to kidnap soldiers from the Israeli side of the border. She stressed there was no intention to affect the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The head of the Colombian army General Mario Montoya has resigned after an investigation found evidence that the army had deliberately killed civilians to inflate its apparent successes against rebels. General Montoya did not mention the scandal when he announced his resignation. Last week President Uribe dismissed three generals and 24 other soldiers over the deaths.

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An investigation by the US military suggested that two Afghan officials helped insurgents stage one of the deadliest attacks on American forces in the country since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Nine US soldiers were killed in July in the attack on an outpost in Kunar province eastern Afghanistan. The reports said the governor and the police chief in the district were complicit in supporting the attack.

Police in Germany say up to 20 people were killed when their tour bus caught fire on a motorway near the northern city of Hanover. A police spokesman said one of the passengers had apparently been smoking in the toilet. From Berlin, Steve Rosenberg reports;

According to German police, the group of passengers had been on a daytrip to the Ruhr Valley, they were on their way back to the northern city of Hanover when a fire broke out inside their tour bus. The flame spread rapidly trapping people inside the vehicle before many of them could escape. It's feared that as many as 20 passengers were killed; many of those are believed to be elderly. The bus was gutted by the fire. The disaster happened on the A2 motorway outside Hanover.

Aid agencies working in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the humanitarian situation in the east of the country is catastrophic despite the arrival of the first relief convoy. The United Nations says three camps for displaced people have been destroyed and the whereabouts of their 50,000 occupants is unknown. The head of UN peacekeeping, Alain Le Roy, said the UN was reinforcing its military presence in the Congolese town of Goma which is threatened by the rebels.

The Argentine Football Association has confirmed the appointment of the former football star Diego Maradona as head coach of the Argentine national team. Now aged 48 Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest ever footballers, but correspondents say there are concerns about whether he can translate his technical skills into coaching expertise.

BBC News.