Over the past few months the opinion polls have swung this way and that in the US presidential election, from an initial Obama high to the present situation where, by most reasonable polls, a virtual tie in the popular vote is expected.

The turmoil following the Italian election continued today after Premier Silvio Berlusconi denounced frauds in the vote count and said results that gave a narrow victory to his centre-left rival Romano Prodi would be overturned.