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Early Voting Draws Millions in Key US States
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Officials say more than 23 million have already cast ballots for next president
in highly contested states
Students wait in line to vote early at a campus polling site in Davis,
CaliforniaElection officials say more than 23 million Americans in several
highly contested U.S. states have already cast ballots for the next U.S.
president.Authorities had estimated 30 percent of voters would participate in
early voting in 34 states across the country. In some states, voters waited in
long lines for up to six hours to cast ballots in person ahead of election day
Tuesday.Democratic Party officials say they are encouraged by the early turnout
numbers, with figures showing Democrats voting early in greater numbers in the
states of Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico.In Florida,
Republicans have an edge among absentee voters, but Democrats have lined up in
larger numbers in person at early voting polling places.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Political Experts Predict Large African American Turnout in the US Presidential
Election
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Experts say turnout is being driven by candidacy of Senator Barack Obama who is
vying to become nation's first African-American president
Millions of Americans have already cast ballots in the U.S. Presidential
election in some 32 states which have expanded traditional absentee rules to
allow anyone to go to a polling place and vote early. Key pollsters speculate
nearly a quarter of all voters might cast ballots before November 4, which
would be a record. Surveys indicate many of those voting early are African
Americans, many who say they are excited by the prospect of electing Senator
Barack Obama the first African American president. Chris Simkins has more on
the story. Historic turnout - largest minority votingAfrican Americans are
turning out to vote in large numbersLarge numbers of African Americans are
turning up at the polls in states where early voting is underway. Political
experts say the trend is an indication of what could be a historic turnout
among the nation's largest minority voting group.
A recent study [by The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies]
indicates as many as 94 percent of black voters prefer Senator Barack Obama,
the Democrat, over his Republican rival, Senator John McCain. Analysts say
it's a huge advantage for Obama who is pushing his supporters to cast ballots.
"You know who you are going to vote for," Senator Obama said. "Go to the polls,
get that mail in ballot."In the highly contested midwestern state of Ohio,
community organizer Tina Lawrence says she's never seen so much excitement
among black voters. "The fact that we've had the first serious African American
candidate has added to the excitement and the interest," Lawrence said. "I
think, especially from our community."Election officials in states such as
Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, are reporting the heaviest early voting.
In some locations, people stand in line for hours forcing officials to extend
voting hours. In these communities, thousands of African Americans are casting
ballots and taking part in efforts to entice voters to the polls.In North
Carolina, state officials say 58 percent of early voters have been registered
Democrats compared with 25 percent registered Republicans. In Louisiana, the
official numbers show 36 percent of those who have already voted are black.
"African Americans are an important voting block in several key states
that will determine the outcome of the election," . David Bositis said. He is a
Researcher with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in
Washington. "States such as
Missouri, Ohio and Florida," he explained.
Will newly registered voters vote?While the African American voting bloc has
increased before this election, it remains unclear whether newly registered
voters will actually vote on election day.
Carroll Doherty, a pollster with the Pew Research Center in Washington, says if
they do, it could help Obama win victories in states he needs to win the
election. "Based on the higher levels of engagement (among blacks), that may go
up a point or two, which doesn't seem impressive, but in a state like Ohio or
Virginia," Doherty said. "Which are closely contested, a point or two could
make all the difference."Votes like Paula Stewart say a strong African American
turnout will be more important than ever, just to counteract the votes Obama
may lose from white voters, some of whom say they might not vote for Obama
because he is black. "I think that's just a part of the reality of the United
States," Stewart said. "It is, there will be people who vote against their own
vested interest just because he's an African-American. And that's sad
really."Toni GainesBut some voters like Toni Gaines believe Obama has been able
to transcend any racial divide."His support base is much broader than people
think," Gaines said. "And I think that a lot of people that still focus on race
will get to the point where they'll realize that we want the best man for the
job."Political observers predict if African American turnout at the polls
reaches record levels Obama's candidacy could be further boosted, particularly
if he reaches the record share of the black vote last attained 44 years ago
when a Democrat won in a landslide.
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US Commander in Pakistan to Discusses Regional Security
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Islamabad asks Top American general to stop US missile strikes in Pakistan
U.S. Commander David Petraeus is in Islamabad for talks with military and
civilian leaders on regional security issues. His visit follows sharp criticism
from Pakistani lawmakers over an increase in U.S. airstrikes against militants
in Pakistan. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad.U.S. Gen. David
Petraeus, left, talks with Pakistan's Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar
during a meeting in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 03 Nov 2008Pakistani civilian and
military leaders pressed the top U.S. commander in the region to halt missile
strikes against militant targets within Pakistan. General David Petraeus took
charge of U.S. Central Command last week and arrived in Pakistan Sunday. A
Pakistani Defense Ministry statement said officials told General Petraeus that
missile strikes outrage the public, creating anti-American sentiment.Since
August, about 20 missile strikes have hit suspected Taliban and al Qaida
targets in Pakistan's western tribal agencies. The strikes follow a surge of
militant activity in eastern Afghanistan that U.S. commanders blame on militant
sanctuaries in Pakistan. Meanwhile, militants abducted a French aid worker
during morning rush hour in Kabul. Afghan security officials said the French
national was kidnapped by three gunmen off a street in Kabul at about
nine-o'clock Monday morning. Roland Biache, general delegate of a French
non-governmental organization in Paris, 3 Nov. 2008 Interior Ministry Spokesman
Zamary Bashary said a guard with the Afghan national security agency was
standing nearby when the gunmen tried to abduct the aid worker.He said the
guard fought with the attackers but during the struggle they wounded him and
then later killed him. He said the kidnappers escaped from the scene but police
have blocked off certain neighborhoods and are searching the area.Authorities
have not released the hostage's name.Residents say militants have increased
kidnappings of wealthy locals in the last few months as security deteriorated
on the outskirts of Kabul. Security conditions have deteriorated inside Kabul
as well, with the recent killing of three foreigners during the daytime and a
suicide attack against the Afghan Culture Ministry. In northern Pakistan,
officials said they are continuing to search for an Afghan government advisor
who was kidnapped while visiting his in-laws in Chitral on Sunday. Police
officials said Akhtar Kohistani, an adviser to the Afghan Ministry of Rural
Development, was kidnapped when gumen broke into his relative's home. Kohistani
was the third high-profile Afghan to be kidnapped in Pakistan in recent months.
Last week, the brother of Afghanistan's finance minister was kidnapped from the
upscale Hayatabad district in Peshawar. Afghanistan's top diplomat was abducted
from the same neighborhood in September. All of the men are still missing.
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Foreign Aid Worker Kidnapped, Afghan Killed in Kabul
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Authorities say two French nationals were walking down a street when three
armed men tried to kidnap them
Afghan policemen search a car near the street where a Western aid worker was
kidnapped, 03 Nov 2008Afghan officials say unidentified gunmen kidnapped a
French aid worker in the capital, Kabul, Monday and shot dead an Afghan man who
tried to rescue him.Authorities say two French nationals were walking down a
street when three armed men tried to kidnap them. Authorities say one of the
foreigners escaped, but the attackers managed to force a French man into their
car.Witnesses say an Afghan man tried to intervene, but the gunmen shot and
killed him. The victim has been identified as a driver for the nation's
intelligence agency. Criminal groups have increasingly targeted foreigners in
order to secure ransom money in exchange for the hostage's release.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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European Union May Already Be in Recession
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EU officials say the European economy shrank during one-three month period this
year, and predict more declines
The global financial crisis may have already pushed Europe into a recession,
and experts predict the continent's economy will grow very little or even get
smaller next year. EU officials say the European economy shrank during
one-three month period this year, and predict more declines. The slowing
economy is likely to bring higher unemployment and higher government deficits.
In the meantime, credit markets appear to be improving after a freeze in
lending that helped make the economic crisis worse. A measure of banks
willingness to lend to each other and businesses, called the Libor, has hit its
best level since mid-September. The inter-bank interest rate improved as
governments around the world gave trillions of dollars in loans, stock
purchases, guarantees and other aid to ease bankers' concerns. South Korea, for
example, unveiled emergency economic measures Monday, including $11 billion in
tax cuts and new spending. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the next
U.S. president should be a leader on the global economy and refrain from
protectionism. He says the whole world will want to work with the United States
on a common economic agenda that boosts the global economy, reforms the
financial system, and promotes free trade. The economic crisis began with
America's troubled housing market and has spread throughout the world.
Investors had a mixed reaction to the economic news. U.S. and European markets
were mixed while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index moved up more than two percent.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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South Korea to Spend Nearly $11 Billion to Stimulate Economy
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Government says $4 billion is earmarked for infrastructure projects, rest of
funds allocated to provide relief for small and medium-sized businesses
South Korea has announced a robust government spending plan to prevent its
economy from slowing down too rapidly, as a result of the worldwide financial
crisis. With a potential drop in exports on the horizon, this is the latest
move by Seoul to shield Asia's fourth-largest economy from the global credit
squeeze. VOA's Kurt Achin has more from the South Korean capital.Foreigners
shop on a street in downtown Seoul, South Korea, 2008South Korean government
ministers announced a spike in government spending plans Monday, aimed at
stimulating the economy in the face of global slowdown.Seoul says it will spend
nearly $11 billion above and beyond the budget it submitted to lawmakers
earlier this month. About $4 billion is earmarked for infrastructure projects,
such as building hospitals and schools. The rest of the funds are to provide
relief for small and medium-sized businesses and expand investment by public
companies. South Korean Finance Minister Kang Man-su says the increased
spending is a direct response to the financial crisis.He says financial market
uncertainties have been aggravated and are now exerting an impact on the real
economy. Only weeks ago, South Korea predicted the country's economy would
grow this year by five percent. Kang says Monday's stimulus package reflects
updated, more pessimistic assumptions.He says the economy may expand by only
around three percent next year. He says it will difficult to achieve growth,
if global economic conditions further worsen.South Korean analysts have been
especially alarmed by a drop in export growth to a 13-month low in October.
Exports are a key driver of South Korea's economy, which is the world's 13th
largest. Several major American banks collapsed last month, because of
so-called "toxic assets" in their holdings. That caused confidence between
major international lenders to plunge, as each institution began doubting
whether others could repay short term loans.South Korea's currency, the Won,
nosedived in recent weeks, as investors took refuge in the American dollar,
which they perceive for now as safe. In a radio address, earlier Monday, South
Korean President Lee Myung bak said that volatility problem has been
addressed.He says South Korea's recent currency swap arrangement with the
United States has alleviated concerns that South Korea would not have enough
dollars to conduct its trade activities. The swap deal allows South Korea to
borrow up to $30 billion, on short notice, in exchange for deposits in Korean
won. The deal is seen as largely symbolic, because South Korea already
possesses more than $230 billion in foreign reserves.
------------------------------------------------------
Twin Bombings Kill Six in Baghdad
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Authorities say about 20 others, including 10 police officers, have been
wounded in the near simultaneous blasts
Injured men are transported to Ibn al-Nafees hospital, after a bomb explosion
in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, 03 Nov. 2008Iraqi security officials say at least
six people were killed early Monday when two bombs exploded in central
Baghdad.Authorities say about 20 others, including 10 police officers, were
wounded in the near simultaneous blasts. No group immediately claimed
responsibility for the attack.In separate violence today, security officials
say one of Iraq's deputy oil ministers, Sahib Salman Qutub, survived a bomb
attack outside his house in a Baghdad neighborhood. He was lightly wounded,
and one of his employees was seriously injured in the blast.In political news,
Iraqi officials said Sunday they expect the Bush administration to respond to
Iraq's proposed amendments to a draft security pact after Tuesday's U.S.
presidential election.U.S. and Iraqi officials have been trying since May to
finalize a deal that would allow U.S. troops to remain in Iraq after a U.N.
mandate expires at the end of December.Iraq is proposing changes to a draft
agreement to give Baghdad more authority over U.S. troops and guarantee that
Iraqi territory will not be used to attack other countries.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
------------------------------------------------------
Australia Sets Up New Tsunami Warning System
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New center, located in Melbourne, will provide regional monitoring system for
29 countries on Indian Ocean rim
Australia has introduced a tsunami warning system, which experts hope will
become an integral link in a network stretching across the Indian and Pacific
oceans. The Australian Tsunami Warning Center will help provide a regional
monitoring system for 29 countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean. From
Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.The Australian tsunami warning system is part of
what officials hope will be a network of centers across the Indian Ocean that
share scientific data.Indonesia, which was badly hit by the Indian Ocean
tsunami four years ago, is expected to have its own early warning mechanism
working by the end of the year.Baan Nam Khem, Khao Lak Phang Nga Province,
Southern Thailand - hardest hit from Dec 26 tsunami The Australian project is
based in the southern city of Melbourne and relies on high technology deep sea
buoys. Five are in waters northwest of Australia, while others are off the
continent's east coast in the Coral Sea. Additional buoys are further south in
the Tasman Sea.Barry Drummond from the government's Geoscience office says the
new system will provide accurate information about the risks of giant
waves."Rather than saying a tsunami is on its way and it may impact the
coastline of whichever state, the center is now in a position to be able to
say, along that coastline these areas are more susceptible than those and in
these areas the threat will be to things in the water; swimmers, boats, harbors
and that sort of things and within these other areas the tsunami may come
ashore and then these are the areas that you have to worry about," explained
Drummond. "So far more detail. It allows us not to over-warn and ensures we
don't under-warn."The sensitive monitoring equipment allows scientists to
pinpoint the location of an earthquake that could trigger a tsunami, its depth
and strength. Tidal waves wash through houses at Maddampegama, about 60
kilometers south of Colombo, Sri LankaThe Australian system also will provide
sea level and seismic data to vulnerable island nations in the Pacific Ocean
and also to authorities in Japan.The epicenter of the undersea earthquake that
triggered the December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami occurred off the west
coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.More than 200,000 people were killed in 11
countries. Many coastal areas were swamped by waves up to 30 meters high. It
was one of the world's worst natural disasters. Indonesia, Thailand, India and
Sri Lanka were hardest hit.Unlike the Pacific, the Indian Ocean did not have a
system to warn coastal communities that a tsunami was on the way. In the
aftermath of the 2004 disaster, scientists and governments began working on an
alert network for the Indian Ocean region.
------------------------------------------------------
54 Dead in Vietnam Flooding
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Heavy rains affected tens of thousands of people in Vietnam, China; many people
missing
People ride a boat to go through a flooded street in Hanoi, Vietnam, 03 Nov
2008Officials say 54 people have died in north and central Vietnam after more
than three days of heavy flooding. Authorities say more than 18 people were
killed in the capital, Hanoi, where many of the streets remain under
water.Forecasters say more rain is expected through Tuesday. Parts of the
country have seen more than 30 centimeters of rain in a single day.In China,
officials say 26 people were killed, and 41 were reported missing, after heavy
rains caused a series of mudslides in the country's southwest Yunnan
province. Authorities say more than 410,000 people have been affected by the
weather. The official Xinhua news agency reports that 1,000 homes have
collapsed and more than 2,300 were damaged.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
------------------------------------------------------
Magazine Calls on New US President to Have National AIDS Strategy
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POZ Magazine says more than one million Americans are HIV positive, many don't
know they're infected
A leading magazine on HIV/AIDS says whoever wins the US
presidential election Tuesday, November 4th, should develop a
national strategy to fight the disease. POZ Magazine says more than one million
Americans live with HIV and 14 thousand people died of the disease in the
United States in 2006. It's estimated that 25 percent of those infected with
the AIDS virus don't know it.
Regan Hofmann, editor-in-chief of POZ, spoke from
New York to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about why a
national AIDS strategy is needed.
"For the entire epidemic to date, now almost 28
years, we've had sort of a combination of small grassroots work being done and
then large-scale projects and initiatives, but there hasn't been the
coordination that is needed to make sure that all of the people, who are living
with HIV, can access care and treatment," she says.
The epidemic in the United States is larger than
many realized. "The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) this
summer announced that the numbers for HIV incidents in the US over the last
five years were about 40 percent higher than we previously estimated. AIDS is
not going away in America. It's a preventable disease. So, something's broken
here because we know how to stop the disease. We can prevent the transmission
of HIV and yet we're not. We know how to keep people alive and yet people are
still dying of AIDS in America," she says.
She says whoever wins the election should
"acknowledge" that there is an AIDS epidemic in the United States "and puts
forward a plan immediately to deal with it. The funding is not commensurate
with the need in the United States."
Hofmann says many federal and state AIDS-related
programs have faced significant budget cuts in recent years.
POZ recommends seven steps to deal with the AIDS
epidemic in the United States, including addressing stigma and discrimination.
Hofmann says, "The number one barrier, I believe, to people getting tested and
people coming forward for care is stigma, fear of what's going to happen to
them when they tell people they have HIV. I lived anonymously with HIV for 10
years. I didn't want to tell anybody because I was afraid I would lose my
family, my friends, my job, house. We have to change the way the world sees
AIDS."
She says the culture of blaming and condemning
someone who's HIV positive must end. "This is a retrovirus. It's nothing more
and nothing less, but we have to change the way that people think about AIDS so
that people aren't afraid to get tested. They aren't afraid to go and get care.
People who have HIV didn't do anything bad. And yet society, and even those
living with the disease, sometimes think otherwise," she says.
POZ recommends identifying "evidence-based
prevention tactics that work and tailor them to individual audiences." The
editor-in-chief says, "There's no one silver bullet for a prevention message.
You have to speak directly to people in a way that resonates with them. You
have to show them people they can identify with. You have to acknowledge what
their lifestyle is and make recommendations that are reasonable within that
lifestyle."
She warns that many young people, who were born
after the initial fear that AIDS caused, are ignorant about how the disease can
be prevented. As a result, she says many are engaging in risky sexual behavior,
such as oral or anal sex, thinking HIV cannot be contract by these methods.
Hofmann says that more money must be spent to
find a vaccine or cure for the disease because the cost of treatment and
prevention will continue to rise. "This has become a global economic crisis.
It's been a humanitarian crisis for a long, long time…. We're looking at how in
the world the world is going to be able to pay for all of these people. So,
there's absolutely incentive, I think, to look for the answer to this disease.
We can't bear the cost of AIDS.
For more on the POZ Magazine article, AIDS
in the White House, go to www.poz.com.
------------------------------------------------------
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