US election

As controversial Republican Donald Trump edges closer to victory in the US Presidential Election, ``Move to New Zealand'' has begun to trend on Google.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have made their final urgent pleas to voters in a closing sprint through vital battleground states that will determine who wins their agonizingly close race for the White House.

There were messages of good will from many Kiwis, but it was the jubilation of Americans that brought tears to Tracey Barnett's eyes.

President-elect Barack Obama has pivoted quickly to begin filling out his new administration, selecting hard-charging Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff while aides stepped up the pace of transition work that had been cloaked in pre-election secrecy.

Two Dunedin residents will be celebrating more loudly than most if Barack Obama wins the race to be the next president of the United States.

Culminating their satirical coverage of the campaign, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert teamed up for a live one-hour comedy special - though Stewart had his more serious moment as a newsman, too.

Over a two-year campaign, Barack Obama laid out a vision for the nation's future in soaring speeches that enthralled his audiences. With his victory in the presidential election today, those goals will collide with daunting realities.