Syrian Rebels 'Execute' Government Soldiers

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in Jerusalem

Syrian rebels are suspected of murdering a group of captured government soldiers undermining a strategic victory which gave them control of the main highway between Aleppo and Damascus.

An unverified video of the killings, believed to have been in Saraqib, shows a group of about 20 armed men wearing rebel head bands standing over at least eight captured soldiers.

One of the soldiers pleads with the militia insisting that he did not shoot anyway.

A rebel can be overheard saying "gather them together for me".

Young men, many of them already wounded, are flung into a pile and then riddled with bullets.

Fighting in Aleppo

The executions are a reminder of a similar atrocity in Aleppo in August when a group of rebels murdered local people they accused of being members of Assad's Shabiha (ghosts) militia.

The capture of Saraqib is a significant strategic gain for the rebels. It controls the road to Damascus, and cuts the government forces main supply route to its Aleppo line.

It also severs the regime's links to Latakia, the main coastal city in the heartland of Assad's brethren in the Alawite community.

Rebel successes in the past have come from the valuable contribution of former regime soldiers who have changed sides, bringing their tactical skills with them.

Syrian refugees near the Turkish border

But recently deserters have been reluctant to contact revolutionary fighters for fear of summary execution. Last week a group of about 20 government soldiers gave themselves up in Turkey claiming asylum and saying they would not have surrendered to rebel forces for fear of retribution.

Amnesty International's Ann Harrison, the deputy Middle East and North Africa director, said that the footage appeared to show "a potential war crime in progress".

She said that the human rights group would continue to investigate the alleged atrocity.

The government is accused of widespread war crimes including the murder of civilians who have been found with their hands tied close to the government held air force headquarters in Aleppo.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

The rebel gains, which are reported to include a 25km radius around Saraqib, have come at a time when the exiled Syrian national Council and other groups are facing international criticism for their apparent failure to unite.

Two days ahead of key talks among the opposition in Qatar, the Syrian National Council lashed out at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent statement that it was not fully representative of the country's diverse dissident forces.

"Any discussions aimed at passing over the Syrian National Council or at creating new bodies to replace it are an attempt to undermine the Syrian revolution by sowing the seeds of division," the SNC said in a statement.

Clinton said the SNC was not representative of on-the-ground opposition forces and that it "can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition".

It is likely that Washington will be pushing for an overhaul of the opposition at a meeting in Qatar this weekend. But US influence will depend on Qatari support.

Washington contributes a pittance, and only in the form of non-lethal aid, to rebels who receive hundreds of millions of pounds in support from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, much of it donated by individuals.

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Vigilantes Seize Mexico Town After Murder

Authorities in Mexico have said they are close to striking a deal to provide more security for a town where angry residents seized control after the abduction and murder of a taxi driver.

The takeover of the southern town of Olinala took place after around 100 people stormed a house where four suspected kidnappers were hiding. They were killed after the building was set alight.

The town's mayor, Eusebio Gonzalez, said nearly 700 residents had since been taking turns policing entry into the town by barricading streets and installing checkpoints.

Mr Gonzalez said the murder of the taxi driver was the latest in a series of violent attacks and Olinala residents are demanding more protection from criminal gangs.

He said the Guerrero state governor has promised to increase help to fight drug crime.

"We're looking to establish order. The governor is aware of the situation and wants to improve the situation," Mr Gonzalez said.

"People feel like there isn't another way."

The town's vigilante unrest erupted at the taxi driver's funeral after rumours emerged that a second driver had been kidnapped.

"Things got really ugly," said resident Paola Rosendo.

Eduardo Gallo, a respected Mexican anti-crime activist, said Olinala is just the latest town where people have taken up arms to combat organised crime in frustration over the government's inability to control drug violence.

"People took over in order to prevent authorities' collusion with criminals," he said.

At least two towns in the western state of Michoacan have formed their own armed guard forces and thrown up roadblocks to keep out criminals. Towns in northern Mexico also have taken similar measures.

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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 attorney.

"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 Defense 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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'Shore People' Battle To Rebuild After Sandy

They pride themselves on being tough, resilient "shore people".

But Superstorm Sandy has made even them wonder whether life can ever be the same again.

A small bay-front corner of Pleasantville, New Jersey, is where Sandy made its second touchdown on land.

Houses that have withstood a century of extreme weather were picked and smashed to pieces inland.

Mike and Tracey Rock returned to their home on East Edgewater Avenue to find it had been shifted off its foundations.

A house where Mike's grandmother had lived, where he had sat through countless hurricanes since childhood, will now have to be demolished.

"It is devastating. This is our past. We all grew up here. We'll rebuild but it won't be the same."

As they picked through the debris down the street, they found their front porch and paintings that had hung in their living room.

They found a half-finished bottle of wine but are still searching for their bath.

They joke that at least their view of the bay is better - the house that was in the way has disappeared altogether.

A cash register is seen among the debris in Sea Bright, New Jersey

The owner of that house was picking around a demolished roof in a garden a hundred yards away, trying to find any signs of home.

The neighbourhood is criss-crossed by narrow waterways, all now full of bits of houses tossed around by Sandy.

Lisa Broomsmith's home was shattered by a houseboat which was ripped from its moorings and thrown inland.

The garage where her husband had carried on the family tradition of toy-making has gone.

She said: "Seeing the defeat in his face has been the hardest thing.

"But this is not going to defeat us, this one perfect storm."

Like many families here, the Broomsmiths must wait for assessors to decide what happens next to their battered home. They did not have insurance.

All are thankful to have survived a storm that has been so deadly in their state.

John Tansey says his home - maybe his life - was saved by his old brown Ford van which stopped a boat dock from smashing through his house.

With remarkable efficiency, the Egg Harbour authorities are collecting piles of debris as fast as residents can place them on the pavement.

The memories and the scars of Sandy will take much longer to remove.

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Superstorm Sandy Death Toll Continues To Rise

The death toll from superstorm Sandy has reached more than 90 people as the US Coast Guard halted its search for the captain of a tall ship that sank off the North Carolina coast.

The search for 63-year-old Robin Walbridge - which employed ships, helicopters and planes - was suspended after more than three days of around-the-clock effort.

"Suspending a search and rescue case is one of the hardest decisions we have to make," said Captain Doug Cameron, the chief of incident response for the Coast Guard 5th District.

Mr Walbridge was the captain of the three-masted tall ship, which sank before dawn Monday in hurricane-churned waters about 90 miles off Cape Hatteras.

HMS Bounty Captain Robin Walbridge

The crew abandoned ship in two life rafts, and the Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members.

Claudene Christian, 42, was among those rescued, but she later died.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Walbridge and Christian families," Cameron said.

The rising death toll comes as cities across the US East Coast continue their recovery efforts in the wake of the storm.

New Jersey officials say they will deploy military trucks to serve as polling places on Election Day in storm-battered communities, and are also extending the deadline for mail-in ballots.

The trucks will be parked at polling places that do not have power.

The deadline for when clerks may accept mail-in ballot applications was also extended until the close of business on Friday.

More than 4.6 million homes and businesses remain without electricity - down from a peak of 8.5 million.

The total damage in the US from superstorm Sandy could run as high as $50 billion, according to the forecasting firm Eqecat.

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US Election Battle Shifts To Key State Ohio

Fears Obama Will Delay Windfall

Updated: 3:51am UK, Friday 02 November 2012

By Gary Mitchell, in Ohio

Farmers fear they could be denied a multi-million-dollar windfall from oil and natural gas reserves beneath their feet in Ohio because of Barack Obama's desire for cleaner energy.

Landowners in the east of the state, many of whom have been struggling to make ends meet, are enjoying a huge reversal of fortune thanks to a natural gas boom.

Keith Burgett, 69, who was among the first to have a well drilled by oil firm Chesapeake a year ago and whose land is earmarked for several more sites, told Sky News the windfall was "like winning the lottery" - but he believes Mr Obama could try to stop it if he wins a second term in the White House.

Oil and gas exploration firms have leased parts of farmers' properties, handing over upfront payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars with the possibility of more in royalty cheques as fuel is pumped out.

Some property owners now expect to rake in millions as more in royalties wells are pumped - but only if the government does not intervene with more regulations.

The boom has contributed to Ohio's economic recovery, something Mr Obama has been keen to remind voters about - even as Mitt Romney's campaign adverts accuse the president of destroying Ohio's coal-mining industry.

Mr Burgett, a vet whose sons now deal with the daily running of his 600-acre cattle farm, has 12 grandchildren aged between two and 17. Their university education could be paid several times over by the money he is set to earn from fracking over the next 20 years.

He said: "A lot of the farmers were struggling around here. These lease payments are a tremendous amount of money. I'm a vet and we do all right, but it's been a tremendous blessing for my family.

"He doesn't say exactly this, but Obama is not happy with what we're doing here. I think he could get in the way."

More than 100 wells are waiting to be exploited in the "fracking" hotspot of Carroll County alone.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is where rock layers are cracked open with water pressure to free reserves of oil and natural gas. Critics say it causes air and water pollution.

The president has previously said the natural gas industry could create 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. However, he has also said the US cannot drill its way to energy independence and is pushing for other forms, such as solar and wind power. The Obama administration has been considering federal safeguards for fracking.

Jim Long, 66, lives near Dr Burgett - they jokingly call each other oil barons - and said he had "no faith" in Mr Obama.

A month ago Mr Long and his wife Martha, 63, were told Chesapeake wanted to start drilling on their land and they received a significant upfront payment.

Mr Long, whose farm equipment business has suffered in recent years, said: "Obama has some kind of agenda with green policy. I worry he's got an agenda to slow down these wells. Behind the scenes he is working on a way to put controls on us.

"Between him and Romney it's about picking the lesser of two evils. I don't know enough about Romney, but at least he's a successful businessman."

Only a few years ago, many farmers in this area were "beating and scratching the earth for a living", said Amy Rutledge, from the local chamber of commerce.

"A lot of them will keep farming because it's all they've ever known," she said. "They're holding onto the money because they're not sure what's going to happen in future."

She doubts that any government administration would put a total halt on fracking.

Before the fracking boom, unemployment in Carroll County was running at 13.9% in 2009, above the national average. Now, it is below 7% - below the national average.

Jobs and new companies are pouring into the area - although higher rents have been squeezing minimum-wage workers.

James Brock, an economics professor at Miami University in Ohio, told Sky News fracking, along with the revived car industry, was part of an "economic renaissance" in the state, where both candidates have days to win over crucial undecided voters.

He said Mr Obama had stayed out of the industry's way, which allows him to take credit for growth.

"For Romney, that's not great because he's trying to paint the picture of the economy in this terrible position," he said.

"It makes it hard to predict votes. It's what makes Ohio especially interesting as a swing state – there's so much optimism now and the only question is: Which candidate will benefit?"

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Sandy: Face To Face With Storm's Devastation

The superstorm came ashore over a thousand miles of coastline to engulf 20 states - and counting.

In each state Sandy has had different consequences for different communities.

In Rockaway Park in the Queens borough of New York, the storm surge was overwhelming.

Like a tsunami, the sea rose by five or six feet, and swept through the town.

It dumped much of the beach on the streets, flipped cars and ripped up the boardwalk.

For Frankie Burk who was watching from a sixth-floor window it felt like the end of days.

This was the work of God, he said, just as damaging as what terrorists wrought on 9/11 only more spread out.

The night it happened he ventured out in his waders, but was lifted up and pinned to a fence. 

Not before seeing electricity transformers above him explode down the street.

The historic Rockaway boardwalk was destroyed

The fire they ignited was still burning in a block of properties almost completely destroyed.

Sky News found the Van Leirs, a couple who lived round the corner, hugging each other; Jan Van Leir crying. 

It was too much to see their neighbourhood shops in smouldering ruins, she said. 

She wondered if the town would ever get its character back.

Rockaway Park is not affluent - it's a carefree seaside beach town say the people who live here.

They are pulling together, helping neighbours remove sodden belongings. But the challenge is enormous. 

Every building was flooded one way or another. Cars were carried down streets and flipped over.

Basements and ground floors have been wrecked. 

Further down this narrow peninsula in Breezy Point, people were killed and many homes went up in flames in a fire caused by a flooded electricity station. 

The Breezy Point fire razed dozens of homes

It is a dark, cold Halloween night for more than eight million Americans. 

We drove back from Rockaway to Manhattan, the power was out for around two-thirds of the way, and it will be for days to come. 

Beyond Brooklyn Bridge, Lower Manhattan stood dark and ghostly.

We had seen military helicopters patrolling the skies over Queens, helmeted National Guardsmen touring in Humvees, and scenes of devastation you do not expect to see in America.

If the scientists are right, this is just the beginning. The weather is only going to become more extreme because of climate change.

Ironically that issue has received barely a mention in the election contest that culminates next week. 

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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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Superstorm Sandy Death Toll Continues To Rise

Sandy Chaos In Atlantic City

Updated: 5:49am UK, Thursday 01 November 2012

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

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, 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.

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's Victims Speak Of 'Devastating Sight'

People in the path of the devastating Superstorm Sandy have begun to assess the widespread damage along the US East Coast.

The high winds and driving rain knocked out power to more than nine million people and 39 people lost their lives as a result of the storm.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the storm was "beyond anything I thought I'd ever see" and parts of the Atlantic coast were a "devastating sight right now".

Authorities urged people to stay inside as the storm hit, but people all along the East coast described the damage.

Ziad Shehady, Mayor of Springfield in New Jersey, told Sky News: "Fortunately we don't have any serious injuries reported but the devastation is certainly causing a big hamper on things in this town and the operations of our community.

"We're just getting over the tragedy and devastation caused by Hurricane Irene last year that caused flooding problems.

"This one was high winds, gusts over 60mph, knocked out power lines got 50-70 trees fallen on the town many of them on to homes or power lines."

Tom Johnson is on holiday in New York, but is unable to return home.

He told Sky News: "It's quite weird, it's mostly empty if you go out in the streets, most of the cabs are not out, obviously there's no buses. It's weird.

"The phone signal here is terrible for obvious reasons, so I don't know what I am going to do about it really.

"The damage is not quite as bad as I thought it was going to be from what the storm sounded like last night, but it's significant."

Juan Allen, who lives in a mobile home in New Jersey, said: "I saw trees not just knocked down but ripped right out of the ground.

"I watched a tree crush a guy's house like a wet sponge."

Peter Sandomeno, owner of the Broadway Court Motel in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, said: "There are boats in the street five blocks from the ocean.

"That's the worst storm I've ever seen, and I've been there for 11 years."

In New York, at least ten people are thought to have been killed by the storm and seven subway stations were flooded with seawater after a massive storm surge hit Manhattan.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: "This was a devastating storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced."

Large parts of Manhattan have been left without power after the floodwaters damaged sub-substations and underground wiring.

Sandy is predicted to have caused up to $20bn of damage, with billions more lost as people are unable to work.

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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: Obama To Visit Storm-Hit US East Coast

New Jersey In No Mood For Politics

Updated: 6:10am UK, Wednesday 31 October 2012

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. Her 10-year old granddaughter Amanda had raised the alarm last night 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.

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. A total of 3,000 people have been evacuated

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, he told me, than the weather 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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'World War Two' Bomb Find Shuts Japan Airport

A major airport in northern Japan has been closed after an unexploded bomb, believed to be from World War Two, was found.

Local police official Hiroshi Ouchi said flights in and out of Sendai airport were cancelled after the 250kg (550lb) device was uncovered during construction near a runway.

It was identified as American-made and is believed to be a dud from World War II.

Ouchi said a military bomb squad was called and evacuations were being considered.

Japanese cities were bombed heavily during World War II, and finding duds is not unusual.

The rusty condition of the bombs can make them prone to detonate when moved.

The Sendai airport was closed for months due to damage from last year's tsunami.

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Superstorm Sandy Batters US Eastern Coast

Superstorm Sandy has battered parts of the eastern United States, 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.

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.

The collapsed front wall of an apartment building in New York

Firefighters in New York 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.

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

Some 670,000 New York homes have been left without power by the storm, with electricity knocked out to more than six million Americans.

An explosion rocks a flooded New York power plant

Amateur footage captured a large explosion at a power station near East 14th Street.

Mr 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.

Rain caused by Sandy could last for days

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.

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.

Cars in Manhattan were submerged by floodwater

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.

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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HMS Bounty Sinks: Rescued Crew Member Dies

A woman who was pulled fom the Atlantic after abandoning ship in rough weather churned up by Hurricane Sandy has died, the US Coast Guard says.

Claudene Christian, 42, was unresponsive when she was rescued from the water on Monday evening - hours after the HMS Bounty went down in the storm off North Carolina.

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

Ms Christian said on Twitter that she joined the ship's crew in May.

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

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

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

Sixteen people were on board the ship when it sank

The US Coast Guard said the Bounty's crew had donned 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.

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 rescued crew were flown to Air Station Elizabeth City for treatment

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

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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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Ukraine Election: Leader's Party Claims Victory

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich's party has claimed victory in a parliamentary vote tainted by the jailing of the country's top opposition leader.

With former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in jail and widespread fears of election fraud, the West is paying close attention to the vote in the strategic ex-Soviet state.

Ukraine lies between Russia and the European Union, and serves as a key conduit for transit of Russian energy supplies to many EU countries.

An election deemed undemocratic by international observers could freeze Kiev's ties with the West and push Ukraine toward Moscow.

An exit poll conducted by three leading polling agencies showed the Party of Regions ahead with some 28.1% of the vote.

Tymoshenko's Fatherland party is poised to get about 25% of the proportional vote.

Meanwhile, Udar (Punch), led by world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, is set to get around 15%, according to the survey. 

The anti-government nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party and the Communists, Yanukovich's traditional allies, both look set to get about 12%.

And even though the three opposition parties have more proportional votes than the Regions and the Communists combined, Yanukovich candidates are likely to win enough individual races to form a majority in parliament.

Official results were slow to trickle in.

With the votes at less than 1% of all polling stations counted, Yanukovich's Party got 50%.

Tymoshenko's and Klitschko's parties got about 15% each, Svoboda got 7% and the Communists 5%, according to election officials.

"We believe that this is an undisputable victory of the Party of Regions," Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said shortly after polls closed.

"Above all, it shows the people's trust to the (policy) course that is being pursued."

It remains to be seen whether Tymoshenko's group, Klitschko's party and Svoboda can forge a strong alliance and challenge Yanukovich.

The election has been tainted by Tymoshenko's jailing on charges of abuse of office.

It has also been compromised by the creation of fake opposition parties and campaigns by politically unskilled celebrities.

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Hurricane Sandy: Thousands Flee Before Storm

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of 375,000 people on the east coast of the United States ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg launched the mandatory evacuation and said 72 centres had been set up around the city in schools and community centres.

Key evacuation areas affecting New York City and adjoining areas

The full public transport system has also been shut down and the New York Stock Exchange will only continue with electronic transactions.

"This is a serious and dangerous storm," Mr Bloomberg said.

"If you don't evacuate you are not just putting your own life in danger, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who may have to come in and rescue you."

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

The New York Stock Exchange announced it would close its trading floor but continue to trade electronically, despite fears from some experts that flooding could knock out the vital underground network of power, phone and high-speed Internet lines.

Officials also postponed today's reopening of the Statue of Liberty, which had been closed for a year for $30m (£22m) in renovations.

The storm is expected to start hitting the area shortly, with the worst weather continuing into Tuesday.

Police officers monitor Times Square subway station

Experts estimate it will affect up to 60 million people in the area, when it meets a winter storm and cold front. The storm surge will be boosted by storm tides from a full moon.

Parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina could get 2ft or more of snow in places, meteorologists said.

Experts said the rare hybrid storm will cause havoc over 800 miles, from the Atlantic coast inland to the Great Lakes.

British Airways flights to and from New York's JFK airport, Newark airport in New Jersey, Baltimore airport in Maryland and Boston airport in Massachusetts, have been cancelled.

Virgin Atlantic flights to and from New York, Washington and Boston have also been halted.

British Airways said: "We understand that customers may be disappointed, however their safety is our highest priority. We are offering the option to rebook or receive a refund to those customers whose flights are cancelled."

The projected storm track passes over New York

Virgin Atlantic warned passengers of cancelled flights not to travel to departure airports and advised travellers to check their flight status page for the latest information.

Domestic airlines also moved planes out of airports to avoid damage, and added Sunday flights out of New York and Washington ahead of today's flight cancellations.

All of New York City's state schools have been closed, and the evacuation zone includes parts of Coney Island, Manhattan Beach and other areas along the east river in Brooklyn.

Stretches of the lower east side, Staten Island and Manhattan are also included in the danger zone and President Barack Obama said authorities needed to take Sandy "seriously" and advised residents to listen to state officials for guidance.

Some said the huge storm was a sign

"We don't yet know where it's going to hit, where we're going to see the biggest impacts. And that's exactly why it's so important for us to respond big and respond fast as local information starts coming in," Mr Obama said.

"My main message to everybody involved is that we have to take this seriously.

"The federal government is working effectively with the state and local governments. It's going to be very important that populations in all the impacted states take this seriously, listen to your state and local elected officials."

Boarded up homes in the path of the storm

US rail operator Amtrak began cancelling train services on Saturday night, including services between Washington and New York.

Hurricane Sandy is heading north from the Caribbean, where it has killed 65 people.

The majority of the deaths happened in Haiti and the area around the capital Port-au-Prince, which holds most of the 370,000 Haitians who are still living in flimsy shelters as a result of the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Officials in Haiti said 51 people have died there although the number is expected to rise.

The US National Hurricane Centre said that the storm has top sustained winds of 75 mph, with higher gusts. It is moving toward the northeast at 14mph, with hurricane-force winds extend up to 175 miles from the epicentre.

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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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Tsunami Warning After Earthquake Near Canada

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck off the west coast of Canada, prompting a tsunami warning to be issued for 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.

A tsunami warning has now been issued for Hawaii - waves are expected to hit there in just under two hours.

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.

More follows...

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