US Americans voted in one of the tightest presidential elections in decades after a long and often bitter campaign between Republican incumbent George W. Bush and his Democratic rival John Kerry. US Europe's newspapers expressed both anxiety and some dread as they mulled the future of America, Europe and the world in the wake of what an Austrian paper called the "mother of all elections." Netherlands Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, 47, who recently made a controversial film about alleged Islamic abuse of women, was shot and stabbed to death while cycling on an Amsterdam street by a man with Moroccan nationality, officials said. Iraq At least eight people were killed in a car bombing spree across Iraq that targeted symbols of the US-backed government, while hundreds of residents fled the rebel-held city of Fallujah after a night of air raids. Iraq An American, Filipino and Nepalese and at least one Iraqi working for a Saudi company were among a group of people kidnapped at gunpoint from their Baghdad offices. Afghanistan Militants claiming to hold three UN hostages in Afghanistan said they were being kept in different mountainous locations, and repeated threats to kill them if a rescue attempt was made. Argentina Argentina sends proposal aimed at restructuring its 100 billion dollar debt to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking green light for a bond swap that wipes off three quarters the value of the initial investment. Mideast Israel beefed up security in Tel Aviv after a teenager blew up himself and three others in its commercial capital, destroying hopes that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's absence could slow the cycle of violence. Thailand A Buddhist deputy village chief was beheaded in Thailand's restive south in what was claimed as a revenge killing for the deaths of 78 Muslims who died in detention last week, police said. Spain Six leading figures in armed Basque separatist group ETA have called for an end to the movement's armed struggle against the Spanish state, saying it was not serving any purpose, Spain's Diario de Noticias daily reported. Sudan Humanitarian organisations expressed alarm over worsening security in Sudan's conflict-wracked Darfur region, where the UN refugee agency has been forced to cancel several missions.