What the first US election exit polls show

Hello. In breaking news from the US, the first, preliminary, wave of national exit poll data has just been released - with voters saying the state of democracy and the economy were the most important issues when deciding who to vote for as president. Follow live for updates and analysis. Our North America correspondents give us a sense of the mood at polling stations in seven battleground states - including Arizona, where Christal Hayes reports on heightened security measures to protect vote-counters in Maricopa county. We also learn about a conservationist's creative campaign to raise awareness of Nepal's stolen artefacts and, finally, an experiment to test how wood withstands extreme conditions in space.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Voters embrace calm before election storm

Michigan, is home to many different populations who could decide which candidate receives its 15 electoral votes. Credit: BBC

Voting is under way in the swing states expected to decide who will be the next US president - Vice-President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. Our correspondents on the ground report on the mood at polling stations, and what to look out for when the results come out.

Let's start from Pennsylvania - what is motivating voters there?

The whole country is watching how Pennsylvania, which went to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, will cast its 19 electoral votes. Its mix of rural and urban voters make it extremely competitive. Economics and abortion issues are top of mind here. One thing to watch for in the results is whether Trump took a greater-than-anticipated share of the state's Latino population.

How is North Carolina coping, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene?

The wounds of Hurricane Helene are still raw in the western mountainous part of the state. A generator-powered tent has been installed as a polling location in Buncombe County, after the original site was damaged in the September storm. This area had high early voting, beating the state-wide average.

Where else is early voting having an impact?

Outside of a polling station in Atlanta, Georgia the mood is calm and joyful. Although long lines have been a problem in the past, today people are in and out in about four minutes – an election worker tells me it’s because so many people voted early. About four million votes have already been cast, or about 80% of the electorate if turnout is the same as it was in 2020 when Biden won the state. Republicans had taken the state going back to 2000 and Trump is hoping to get it back this time around.

Latest news: A man carrying a flare gun and a torch lighter has been arrested at the US Capitol Visitor Center.

THE BIG PICTURE

Inside Nepal's Museum of Stolen Art

Nepal has categorised more than 400 artefacts missing from its temples and monasteries. Credit: BBC Nepali/Sanjaya Dhakal

Nepalese conservationist Rabindra Puri has taken a novel approach to the issue of recovering the country's looted artefacts, many of which are scattered across museums, auction houses or private collections abroad. BBC Nepali's Sanjaya Dhakal visits the Museum of Stolen Art and learns about its mission.

And finally... in Japan

Researchers in Japan are testing the suitability of timber as a renewable building material in space exploration. A tiny wood-panelled, solar-powered satellite took off earlier on Tuesday, heading for the International Space Station before it's released to orbit the Earth for six months.