Washington - The Obama campaign was satisfied, so far, with early results from several states and voting procedures, said David Axelrod, chief political advisor to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Speaking to CNN, Axelrod said things were going so well that his main worry was that he "can't exactly figure out what should be giving me heartburn right now."

Washington - Voting booths closed in key eastern states on Tuesday that could decide whether Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama captures the White House.

Polls closed in battlegrounds including Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Indiana and official results were already trickling in, marking the beginning of the end of a historic election day in the United States.

Millions of voters waited for hours at polling stations across the country Tuesday as McCain and Obama made a final push for votes in swing states.

Washington - Voting concluded Tuesday in Ohio and North Carolina, two toss up states heavily contested by Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain that could play a key role in the outcome of the presidential election.

Ohio and North Carolina are traditionally Republican ground, but the slumping economy has helped boost Obama into a dead heat with McCain, and the Democrat was expected to benefit from a high turnout by African American voters in North Carolina.

The results were to begin trickling in shorly after the polls closed, which took place at 0030 GMT.

Washington - Republican John McCa

Sydney - The United Nations on Wednesday threw its weight behind a German doctor ordered out of Australia because of the cost to the taxpayer of looking after his 
13-year-old disabled son.

Bernhard Moeller, who has been on a temporary visa since arriving in 2005 to fill an internationally advertised vacancy at the small hospital in rural Horsham, was last week denied permanent residency because his son Lukas has Down's syndrome, which "is likely to result in costs to the Australian community that are significant."

Washington - Polling stations closed Tuesday in a broad swathe of eastern states including key battlegrounds Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri and New Hampshire, all of which were heavily contested in the presidential race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

The eastern state Pennsylvania is McCain's best hope of capturing a typically Democratic stronghold. Missouri is considered a bellwether state that has voted in favour of the winning candidate in every election but one since 1900.