Obama And Romney Trade Economy Blows

US President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney each seized on new employment figures to bolster their campaigns with just days to go before Tuesday's election.

Jobs and the economy were the dominant issue in the presidential race as both candidates arrived in the key swing state of Ohio to address voters.

The latest employment snapshot showed the US economy added 171,000 net new jobs in October. It also showed hiring was stronger in August and September than first thought.

Mr Obama, who faces voters with the highest unemployment rate of any incumbent since Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression of the 1930s, told supporters in Hilliard that another month of job growth was "real progress".

But he went on to declare: "We've got more work to do."

At the same time, the unemployment rate rose to 7.9% in October, from 7.8% in September, mainly because more people began looking for work.

Mr Obama waves to supporters during a rally at Lima Senior High School

That news was seized upon by the Republicans as proof the economy is still stagnating, and would be safer in the hands of businessman Mr Romney, who said the jobs report was a "sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill".

In September, the jobless rate had fallen from 8.1% to 7.8% and the drop was used by Mr Obama's campaign as evidence that the fragile US economy was finally on the mend.

Back on the campaign trail after two days lost due to superstorm Sandy on the US East Coast, both men reflected on the last few days' events.

Mr Obama described the disaster as "one of the worst storms in our history", adding: "As a nation, we mourn those who were lost."

Mr Romney said: "We are a nation of generous hearts - and those hearts are called upon in a time of crisis like this."

Both insisted they were the better man to lead the country and were the true agent of change.

Mr Romney said Mr Obama had "fallen short of what he promised" when he was elected four years ago.

"Candidate Obama promised change, but he could not deliver it. I promise change, and I have a record of achieving it," he said.

"The question of this election comes down to this: Do you want more of the same or do you want real change? And we bring real change," Mr Romney told a rally in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Mr Romney speaks to supporters in West Allis, Wisconsin

Mr Obama took aim at Mr Romney, accusing him of running dishonest adverts on the automotive industry to scare voters in Ohio, saying: "This isn't a game. These are people's jobs."

The adverts, which have been airing in Toledo, suggest carmakers General Motors and Chrysler are adding jobs in China at the expense of workers in Ohio.

Responding to the ads, Mr Obama said: "Everybody knows it's not true."

Mr Obama accused Mr Romney of trying to alarm Ohioans "just to scare up some votes".

Chrysler and GM officials said the ads were inaccurate.

"After four years as president, you know me," Mr Obama said.

"You may not agree with every decision I've made. You may be frustrated sometimes at the pace of change, but you know what I believe. You know where I stand.

"You know I tell the truth. You know I fight for you and your families every single day as hard as I know how," he added, before heading to another rally in Lima, a city in Allen County.

No Republican candidate for the White House has ever won the election without capturing Ohio.

Mr Obama is thought to be slightly ahead in the state, which delivers 18 electoral college votes.

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New York Scraps Marathon Amid Sandy Clear-Up

Sunday's New York City Marathon has been cancelled due to a public backlash against the road race in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, the city's mayor has announced.

The U-turn came just three hours after mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the decision to hold it - despite mounting criticism from New Yorkers, many of whom are struggling with fuel shortages and continuing power cuts.

They complained that holding the event just six days after the disaster would be insensitive and tie up precious resources.

Residents were concerned the city's already stretched police force would be redeployed to patrol the race from handling relief work - and feared storm victims would be evicted from hotels to make room for people coming into town for the race.

Runners make their way through Queens during the 2011 race

There had been growing anger too at the thought of big generators being brought in to power equipment at the finish-line tents in Central Park, while vast swathes of the city's population were still struggling without electricity.

Although electricity was expected to be restored across most of Manhattan on Friday, about 3.5 million customers still remain without power along the US East Coast. Some may not have power until mid-November.

Mr Bloomberg insisted that holding the race would not take resources away from the recovery effort, but said he understood the level of friction and opposition to it.

"It is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division," he said. "The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination."

A man shovels away sand swept in by the storm surge generated by Sandy

An estimated 40,000 runners from around the world had been expected to take part in the 26.2-mile event.

"We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it," the mayor said in a statement.

"We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event - even one as meaningful as this - to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track."

The race had been scheduled to start in Staten Island, one of the hardest-hit areas by this week's storm.

A woman looks through the wreckage of her home in Staten Island

There residents picked through their belongings, searching for anything that could be salvaged as piled up rubbish, mud-caked mattresses and couches lined the streets. Hundreds of people remain in shelters after their homes were destroyed.

Earlier, Mr Bloomberg had said he hoped to lift spirits and unite the storm-stricken city when he decided to press ahead with the event.

He pointed out that his predecessor, mayor Rudolph Giuliani, went ahead with the marathon in 2011, just two months after the September 11 attacks, and "it pulled people together".

But, in a sign of how the political mood was turning against Mr Bloomberg, city comptroller John Liu warned that it had become clear that holding the marathon this weekend would "compromise the city's ability to protect and provide for the residents most affected by the hurricane".

A fallen tree on top of a parked car in the borough of Queens in New York

The New York Police Department has been stretched as its officers man checkpoints, patrol blacked-out neighbourhoods, direct traffic at crossroads where traffic lights are out and stand guard amid long queues at petrol stations.

"I haven't driven past a single working gas station that doesn't have cops patrolling the lines and keeping the peace," said John Murphy III, a Staten Island lawyer.

"I don't know how long they can keep it up at this pace."

In a move to ease the fuel shortage, the Obama administration directed the Defence Logistics Agency to buy up to 45 million litres of unleaded fuel and 38 million litres of diesel for distribution to areas affected by Sandy.

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Expenses: MacShane Letters Protected By Rules

Letters in which a former Labour minister admitted expenses abuses cannot be used to prosecute him because they are protected by parliamentary privilege, an official has said.

Denis MacShane stepped down as an MP after a damning report from the Commons expenses watchdog found he had wrongly claimed thousands of pounds.

The report said he submitted 19 false invoices "plainly intended to deceive" Parliament's expenses authority - which said the case was the "gravest" it had dealt with.

There are now calls for a police investigation into Mr MacShane's expense claims, which was dropped in July, to be reopened.

The Metropolitan Police said: "We are aware of the report and will be assessing its content in due course."

The letters, which were never shown to the original inquiry because of parliamentary privilege, are likely to be examined by the police, but are still protected from being used in court.

Clerk of the Journals Liam Laurence Smyth, who is responsible for parliamentary privilege issues, admitted that many people would find the situation "surprising", but said privilege was necessary for Parliament to function effectively.

Even if Mr MacShane had openly admitted criminal behaviour in his evidence, the police would not be able to rely on the comments in court, he said.

However, he suggested the police might now be able to use the letters as a "map" to further their own enquiries.

Conservative MP Philip Davies, who urged the Met to reopen its investigation, said it was a "sad state of affairs" that Mr MacShane was protected by parliamentary privilege.

"All it will do is further undermine the reputation of Parliament," he said.

"There will be millions of people out there who think that MPs are above the law and that is what the perception will be."

Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon found the MP had entered 19 "misleading" expenses claims for research and translation services from a body called the European Policy Institute (EPI), signed by its supposed general manager.

However, the institute did not exist "in this form" by the time in question and the general manager's signature was provided by Mr MacShane himself or someone else "under his authority".

One letter from the MP to Mr Lyon in October 2009 described how he drew funds from the EPI so he could serve on a book-judging panel in Paris.

"I appreciate the committee's ruling that I made no personal gain and I regret my foolishness in the manner I chose to be reimbursed for work including working as the Prime Minister's personal envoy in Europe," he said.

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Woman 'Mauled To Death By Daughter's Dogs'

A post-mortem examination will be carried out today on the body of a woman who is believed to have been mauled to death by dogs she had gone to feed.

Neighbours reported hearing screams and dogs barking as the woman went to feed the pets in the back garden of the home in Morden, South London, on Tuesday.

The police were called at around 6.25pm but the 71-year-old was dead when they arrived.

It is understood that the woman suffered multiple injuries in the dog attack.

Five dogs including, two Bordeaux bulldogs and a mongrel, were taken away.

Police say none of the animals were banned breeds and no arrests have been made.

Neighbour Kevin Hamilton told Sky News he heard noises outside at about 5.15pm on Tuesday.

Police cordoned off two houses in Morden, South London

"I heard screaming and dogs barking. The screaming was not specific screaming – there were no words in it. It was very much like hysterical screaming – no 'help' or anything like that.

"I thought no more of it, and believed it to just be the kids playing."

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said none of the animals were banned breeds and no arrests had been made.

She said of the victim: "She had sustained a number of injuries. An investigation is under way to establish a cause of death."

The post-mortem examination will be carried out at St George's Hospital in Tooting.

Two adjoining semi-detached houses were cordoned off by police.

Four dog breeds are banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

These are the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Braziliero.

There have been calls for more breeds to be put on the banned list and for the law to be toughened up after a number of high profile dog mauling cases.

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Sandy: 'Mass Destruction' In Atlantic City

When the people of Atlantic City emerged from wherever they had been sheltering against Superstorm Sandy, there was only thing they wanted to see.

A stretch of the city's iconic boardwalk, ripped up and thrown inland, has become a nationwide symbol of the devastating impact of nature's assault on the New Jersey shore.

Ever since, locals have been stopping by: Simply to stare in wonder, or pick through what remains of the demolished boardwalk and abandoned buildings knocked over by Sandy.

The beach is littered with all kinds of debris: Massive chunks of timber, long buried maritime metal work, bits of brick wall, even local newspapers from as far back as 1974.

The site, at the end of Atlantic Avenue, has become something of a tourist attraction.

John Paxton outside his storm damaged home in Atlantic City

John Paxton, a lifelong resident of Atlantic City, said: "This is the first time I have been down to see it.  It is devastating, it looks like a bombed-out area.

"It is the first time I've seen mass destruction like this."

Like many, the 75-year-old ignored evacuation warnings. He saw out Sandy in a house which stands alone on a patch of waste ground four blocks from the beach.

He showed us how three feet of flood water had even left the food drawers in the bottom of his fridge filled with foul water. His home of 57 years is now caked in mud and sludge.

He said: "When I saw the road outside had become a river, there was nothing else to do. I went to bed."

Atlantic City has now begun a massive clean-up operation and almost every street is dotted with piles of damp or destroyed furniture and carpets.

A woman walks past storm damage in Atlantic City

Close to the bay, Kathleen Fitzgerald was dragging plastic rubbish bags full of soaking home goods out on to the pavement.

She says this is the first time that the city has been hit badly by a hurricane-like storm after several warnings came to nothing over the years.

"In a way we were lucky," she said. "As far as my family and all my neighbours, no loss of life, no injuries, so everyone did good."

Red Cross volunteers in the city say even those who prepared well for the storm are now running low on resources.

Catherine Barde said: "This has been incredibly difficult for the residents of this community. It is so completely devastating."

But she says that community spirit has helped: "Everyone comes together at a time like this."

It is perhaps a sign of the scale of Sandy that even Atlantic City's famed casinos were forced to close, at a cost of $5 million a day.

They will re-open and the city will re-build with the spirit demonstrated by residents like Shelley Grossman.

When the storm hit her apartment block, she said, residents retired to a safe room: "We were playing bingo during the height of the storm, it was like being on the Titanic, the music playing as the ship was going down.

"But it kept us all calm."

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Sandy: Superstorm Deaths Continue To Rise

The number of people dead after superstorm Sandy has risen to at least 72, as communities along the East Coast of America prepare to take the first steps towards returning to daily routines.

New York's three major airports are expected to be open later, offering stranded passengers a limited number of flights.

Some services on the city's subway system - which has suffered the worst damage in its 108-year history - will also resume.

About six million homes and businesses are still without power, mostly in New York and New Jersey, and some 20,000 people are still trapped at home in a single New Jersey city.

National Guard troops have arrived in the heavily flooded city of Hoboken, just across the river from New York City, to help with the evacuation of stranded residents.

Flood-damaged food is removed from New York shops

Electricity outages continue as far west as Wisconsin in the Midwest and as far south as the Carolinas.

Restoring the usually vibrant New York City to its normal frenetic pace could take days, while rebuilding the hardest-hit communities and the transportation networks could take considerably longer.

Power company Consolidated Edison has said it could be the weekend before power is restored to Manhattan and Brooklyn, perhaps longer for other areas.

Part of a home rests upside-down in Seaside Heights, New Jersey

There are still only hints of the economic impact of the storm.

Forecasting firm IHS Global Insight predicted it would cause $20bn (£12.4bn) in damage and $10bn (£6.2bn) to $30bn (£18.6bn) in lost business. Another firm, AIR Worldwide, estimated losses up to $15bn (£9.3bn).

Amtrak said the amount of water in train tunnels under the Hudson and East rivers was unprecedented, but it said it planned to restore some service on Friday to and from New York City.

The bill for Sandy could top $20bn

Speaking on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama told New Jersey residents that the government will support them "for the long haul".

The region took the brunt of its impact and is among the worst affected areas on the East Coast.

Joined by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Mr Obama -  who described the disaster as "heartbreaking for the nation"  - inspected the impact from Sandy, flying high over flooded neighbourhoods and sand-strewn streets.

He told those affected by the storm: "Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones. Their world has been torn apart ... they are in our thoughts and prayers.

"For those like the people I have had a chance to meet on this block, throughout New Jersey and throughout the region whose lives have been upended, my second message is: We are here for you, and we will not forget, we will follow up to make sure that you get all the help that you need until you've rebuilt."

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Sandy: Search For Bounty Captain Continues

The search for the captain of a tall ship that sank during Hurricane Sandy is to continue for a second night, US coast guards have said.

Lt Mike Patterson said a C-130 plane and two cutter ships will be used to look for HMS Bounty captain Robin Walbridge.

Searchers hope the 63-year-old of St. Petersburg, Florida, has been able to survive in the relatively mild 25C (77F) waters of the Atlantic, about 90 miles (145km) off Cape Hatteras.

Lt Patterson said search planes could no longer see the Bounty, an 18th-century replica tall ship used in many movie dramas.

Searchers are looking for the ship's captain

The ship's masts had stayed visible for hours after the decks disappeared below the waves early on Monday.

A woman rescued from the sea hours after the Bounty went down later died.

Claudene Christian was pulled from the water hours after the historic ship sank - but was unresponsive.

The 42-year-old, who lived and sailed on the ship, was taken to hospital in a critical condition but was later pronounced dead.

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Sandy: New Jersey In No Mood For Politics

It was an eerie feeling driving out to New Jersey, no power, no lights - save those flashing on emergency vehicles.

A large area of the state is without electricity and will probably remain so for days. Three neighbouring towns are under water.

The drive into this flood-ravaged part of the state was equally strange. Empty roads, still being battered by winds and rain, black smoke drifting across the highway, the skyline of lower Manhattan on the horizon, without power.

The only lights we saw were on warning signs, declaring tunnels closed, one spelling out the situation here: "State of emergency."

Outside a New Jersey school we found scenes you do not expect to witness in America.

Military trucks were bringing in storm refugees in a steady stream, young and old clutching precious belongings and pets.

Like the Leo family from Little Ferry down the road. Grandma Adele Leo told me she had lost everything. She lives in the basement - and her 10-year old granddaughter Amanda had raised the alarm as the flood waters rose.

Her father, Mike, said the situation had been nerve-wracking then ran out of words, the strain clearly showing. He had brought his family to safety but they now face days of uncertainty, unclear when they will be allowed to return.

A woman cries on the shoulder of an emergency responder in Little Ferry

In a converted basketball court, hundreds were preparing to spend the night - their conduct a credit to that famous New Jersey spirit. They looked tense and worried but not a voice was raised.

Police lieutenant Dwane Razzetti said most of his officers had worked almost 48 hours but were still going.

The storm, he said, had exceeded even the worst case scenarios dreamed up by hydrological experts before Sandy struck.

The disaster here was caused by a levee being overwhelmed and that has not happened for almost a century.

The National Guard and emergency services used high-axle trucks and boats to ferry victims to safety. The evacuation has seen a total of 3,000 people leave their homes.

Many of the worst-affected live in trailer parks. Most have heeded the warnings and headed for better shelter.

Not Raymond Neilsen. Crime was a bigger worry than the weather, he told me, but he conceded the last 24 hours had been the worst conditions he had seen in all his 69 years.

President Barack Obama is visiting New Jersey. He says he will not be campaigning, which is just as well. No one we met was in the mood for politics.

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Sandy: Obama To Visit Storm-Hit US East Coast

President Barack Obama is due to visit New Jersey to survey some of the widespread devastation caused by superstorm Sandy in eastern US and Canada.

With at least 50 people killed - most by falling trees - and millions affected by the high winds, power cuts and flooding, Mr Obama cancelled campaign appearances in key state Ohio to oversee the government response.

He described the disaster at "heartbreaking for the nation".

The President is fighting a close race with Republican rival Mitt Romney and the White House has been keen to portray him as a strong leader ahead of election day on November 6.

More than eight million homes have been left without electricity by the biggest storm to hit the country in generations, which swamped parts of New York's subways system and lower Manhattan's financial district.

Darkness continued to envelope a large stretch of the Manhattan skyline

Much of the Manhattan skyline was still in darkness on Tuesday night and it is feared it could be days before electricity is restored to some of those cut off.

Forecasters predict the storm could end up causing around $20bn (£12bn) worth of damages in the US.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said the bad weather will continue.

"The storm is still reacting with cold air from the west, so there will be further heavy snowfall as well as inland flooding," she said.

"Rainfall totals could reach around 6-8 inches, and winds will remain gale force in strength.

"The forecast suggests that the centre of the low will move northwards from western Pennsylvania into the west of New York and then into Quebec by Thursday."

Businesses and homes along New Jersey's shore were wrecked and communities were submerged under floodwater across a large area on Tuesday.

Flood water from Sandy surrounds homes in South Bethany, Delaware

After seeing pictures of the shore, State Governor Chris Christie said: "The devastation is unthinkable."

A strong supporter of fellow Republican Mr Romney, Mr Christie also praised Mr Obama's federal response to the disaster.

Amid the despair, talk of recovery was already beginning.

"It's heartbreaking after being here 37 years, " Barry Prezioso of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, said as he returned to his house in the coastal community to survey the damage.

"You see your home demolished like this, it's tough. But nobody got hurt and the upstairs is still livable, so we can still live upstairs and clean this out. I'm sure there's people that had worse. I feel kind of lucky."

The storm reached as far inland as Ohio and caused thousands of flight cancellations, while mobile phone network outages also were widespread.

Meanwhile, parts of West Virginia were buried under 3ft (1m) of drifting snow from the storm.

Mr Obama has issued federal emergency decrees and declared "major disasters" in both New Jersey and New York.

Speaking during a visit to Red Cross headquarters in Washington, he said: "New Jersey, New York in particular have been pounded by this storm. Connecticut has taken a big hit."

More than 80 homes in New York City's borough of Queens were destroyed in a fire caused by the storm.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who toured the area, said: "To describe it as looking like pictures we've seen of the end of World War Two is not overstating it. The area was completely levelled.

"Chimneys and foundations were all that was left of many of these homes."

Neighbour John Frawley, 57, said: "I stayed up all night," he said. "The screams. The fire. It was horrifying."

Hundreds of miles away from Sandy's turbulent centre, winds were churning up the waters of Lake Michigan to near record levels.

Officials in Chicago warned people to stay away from the lakefront, and parts of the bicycle path along the shore was closed.

The strong wind and rain has had other unexpected consequences.

Police in New Haven said a skeleton was revealed beneath the town green that may have been there since Colonial times.

Police spokesman David Hartman said a woman was with other bystanders looking at a fallen oak tree, and spotted bones in the upturned roots.

Hurricane Sandy - which was reclassified as a post-tropical storm upon making US landfall - had already killed 69 people in the Caribbean.

Many islands were ravaged by the storm, with an estimated $16.5m (£10.3m) worth of damage in Jamaica and 70% of crops destroyed in southern Haiti.

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HMS Bounty Sinks: Rescued Crew Member Dies

A woman rescued from the Atlantic Ocean hours after the HMS Bounty was caught by Hurricane Sandy has died.

Claudene Christian, 42, was pulled from the water on Monday - hours after the historic ship went down in the storm off the coast of North Carolina - but was unresponsive.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class David Weydert said Ms Christian, who lived and sailed on the ship, was taken to hospital in a critical condition but was later pronounced dead.

The Coast Guard is still searching for the ship's captain, Robin Walbridge, 63.

The famous HMS Bounty was hit by 18ft waves

Ms Christian, a keen sailor, said on Twitter that she joined the ship's crew in May and a series of posts described how much she was enjoying her life on the sea.

On June 7, she wrote: "So I had a tough day, lost in the sails. But it was sunny warm and I am on a TALL SHIP AT SEA. It's a "Bountyful" life."

Fourteen other crew members were rescued from the stricken vessel, which was about 160 miles from the hurricane's centre.

The captain ordered his crew to abandon ship at about 5am on Monday after the vessel lost power and started to take on water.

Sixteen people were on board the ship when it sank

Coast guards said the crew had put on cold water survival suits and life-jackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies.

The suits are designed to protect people from the cold waters for up to 15 hours.

Rescuers faced 40mph winds and 18ft waves at the scene, which is 90 miles southeast of Hatteras in North Carolina.

The rescued crew were flown to Air Station Elizabeth City for treatment.

Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a call from the owner of the 180ft, three-mast ship, saying she had lost communication with the vessel's crew late on Sunday evening.

The rescued crew were flown to Air Station Elizabeth City for treatment

It regained contact with the ship after receiving a signal from the emergency position indicating beacon registered to the Bounty.

HMS Bounty was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny On The Bounty with Marlon Brando and also appeared in Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

The original Bounty was known for the mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789.

People could apply to work on the ship, which was built in 1960 and restored in 2001.

The HMS Bounty Organisation said on its website that it was "dedicated to keeping the ship sailing and using her as a vehicle for teaching the nearly lost arts of square rigged sailing and seamanship."

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Breast Cancer: Thousands Are Over-Diagnosed

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Almost 4,000 women a year are having treatment for breast cancer they don't need, according to new research.

An independent panel of doctors called in to assess the UK's breast screening programmes found some women are diagnosed with tumours that would never cause them any problems in their natural life span.

But the doctors say screening also prevents more than 1,300 deaths a year, underlining the benefits of regular mammograms.

Cancer Research UK, which took part in the review, strongly recommends women turn up for screening.

The charity's chief executive Dr Harpal Kumar said: "Screening remains one of the best ways to spot the very early signs of breast cancer, at a stage when treatment is most likely to be successful."

The review was ordered after European researchers had warned that screening may do more harm than good.

The independent panel trawled through 11 studies involving thousands of women, in the hope of settling the controversy.

According to results published in The Lancet medical journal, for every cancer death prevented three women will be over-diagnosed and may have surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy as a result.

National cancer director Professor Sir Mike Richards said leaflets explaining breast screening will be rewritten within four months to reflect the new information.

"We have always said that there are some cancers that can be found that would not have caused problems in a woman's lifetime,"  he said.

"What we can now do is put a number on that, to give an estimate.

"Women can make their individual choices based on good information."

But Dr Deborah Cunningham, clinical director of breast services at Charing Cross Hospital in London, warned that some women could be put off screening.

She told Sky News: "They already have difficult choices to make. This complicates it further. Screening won't work if they don't turn up."

Beverley Angell was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine screening appointment earlier this summer. She has no doubt that the programme is worthwhile.

"I could not feel the lump and I did not know it was there. It has saved my life."

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Superstorm Sandy Batters US Eastern Coast

Superstorm Sandy has battered parts of the eastern United States and Canada, flooding major cities and killing at least 13 people.

The National Hurricane Centre, which reclassified the storm as "post-tropical", said torrential rains and wind made landfall along the New Jersey coast near Atlantic City at around 8pm EDT (12am UK time).

It brought gusts of more than 85mph (135kph) and a record-breaking 13ft surge of seawater in Manhattan, submerging seven subway tunnels and many roads.

At Breezy Point in the New York borough of Queens, 200 firefighters are tackling a huge fire that has destroyed 50 homes.

An explosion rocks a flooded New York power plant

New York University hospital was forced to move patients to other hospitals after it lost power and its back-up generator broke down. Among them were 20 babies from neonatal intensive care - some on respirators operating on battery power.

Firefighters said one man had been killed by a falling tree, while two people were also killed when a tree fell onto a vehicle in New Jersey.

Some 670,000 New York homes have been left without power by the storm, with electricity knocked out to more than six million Americans. Amateur footage captured a large explosion at a power station near East 14th Street.

A total of 12 people were reported dead by local officials in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia and North Carolina, while in Toronto, Canadian police said a woman died after being hit by flying debris.

Rain caused by Sandy could last for days

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said the worst of the storm had passed and officials expected the tidal surge to recede by Wednesday.

But thousands of flights have been cancelled at airports in cities up and down the coast, causing widespread travel chaos.

British Airways axed all of its flights to and from New York, Newark, Baltimore, Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia, and 11 of today's return flights to and from the East Coast have been cancelled.

It had been feared the surge of seawater could damage the underground electrical and communications lines in lower Manhattan that are vital to the nation's financial centre.

Cars in Manhattan were submerged by floodwater

The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq suspended trading for a weather event for the first time since Hurricane Gloria in 1985.

Sandy killed 69 people in the Caribbean, where many islands were left devastated by the extreme weather conditions.

Haiti was worst-hit, with 52 confirmed dead and many more still missing. Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe described the storm as a "disaster of major proportions".

Residents of Cuba's second-largest city of Santiago were left without power and running water for four days.

The collapsed front wall of an apartment building in New York

After battering the Caribbean, Sandy then made its way up the Atlantic. As it made its way toward land, it converged with a cold-weather system that turned into a hybrid consisting not only of rain, high wind and snow.

Subways, buses, trains and schools were closed across a region of more than 50 million people from Washington to Boston.

Earlier, a US sailor on board a replica of the HMS Bounty was recovered from the sea in an "unresponsive" condition and later died. The captain was missing, feared dead after the tall ship went down off the Carolinas.

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney suspended their campaigning with just over a week to go before election day.

At the White House, Mr Obama had made a direct appeal to those at risk. "Please listen to what your state and local officials are saying," he said.

"When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. Don't delay, don't pause, don't question the instructions that are being given, because this is a powerful storm."

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New Road Tax Plan For Motorways And A-Roads

Drivers who use motorways could be charged a higher rate of road tax than those who stick to slower routes.

According to reports, motorists face a two-tier road tax under proposals being considered by the Government.

It has been suggested drivers could be offered a lower rate of the tax if they agree not to use the country's trunk road network of motorways and major A-roads.

Those paying a higher rate of vehicle excise duty would be free to use any roads.

Proponents say a network of automatic number-plate recognition cameras could be used to catch any drivers who were using the motorways without paying the higher rate.

A Department For Transport (DFT) said: "The department and Treasury are currently carrying out a feasibility study to review new ownership and financing models for the strategic road network.

"This is looking at how best we can secure investment in the network to increase capacity and boost economic growth."

Activists have long sought to explore revenue generation options for road users.

Concepts have included expanding toll booths across the motorway network and a system based on mileage.

The DFT spokesman added: "The Government has made clear it will not implement tolls on existing road capacity and has no plans to replace existing motoring taxes with pay-as-you-go road charging."

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Police Poised For More Savile Case Arrests

By Darren McCaffrey, Sky News Reporter

Police investigating Jimmy Savile are preparing to make fresh arrests - as today marks the anniversary of the TV presenter's death.

Yesterday, former pop star Gary Glitter became the first high-profile arrest under Scotland Yard's Operation Yewtree, which is looking at child sex abuse allegations against Savile and others.

Police have drawn up a detailed arrest strategy as 30 officers work through 300 claims of abuse.

Today marks one year since Savile's death. At the time he was saluted for his charity work and long TV career.

Gary Glitter was arrested yesterday

Now the depictions of Savile could not be more different, described as a predatory paedophile and one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders.

For many of Savile's victims, including his own great niece, too many turned a blind eye for too long.

Caroline Robinson told Sky News: "The rewards they got from Jimmy Savile's name and everything else kept them in a lifestyle that they became accustomed to.

"I am sure the BBC, if they could have stopped this in the 60s when they first found out about the allegations, I would not be a victim now.

"I would not be sat here. They have wrecked my world apart. They are to blame.

"I think a vast amount of people knew at the BBC, at the NHS and the council.

"I think everybody knew who surrounded themselves with Jimmy Savile."

Today former Court of Appeal judge Dame Janet Smith begins the first of two independent inquiries.

It will focus on whether the culture and practices at the BBC allowed Savile to carry out his abuse.

A further review will examine current sexual harassment policies at the corporation.

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Hurricane Sandy: NY Braces For Superstorm

Rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy has started lashing the north east of the US, as forecasters warn that New York could bear the brunt of the one-of-a-kind superstorm.

The storm is on a collision course with two other weather systems leading to fears it could develop into one of the worst storms on record in the US.

Key evacuation areas affecting New York City and adjoining areas

It is threatening up to 50 million people on the heavily populated East Coast, and forecasters say the megastorm could wreak havoc over 800 miles (1,300 kilometres).

Hundreds of thousands of people have already evacuated coastal areas, but much focus remains on New York.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the evacuation of 375,000 people in low-lying areas of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Sandbags have been used to thwart flooding in low-lying areas

"If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you," he said. "This is a serious and dangerous storm."

Authorities are warning that New York could get hit with an 11-foot (3.3-metre) wall of water that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial centre.

Nearly the entire coastline of Staten Island has been evacuated. Parts of lower Manhattan, like Battery Park and Ground Zero, have also been evacuated amid the threat of flooding.

Police officers monitor Times Square subway station

New York called off school Monday for the city's 1.1 million students and suspended all train, bus and subway services on Sunday night because of the risk of flooding.

The New York Stock Exchange announced it will close its trading floor Monday but continue to trade electronically

Sandy, a Category 1 hurricane, is currently about 470 miles (756 kilometres) south east of New York City. It is expected to make its way inland tonight, hitting Atlantic City in New Jersey before crossing through Pennsylvania.

A state of emergency has already been declared in nine states - including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

US President Barack Obama promised the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the storm hits.

"My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape. We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules," he said.

The projected storm track passes over New York

Federal Emergency management administrator Craig Fugate warned that the "time for preparing and talking is about over."

"People need to be acting now," he said.

Airlines have cancelled more than 7,600 flights, with British Airways, Virgin and American Airlines halting all departures to the United States.

From Heathrow, 28 flights have been cancelled to New York, Washington and Boston.

Some said the huge storm was a sign

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Syria: Rebel Fighters Are Becoming Radicalised

By Alex Crawford, Sky News Special Correspondent

Sky has seen new evidence that the Syrian uprising is becoming more and more radicalised and being fought by Islamic fundamentalists and extremists.

The Syrian rebels have all but given up on military intervention by the West but after 18 months of grinding battle and a feeling they have been abandoned by the international community, they are making their own bombs and weapons and becoming much more self-sufficient.

There are some weapons and arms being smuggled across the borders from sympathetic Muslim neighbours.

We saw brand new rocket propelled grenade launchers with their rockets still in their plastic wrappers which had been smuggled across the Turkish border and an anti-aircraft gun which the rebels told us had come from Iraq.

But although that means that the rebels have many more weapons than they have had before, it is still small fry in comparison to the heavy weaponry, tanks and artillery employed by the regime.

What is increasingly obvious is the number of Jihad (holy war) flags and Jihad paraphernalia worn and used by the rebel fighters. The black headbands worn by many of the fighters are a symbol of Islamic fundamentalism - used by extremist groups and usually anti-Western.

The common refrain from many of the rebel fighters is that they have been forgotten by the outside world.

A cache of weapons seized by rebel fighters

A number of commanders told us they were disappointed, angry and frustrated by the lack of help from the international community.

One said: "All we get is words, not actions."

I asked him how many fighters were from outside Syria. He replied: "Most of the fighters are Syrians. I would say 90% of the fighters are Syrian. Only a few hundred in the whole of Syria are from outside the country and most of them are from sympathetic countries."

We met a Libyan medic and former rebel in his own country who said he had come to help the rebels in Syria as a fellow Muslim.

He said: "We know what it is like to suffer. I have come to help in the hospital but if I had to pick up a gun and shoot Assad soldiers, of course I would.

"The real problem here is not foreign fighters, not Al Qaeda or any other group but the regime which has done far more damage than any other group."

The rebels have been making significant gains in the north, crushing regime bases and the Assad army has been losing men as well as arms.

But the frustration by the rebels and the inaction by the international community is driving the rebels towards religious extremism.

If Assad falls, the West's lack of help may have lost them a potential ally in the Middle East and even worse, may have created an angry and resentful new enemy.

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First Tsunami Waves Hit Hawaii After Earthquake

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the west coast of Canada, triggering a tsunami in Hawaii.

The quake happened at just after 8pm local time about 96 miles (155km) south of Masset in the Haida Gwaii region, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Following a tsunami warning, the first waves of around one metre hit Hawaii but large-scale damage is not expected.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people who live in Hawaii's coastal zones had been urged to move to higher ground.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock several minutes later.

Lucy Jones, a USGS seismologist, said: "This isn't that big of an earthquake on tsunami scales. The really big tsunamis are usually up in the high 8s and 9s."

Tremors were felt across a wide area in British Columbia, both on its Pacific islands and on the mainland.

Residents in parts of British Columbia were evacuated but the province seemed to escape the biggest quake in Canada since 1949 largely unscathed.

"It looks like the damage and the risk are at a very low level. We're certainly grateful," said Shirley Bond, British Columbia's minister responsible for emergency management.

Officials downgraded a tsunami warning to an advisory for southern Alaska and British Columbia. They also issued an advisory for areas of northern California and southern Oregon.

More follows...

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Gary Glitter Arrested By Savile Police

Former pop star Gary Glitter has been arrested as part of a police investigation sparked by sexual abuse claims against the late Jimmy Savile.

Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, was taken from his central London home by officers and is to be questioned at a nearby police station.

The ex-glam rock star is being held on suspicion of sexual offences.

Gadd was detained by officers working on Operation Yewtree, which is investigating allegations of child sex abuse against Savile and others.

A police spokesman said: "Officers working on Operation Yewtree have arrested a man in his 60s in connection with the investigation.

"The man, from London, was arrested at approximately 0715 on suspicion of sexual offences, and has been taken into custody at a London police station.

"The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'Savile and others'."

Gadd returned to the UK in 2008 after serving a three-year jail sentence in Vietnam for molesting two girls aged 11 and 10.

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