BBC在线收听下载:奥巴马与罗姆尼动员选民投票

BBC news 2012-11-05

BBC News with Marion Marshall

The governor of New York state  Andrew Cuomo says tens of thousands of people affected by the huge storm last Monday could soon need housing because of an expected cold spell. The mayor of the New York city, Michael Bloomberg put the figure at 30,000 to 40,000, but said there would be a problem in finding empty properties. Speaking ahead of Tuesday's presidential election, Mr Bloomberg said some 143,000 voters in the city would be reassigned to different polling stations because of the storm. He promised to do all he could to help the electoral authorities.

We'll do anything we can to help the board of elections, the governor has tried the same thing, and this is a system that is not run by the state or by the city, they have real problems and we've got to make sure that everybody can vote. It's not gonna be easy, but we will both work hard on that.

President Obama and his Republican Challenger Mitt Romney are engaged in a further hectic burst of campaigning as time runs out for them to influence voters ahead of Tuesday's election. Opinion polls indicated that Mr Obama may be slightly ahead. Mark Mardell reports.

The New Hampshire rally featured two blasts from the past, the theme song of Bill Clinton's election rally and the man himself. And President Obama told them he was still a candidate who offered a change. Two national polls out today indicated both candidates are tied, a third shows Obama ahead by 1 point. But around 10 million Americans have already voted, Obama's team claimed he is winning in most of the eight vital swing states. They say in Florida, 44% of people have voted and he is ahead by 7 point. But Mitt Romney's rely on election day itself hammering home the point, he's the candidate for / real change.

The new Prime Minister of Somalia Abdi Farah Shirdon has named his cabinet which for the first time has a female Foreign Minister, Fauzia Yusuf Haji Adanhas. The cabinet is significantly smaller than before with just ten members. Merry Harper reports.

As Foreign Minister and deputy prime minister, Fauzia Yusuf Haji Adanhas is probably the most powerful female politician Somali has ever had. Another woman, Maryan Qasim has been appointed as minister for social development, a huge role for a country that has been devastated by 20 years of civil conflict, drought and famine. The cabinet has to be approved by parliament which may prove difficult as some of Somalia's clans feel they haven't been properly represented.

South Sudan says it has expelled a United Nations official who is carrying out an investigation to the human rights situation in the country. A government's spokesman in the capital Juba said the UN investigator had published reports which had no truth in them. UN officials said the expulsion may have been related to a report published in August accusing the army of torturing, raping, killing and abducting civilians. The UN called the expulsion a breach of South Sudan's legal obligations to the United Nations.

World News from the BBC

Syrian oppositional groups have started several days of meetings in Qatar to try to unify their ranks and eventually form a government in exile. The biggest group, the Syrian National Council, consisting largely of academics and exiles, is holding four days of internal talks aimed at bringing in younger elements close to the events on the ground in Syria itself. Late in the week they'll consider a proposal to set up a unified leadership body. One opposition leader, Riad Seif says he believes this is the key to winning real support from the outside world.

We hope if the Syrians will find a way to choose their leadership on the 8th of November, in this case the all world will be behind them, to help them, and then maybe 100 countries will recognise this new leadership.

Opposition activists in Syria say rebels have for the first time seized control of an oil field in their battles with government forces. The activists say the al-Ward oil field in eastern Syria was captured after three days of heavy fighting. A government warplane was also said to have been shot down by the rebels near the oil field. Neither claim can be independently verified.

Reports from the Russian capital Moscow say several people have been injured after violence broke out at the end of March by hardline nationalists. Marchers clashed with people who gathered for a counter demonstration. They said at least 100 people were involved in the fighting.

The first leg of the African Champions League Football final has taken place in Egypt with defending champions Esperance of Tunisia drawing 1-1 with Cairo side Al Ahly. It was only the second match in Egypt which spectators have been permitted since more than 70 people were killed in clashes at a game in port Shahid in February. The second leg of the final will be in Tunis in two weeks time on November the 17th.

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