Chicago - Strangers chat about politics on the train and buttons peer out from coats with the smiling face of Chicago's favourite son, Barack Obama, as the city is gripped with excitement about the looming election.

But Chicago, population 2.7 million, is not just waiting for Tuesday night to learn whether the US senator from Illinois, who got his political start on the city's South Side, will become the first African-American president.

Not relying on polls that show Obama ahead of Republican opponent John McCain, Chicagoans instead gathered by the thousands at phone banks across the city, where they hoped to get out the vote in key swing states that will likely decide the next president.

Washington, Nov. 3: With less than 48 hours to go for Election Day, both John McCain and Barack Obama''s campaigns are trying to motivate voters to come out and vote on Tuesday.

According to FOX News, both camps are positioning themselves for a long night on Tuesday and do expect the closing stages of the race to be tight, as there is a potential for fraudulent voter registration.

New York, Nov 3: When it comes to drawing viewers, John McCain is certainly no Sarah Palin.

The Republican presidential nominee made a guest appearance on NBC''s ‘Saturday Night Live’ last weekend but drew a smaller audience in comparison to his vice presidential running mate.

McCain's guest appearance drew a rough estimate of 12 million viewers, while Palin''s appearance was watched by more than 15 million.

Islamabad, Nov 3: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reportedly said that his government won’t take any action against the country’s former president Pervez Musharraf as long as he stayed away from politics.

Gilani described Musharraf as a relic of the past whom his government didn’t want to disturb now.

Nairobi, Nov 3: Even as it is less than 24 hours to go for the US presidential poll, people in Kenya, the heartland of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s family, prayed for his victory in Nov 4 poll.

At the famous Kisumu''s Baptist Church, dozens of Christian faithful sang and prayed for Obama, who has become the East African nation’s ‘favourite son’, who is all set to occupy the White House.

Raising their hands in the air, the worshippers sang prayers into a chorus over keyboard tunes belting through a homemade woofer, reported Pakistani daily The News.

Washington, Nov 3: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has reportedly said that the US should try to forge a better understanding between India and Pakistan for an amicable solution of the Kashmir dispute.

“We should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis,” the Daily Times quoted Obama as saying in a TV interview.