Final countdown for US, battle for Raqqa and reversing Africa’s exodus

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It’s the final countdown. Voters in the US go to the polls to choose their new president in just over 24 hours, bringing to an end one of the most divisive campaigns in the country’s history. The world’s markets are bracing themselves for the final result, with many weighing the risks of a victory by Donald Trump. Gold prices have already seen what is being termed a “Trump bump” as prices have climbed more than 2 per cent in the past month on the possibility of a surprise win by the Republican candidate.

As the candidates make a final, frantic push for votes, Hillary Clinton retains the edge as Hispanics mobilise. Her campaign was given a boost on Sunday when the FBI said it would not press charges over her use of a private email server (again). The bureau’s director, James Comey, told Congress an examination of new emails related to Mrs Clinton’s private server had reaffirmed his earlier decision not to recommend prosecution.

In the meantime, the FT’s Ed Luce weighs in on what this new age of vitriol means for the future of democracy, while from Mexico City to Tehran, the rest of the world watches and waits for the result. (FT, NYT)

After the vote, make sense of the result. Join FT journalists for drinks and discussion about US politics and what happens next. Find out more here.

In the news

Beijing bars HK lawmakers Beijing has banned elected legislators who advocate independence for Hong Kong from serving on the territory’s council in a move likely to prompt angry protests from Hong Kong democrats and lawyers. Violence erupted at the weekend as thousands took to the streets of the semi-autonomous city in anticipation of the ruling. Hong Kong’s leader Leung Chun-ying said on Monday he supported the interpretation. (FT, WSJ, SCMP)

Toyota’s electric pledge Japanese carmaker, Toyota, is to begin mass producing electric vehicles by 2020. It aims to develop vehicles that can run more than 300km on a single charge. The new plans mark a switch for Toyota, which believed that the high cost of batteries and limited driving range would prevent electric vehicles from going mainstream. (NAR)

China finance minister replaced The Chinese government has replaced Lou Jiwei, removing one of the country’s most outspoken reformists at a time of global concern over the country’s economic slowdown. Mr Jiwei will be replaced by Xiao Jie, state news agency Xinhua reported. He was among three reshuffled in a ministerial shake-up on Monday. (FT, Reuters)

Operation Raqqa US-backed Kurdish and Arab militias have launched an attack on the Syrian city of Raqqa, de facto capital of Isis, taking the fight against the jihadis on to a second front. They are moving to encircle the city to cut off the group’s access to fresh supplies of fighters and weapons. Iraqi forces last month launched an operation to take the city of Mosul from Isis and said they were preparing to face much fiercer resistance from the jihadi group in the next phase of the battle. CNN’s Arwa Damon gives a vivid picture of the viciousness of fighting on the frontline. (NYT, Reuters, CNN)

Ortega as president — again Nicaragua’s two-time president and former Sandinista guerrilla, Daniel Ortega, looks set to return for a third term after elections on Sunday. He won 72 per cent of the vote from 66.3 per cent of polling stations, with his main opponent polling a very distant second, according to the electoral board. (Guardian)

It's a big day for

Indo-UK relations Theresa May arrived in Delhi on Sunday night alongside executives from some of Britain’s biggest companies on her first trade mission as prime minister as she seeks to strengthen the UK’s economic and military ties with India. She will begin on Monday with a speech at the UK-India Tech Summit. (FT, The Hindu)

Brexit The UK government will give its official response to last week’s high court ruling that said parliament must have a vote on Article 50, which triggers the exit process from the EU. (Guardian)

Read our daily Brexit Briefing. FT subscribers can sign up to receive it daily by email here.

Keep up with the important business, economic and political stories in the coming days with the FT’s Week Ahead.

Food for thought

Reversing Africa’s exodus The flow of migrants from Africa to Italy was overshadowed last year by the movement of nearly 1m mostly Middle Eastern refugees. But the central Mediterranean route has once again become the principal migration passage to Europe and some are sceptical of efforts to tackle the causes behind migrants leaving their homelands. (FT)

Don’t breathe The smoke in India’s pollution-choked capital has become so bad that the city was forced to declare an emergency and close schools for the first time. The smog is sending the well-heeled fleeing to easier climes. Economists warn that growth could slow if Delhi does not sort out its pollution problem. There are even suggestions the visiting UK PM could lose hours from her life. (Guardian, FT, Quartz)

Month of the supermoon This month the moon will be the closest to earth since 1948 as the closest side in its elliptical orbit (the perigee) will face us as the sun, moon and earth line up. Peak moon viewing is November 14 (November 15 in Australia) when the moon will be bigger and brighter than usual. (Sciencealert)

It’s a male-female thing The holy grail of a male contraceptive has once again slipped from sight as the latest trial for a male contraceptive injection was abandoned amid complaints over side-effects. Women have been complaining of side-effects from the contraceptive pill for decades, yet hundreds of millions take it every day. The difference, it seems, is that there is lukewarm demand for male contraceptives in the first place, making men less likely to put up with side-effects. (The Conversation)

Beat your public speaking fears Lucy Kellaway on how to overcome an irrational fear: “What you want to do is to absent yourself as much as possible in the hope of calming down a bit.” (FT)

Video of the day

A look at the week ahead Nalini Sivathasan previews the big stories to watch this week, including the US election, which will see either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump becoming president, inflation and trade data from China, and Burberry releasing interim results. (FT)