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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New York Marathon Scrapped 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 it 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."

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

Flooded streets in Queens where the Rockaway boardwalk was washed away

"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.

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.

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

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 the 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".

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," John Murphy III, a Staten Island attorney, said.

"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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Superstorm Sandy: Fuel Shortages Hit Recovery

Long queues have formed at petrol stations due to mass fuel shortages following superstorm Sandy, as the death toll from the disaster reached 82 in the US.

At least 37 people were killed in New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirmed today - three days after the storm battered the East Coast.

Tens of thousands of people are still stranded in their properties due to flooding, while emergency teams are struggling to reach the worst hit areas and restore power to millions.

A limited service returned on some train and subway lines in New York, but more than half of the petrol stations in the city and neighbouring New Jersey remained shut due to power outages and depleted fuel supplies.

Even before dawn, long lines formed at petrol stations that were expected to open.

Residents in the flooded city of Hoboken

Nearly 20,000 people have been trapped at home in the New Jersey city of Hoboken, just across the Hudson River from New York City, amid accusations that officials were slow to deliver food and water.

One man blew up an air mattress and floated to City Hall, demanding to know why supplies had not reached residents - at least a quarter of homes there are flooded and 90% do not have power.

National Guard troops have arrived in Hoboken to help evacuate stranded people.

In total, about 4.7 million homes and businesses remain without power, mostly in New York and New Jersey - while miles of coastline, including Atlantic City, was ripped apart by the storm.

Parts of Manhattan remained without power after the superstorm

As the region struggles to recover, a clean-up operation in that state has begun while New York City has taken the first tentative steps to getting back to some form of normality as it re-opens some unaffected parts of the subway system - which suffered the worst damage in its 108-year history.

Three of the region's main airports, John F Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia, have also opened and are running limited schedules.

Broadway shows have resumed and people packed on to buses that returned for the first time to city streets since the storm.

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

The superstorm, which also hit parts of Canada, came ashore over a thousand miles of coastline to engulf 20 states. It is now winding down and its remnants have been felt in the Appalachian mountains.

Sandy brought up to 3ft (1m) of snow to parts of West Virginia and Maryland and several more inches are possible before it dies out for good later this week.

Flood-damaged food is removed from New York shops

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

Power company Consolidated Edison says it could be the weekend before power is restored to Manhattan and Brooklyn, perhaps longer for other New York boroughs and the New York suburbs.

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

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

Forecasting firm IHS Global Insight predicted it would cause $20bn (£12.4bn) in damage and $10bn (£6.2bn) to $30bn (£18.5bn) 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.

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

The bill for Sandy could top $20bn

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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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: Barack Obama Sees New Jersey Damage

US President Barack Obama has told New Jersey residents devastated by Superstorm Sandy 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 of the United States, along with New York.

At least 62 people have been killed across the US and Canada.

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.

At a community centre where people have taken shelter, Mr Obama said: "We are going to be here for the long haul."

The superstorm wreaked havoc across the east coast of America

Later, after touring parts of the storm-ravaged region in Atlantic City on foot, he said his "biggest priority is restoring power to those without it".

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."

He added: "We are going to have a lot of work to do. I don't want anybody to feel that somehow this is all going to get cleaned up overnight. We want to make sure people have realistic expectations.

"But what I can promise you is that the federal government will be working as closely as possible with the state and local officials - and we will not quit until this is done."

The foundations of the historic Rockaway boardwalk are all that remain

Businesses and homes along the shore were wrecked and communities were submerged under floodwater.

But talk in the state quickly turned to rebuilding and recovery.

"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 liveable, so we can still live upstairs and clean this out. I'm sure there's people that had worse. I feel kind of lucky."

National Guard troops arrived in the flooded city of Hoboken to help evacuate thousands still stuck in their homes and deliver meals.

Fresh problems arose when fire crews were unable to reach blazes rekindled by natural gas leaks in the shore town of Mantoloking.

The President, who has suspended election campaigning for three days, 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 polling day on November 6.

The Empire State Building seen through the flooded Erie-Lackawanna Park

Mr Christie has been one of Mr Romney's most prominent supporters, but has been effusive in his praise of Mr Obama's response to the storm.

Mr Romney is currently campaigning in Florida, where he said people had "come together" to help each other following the storm.

Some newspapers have suggested that Tuesday's election could be delayed, but Sky News' Political Editor Adam Boulton said that was unlikely.

"No-one is talking about that. In Manhattan they haven't even called off the marathon this weekend."

Earlier, the President visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) for the second time in four days. On Sunday, he met officials and told reporters the government would "respond big and respond fast" after the massive storm made landfall.

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.

Falling trees proved to be particularly deadly during the storms

It is feared it could be days before electricity is restored to some of those cut off - adding to their struggle to return daily life to some sense of normality.

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

While the storm has now passed the worst-hit area, 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."

Queues could be seen outside museums, the Empire State Building, Broadway theatres and many stores in New York on Wednesday, but parks, the 9/11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and many other top attractions remained closed.

The city's Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan was reportedly forced to evacuate around 500 patients due to a power cut.

Areas along the shoreline were badly damaged

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."

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

Subways were flooded and public transport and flights disrupted across the areas hardest hit by the storm.

However as the rain and wind eased, JFK and Newark airports were reopened. LaGuardia airport remains closed, but is expected to reopen with a limited schedule on Thursday.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo said a limited subway service would also resume on Thursday, while organisers of the New York City Marathon said Sunday's race was still on track to go ahead.

The UN Security Council chamber, situated in the basement of the United Nations headquarters overlooking the East River, was forced to move to a temporary base due to flooding.

Meanwhile, British nationals forced to leave belongings in hotels when they fled the storm were being issued with emergency passports to help them get home.

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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: 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.

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

Frankenstorm: Why Is Hurricane Sandy So Big?

Updated: 3:41pm UK, Monday 29 October 2012

A number of complications have caused Hurricane Sandy to grow into a menacing monster storm which is threatening to become the biggest in US history.

Sandy, which is hundreds of miles across, is set to merge with other weather systems, unleashing a deadly punch of high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides, several days' worth of snow and potentially deadly storm surges.

On course to interact with Sandy is a wintry storm moving across the US from the west and frigid air streaming south from Canada.

New York and Long Island could see huge seawater surges of up to 11 ft (3 m) which coincide with high tides due to a full moon.

Sky News Weather producer Christopher England said these factors makes Sandy "unusually intense".

"It's a major storm that's going to hit a major place - and it will hit New York City at high tide, due to a full moon, causing a massive storm surge," he said.

England said most hurricanes that hit America's biggest city tend to make landfall further south, so they weaken before hitting the Big Apple.

"Most storms don't come from over the ocean, like Sandy is. They tend to hit land earlier, often around North Carolina, and lose their strength," England said.

"It's often the decaying remnants that hit New York - rather than the full-blooded storm.

"But Sandy has maintained its strength because it has kept its track up over the ocean."

England said another major issue making Sandy worse is the fact the air is set to be colder than usual.

"A storm's energy comes from temperature and humidity differences in the atmosphere - essentially warmer air rises and condensing water vapour adds to the energy and drives the storm," he said.

"Sandy is moving into a region with a strong flow from the Arctic, so will be coming into contact with much colder than average air causing the potential for greater temperature contrasts, and hence greater energy release and a more potent storm."

While Sandy does not yet pack the punch of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, it could become more potent as it approaches the US coast.

And England said the storm is unlikely to change its path.

"It could change track, but it doesn't seem likely," he said.

"It's possible that the worst-case scenario will not happen - it all depends on how it comes together.

"But it certainly looks like it's going to be a big event."

Sandy killed 66 people in the Caribbean before pounding US coastal areas with rain and triggering snow falls at higher elevations.

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HMS Bounty Sinks: Captain Still Missing

The Coast Guard has found one of the missing crew members of the stricken HMS Bounty.

Lt Mike Patterson said crews have taken 42-year-old Claudene Christian to hospital for treatment. She is described as "unresponsive".

They are still searching for the captain of the ship Robin Walbridge, aged 63.

HMS Bounty sunk near the eye of Hurricane Sandy on Monday.

Fourteen crew members were hoisted to safety from a lifeboat. The replica tall ship has now disappeared from view, apart from the top of the mast.

Sixteen people were aboard the ship (Pic: www.tallshipbounty.org)

The captain ordered his crew to abandon the ship at about 5am on Monday morning.  They were located 160 miles from the hurricane's centre, and the vessel had lost power and started to take on water.

The US Coast Guard said the Bounty's crew had donned cold water survival suits and lifejackets 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.

"The first Jayhawk (helicopter) crew hoisted five people into the aircraft and a second helicopter arrived and rescued nine people," the Coast Guard said.

They were flown to Air Station Elizabeth City for medical treatment.

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

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.

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

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

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

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Superstorm Sandy Batters US Eastern Coast

Former hurricane 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).

The huge storm brought gusts of more than 85mph (135kph) and a record-breaking 13ft surge of seawater in Manhattan. Firefighters in New York said one man had been killed by a falling tree.

Two people were also killed when a tree fell onto a vehicle in New Jersey, an official from the local emergency management office said.

The collapsed front wall of an apartment building in New York

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, Canada, police said a woman died after being hit by flying debris.

Authorities in New York were concerned salt water would seep through the boarded-up street grates and through the sandbags placed at subway entrances, crippling the electrical connections needed to operate the subway.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference 250,000 Manhattan homes had been left without power by the storm, which had already knocked out electricity to more than 1.5 million people and is expected to affect tens of millions more.

Cars in Manhattan were submerged by floodwater

Mr Bloomberg said authorities expected the tidal surge to recede by 12am EDT on Wednesday, but warned those who had not evacuated the city to stay indoors.

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.

Sandy, which killed 69 people in the Caribbean before making its way up the Atlantic, has seen subways, buses, trains and schools closed across a region of more than 50 million people from Washington to Boston.

Rain caused by sandy could last for days

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.

Earlier, a US sailor on board a replica of the HMS Bounty was recovered from the sea in an "unresponsive" condition, and the captain was missing and 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.

An explosion rocks a flooded New York power plant

At the White House, Mr Obama 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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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 claimed victory Sunday in a parliamentary vote tainted by the jailing of the country's top opposition leader.

With former Premier 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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US Child Killings: Police Search Nanny's Home

Police are searching the US home of a nanny suspected of murdering two children in her care.

Yoselyn Ortega remains in a critical condition in hospital after apparently slitting her own throat, moments after stabbing Leo Krim and his sister, six-year-old Lucia.

Police are investigating whether Ortega had sought psychiatric support in the weeks leading up to the tragedy.

Leo and Lucia were found by their distraught mother, Marina, dying of knife wounds in the bathtub of their luxurious Upper West Side apartment near Central Park.

Mrs Krim had returned to the flat with her three-year-old daughter Nessie, whom she had taken for a swimming lesson.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the investigation has yet to reveal anything amiss in the household before the slayings.

Detectives were searching Ortega's home in Washington Heights, a working-class neighbourhood north of where she worked and near Harlem.

It emerged that Ortega had worked for the Krims as a nanny for two years and there did not appear to be any problems.

A Web journal kept by the children's mother spoke lovingly about travelling to the Dominican Republic last February to stay at the home of Ortega's sister.

"We met Josie's amazing familia!!! And the Dominican Republic is a wonderful country!!" she wrote.

Pictures posted on the blog showed the two families posing together for a happy photo, with Ortega hugging Nessie, their cheeks pressed together.

Mrs Krim's husband, Kevin Krim, a CNBC digital media executive, wrote that Ortega's family had nicknamed Nessie "Rapida y Furiosa," (or Fast and Furious), for her energy.

There are tens of thousands of nannies working in New York City, but reports of serious violence by caregivers against children are exceedingly rare.

Across the street from the building where the Krims lived, several nannies with children in pushchairs stood as if stricken, watching police officers milling around the entrance.

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Burma: Satellite Images Show 'Destruction'

Human rights campaigners have called for action to end the violence in Burma after a week of sectarian unrest that has shaken the country.

Muslims trying to escape the clashes have taken to rickety wooden boats in an attempt to reach refugee camps but some have still not made it to land.

As nine boats remained unaccounted for, Human Rights Watch called on Burma's reformist government to protect Muslims from "vicious" attacks.

The New York-based group has released satellite images of what it claims is the "near total destruction" of a coastal community around Kyaukpyu.

It identified more than 811 destroyed buildings and houseboats across an area measuring 35 acres after alleged arson attacks on October 24.

Kyaukpyu before this week's violence (Pic: Human Rights Watch)

Kyaukpyu, which is around 75 miles (120km) south of Sittwe, is crucial to China's most strategic investment in Burma - twin pipelines that will carry oil and natural gas to western provinces.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: "Burma's government urgently needs to provide security for the Rohingya in Arakan State, who are under vicious attack.

"Unless the authorities also start addressing the root causes of the violence, it is only likely to get worse."

The UN has warned that Burma's fledgling democracy could be "irreparably damaged" by a week of communal violence.

It comes five months after machete and arson attacks killed more than 80 people and displaced at least 75,000 in the same region.

Calm does now appear to have been restored after the Home Minister warned the government could declare martial law and impose emergency rule.

Kyaukpyu pictured on October 25 (Pic: Human Rights Watch)

A committee of lawmakers led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has called for security reinforcements and swift legal action against those behind the fighting in which at least 67 people were killed.

Another 95 are believed to have been injured and 2,818 houses burned down.

The chaos suggests the quasi-civilian government is struggling to contain historic ethnic and religious tensions between Rohingyas and ethnic Rakhines that were suppressed during five decades of military rule that ended last year.         

Burma's estimated 800,000 Rohingyas are officially stateless, and regarded by the government of the majority Buddhist country as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh does not recognise them either, and the United Nations has referred to them as "virtually friendless".

It is still unclear what set off the latest arson and killing that started last Sunday.

In June, tension flared after the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman that was blamed on Muslims, but there was no obvious trigger this time.

Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific deputy director, Isabelle Arradon, said: "These latest incidents between Muslim Rohingyas and Buddhists demonstrate how urgent it is that the authorities intervene to protect everyone, and break the cycle of discrimination and violence."

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