- Brazil's top court takes on regulation of social media
- Thousands still queuing to vote after Namibia polls close
- Trump taps retired general for key Ukraine conflict role
- Canadian fund drops bid for Spanish pharma firm Grifols
- Argentine ex-president Fernandez gives statement in corruption case
- Mexico says Trump tariffs would cost 400,000 US jobs
- Car-centric Saudi to open first part of Riyadh Metro
- Brussels, not Paris, will decide EU-Mercosur trade deal: Lula
- Faeces, vomit offer clues to how dinosaurs rose to rule Earth
- Ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' up for auction
- Spain factory explosion kills three, injures seven
- US Fed's favored inflation gauge ticks up in October
- Defence lawyers plead to judges in French mass rape trial
- US says China releases three 'wrongfully detained' Americans
- New clashes in Mozambique as two reported killed
- Romania officials to meet over 'cyber risks' to elections
- Chelsea visit next stop in Heidenheim's 'unthinkable' rise
- Former England prop Marler announces retirement from rugby
- Kumara gives Sri Lanka edge on rain-hit day against South Africa
- Namibia votes with ruling party facing toughest race yet
- Spurs goalkeeper Vicario out for 'months' with broken ankle
- Moscow expels German journalists, Berlin denies closing Russia TV bureau
- Spain govt defends flood response and offers new aid
- France says Netanyahu has 'immunity' from ICC warrants
- Nigerian state visit signals shift in France's Africa strategy
- Stock markets waver as traders weigh Trump tariffs, inflation
- Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold
- Opposition candidates killed in Tanzania local election
- Amorim eyes victory in first Man Utd home game to kickstart new era
- Fresh fury as Mozambique police mow down protester
- Defeat at Liverpool could end Man City title hopes, says Gundogan
- Indonesians vote in regional election seen as test for Prabowo
- Guardiola says no intent to 'make light' of self harm in post-match comments
- New EU commission gets green light to launch defence, economy push
- Opposition figures killed as Tanzania holds local election
- Taiwan Olympic boxing champion quits event after gender questions
- European stocks drop on Trump trade war worries
- Volkswagen to sell operations in China's Xinjiang
- FA probes referee David Coote over betting claim
- Serbia gripped by TV series about murder of prime minister
- Putin seeks to shore up ties on visit to 'friendly' Kazakhstan
- New EU commission pushes for defence and economy spending
- Plastic pollution talks must speed up, chair warns
- Pakistan web controls quash dissent and potential
- 1,000 Pakistan protesters arrested in pro-Khan capital march
- ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Myanmar junta chief
- Philippine VP's bodyguards swapped out amid investigation
- EasyJet annual profit rises 40% on package holidays
- Ukraine sees influx of Western war tourists
- Greeks finally get Thessaloniki metro after two-decade wait
Harris, Trump end historic campaigns with final pitch to voters
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump made their final case Monday in the hours before Election Day, when voters will either choose America's first woman president or hand the Republican an unprecedented comeback likely to rattle the world.
With polls showing a dead heat, Trump promised to lead the United States to "new heights of glory" while Harris said the "momentum is on our side," as the rivals held their last rallies of the 2024 race in crucial battleground states.
The Democratic vice president finished on a high note in Philadelphia in the must-win state of Pennsylvania, with a rally on the steps immortalized by the boxing movie "Rocky."
"This could be one of the closest races in history -- every single vote matters," said Harris, who was joined by celebrities including Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey.
She also referenced the film, telling thousands of supporters that "here at these famous steps" she was paying "tribute to those who start as the underdog and climb to victory."
Harris, 60, has repeatedly said she is the underdog, having only joined the race three months ago after President Joe Biden dropped out. But she insisted she would win.
Former president Trump brought several family members -- with the conspicuous absence of his wife Melania -- up on stage at his closing rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
There, as in an earlier swing through North Carolina and Pennsylvania, his speech bristled with dark rhetoric.
"With your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead America -- indeed, the world -- to new heights of glory," he told the crowd, as the clocks ticked over into Tuesday.
- 'Show up' -
Their final pitches reflected the critical importance that turnout is likely to play in a nail-biting race.
Both sides say they are encouraged by early turnout, with more than 82 million people having cast early ballots -- but they now need to mobilize supporters on Election Day itself.
A charged-up Trump said his supporters can "put ourselves in a position to win, which we can do very easily if we show up."
Harris said, "We need everyone to vote in Pennsylvania and you will decide the outcome."
Polls open on the East Coast at 6:00 am (1100 GMT) Tuesday -- although in the tiny New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch they opened at the stroke of midnight, recording three votes for Trump and three for Harris.
In the final days, the Republican and Democrat have delivered sharply contrasting messages.
Speaking earlier in Reading, Pennsylvania, Trump pursued his apocalyptic vision of a United States in decline and overwhelmed by illegal immigrants, whom he described as "savages" and "animals."
Harris, meanwhile, hammered home her opposition to Trump-backed abortion bans across the United States -- one of her key vote-winning positions.
But she also took an upbeat, centrist note, calling for a "fresh start" after nearly a decade of Trump dominating US political discourse.
- High tension -
At 78, Trump is the oldest major party nominee ever to run for US president
But despite being tarred with criminal convictions and the scandal of his supporters' violent attack on Congress four years ago, when he refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, he goes into Election Day with major advantages.
Trump has pressed home on voter concerns about the economy and illegal migration while his harsh rhetoric is catnip to his right-wing base.
His message struck home for first-time voter Ethan Wells, a 19-year-old restaurant cook in Michigan.
Biden "let a lot of illegals in, and they've been murdering and raping our own people," he told AFP. "When Trump was president, nobody messed with America."
Harris has had to build an entire campaign in three months but she has quickly galvanized the Democratic Party and stirred excitement among young voters and women.
"Tomorrow, we will elect the first female president," Luke Little, a 24-year-old server, said in Philadelphia.
The world is anxiously watching as the outcome will have major implications for conflicts in the Middle East and Russia's war in Ukraine, and for tackling climate change, which Trump calls a hoax.
The most immediate fear is that US democracy will be tested if Trump loses but refuses to accept defeat like he did four years ago, when his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
With Trump having narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July and police foiling a second alleged plot, the fears of violence are very real.
In Washington, growing numbers of businesses and office buildings are being boarded up in case of unrest.
J.Horn--BTB