With exactly a week until the American presidential election, the number of states that are considered marginal appears to be growing.
In addition to approximately ten so-called swing states on which the candidates have been concentrating, party strategists say the race is now close in at least three more - Hawaii, Arkansas and New Hampshire.
In another development, the conservative Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist, has been treated for thyroid cancer.
The news reminds Americans that the next president will probably have to choose a number of new senior judges, whose appointments could affect rulings on issues such as abortion and gay marriage.
