CIA Director Petraeus Quits Over Affair

CIA Director David Petraeus has resigned over an extramarital affair - which officials say was uncovered by an FBI investigation.

According to his letter of resignation, General Petraeus asked President Barack Obama on Thursday to allow him to resign, and on Friday the president accepted.

The general admitted he had shown "extremely poor judgement" in having an affair.

"Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours," he wrote.

He had only been sworn in as director of the Central Intelligence Agency on September 6, last year.

Prior to that, he was a four-star general with 37 years' service in the US Army.

His last assignments in the army were as commander of Isaf, the International Security Assistance Force, and commander of US forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

The resignation took Washington's intelligence and political communities by surprise, coming as a sudden end to the public career of the best-known general in recent years.

Neither Gen Petraeus nor the CIA explained why he felt he had to step down over the affair, and whether his liaison presented a purely personal problem or raised security issues in his sensitive work as spy chief.

The affair came to light as the FBI was investigating whether a computer used by the general had been compromised, the New York Times and other US media reported, citing government officials.

General Petraeus with his wife Holly

In a statement released after the resignation was announced, Mr Obama hailed the "extraordinary service" of Gen Petraeus.

"David Petraeus has provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades," Mr Obama said.

"By any measure, he was one of the outstanding general officers of his generation."

The president said the CIA's Deputy Director Michael Morell would serve as acting director.

"I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission," Mr Obama said.

Gen Petraeus has been married for 37 years to Holly, who he met when he was a cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point.

Although the president made no direct mention of Gen Petraeus' reason for resigning, he offered his thoughts and prayers to the general and his wife.

He said Mrs Petraeus has "done so much to help military families through her own work. I wish them the very best at this difficult time".

The CIA has come under fire in recent weeks in the wake of the September 11 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Critics have questioned how much the intelligence agency knew about the likelihood and nature of the attack.

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Turkey Helicopter Crash: 17 Troops Killed

Seventeen Turkish soldiers have died after their helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey in bad weather, an official has said.

The Sikorsky aircraft came down on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari district of Siirt province, according to Siirt Governor Ahmet Aydin.

The victims were members of gendarmerie special forces and there were no survivors on board, he said.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash which reportedly happened in thick fog.

The helicopter was transporting troops to Pervari, where the Turkish army has been involved in operations against Kurdish rebels for three days, security sources told AFP.

The military has been on Herekol mountain in an attempt to flush out militants from outlawed separatist group the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who have hideouts there.

Since the summer, there has been an upsurge in PKK attacks in southeast Turkey, particularly in the Hakkari region.

Turkish jets and helicopters have pounded PKK positions along the border with Iraq and Iran for three days, killing 42 militants, Hakkari's governor said.

Last month, a Sikorsky crashed in southeastern Diyarbakir province after it hit power lines, killing one soldier and wounding seven.

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BBC Boss 'Was Unaware' Of Child Abuse Slur

BBC director-general George Entwistle has said he has given no thought to axing Newsnight over a report that wrongly implicated former Conservative Party treasurer Lord McAlpine in a child abuse scandal.

He admitted he did not know about the Newsnight investigation until the day after it was broadcast and had not seen newspaper reports casting doubts on the probe.

The BBC boss said he had also been unaware of a tweet 12 hours before the programme aired, from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism - which worked on the report - suggesting it was going to identify a senior political figure.

"I didn't see that tweet. This tweet was not brought to my attention so I found out about this film after it had gone out," he told the BBC's Today programme.

"In the light of what has happened here I wish this was referred to me, but it wasn't. I found out about the film the following day."

Mr Entwistle said the 32-year-old flagship news programme had "a fantastic investigative record" and it would be "disproportionate at this stage to talk about closing Newsnight down".

However, he said the report on child abuse allegations was "unacceptable" and "should never have gone out", warning that staff involved in the programme could now face disciplinary action.

"We should not have put out a film that was so fundamentally wrong. What happened here was completely unacceptable," he said.

BBC Television Centre in White City, west London

"I have taken clear and decisive action to start to find out what happened and put things right."

Mr Entwistle, who had moved quickly to try to limit the damage by appointing BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie to produce a report into why basic errors were made, said he expected it to be on his desk by Sunday.

"Further action will follow from that - disciplinary if necessary," he said.

Pressed about his own position, he insisted he had no intention of resigning - although he accepted his future lay in the hands of the BBC Trust, which described the report as a "deeply troubling episode".

The Trust also offered its own apology in a statement, adding it had "impressed upon the director-general the need to get to the bottom of this as a matter of the utmost urgency and will expect appropriate action to be taken as quickly as possible".

Despite a number of requests, the BBC told Sky News it would not be making Mr Entwistle, or any other executive at the corporation, available for interview on Saturday.

Newsnight made an unreserved apology on air on Friday night  for the broadcast on November 2 after Steve Messham admitted the man who abused him as a teenager at a care home in North Wales was not Lord McAlpine.

The 70-year-old peer found himself at the centre of a storm of internet speculation after Mr Messham told the BBC2 programme he had been abused by a senior Conservative from the Thatcher era.

In a statement, the corporation said: "We broadcast Mr Messham's claim but did not identify the individual concerned. Mr Messham has tonight made a statement that makes clear he wrongly identified his abuser and has apologised.

Lawyers say Lord McAlpine's reputation has been 'severely damaged'

"We also apologise unreservedly for having broadcast this report."

Earlier, solicitors for Lord McAlpine indicated they were preparing to sue for defamation, saying their client's reputation had been left in "tatters".

There will also be a "pause" in all ongoing Newsnight investigations while the BBC is suspending all co-productions with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Nevertheless, the disclosures come as another blow for the corporation which is still reeling from the Jimmy Savile scandal - including a decision to drop a Newsnight investigation exposing the late DJ as a child abuser.

Tory MP Rob Wilson, who was a fierce critic of the BBC over the Savile affair, questioned whether Newsnight could survive the latest fiasco.

He said Mr MacQuarrie needed to examine whether the programme on the Bryn Estyn children's home scandal had been an "over-compensation" for what happened over Savile or a "diversionary tactic" to draw attention away from the BBC.

The programme had included an interview with Mr Messham who described how he used to be taken from the children's home to a hotel near Wrexham to be abused by men, including one described as a former senior Conservative.

On Friday, Lord McAlpine finally broke cover to issue a vehement public denial of the "wholly false and seriously defamatory" claims against him.

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Lord McAlpine Denies Sex Abuse Allegations

Lord McAlpine: Full Statement

Updated: 10:45am UK, Friday 09 November 2012

Tory peer Lord McAlpine today described reports linking him to the North Wales child abuse allegations as "wholly false and seriously defamatory". Here is his full statement.

"Over the last several days it has become apparent to me that a number of ill-or uninformed commentators have been using blogs and other internet media outlets to accuse me of being the senior Conservative Party figure from the days of Margaret Thatcher's leadership who is guilty of sexually abusing young residents of a children's home in Wrexham, North Wales in the 1970's and 1980's.

"It has additionally become apparent to me that a number of broadcasters and newspapers have, without expressly naming me, also been alleging that a senior Conservative Party figure from that time was guilty of or suspected of being guilty of the sexual abuse of residents of this children's home.

"It is obvious that there must be a substantial number of people who saw that I had been identified in the internet publications as this guilty man and who subsequently saw or heard the broadcasts or read the newspapers in question and reasonably inferred that the allegation of guilt in those broadcasts and newspapers attached to me.

"Even though these allegations made of me by implication in the broadcast and print media, and made directly about me on the internet, are wholly false and seriously defamatory I can no longer expect the broadcast and print media to maintain their policy of defaming me only by innuendo.

"There is a media frenzy and I have to expect that an editor will soon come under pressure to risk naming me. My name and the allegations are for all practical purposes linked and in the public domain and I cannot rewind the clock.

"I therefore have decided that in order to mitigate, if only to some small extent, the damage to my reputation I must publicly tackle these slurs and set the record straight. In doing so I am by no means giving up my right to sue those who have defamed me in the recent past or who may do so in the future and I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests.

"On Tuesday, 6 November the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about the historic allegations of child abuse in the North Wales police force area.

"She explained that in 1991, North Wales Police conducted an investigation into allegations that, throughout the 1970s and 1980s, children in homes that were managed and supervised by Clwyd County Council were sexually and physically abused.

"The result of the police investigation was eight prosecutions and seven convictions of former care workers. Despite the investigation and convictions, it was widely believed, she said, that the abuse was in fact on a far greater scale, but a report produced by Clwyd Council's own inquiry was never published, because so much of its content was considered by lawyers to be defamatory.

"In 1996, the Rt Hon William Hague MP, the then Secretary of State for Wales, invited Sir Ronald Waterhouse to lead an inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the Gwynedd and Clwyd Council areas. Mrs May told the House of Commons that the Waterhouse inquiry sat for 203 days and heard evidence from more than 650 people.

"Statements made to the inquiry named more than 80 people as child abusers, many of whom were care workers or teachers. In 2000, the inquiry's report 'Lost in Care' made 72 recommendations for changes to the way in which children in care were protected by councils, social services and the police.

"Following the report's publications, 140 compensation claims were settled on behalf of the victims.

"Mrs May further said that the report found no evidence of a paedophile ring beyond the care system, which was the basis of the rumours that followed the original police investigation and, indeed, one of the allegations made in the past week.

"Last Friday, a victim of sexual abuse at one of the homes named in the report - Mr Steve Messham - alleged that the inquiry did not look at abuse outside care homes, and he renewed allegations against the police and several individuals.

"I am, as is now well known to readers of the internet and to journalists working for the print and broadcast media, one of the individuals implicated by Mr Messham.

"I have every sympathy for Mr Messham and for the many other young people who were sexually abused when they were residents of the children's home in Wrexham.

"Any abuse of children is abhorrent but the sexual abuse to which these vulnerable children were subjected in the 1970's and 1980's is particularly abhorrent.

"They had every right to expect to be protected and cared for by those who were responsible for them and it is abundantly clear that they were horribly violated. I have absolutely no sympathy for the adults who committed these crimes.

"Those who have been convicted were deservedly punished and those who have not yet been brought to justice should be as soon as possible.

"The facts are, however, that I have been to Wrexham only once. I visited the local Constituency Conservative Association in my capacity as Deputy Chairman.

"I was accompanied on this trip, at all times, by Stuart Newman, a Central Office Agent. We visited Mary Bell, a distant relative of mine and close friend of Stuart Newman.

"We did not stay the night in Wrexham. I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature.

"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear after-shave, all of which have been alleged.

"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham. Stuart Newman is now dead but my solicitors are endeavouring to locate a senior secretary who worked at Central Office at the time to see if she can remember the precise date I visited that Association.

"I fully support the decision (announced by the Home Secretary in the House of Commons on Tuesday) of the Chief Constable of North Wales, Mr Mark Polin, to invite Mr Keith Bristow, the Director General of the National Crime Agency, to assess the allegations recently received, to review the historic police investigations and to investigate any fresh allegations reported to the police into the alleged historic abuse in north Wales care homes.

"Although I live in Italy and have done so for many years and although I am in poor health, I am entirely willing to meet Mr Polin and Mr Bristow in London as soon as can be arranged so that they can eliminate me from their inquiries and so that any unwarranted suspicion can be removed from me.

"I wish to make it clear that I do not suggest that Mr Messham is malicious in making the allegations of sexual abuse about me. He is referring to a terrible period of his life in the 1970's or 1980's and what happened to him will have affected him ever since. If he does think I am the man who abused him all those years ago I can only suggest that he is mistaken and that he has identified the wrong person.

"I conclude by reminding those who have defamed me or who intend to do so that in making this statement I am by no means giving up my right to seek redress at law and repeat that I expressly reserve my rights to take all such steps as I and my solicitors consider necessary to protect my interests."

McAlpine of West Green

8 November 2012

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Britain To End Financial Aid To India In 2015

Britain's controversial £280m-a-year aid programme for India will end in 2015, the Government has announced.

The UK will reduce its support to the fast-developing country over the next three years, saving around £200m ahead of the cut-off.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said programmes already under way would go ahead but nothing new would be approved.

Future British support for India will be limited to skills-sharing in areas like trade, investment and health and will be worth around £30m-a-year.

The move follows criticism that the Government is imposing drastic austerity measures at home while handing out a fortune in aid to rich, developing nations.

Popular move: Justine Greening

India has become a focus of the anger because it has its own space programme and a booming economy that is growing at 8% a year.

Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said last year that the country no longer wanted or needed the grant, describing it as "a peanut in our total development expenditure".

The decision will also delight Tory MPs who have attacked Prime Minister David Cameron's commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid.

Ms Greening said: "After reviewing the programme and holding discussions with the government of India this week, we agreed that now is the time to move to a relationship focusing on skills-sharing rather than aid.

"India is successfully developing and our own bilateral relationship has to keep up with 21st century India. It's time to recognise India's changing place in the world.

"It is of course critical that we fulfil all the commitments we have already made and that we continue with those short-term projects already under way which are an important part of the UK and government of India's development programme."

British support beyond 2015 will involve a hub of British development experts working with the Delhi government, and a programme of private sector investment.

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'Excited' Welby New Archbishop Of Canterbury

New Archbishop Faces Big Challenges

Updated: 11:11am UK, Friday 09 November 2012

The Bishop of Durham has been officially unveiled as the new Archbishop of Canterbury - in what is seen as a meteoric rise in the clergyman's career.

The Rt Rev Justin Welby, 56, was only in his current job for a year and will now become the spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion.

Eton-educated Bishop Welby is a former oil executive with 11 years in the industry who turned to the church in the early 1980s.

The clergyman, who is a member of the House of Lords, is on the parliamentary committee looking at banking ethics in the wake of the Libor-rigging scandal.

The bishop is reportedly set to keep his place on the committee despite his new appointment.

He is apparently known for his outspoken criticism of corporate excess and is likely to be a champion of banking reform and a key figure in discussions of business ethics.

The Rt Rev Justin Welby will have his work cut out in his new role as Archbishop as he takes over the leadership of an institution battered in recent years by rows over women bishops and gay priests.

He will take up the mantle from Dr Rowan Williams, whose tenure has been marked by a bruising war between liberals and traditionalists in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion over the issue of homosexuality.

The new appointment also comes as the Church of England stands poised to give final approval later this year for the introduction of women bishops following several years of tortuous negotiations and the departure of some Anglican bishops to the Catholic Church.

The long-running war within the Anglican Communion over gay people will be a very difficult issue for him.

But Bishop Welby's skills in conflict resolution and peace building will stand him in good stead in dealing with the warring factions in the run-up to the next worldwide meeting of Anglican bishops, the Lambeth Conference, due in 2018.

Bishop Welby, who is himself opposed to gay marriage, is also well travelled, particularly in Nigeria.

And he understands the viewpoints of both conservative Nigerian Anglicans and those of the liberal US Episcopalian Church which is strongly divided on the issue.

The new Archbishop, who was first ordained as a deacon in 1992, will also have to face declining Church congregations.

Bishop Welby is clearly keen to turn this around, and in his first sermon after becoming Bishop of Durham last November, he reportedly called on churchgoers to rekindle Christian faith in the North East and "reconvert" the region.

While Dean of Liverpool before this, he instigated a five-year plan to double congregation figures, and saw them rise considerably during his leadership.

Being the public face of the Church of England in the 21st century also means being able to deal with the demands of the media and 24-hour news.

Bishop Welby has already shown that he embraces social media with an account on Twitter, and the 2,500 followers that he currently has are set to rise dramatically now he has been named as the new archbishop.

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Surgeon Faces Inquiry Over Breast Cancer Ops

A surgeon is to face a criminal inquiry over allegations about his treatment of more than 1,000 breast cancer patients.

West Midlands Police said they were liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service to determine the course of the investigation into the conduct of Ian Paterson.

Mr Paterson is alleged by a law firm representing some of his former patients to have performed up to 1,150 "unnecessary, inappropriate or unregulated" operations.

Thompsons Solicitors, which is pursuing negligence claims for several women, said Mr Paterson worked at a number of NHS and private hospitals from 1994, including those run by Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which covers hospitals in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull and Birmingham.

An investigation into Mr Paterson by the General Medical Council potentially spans up to 700 cases of an unregulated procedure that involved leaving some breast tissue behind after a mastectomy, Thompsons said.

It is further alleged that up to 450 women could have had invasive breast surgery when a biopsy might have been sufficient.

Mr Paterson is alleged to have performed "unnecessary" operations

The Medical Defence Union said in a statement: "Mr Paterson is co-operating fully with the GMC investigation. He cannot comment further due to his duty of patient confidentiality and the ongoing investigation."

Sky News' Health and Science correspondent Thomas Moore said the GMC has been looking into Mr Paterson for some time, adding that conditions were imposed on his practice in July 2011.

Mr Paterson's GMC record shows that the Interim Orders Panel ruled that he "must not carry out breast surgery" and that he should "confine his medical practice ... to general surgical work and out-patient consultations with patients with breast disease".

Kashmir Uppal, a senior medical negligence solicitor at Thompsons, said she believed patients had been subjected to needless worry and risk.

She said the law firm was also liaising with the GMC to assist its investigations.

"The women who have come forward so far have been very brave," Ms Uppal said.

"Hopefully all who have had unnecessary or inappropriate treatment will seek reassurance or justice."

In a statement confirming the police inquiry into Mr Paterson, who has not been arrested, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Markham said: "West Midlands Police can confirm it has received a referral from the General Medical Council in relation to allegations about the medical practices of a surgeon who previously worked in Solihull.

"A criminal inquiry has been launched and the force is working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to determine the course of the investigation."

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Bradley Wiggins In Hospital After Bike Crash

Tour de France cycling champion and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins is recovering in hospital after a crash with a van.

Wiggins, 32, was thrown off his bike when he was in a collision with a white Vauxhall Astra Envoy outside a petrol station.

A police source said his injuries from the crash were thought to be very serious at first, but later it appeared he suffered a number of broken ribs and cuts and bruises.

A bike can be seen as police deal with the accident. Picture: The Sun

The accident happened at about 6pm on Wednesday in Wrightington, Lancashire, near to his family home in Eccleston, between Preston and Wigan.

Sky News understands that father-of-two Wiggins was on a mountain bike on his way to meet a group of local cyclists.

The driver of the Astra, a local woman, was uninjured.

Lancashire Police said: "Police were called to the scene of a road traffic accident at Crow Orchard Road in Wrightington at about 6pm.

Wiggins has won a total of seven Olympic medals

"A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white Vauxhall Astra car. The rider of the bike, a 32-year-old local man, was taken to hospital by ambulance with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. His family have been told."

Crash investigators visited the scene but the road did not need to be closed.

Garage attendant Yasmin Smith, who went to Wiggins' aid, told Sky News: "There was a loud screeching of tyres and a rather big bang. A customer said there'd been an accident so I shot out to see a gentleman on the pavement.

"He did look in a lot of pain with his ribs more than anything - he kept holding himself. His colour changed in his face and he was deteriorating within minutes with the pain.

GQ Man Of The Year: Wiggins with singer Liam Gallagher

"I didn't realise who he actually was until he got into the ambulance - I was more concerned about his health."

In a statement on its website, Team Sky said: "We can confirm that on Wednesday evening Bradley Wiggins was involved in a road traffic accident whilst riding his bike near his home in Lancashire.

"He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation but the injuries he has sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery.

"We will announce more details in due course."

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Sandy Victims Suffer As New Storm Hits US Coast

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent, in New York City

A second storm has battered the northeast coast of the United States adding to the misery felt by many after superstorm Sandy.

Heavy snow and strong winds have hit parts of New York and New Jersey, which brought down power lines and caused traffic delays.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said a number of care facilities and nursing homes were evacuated in areas hardest hit by Sandy.

But he insisted he was not recommending a mass evacuation following the latest bad weather.

"We haven't and won't order the kind of large-scale evacuation that we did in advance of Hurricane Sandy but, if you experienced significant flooding during Sandy, then you should consider taking shelter with friends and family at a safer spot or using one of the city's storm shelters," he said.

But communities hit by superstorm Sandy struggled amid the bad weather.

In Staten Island, one of the areas most affected, the task of clearing up debris was made more difficult and a government aid station was forced to close.

Hundreds of residents, displaced last week, had to spend last night in shelters run by state officials.

Major airlines cancelled flights in and out of the New York City area

Lorraine Orobello left her home in the middle of the storm because she had run out of food.

The 54-year-old said she had been turned away from the federal food station and had turned to another aid centre for help.

She said: "It's hard. All I want is some soup or a peanut butter sandwich.

"I shouldn't be coming out in this weather but I have nothing back home - just a few tins of tuna and a small heater to keep warm.

"But I'm an American, you know, we get on with things. We'll get through this."

Major airlines cancelled flights in and out of the New York City area ahead of the storm. Sandy last week led to more than 20,000 flight cancellations.

New York City has also closed all parks, playgrounds and beaches and ordered all construction sites to be secured.

More than 600,000 businesses and homes are still without power due to Sandy and at least 120 people have been killed in the US and Canada.

Around $32m (£20m) has been raised so far to help victims after around 10,000 donations came in from across the US.

Sandy started as a hurricane and killed dozens of people in the Caribbean.

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Foreign Policy: Obama Facing Iran Dilemma

The biggest foreign policy issue facing newly re-elected President Barack Obama is the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran.

Tehran says it is not seeking nuclear weapons, the Americans and others disagree.

Mr Obama is on record as saying he will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.

Next year is widely predicted to be the year when Iran will cross a red line set by the Israelis, and possibly the line hinted at being the limit of American patience.

The Israeli red line, which could trigger military action, is Iran having enough enriched uranium to be able to make a bomb. The American red line is an Iranian decision to make that bomb.

But, if the Israelis attack, the Americans may feel they have to join in to ensure the Iranian nuclear project is destroyed.

It is a scenario that will take up a lot of the president's thinking, and one which has consequences that might even keep 'No drama Obama' awake at night.

He may offer Iran the 'grand bargain', which many analysts believe is what Tehran really wants: diplomatic relations, trade, and security guarantees.

If that fails - and the Iranians are master at dragging out negotiations - then the phrase 'all options are on the table' will be increasingly heard.

In the short-term, another foreign policy issue requiring attention is Syria.

The US administration is deeply suspicious of the Syrian opposition and does not wish to arm a divided movement which has elements that one day might turn their guns on Americans.

Mr Obama will seek to help unite the opposition and ensure the more moderate elements come to the fore. That is a difficult task and he has few tools in the diplomatic box to achieve his aims.

In the longer term, the relationships with Russia and China need attention.

Mr Obama's much vaunted 'reset' of relations with Moscow has not gone well. He will need to come to an understanding with President Putin over Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan. His deeply held desire to reduce the number of nuclear weapons each country holds will also be revisited.

Mr Obama has already told us that the USA's strategic global position is pivoting towards the relationship with China.

This inevitable move carries with it inherent difficulties. The USA must ensure it does not antagonise Beijing, while at the same time reassure Washington allies in the Far East who fear the rise of China.

The president began his first term vowing to concentrate on the Middle East peace process. He made zero progress.

The time is not yet right for him to focus again on the Israelis and Palestinians, but as he nears the end of his final term, he will, like Bill Clinton before him, attempt to solve the problem which has bedevilled generations of American diplomats.

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Obama Wins: 'Pacific President' Looks East

Four more years for Barack Obama in the White House will see a US foreign policy which is increasingly focused on China and the Asia-Pacific region.

The re-elected US leader has made it clear he likes to be seen as a 'Pacific President'. He talks often of a "pivot towards Asia". It gives you an idea of just how important he sees China and this part of the world.

After ending the war in Iraq and nailing the timeline of America's exit strategy from Afghanistan the president's eyes are focused here in Asia for his second term.

That's because China is the rising power of the world and America knows that China wants to take over the title, if not of superpower of the world then certainly economic superpower, over the next 10 years.

President Obama has said he wants 60% of America's warships stationed in the Asia-Pacific region by 2020. He wants to extend America's influence as China seeks to spread and cement its dominance in the region.

Teaching the Chinese how a democracy works

China took delivery of its first aircraft carrier a few weeks ago, sending shudders through American military circles about China's ambitions.

China is already the resident superpower in Asia. It practically built Cambodia and Burma's new infrastructures with its no-strings loans. It is busy wooing Thailand, offering it technology for a high-speed rail link.

That all stacks up to a head-on geo-strategic rivalry in the Asia-Pacific region between the US and China.

China's GDP, while having slowed, is still at a staggering 7.4%. Mitt Romney had said if he won the election he would declare China a "currency manipulator". He says China is stealing American jobs by keeping its currency artificially low, enabling it to deliver cheap exports. 

It is clear that the issue of trade between the US and China is a top priority for President Obama too, if he is to deliver on his pledge of rebuilding the US economy and delivering more jobs.

We watched the US election unfold on big screens at a Beijing hotel at an event hosted by the US embassy. There was a mock-up polling booth - and people dishing out stickers which said 'I voted'.

It is more than an ironic twist that the event was held on the eve of China's once-a-decade power transition - the 18th Communist Party Congress.

During the Congress China unveils its leaders for the next 10 years - chosen by the minute inner circle of the Communist Party elite. 

China is the world's most populous nation - 1.3 billion people - amounting to a fifth of the world's population. Yet none of them have a say in who will lead them.

At the US embassy event, invited Chinese guests could choose whether to stand next to lifesize cut-outs of Barack Obama or Mitt Romney to have their pictures taken. It is the only choice these Chinese people get to make when it comes to political events in China this week.

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Obama Tells US: 'The Best Is Yet To Come'

Barack Obama has promised that the "best is yet to come" for the US after winning another four years at the White House.

Following a bitter and costly election campaign, the president easily overcame his Republican challenger Mitt Romney - taking seven of the nine key battleground states.

Mr Romney won in North Carolina but Democrat Mr Obama swept to victory in Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Wisconsin, Virginia and Colorado.

With Florida the last swing state left to call, he has 303 electoral college votes to Mr Romney's 206 and is well over the crucial threshold of 270.

Obama confirmed his win on Twitter - it's now the most-retweeted tweet ever

The president was also ahead in the national popular vote, with the country-wide exit poll putting him on 50% - two points ahead of his Republican challenger.

This is despite his popularity plunging since he was swept into the White House on a wave of hope in 2008 and unemployment currently standing at 7.9%.

:: READ MORE - Live Election Updates

Jubilation grew through the night in Chicago as it became clear Mr Obama was going to be re-elected.

Once Mr Romney had conceded by phone, the president appeared on stage to rapturous cheers as Stevie Wonder's hit Signed, Sealed, Delivered played.

"In this election, you the American people reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back," he said.

President Obama walks on stage with his family before his Chicago speech

"We know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come."

The first US black president declared that he was returning to the White House "more determined and more inspired than ever ... about the future."

He also said he wanted to meet Mr Romney to discuss how they could work together.

Before appearing in person, the Democrat had told his supporters via Twitter: "This happened because of you. Thank you," and: "We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned and that's who we are. Thank you".

The Obamas and Bidens after their victory was called

In a third post, he said simply: "Four more years," and posted a picture of himself hugging his wife Michelle. This was retweeted more than half a million times - a Twitter record.

He also wrote an email, promising to "spend the rest of my presidency honouring your support, and doing what I can to finish what we started".

"Today is the clearest proof yet that, against the odds, ordinary Americans can overcome powerful interests," he said, adding: "There's a lot more work to do."

In Washington, thousands of well-wishers danced and waved flags outside the White House after the result became clear - chanting "four more years" and "USA, USA".

Crowds whooped and cried out "Obama, Obama" and gave high-fives to strangers as election fever swept across the city.

The contest had been billed as one of the tightest races for the White House in decades but ultimately, Mr Obama won comfortably.

His victory appeared to be a vindication for a campaign team that had predicted a close but winnable election - despite the pain of the deepest economic crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.

Romney supporters absorbing the result

Romney campaign staff in Boston were shocked as Democrat victories piled up and Republican supporters looked increasingly devastated as they realised their dream was over.

The candidate, who was watching the result in the city, rang Mr Obama to concede once he lost Ohio and then briefly addressed the crowds.

"This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president is successful in guiding our nation," he said.

The Republican thanked his running mate Paul Ryan and his family, calling wife Ann "the love of my life" and saying "she would have been a wonderful first lady".

He added: "Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given everything to this campaign. I so wish that I had been able to fulfil your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader."

Mitt Romney spoke to supporters after conceding defeat

Mr Romney had earlier revealed he had written a 1,118-word victory speech and claimed he had not prepared anything in case he lost.

Until last month, the Republican was considered to have little chance of ousting Mr Obama after his campaign was damaged by a string of gaffes.

However, a lacklustre performance by the president in the first television debate turned the race on its head and Mr Romney surged back in the polls.

The incumbent was much stronger in the second and third debates, but it was not enough to derail the Romney campaign.

Better than expected employment figures last week helped bolster the Democrat and then fate also played a hand when Hurricane Sandy roared in.

The Empire State Building turns blue after Barack Obama's victory

The superstorm forced Mr Romney into the shade as campaigning was suspended and Mr Obama returned to presidential duties, but the pair was still neck-and-neck going into the final day.

Once the euphoria of another victory fades, the president will face a tough task enacting his second-term agenda, after Republicans - who thwarted him repeatedly in his first term - retained control of the House of Representatives.

Democrats kept the Senate but fell short of the 60-vote super majority needed to pass major legislation over Republican blocking tactics.

Two Republican Senate candidates, Richard Mourdock in Indiana and Todd Akin in Missouri, both lost their seats after making controversial remarks about rape during the campaign.

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Derby Fire: Third Person Appears In Court

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A third person charged with the murders of six children who died in a house fire in Derby has appeared in court.

Paul Mosley, 45, from the city, was arrested on Monday.

He appeared at Derby Magistrates Court at a short hearing on Tuesday morning, wearing dark trousers and a black waterproof jacket.

He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.

Mosley was sent for trial at Nottingham Crown Court and will appear on November 8 for a plea and case management hearing.

He is due to appear alongside the children's parents Mick Philpott, 55, and Mairead, 31, who have previously been charged with murder.

As Mosley was remanded in custody a number of members of the public were in tears.

Jade, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jessie, six and Jayden, five, all died in the blaze on Victory Road, Allenton.

Their brother Duwayne, 13, died  three days later in hospital.

The children's parents Mick Philpott, 55, and Mairead, 31, have previously been charged with murder and are due to appear at a plea and case management hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday.

A 49-year-old man, who was also arrested on Monday, has been released without charge.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: "Three people have now been charged with the murder of these children.

"This man stands accused alongside Michael and Mairead Philpott.

"Our investigation will continue in an effort to gain justice for the children."

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Obama: Key States May Swing It For President

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Barack Obama looks on course to secure a second term in the White House as Americans begin casting their ballots today following the most expensive and negative election campaign in history.

The president appears to have the narrowest of leads over rival Mitt Romney in a number of critical swing states.

The Republican candidate will continue campaigning on election day, as he visits Cleveland in Ohio, and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Mr Obama will spend the day in his home-town of Chicago. He has recorded a number of television and radio interviews which will air today.

Mr Obama and Mr Romney picked up five votes each in Dixville Notch

In a possible sign of a tight race ahead, the first voting on election day saw both candidates receive five votes each in the tiny town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

The president wrapped up his campaign with a rally in Iowa, the state where his 2008 campaign sparked into life, and he called on Americans to give him a second chance.

"I came back to ask you to help us finish what we started because this is where our movement for change began, right here," he said.

"After all we've fought through together, we cannot give up on change now. We know what real change looks like."

:: Watch full coverage on Sky News as the results come in from 2230

The two candidates have criss-crossed a handful of swing states in recent days as they try to energise supporters and secure every last vote. Both have sounded weary and hoarse at times.

The latest 'poll of polls' by RealClearPolitics puts Mr Obama on 48.8% and Mr Romney on 48.1%.

In swing states, Mr Obama has a three-percentage point lead in Ohio and was ahead by slimmer margins in Virginia and Colorado. Mr Romney led in Florida.

The other states to watch include Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania, where Mr Romney has poured money into a late run.

Barack Obama's final rally in Iowa

The electoral college system and the way the state polls are going suggests that Mr Obama could be headed toward re-election partly due to his lead in Ohio, according to Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.

A victory in US presidential elections relies not on a popular vote count but reaching 270 electoral college votes. They are allocated to each state based on population size.

Ms Clark said: "Obama only needs a couple of these swing states and the data suggests that he'll win one or two of them."

Mr Romney's advisers dismiss those polls and believe they have the momentum.

He said: "The same course we're on isn't going to lead to a better destination. The same course we're on is going to lead to $20bn in debt. Unless we change course, we also may be looking at another recession."

Mr Romney called on New Hampshire voters to back him

And speaking at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, he said: "Tomorrow is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do, to put that past four years behind us and build a new future.

"Walk with me. Tomorrow, we begin a new tomorrow."

The economy has been the key issue in the campaign and both candidates have been driving grassroots efforts to mobilise support.

Mr Romney told them:  "We have one job left, and that's to make sure that on election day, we make certain that everybody that's qualified to vote gets out to vote."

In the last few days, Mr Obama has been accompanied by stars including Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z and with appearances from former president Bill Clinton.

Both campaigns have victory rallies lined up, in Chicago and at Romney HQ in Boston, and the candidates will address the nation once the results are known.

There have already been some allegations of irregularities at polling stations and if the numbers are close, recounts and absentee ballots could mean it is days before the result is known.

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Nadine Dorries Joins I'm A Celebrity

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries could face a backlash from her constituents as she heads to Australia for up to a month to take part in reality TV show I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here.

Ms Dorries, 55, who represents Mid Bedfordshire, will be the first serving MP to take part in the programme.

As well as risking the anger of those she represents for taking extended leave from her £65,738 day job, she will also face questions from senior MPs, The Sun said.

Ms Dorries' appearance on the show, which begins on Sunday, will mean she stands to miss an EU budget vote and Chancellor George Osborne's autumn statement on the economy.

She is already in Brisbane preparing for the programme and justified her decision by telling The Sun: "I'm doing the show because 16 million people watch it. If people are watching I'm A Celebrity, that is where MPs should be going.

"I'm not going in there to upset people, but I have opinions."

Her decision will infuriate senior colleagues as she did not follow long-standing party rules by asking permission from the Chief Whip or Prime Minister David Cameron.

George Galloway infamously pretended to be a cat on Celebrity Big Brother

A senior Conservative source told Sky News: "This came as a surprise to everyone."

Asked about Ms Dorrie's decision during his tour of the Middle East, the Prime Minister said: "It's up to Nadine to speak for herself."

When asked if she risked losing the party whip, he joked: "The whips might be relieved if she did."

Home Secretary Theresa May told ITV's This Morning: "I think an MP's job is in their constituency and in the House of Commons."

Ms Dorries' sojourn in the jungle has attracted criticism on Twitter and calls for her to donate any fee to charity.

Former Tory MP Louise Mensch, who gave up her Corby seat in August to live with her husband in America, wrote: "Nothing sadder than a politician, or ex-politician, on any of those shows.

"Just imagining the scene in the whips' office if I said I wanted to skip Parliament for weeks to go on a celebrity TV show."

Former Tory MP Harry Greenway, said: "This is outrageous. Her local constituency party should think very deeply as to whether she is putting them first or not.

"She is certainly making a very good case out for herself to be dumped as a candidate at the next election.

"Whatever fee she receives should go to charity, because her parliamentary pay won't stop during her absence," Mr Greenway added.

The TaxPayers' Alliance told The Sun: "While she is being a Z-list celebrity, her constituents will be without an MP."

Ms Dorries has courted controversy in her political career and earned a reputation for outspoken attacks against David Cameron.

Earlier this year she branded the Prime Minister and chancellor George Osborne: "two posh boys who don't know the price of milk".

In 2010 the MP appeared on another reality show, Tower Block of Commons, which challenged politicians to live on a council estate and get by on jobseekers' allowance of £64.30-a-week.

But she was caught cheating when it emerged she had stashed a £50 note in her bra.

George Galloway was criticised for appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006, while serving as MP for Bethnal Green and Bow.

Liberal Democrat Lembit Opik also appeared on I'm a Celebrity soon after losing his seat in the 2010 general election.

He backed Ms Dorries' decision, tweeting: "Good on Nadine Dorries for the jungle if she's really going in. Go gal!"

Tim Montgomerie MP, editor of Conservative Home, wrote: "When, some months ago, Nadine told me, in strictest confidence, that she was going to do this I tried to persuade her not to.

"But she wasn't for budging and I can increasingly understand why.

"Her ambition isn't, of course, to persuade any of the viewers about specific policies (she's unlikely to get any opportunity to talk in those terms) but perhaps, just perhaps, to present an image of a Tory MP that defies some of the popular pre-conceptions and caricatures.

"She may be voted off the show quickly and the popularity that follows her appearance may be a bubble that quickly bursts.

"There is a possibility, however, that this Liverpudlian of working class roots will become one of our party's best known MPs.

"I don't think that's a bad thing although I don't suspect David Cameron will agree."

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Savile's Freeman Honour Set To Be Revoked

Jimmy Savile's name is set to be wiped from Scarborough's list of Freemen of the Borough.

Councillors will debate a motion to take his name from the roll of honour as a gesture of support to the 300 people he allegedly abused over six decades.

The disgraced BBC star was awarded the accolade in 2005 to celebrate his links with the North Yorkshire resort, where he owned a second home and was buried overlooking the sea a year ago.

Councillor Tom Fox, who proposed the motion, said: "This council wishes to send its heartfelt support to, and acknowledge the courage of, those who have come forward having suffered horrendous abuse at the hands of the alleged serial predatory sexual offender Sir Jimmy Savile.

"In addition, this council, in further acknowledgment of the serious predatory sexual allegations spanning over six decades, agrees that if the council had been aware of such revelations at the time of Sir Jimmy Savile's nomination for honorary freeman of the borough of Scarborough, the council would have refused it.

Savile's family have removed his headstone from a Scarborough cemetery

"It is therefore proposed that his name be removed forthwith from the honour board for freemen of the borough pending the final report from the Metropolitan Police, when this council will make a permanent decision in relation to the matters referred to in this motion."

Historically, anyone made a freeman was exempt from tolls and given special privileges.

It is still awarded to "persons of distinction and any persons who have rendered eminent services to the borough".

Scarborough has granted freeman status to 20 individuals and groups since the local government reshuffle of 1974, including playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn, retired boxer Paul Ingle and the Yorkshire Regiment.

The motion to remove Savile's name from the honour board will be considered at a full council meeting later.

Savile's ornate triple headstone in Scarborough's Woodlands Cemetery was knocked down and sent to landfill last month at the request of his family.

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Delicate Diplomacy On Cameron Gulf Arms Tour

David Cameron is attempting to cement major UK arms sales and bolster relations with allies on a three-day tour of the Gulf and Middle East.

The Prime Minister is personally spearheading a push to persuade the United Arab Emirates to buy 60 of BAE's Typhoon jets over French rivals in a deal reported to be worth upwards of £3bn.

On Tuesday, he will travel to Saudi Arabia - Britain's biggest trading partner in the region - which is also considering adding to its fleet of aircraft.

Downing Street said the visit - Mr Cameron's second to each country as premier - was part of a wider effort to build a "reinvigorated partnership" between Britain and the region's leaders.

Reinforced military ties are seen as crucial amid continued fears over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the threat Tehran could seek to badly disrupt oil supplies by blocking the Straits of Hormuz.

Mr Cameron's first stop was a military airbase near Dubai, where a number of RAF Typhoons are stationed, to promote the aircraft to military and political figures from the UAE.

He will also hold talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Prime Minister of the UAE on the potential for a joint work on the next generation of military aerospace equipment.

David Cameron having breakfast with troops in Dubai

The Government hopes to secure deals for 100 Typhoons to be sold to the region in the coming year - worth at least £6bn to British firms.

Mr Cameron faces a tough balancing act as he attempts to secure billions in investment from the oil-rich states while addressing concerns about the human rights records of their regimes.

The Arab Spring has led to an increased focus on largely autocratic rule in many states, including crackdowns on pro-democracy and other protest movements.

The Government has been criticised for failing to condemn abuses and accused of continuing to sell military equipment with insufficient guarantees it would not be used in repression.

Meanwhile, Gulf states are unhappy about the UK's support of the Arab Spring and there are reports it could lead to British firms being snubbed for future contracts.

Saudi officials has already warned it would be "re-evaluating" relations after an inquiry into the country by the Commons foreign affairs committee, that it called "insulting".

David Cameron on the Dubai metro (Pic: Number10gov)

After arriving in Dubai, Mr Cameron insisted: "On human rights, there are no no-go areas in this relationship. We discuss all of these things but we also show respect and friendship to a very old ally and partner.

"We have one of the strictest regimes anywhere in the world for sales of defence equipment but we do believe that countries have a right to self-defence and we do believe that Britain has important defence industries that employ over 300,000 people so that sort of business is completely legitimate and right."

He said British exports to the UAE were up 16% in the first half of the year and that it was vital to be involved in the fastest-growing economies in the world to compete in the "global economic race".

"It is not just about trade and investment," the premier added. "We are also partners in defence and security, we worked together in Libya and Afghanistan and we will be talking about all the key regional and global issues."

On Wednesday, Mr Cameron will make a short visit to the Middle East before flying home for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Downing Street ahead of the crunch EU budget summit.

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Obama And Romney In Final White House Push

Who Will Win The Presidency?

Updated: 11:01am UK, Monday 05 November 2012

By Adam Boulton, Political Editor

In predicting who is going to be the next US president, all we have to go on are the opinion polls - the rest comes down to hunches and conscious or unconscious prejudice.

What's more, opinion polls in America are particularly unreliable. Polling just a few thousand people in a country where around 140 million are expected to vote is a risky business.

In many polls the margin of error, typically plus or minus 3%, is much bigger than the arithmetical 'lead' enjoyed by the top candidate.

There are also differences in the representative sample used by the pollsters. For example, that venerable organisation Gallup seems consistently to favour the Republicans by as much as 6% more than its rivals in national opinion polls.

As things stand, national opinion polls are mostly a dead heat, when a margin of error is allowed for.

Mr Obama's popularity declined after his poor performance in the debate on October 3 and he has not recovered his big lead since then. But Mr Romney had no "momentum" by the beginning of November.

At the weekend, the RealClearPolitics (RCP) National Poll Average stood at 47.5% for Mr Obama and 47.3% for Mr Romney.

Mr Obama is clearly not on course to do as well as he did in 2008 against John McCain when he polled 52.9% of votes cast, compared to 45.7% for the Republican.

Indeed conventional wisdom has now placed at least two of the states he won then - Indiana and North Carolina - firmly in the Republican column.

National opinion polls reflect the popular vote across the country, and winning that is not how you get to be president. You win the election by winning the vote state by state, thus stacking up the majority of the 538 electoral college votes.

It's perfectly possible to win the popular vote and lose the electoral college. That's what Al Gore did against George W Bush in 2000. And it's what some Republicans fear Mr Romney may do this time.

So to work out who is going to sleep in the White House next January, you need to follow the state polls.

Working from this data, America's leading analysts have come up with different snapshots of the state of the electoral race.

With 270 college votes needed to win, RCP allocates 201 to Mr Obama, 191 to Mr Romney and 146 votes in 11 states to play for.

Calling states on a solid and leaning basis, the Washington Post gives Mr Obama 243 electoral votes, Mr Romney 181, with 89 up for grabs in the toss up states - Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire.

Nate Silver at the New York Times' controversial FiveThirtyEight blog makes a different probability-based analysis of the same polling data. 

He says there is now an 85.1% chance of Mr Obama being re-elected compared to just 14.9% that Mr Romney will become the 45th POTUS.  He calculates final electoral vote share at 306.9 for Mr Obama compared to 231.1 for Mr Romney.

You get a similar result if you apply the latest state polls to the toss-up states in the Washington Post and RCP models. With two days to go these state polls do not point to a dead heat - they suggest that Mr Obama is going to be re-elected.

In the latest polls from most of the swing states - Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Virginia and above all Ohio - the President is ahead, not by much but consistently. He has also edged ahead in Florida, where he held his biggest rally on Sunday.

The Romney campaign shifted its focus to Pennsylvania at the weekend, in an attempt to suggest that more states than the usual suspects may be in play. But here and in Minnesota and Michigan, which the Republicans are also citing, the latest polls are also against them.

David Axelrod, Mr Obama's campaign chief, has promised to shave off his moustache if the President loses any of these three.

So why is there such confidence among Republicans that their man will win? Basically they say the opinion polls are wrong - and they point to surveys of early voting which show that Mr Obama's support amongst key voters is well down on 2008.

This argument, best articulated by George W Bush's old aide Karl Rove in the Wall St Journal, says the pollsters are over-representing democrats in their samples. On the ground they say Democrats are de-motivated to vote, while Republicans are fired up, and independents are breaking their way.

No wonder so many pundits are sitting on the fence, pointing out that this is a very close race according to the polls - with Mr Obama's edge in most circumstances in the margins of error.

Those who are making a guess, have to fall back on hunches and rules of thumb.

There are plenty of personal bellwethers to choose from.

No president since Franklin D Roosevelt has ever been re-elected with unemployment this high (although at 7.9% it is only a tenth of a per cent above the level where they have been returned).

At the start of the campaign, 25% of the electorate said the would never vote for a Mormon.

"As goes Ohio, so goes the nation" is pretty good but not infallible, but it is the case that no Republican has ever won without carrying what pundits insist on calling the Buckeye [i.e. Conker] State.

Then there are the lessons from recent history.

Incumbent presidents generally have some squatter's advantage. In modern times the only two incumbent presidents denied re-election have been George Bush senior and Jimmy Carter. But both had stronger negatives against them than Mr Obama.

Mr Bush's 1988 election pledge "read my lips no new taxes" was a demonstrable lie by 1992, while in 1980 Mr Carter was humiliated by American hostages held in Iran and a disastrous military mission to rescue them.

In contrast, Mr Obama presided over the killing of Osama bin Laden, economic indicators are at last moving in the right direction, and he's enjoyed high approval and endorsement in the past week for his handling of Hurricane Sandy.

It's also the case that the more charismatic candidate tends to win the presidency. Mr Carter outshone Gerald Ford but was put in the shade by Ronald 'Morning in America' Reagan; the reserved George Walker Bush was no match for 'Slick Willy' Clinton.

This year, by common consent, Mr Obama has the star power although Mr Romney is making the best of his buttoned-up big businessman demeanour.

Fifty-one-year-old Mr Obama is playing the man of the people: most often open-necked, shouting till he is hoarse and allowing himself the occasional blunt epithet such as "bull****er" about his opponent.

A well-preserved 65-year-old Mr Romney presents more formally as a president in waiting, he's even had his campaign plane painted to look like Air Force One. He's less inclined to dive into the crowd and typically delivers more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger pep talks about the state of Mr Obama's nation. A bit like the harangues most managers subject their employees to these days.

There is also a clear choice between the two men's visions of America - although both claim they are the man to unite the country across the political divide.

Arguing "we are all in this together" Mr Obama argues that government has a role in directing the country, the rich he says, need to contribute more.

Mr Romney champions the private sector, volunteers and individuals. He argues that lower taxes, even for the better off, will benefit all.

So who do I think will win?

I think it's unlikely that all the polls are as wrong as they would have to be for a Republican victory.

I note that the Republicans are under-performing in their ambitions for the US Congress - unlikely to take control of the Senate and set to lose a few seats in the House.

It also seems to me that the Republican Party is a house divided against itself. With powerful voices on the right such as the Tea Party pulling it a long way from the centrist ground which saw Mr Nixon, Mr Reagan and even the Bushes first elected. If Mr Romney is elected, I suspect that the internal rows are only just beginning. Swing voters don't like divided parties.

Shifts in the US population do not favour Republicans - if this was a 'whites only' election Mr Romney would be home and dry. But as the Republican Senator Linsey Graham quipped this summer: "We are not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term."

Disappointment yes, almost everywhere, but I don't detect widespread anger and contempt for Mr Obama. The mood seems more about pressing on in hard times. A mood which may well have been strengthened by the travails of Hurricane Sandy in this closing week.

So my guess is that the President will be re-elected taking Ohio and probably Florida. But it is only a guess, America has two credible leaders to take it forward.

But most of the real votes have not been cast yet in spite of early polling, and they won't be until Tuesday.

Paddy Power is already paying out on an Obama victory. If you've got a bet on, my advice is to get down to the bookies ASAP.

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Obama And Romney Hit Key US Swing States

The King Is Dead Long Live The King

Updated: 6:26pm UK, Saturday 03 November 2012

By Kay Burley, In Las Vegas

Elvis rocked the '60s with Viva Las Vegas. Almost half a century later and the two presidential candidates are hoping they can do the same.

Nevada is one of a handful of crucial swing states which will decide whether there's a new man at the White House or the present incumbent stays at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four more years.

Such then is the importance of the Silver State to both candidates that the President broke off from visiting those worst affected by superstorm Sandy to make a flying visit to Vegas.

Mitt Romney has also spent much of his time in the desert gambling on being able to woo the locals.

Barack Obama is counting on the Latino, Hispanic and female vote. Mr Romney is hoping for some divine intervention with the support of fellow Mormons, who make up 10% of the vote in Nevada.

In fact, so deep is their faith, they put aside contempt for drinkers and gamblers and reluctantly attended a celebration party in a Vegas casino when their man won the party nomination here.

It was all so different four years ago. Back in 2008, Mr Obama found it easy to walk voters up the aisle of the little White Chapel where thousands of others tie the knot each year in Vegas.

He won the state convincingly with a 12-point margin. But did the President not pay his new companions enough attention? Could he be heading for a messy divorce in 2012?

The Obama campaign is spending a fortune on TV advertising to try to make sure they forget any indiscretions and give him another chance.

Vegas residents are bombarded with more political ads than any other viewers in the country. Apparently those watching the local news, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are particularly vulnerable to the TV appeals.

So what's the message? Well, the challenges of the economy have taken their toll on the USA and Nevada in particular. No longer are the streets paved with gold, certainly not for the residents at least.

If the issues this time are jobs and the economy then it should be easy for Mr Romney to convince the voters here to say "I do".

Nevada has the highest unemployment in the country (11.8% in September) and 60% of mortgages are underwater - negative equity - here, that's almost three times higher than the national average.

The city of northern Las Vegas has been described as the Ground Zero of the housing market. Foreclosure racked neighbourhoods sprawl way beyond the strip - and beneath it too.

More than 1000 people live in dirty, rat-infested underground flood tunnels way beneath Caesar's Palace and the Luxor casino hotels.

Disease and highly poisonous spiders are the major concern. Begging and "dumpster diving" for food is how they survive.

Many of those who call this home are former war veterans or those who came to Las Vegas in pursuit of the American dream.

Drink, drugs and depression are now their way of life. So, who do the residents of underground Vegas want to win on Tuesday?

I'll be finding out as I spend the next few days broadcasting for Sky News from Nevada.

But it's not just Vegas baby. There are another half a dozen swing states where the election can be won and lost.

My Sky News colleagues have fanned out from Washington to Florida, Ohio to Colorado to find out who the American people want to see victorious on Tuesday.

Using wireless digilinks we'll have correspondents strolling down mainstreet Des Moines and beach side Tampa. We'll be presenting across all the US time zones and have a pop up newsroom in Chicago.

Coverage starts in quite reserved Las Vegas with quite reserved me at 0600 Monday morning. Worth remembering that Nevada has backed the winning candidate in every election since 1976.

By early Wednesday morning UK time we should know who'll be King of Vegas and most probably the USA for the next four years.

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Teenager Killed In Hit-And-Run Crash In Bury

A 16-year-old boy has died following a hit-and-run crash in Bury, Greater Manchester.

The boy, who was out with friends, was crossing Stand Lane in Radcliffe when he was hit by a silver Peugeot which did not stop, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

He sustained a serious head injury and was taken to hospital where he later died. His family were with him at the time, GMP said.

The car was later found abandoned near Bury town centre.

Detective Inspector Amber Waywell of GMP appealed for witnesses.

She said: "First and foremost our thoughts and sympathies are with this young boy's family following this tragedy, and a specially-trained officer has been appointed to support the family during this traumatic ordeal.

"Understandably, the family are absolutely distraught and both want and deserve answers as to what exactly happened last night (Saturday).

"From our initial inquiries, it would appear this young boy was simply crossing the road when he collided with the silver Peugeot which did not stop at the scene.

"We later recovered this car and none of the occupants were present, so our main focus is now on finding all those who were on board.

"It has been more than 12 hours since this tragic incident and the occupants have still not come forward, so I would urge them in the strongest possible terms to make themselves known to police immediately.

"A young boy has tragically lost his life and his family are devastated, so do the right thing and call us.

"I would also appeal to anyone who witnessed what happened, or perhaps saw this car being driven at high speed or even abandoned in the town centre to come forward immediately."

Anyone with information should call GMP on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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British Soldier Stabbed To Death In Cyprus

A British soldier has been stabbed to death during a fight with UK tourists in a Cyprus nightclub, police have said.

Cypriot police said four off-duty soldiers stationed on the island got involved in an altercation with three tourists in the early hours of Sunday morning.

One of the tourists then allegedly drew a switch blade knife and stabbed the teenage soldier, according to police spokesman Georgios Economou.

Connie Pierce, a British military spokeswoman, said the incident took place in a part of Ayia Napa that is off limits to British soldiers because of past trouble there.

The dead soldier has not been identified.

Britain retains two military bases on the island after the former colony gained independence in 1960.

More follows...

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