Washington, Oct 25 : Republican presidential nominee John McCain has turned to an argument that has served his party well in recent history, using stump speeches and television ads to drive home the idea that his rival Barack Obama would raise taxes on average Americans.

But for the first time in decades, Democrats appear to have the upper hand in the debate over taxes.

New York, Oct 25 : After Sarah Palin came under scrutiny for her wardrobe expenses, new details have emerged, which show that U. S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain''s campaign paid 3 makeup artists a total of 52,000 dollars over 6 weeks.

According to records filed with the Federal Election Commission, the McCain campaign paid Amy Strozzi, Palin’s travelling makeup artist, 22,800 dollars for the first two weeks of October. Strozzi received 13,200 dollars for her work in September.

Washington, Oct 25 : In what is being described as an after-affect of former Secretary of State Colin Powell committing his support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, a large number of Republican moderates, neo-cons and former aides to President Bush who have announced that they will vote for Democrat Barack Obama.

Powell had last week crossed party lines to announce his support for Barack Obama.

Washington, Oct 25: Results of two recent polls have revealed that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will get
75-80 percent of Jewish votes in the Nov 4 polls.

The Jewish community has been traditionally voting for Democratic candidates.

A Gallup tracking poll of 564 Jewish registered voters, taken over the first three weeks of October, found Obama leading Republican John McCain by a 74-22 percent margin, a 13-point increase for the Democratic nominee since July when he led 61-34 percent.

Los Angeles - The moribund Los Angeles River seems to mark a line of indifference. Shops on Cesar Chavez Avenue emit odors of goats' heads, gizzards and tongues, but the scent of the upcoming US presidential election cannot be easily perceived.

East LA has its own rhythm, different from the rest of LA and, indeed, from the rest of the country.

An estimated 96 per cent of the residents have Latino roots. The daily Los Angeles Times once wrote that East LA is to Mexican- Americans what Harlem is to African Americans.

Nairobi - US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama's stern face stares out from the back of a rickety Matatu - a commuter minibus - as it swerves through traffic in Kenyan capital Nairobi, the slogan "The Real Change" plastered alongside the image.

By the side of the road a workman digs a trench, his "Obama 08" cap shading his eyes from the sun, while in a nearby bar, patrons chug down Senator beer, a cheap brew that has been nicknamed Obama beer.