Bush goes to the Big Apple

President Bush, making his first official visit to New York, has announced measures to speed up the application process for immigrants.

Speaking at a ceremony to welcome a group of new American citizens, Mr Bush said immigration was the sign of a confident and successful nation, not a problem to be solved.

He announced a large increase in spending for the immigration service to prevent delays, and called on Congress to extend the deadline for immigrants to apply for United States residency without returning home first.

Mr Bush spoke at Ellis Island in New York harbour, a gateway for more than 12 million immigrants to the US until 1954.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service