World politics changes: early US poll results favour Democrats

Early results in the United States Congressional elections are favouring Democrats, as the war in the Iraq emerges as a key issue influencing voters. Hoping to curtail Mr Bush's power in his last two years in office, Democrats have drawn first blood, ousting incumbents in Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Rhode Island, according to television network projections. Democratic Senate campaign manager Chuck Schumer predicted a good night for his party in the battle for control of the 435-seat House of Representatives and 100-member Senate. "We're not breaking out the champagne bottles yet. It's going to be a long night. But so far, so good,'' Mr Schumer said. Many pundits have predicted a decisive shift to the Democrats will have a big influence on future US Middle East policy and its attitude to Global Warming. [Breaking news]