Steven Gerrard likens Everton's long-ball tactics to Stoke

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has likened Everton to Stoke, claiming their rivals used long-ball tactics during Sunday's Merseyside derby.

The Premier League match at Goodison Park ended 2-2 after Luis Suarez's late 'goal' for Liverpool was ruled out.
Gerrard, 32, said: "Every single time they get the ball to the goalkeeper it comes in long.
"There was only one team who came to play football and that was us. Everton are not better than us."
 

The statistics, however, showed that Everton enjoyed greater possession, made more passes and completed proportionally fewer long passes than Liverpool.

Gerrard added: "I thought we were fantastic and stood up to a team that are very similar to Stoke.
"Everton are effective because they have some big, physical lads in the team. We had a young, small team out there who were men and stuck together."
The draw lifted Everton to fifth in the table. They are seven places and six points ahead of Liverpool.

Merseyside derby match stats

Everton		Liverpool
56.2%	Possession	43.8%
400	Passes	314
78.5%	Passing accuracy	76.8%
13.8%	Proportion of long passes	14.6%

Skyfall gives James Bond his biggest opening weekend

 

Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third Bond outing, with two more on the cards

New James Bond movie Skyfall has had the biggest Bond opening weekend of all time, according to figures from film company Sony Pictures.

It took £20.1m following its release on Friday making it the biggest UK opening of 2012 so far and the third biggest UK opening of all time.
However Skyfall failed to smash the record set by last year's Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2.
The final film in the wizard franchise, in 3D, took £23m in its first weekend.
It is also just behind Toy Story 3, which took £21.2m in its opening weekend according to Screen Daily, although the animation also benefited from four days of previews.
Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the 23rd 007 movie, said: "We are absolutely overwhelmed with the reaction to Skyfall this weekend. It is particularly thrilling as the UK is home to James Bond and it being the 50th anniversary year."
James Bond is the longest-running film franchise in history.
Co-starring Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem, it opened in 587 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, while US fans will get to see the film from 9 November.
Skyfall marked director Sam Mendes' Bond debut, but sees Daniel Craig back in the role of the spy for a third time, following the success of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
He has signed up to return as 007 in two more Bond films.
Last week it was revealed in The Hollywood Reporter that one of Skyfall's co-writers, John Logan, had begun work on a two-part original Bond story, not based on the work of the series' original author Ian Fleming.
Logan has previously worked on Martin Scorsese films Hugo and The Aviator and Ridley Scott's Gladiator.

Bolivian journalist Fernando Vidal set alight on air

A Bolivian radio journalist has been attacked while he was conducting a radio show in the southern city of Yacuiba.

Staff at Radio Popular said four masked men broke into the studio, poured petrol over presenter Fernando Vidal and set him alight.
Mr Vidal, 78, and another staff member are being treated for burns.
Relatives said Mr Vidal had been reporting on smuggling in the border area when the attack happened.
Mr Vidal suffered burns on his face, arms and chest, according to his son-in-law, Esteban Farfan.
A studio technician, Karen Anza, was also injured in the attack.
Some eyewitnesses said the attackers had also thrown Molotov cocktails.
Mr Farfan said his father-in-law had been a harsh critic of the provincial government and had voiced his criticism on air.
He said he believed there were political reasons for the attack, but police have not yet commented on possible motives.
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attack.
Yacuiba is only three kilometres (less than two miles) from the Argentine border.
And while there is a high-volume of cross-border commerce, journalists such as Mr Vidal had been denouncing a rise in smuggling, particularly of liquid petroleum gas.

Storm Sandy causes severe flooding in eastern US

The BBC's Ben Thompson: New York plunged into darkness as flooding hits power sources

"Super-storm" Sandy has swept into the US East Coast with hurricane-force winds, bringing flooding, cutting power and claiming at least 13 lives.

Sandy caused a record surge of seawater in New York City, flooding subway and road tunnels and plunging much of Lower Manhattan into darkness.
President Obama has declared a "major disaster" in New York state, AFP says.
An estimated 50 million people could be affected by the storm, with up to one million ordered to evacuate homes.
At least five million people across several states are without electricity.
The full extent of the damage may not be known until daybreak.
Over the past week Sandy has killed dozens of people as it carved a path of destruction through the Caribbean.
Public transport has been halted in several eastern US cities, and thousands of flights have been grounded.

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night”

New York City transport director Joseph Lhota 

 

In other developments:

• More than 200 patients were evacuated from New York University's Tisch Hospital after its power went out and a backup generator failed.
• Fire has destroyed about 50 homes in the New York City borough of Queens.
• America's oldest nuclear power plant, Oyster Creek in New Jersey, was put on alert due to rising water, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
• The New York Stock Exchange will stay shut on Tuesday - the first time it has closed for two consecutive days due to weather since 1888.
• A crew member from a replica of HMS Bounty has died and the captain is missing after the ship sank in mountainous seas off North Carolina on Monday.

Both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney cancelled campaign appearances little more than a week before the presidential election.
The storm made landfall close to Atlantic City in New Jersey at about 20:00 local time (midnight GMT), packing winds of more than 80mph (129km/h).
Much of Atlantic City is under water, and 30,000 residents were evacuated.
'Lower Manhattan covered' Sandy threatens an 800-mile (1,290-km) swathe of the US, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes in the Mid-West.
It lost its hurricane status late on Monday as it neared the coast and collided with winter weather systems, but was still packing hurricane-strength winds.

The greatest storms on Earth

• A tropical storm is classified as a hurricane when wind speeds reach 74mph
• A hurricane can expend as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs over its lifecycle
• The hurricane's spiral is due to the Coriolis Effect, which is generated by the Earth's rotation

At 05:00 EDT (09:00 GMT) the National Hurricane Center placed the centre of Sandy about 90 miles (145km) west of Philadelphia with maximum sustained winds of 65mph (105km/h) with higher gusts.

In New York, some 375,000 residents were ordered out of Lower Manhattan and other areas, as the Hudson and East rivers began overflowing.
A record storm surge of 13.7ft (4.15m) swept into Lower Manhattan, flooding seven major subway tunnels.
"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night," city transport director Joseph Lhota said early on Tuesday.
"Lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater," Howard Glaser, director of operations for the New York state government, was quoted as saying. "I am not exaggerating. Seawater is rushing into the Battery Tunnel."
Battery Tunnel links Manhattan with Long Island.
The city's Consolidated Edison utility provider said some 500,000 homes in Manhattan were without power.
There were reports of an explosion at a Con Edison power station on the east side of Manhattan.
Vice president John Miksad said it was caused by flooding or flying debris, and he added it could take a week to restore power completely.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the storm surge was higher than the highest forecast, but he expected the waters to start receding from midnight local time.

Nasa released time-lapse animation of the hurricane from Space - courtesy Nasa GOES Project

Elsewhere in the city, the storm left a construction crane bent double next to a skyscraper and caused the facade off a four-storey building to collapse.
The UN headquarters in New York is also to stay closed.
Officials reported at least 12 deaths in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut - several due to fallen trees. AP news agency put the death toll at 16.
In addition to the US deaths, a Canadian woman was reported killed by flying debris in Toronto.
Forecasters have said Sandy could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours.
President Obama declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In Washington DC, federal government offices are closed until Wednesday.
Public transport was suspended in the US capital, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.
Amtrak has suspended passenger train services across the north-east, while nearly 14,000 flights were cancelled, according to Flightaware.com.
Up to 3ft (91cm) of snow is expected to fall on the Appalachian mountains in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.
The disaster estimating firm Eqecat has forecast that Sandy could cause economic losses to the US of between $10bn and $20bn (£6.2bn-£12.4bn).

Ref Accused of Racially Abuse Chelsea Players

Mark Clattenburg: Chelsea make complaint against referee

 

Chelsea have made a formal complaint against referee Mark Clattenburg after accusing him of using "inappropriate language" towards two of their players in the 3-2 defeat by Manchester United.

Part of the allegation is that Clattenburg used racial language, BBC Sport has learned.
It is also understood midfielder John Mikel Obi is involved in the complaint.
"We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate," said a Chelsea spokesman.
"The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association."

Referee got it wrong - Di Matteo

Referees' organisation Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) later issued a statement which read: "PGMO is aware of the allegations and they are being treated with the utmost seriousness.
"Mark will co-operate fully and welcomes the opportunity for the facts to be established."
All four officials - the referee, his two assistants and the fourth official - wear microphones and ear pieces that allow them to hear what each other is saying throughout the match, although it is not recorded.
The news that Chelsea made the complaint rounded off a dramatic day which saw the Blues lose their unbeaten Premier League record after Javier Hernandez struck a controversial winner 15 minutes from time.
Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres were shown red cards in the space of five minutes, with the latter's second yellow card for diving disputed by Chelsea.
Torres was sent off in the 68th minute after falling under a challenge from defender Jonny Evans.
Chelsea also felt aggrieved that Hernandez's winner was allowed to stand, as television replays suggested he was marginally offside before converting Rafael Da Silva's cross.

Hernandez gamble worked - Ferguson

"It is a shame a game like this had to be decided in that manner by officials," said Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo.
"Surely when the referee watches it he will realise he has made big mistakes."
Durham-based Clattenburg, 37, is viewed by the PGMO as one of the country's leading officials.
He regularly referees games in European competitions and was put in charge of the League Cup final in February and the Olympic final between Brazil and Mexico in August.
In 2009, he was suspended over allegations about his business dealings but Clattenburg appealed and returned to officiating after an eight-month ban.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will investigate reports that a steward was injured by objects thrown from the crowd at Stamford Bridge.
Hernandez appeared to be pelted as he celebrated scoring United's winner in front of Chelsea fans in the Matthew Harding Stand.
A steward required 10 minutes of treatment before being taken to hospital.

Hurricane Sandy: States begin storm shutdown

US implements hurricane shutdown

Barack Obama has warned Americans to take Hurricane Sandy seriously as authorities started shutting down the eastern seaboard ahead of its arrival.

Several states have declared emergencies, with tens of millions of people affected as schools are closed and transport services suspended.
Experts fear Sandy may become a super-storm when it makes landfall later.
Some election rallies have been called off, with Mr Obama warning affected citizens to take precautions.
International travel has been badly affected. Air France, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic grounded Monday's transatlantic flights to and from East Coast cities, including New York, Baltimore, Newark, Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia.
Sandy has already killed 60 people as it swept through the Caribbean during the past week.
At 05:00 EDT (09:00 GMT), the storm was swirling about 385 miles (615km) south-east of New York City, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Worryingly, forecasters said its maximum sustained winds had increased to 85mph (140km/h) from 75mph recorded hours earlier.
Hurricane Sandy, dubbed "Frankenstorm", is expected to bring a "life-threatening" surge flood to the mid-Atlantic coast, including Long Island Sound and New York Harbour.

 

 Sandbags in New York. Visitors will have to wait to see the newly-reopened Statue of Liberty

The winds are expected to strengthen when Sandy makes landfall anywhere between Virginia and southern New England on Monday.
It is expected to collide with a wintry storm from the west and a cold front from the north.
Sandy is some 520 miles (835km) across. It is also very slow, moving north-east at just 15mph, and could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours, bringing up to 25cm of rain, 60cm of snow, extreme storm surges and power cuts.
States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and parts of North Carolina.

"This gives Barack Obama a chance to appear above politics and to look presidential - but any failure would be magnified, and problems tend to get blamed on the president”

Mark Mardell North America editor

The two presidential election contenders have modified their campaign engagements, with Mitt Romney pulling out of an event in Virginia and Mr Obama cancelling rallies in Virginia and Colorado.

The president has pulled out of a Monday event in Ohio - considered a key swing state - in order to return to Washington to monitor the storm - although he is still set to attend a rally with former President Bill Clinton in Florida earlier in the day.
Visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) in Washington on Sunday, Mr Obama vowed his government would "respond big and respond fast" after Sandy had passed.
Liberty delayed Amtrak has started suspending passenger train services across the north-eastern US and air travel has been badly hit, with some 6,800 flights cancelled.
New York City's subway, bus and train services were suspended from 19:00 (23:00 GMT) on Sunday, and schools will be shut on Monday.
With predicted storm surges of up to 11ft, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered 375,000 people in the city's vulnerable low-lying areas to leave their homes.
Evacuation shelters have been set up at 76 public schools.
"If you don't evacuate you're not just putting your own life in danger, you are also endangering lives of our first responders who would have to rescue you," he said.

BBC Weather: Hurricane Sandy forecast

The Statue of Liberty was reopened on Sunday after a year of renovation, but only a group of army cadets got a tour before it was shut again until at least Wednesday.
Some 200 National Guardsmen will patrol Manhattan and 300 more will be deployed in Long Island.
The New York Stock Exchange will be fully closed on Monday, its operator said, and possibly on Tuesday as well.
It had earlier said electronic transactions would be possible but on Sunday announced it was closing fully because "the dangerous conditions developing as a result of Hurricane Sandy will make it extremely difficult to ensure the safety of our people and communities".
Similar precautions were taken last year as Hurricane Irene approached the East Coast. It killed more than 40 people from North Carolina to Maine and caused an estimated $10bn (£6bn) worth of damage.
From BBC

NBC is the New Home for English Premier League in the US

By Associated Press

LONDON -- NBC's networks will televise the English Premier League under a $250 million, three-year deal that begins next season.
They will show every match from the world's most popular soccer league, taking coverage away from Fox and ESPN.
"The Barclays Premier League is the pre-eminent soccer league in the world, and is on the cusp of exponential popularity growth here in the U.S.," NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said Sunday.
The company picked up Major League Soccer last year and had success with its soccer broadcasts during the London Olympics.
Criticized for using tape delay with the Olympics because of time differences, NBC will not do so with Premier League games, Lazarus said. English-language broadcasts will primarily be on cable channel NBC Sports Network, with Telemundo and mun2 used for Spanish coverage.
NBC's English-language networks will televise six live games a week. One or two of the company's other cable channels will also be used, Lazarus said, but which has not been determined yet as schedules are evaluated. Other games will be streamed live online.
The company has been seeking to expand the audience of NBC Sports Network, which was renamed from Versus after its owner, Comcast, took over NBCUniversal.
"We think we're acquiring a set of assets that has unique affluent male appeal that's very attractive to advertisers and attractive to cable operators," Lazarus said.
And soccer is a potential area for growth with most sports broadcast rights currently under contract, though NBC recently signed a deal with the Formula One auto racing series.
NBC Sports Network's biggest property is the NHL, whose season runs concurrently with English soccer. The EPL will be a good complement to the network's hockey coverage, Lazarus said, adding live soccer games in the morning and afternoon to prime-time NHL broadcasts.
"It's a younger skewing sport than some others out there, like some that are in a championship series right now," Lazarus said, in apparent reference to Major League baseball and its older viewership.
The previous three-year EPL deal with Fox, that saw some matches sublicensed to ESPN, was worth about $80 million. NBC Sports Network is in about twice as many homes in the U.S. as Fox Soccer but about 20 percent fewer than ESPN.
The EPL has sold its TV rights in Britain to BSkyB and BT for 3.018 billion pounds ($4.86 billion) in a record three-year deal from the 2013-14 season.
The EPL said NBC will deliver the "biggest and broadest programming and promotion commitment ever in the United States" for the league.
"The NBC Sports Group has an excellent track record in sports broadcasting," EPL chief executive Richard Scudamore said.

Ref. Rob Liverpool of a Win

Everton battle back for derby draw

Everton were made to work for their derby point

Everton displayed all the qualities which have kept them in the top four this season as Liverpool blew a two-goal lead in the 219th Merseyside derby.

When Luis Suarez headed in his sixth goal in eight league matches in the 20th minute, after Leighton Baines had earlier turned the Uruguay international's cross-shot into his own net, the Reds appeared in control at Goodison Park.
However, in a pulsating first half Leon Osman pulled one back almost immediately before Steven Naismith equalised 10 minutes before half-time.
The remaining 55 minutes subsequently failed to match what had gone before, and although both sides could have won it after the break, the point was enough to keep Everton in fourth, six points ahead of their near-neighbours.
Liverpool fielded five derby debutants - Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom, Nuri Sahin, Suso and Joe Allen - with Everton having just two in Kevin Mirallas and Naismith.
That may have contributed to what was a first 45 minutes so open it belied its history of being the oldest and longest-running cross-city rivalry in English football.
Suarez opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Steven Gerrard's pass sent Jose Enrique, on his first start since October 2, racing down the left and although his cross flashed through the six-yard area it was collected by the Uruguay international, whose drilled cross-shot return was deflected in by Baines.
His reaction was to race to the dug-out and dive full-length - in a celebration reminiscent of Jurgen Klinsmann's for his debut goal in English football in 1994 - in front of Toffees boss David Moyes after his pre-match comments about players going to ground easily.
Ironically, later in the half, it was one of Moyes' own players Phil Neville who was booked for diving on the edge of Liverpool's penalty area.
That prompted a swift retort from injured Reds defender Glen Johnson on Twitter.
``Haha classic P Neville battering Luis for diving, then what does he get booked for....?! Haha,'' he wrote.
``Worst dive ever.... Looked like someone tied his laces together while he weren't looking haha.''
Six minutes later Osman's slight trip on Sterling presented Gerrard with the chance to curl in a free-kick and Suarez's deft header helped the ball past Tim Howard and into the far corner of the net.
For a team whose problems in scoring were well documented, things seemed to be going better than expected for Brendan Rodgers' side.
But Everton have not forced their way into the top four this season on a wing and a prayer, and they produced an instant response.
When goalkeeper Brad Jones, still deputising for the recovering Jose Reina who was on the bench, could only punch a corner to the edge of the area, Osman controlled and volleyed home.
The game, surprisingly, became even more open with Suarez shooting just wide before Marouane Fellaini, back from injury after two matches out, ran the ball out of play as he bore down on goal when teed up by Nikica Jelavic.
Derbies can do strange things to people - highlighted by Neville's diving aberration - and the sight of Tim Howard, one of football's genuine nice guys, hurtling out of his goal in an attempt to get 17-year-old Sterling sent off for what he thought was a second bookable offence was ungentlemanly and unnecessary.
But the hosts soon put the focus back on football when Fellaini's cross was left by Martin Skrtel and Naismith nipped in front of Enrique to equalise from close range.
Everton poured forward with the excellent Mirallas marauding down the left against the inexperience of Wisdom and Sterling.
The Belgian had one shot turned away by Jones and another blocked by Skrtel after a brilliant turn took him past Wisdom, reluctant to make a challenge in the penalty area, while Seamus Coleman also blazed over.
After such a rousing 45 minutes, the second half failed to live up to those standards.
Everton suffered a blow when Mirallas failed to appear after the break and was replaced by Magaye Gueye while Rodgers made a tactical switch by bringing on Sebastian Coates, another derby debutant, and Jonjo Shelvey to go 3-4-1-2.
Chances continued to be created with Sterling clipping an excellent chance wide having been put through by Enrique while Jelavic, surprisingly quiet in such an open game, just failed to connect in the six-yard box before heading wide Leighton Baines' free-kick wide.
Suarez, never far from the action, was fortunate to escape with a yellow card after standing on Sylvain Distin's Achilles after the ball had gone.
Gerrard had a shot blocked by Phil Jagielka before Suarez was incorrectly denied an injury-time winner by a linesman's flag.

Is Julio Cesar Brazilian?

I have to say that for years I used to think Julio Cesar the current number one goalkeeper for QPR was Brazilian. I mean he was the number one goalie for Brazilian national team, why not think he was? Now I have such doubts. Do you remember the used to say any Brazilian goalkeeper would be a star infield player for other countries? That saying surely did not include him. For such a big name goalkeeper in proffessional football but his decision making is of an amature. I really don't see any quality behind his big football name. Maybe my assessments of him are off, may  be he is just trying to match the rest of the team. I mean big name players and a manager that can't deliver. Poor QPR they play like queens, just like their team name.
Sent via the HTC Vivid™, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

Ngoma Ngondoigwa.Aleyfex-free style

Hii ni kuwakumbusha tu tu ukiona kobe kainama kichwa ujuwe anatunga sheria. Mziki bado unaendelea ingawa inaonekana kama nipo kimya ni kwa sababu nafanya kazi zaidi ya kuboresha midundo kabla ya kurudi kwenye kipaza sauti.
Pamoja

Jimmy Savile: Catholic Church bid to remove papal knighthood

 

 Savile presented BBC shows including Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has written to the Vatican to ask if Jimmy Savile's papal knighthood can be posthumously removed, the Church has confirmed.

The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, asked Church officials in Rome to investigate the matter, recognising the "deep distress" of the late presenter's abuse victims.
Police confirmed Savile could have sexually abused some 300 people.
Savile was granted the honour in 1990.
Meanwhile, a statement released by Savile's nephew, Roger Foster, described the family's "despair and sadness" over the revelations, adding "our feelings are in turmoil as we await the next turn of events".
'Exceptional request' Savile was made a Knight Commander of St Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II for his charity work. It is one of the highest awards the Pope can bestow.
There is no established process to remove a papal knighthood posthumously because the honour dies with the recipient.
However, a spokesman confirmed Archbishop Nichols "wrote last week to the Holy See asking the competent office to investigate whether the papal honour awarded to Jimmy Savile for his charitable works could be posthumously removed and its effects nullified".
The spokesman said the Archbishop's letter was written "recognising the deep distress of all those who have suffered abuse and the disquiet at Mr Savile's name remaining on papal honours lists".
He said the move was "clearly an exceptional request".
"The Church invites all those who have suffered abuse to come forward to the appropriate authorities," he added.
The Holy See is the supreme government of the Roman Catholic Church, which operates from the independent territory of the Vatican City State in Rome.
The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal inquiry into the allegations against the former BBC presenter and DJ, who died in October 2011 aged 84, describing him as a predatory sex offender.
They are following 400 lines of inquiry and believe he may have sexually abused many young people and children, sometimes on BBC premises, over a 40-year period.
BBC under fire The BBC has been criticised for failing to stop the alleged abuse during Savile's long career at the corporation.
It is also under fire for axing a 2011 Newsnight report into the claims and its handling of the subsequent scandal.
On 13 October, BBC director general George Entwistle apologised to the women involved and announced two inquiries surrounding the allegations.
An inquiry into why the Newsnight report was dropped is already under way, led by the former head of Sky News, Nick Pollard. The results are expected in December.
The second investigation will look at whether culture and practice at the BBC at the time enabled Savile to carry out the sexual abuse of children.
This will be on hold until the police give the go-ahead and will be led by former Appeal Court judge Dame Janet Smith.
A separate review will examine the BBC's current sexual harassment policies.
From BBC

'Frankenstorm' bears down on US east coast

People in the Bahamas are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy could merge with a winter storm to create what they have dubbed "Frankenstorm" as it churns towards the US, forecasters warn.

Sandy has weakened to a category one hurricane, but is still packing maximum sustained winds of 75mph (120km/h).
Sandy reportedly caused up to 40 deaths as it tore through the Caribbean on Thursday and Friday.
The storm is projected to hit the US late on Monday, a week before the presidential election.
States of emergency have been declared in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and a coastal county in North Carolina.
The US Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia was reportedly sending a whole fleet of ships out to sea to avoid the storm.
At 02:00 EDT (06:00 GMT), the hurricane was heading north from the Bahamas at about 7mph, some 375 miles (600 km) south-east of Charleston in South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane-strength winds were being experienced 70 miles from the centre of the storm, which was expected to slowly weaken during the weekend, reported the NHC.
Billion-dollar storm? American meteorologists expect a combination of high winds, heavy rain and extreme tides, as well as snow in some areas.
Up to 10in (25cm) of rain, 2ft of snow and extreme storm surges are forecast.
"It's going to be a long-lasting event, two to three days of impact for a lot of people," said James Franklin, head forecaster at the National Hurricane Center.
Sandy is expected to strike the US late on Monday or early Tuesday somewhere along the US east coast, a day before Halloween and a week before millions of Americans go to the polls to choose a next president.
It could make landfall anywhere between Virginia, Maryland or Delaware up through New York or southern New England.
In New York City, officials are already considering closing down mass transit before the storm hits.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged calm, after activating the city's coastal storm plan.
"What we are doing is we are taking the kind of precautions you should expect us to do, and I don't think anyone should panic," he said.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney cancelled an event scheduled for Sunday in Virginia, a key election state, because of the weather, said an aide.
Caribbean carnage Earlier on Friday, the White House declined to speculate on whether Sandy would affect President Barack Obama's campaign plans, saying the storm's path was still uncertain.
Forecasters say Sandy is similar to another late October storm - when several weather systems, including a hurricane, combined along the US Atlantic coast in 1991, leading to what was dubbed "the Perfect Storm".
Jeff Masters, meteorology director at Weather Underground, estimated there could be more than $1bn (£621m) in damages from Hurricane Sandy.
On Thursday, Sandy caused a storm surge leading to severe flooding along Cuba's south-eastern coastline.
Civil emergency authorities said 11 people had died as the storm lashed the island - nine of those in Santiago province and two in Guantanamo province, despite Cuba's well-rehearsed hurricane preparations. Most victims were killed by falling trees or collapsing buildings.
"The hurricane was very big. I have never seen anything like it in my 54 years," said Santiago resident Reinaldo Rivas.
Elsewhere, 20 deaths were reported in Haiti - where much of the infrastructure remains in a poor condition following a massive earthquake in 2010.
More than 1,000 people sought refuge in shelters there, as Sandy caused widespread power outages, flooded streets and damaged buildings.
Four fatalities were reported across the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Burma Rakhine clashes death toll at 56 - state officials

The BBC's David Loyn says the violence looks like ethnic cleansing

At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds of homes torched since Sunday, as clashes spread in Burma's Rakhine state, officials say.

Several were killed overnight as violence erupted despite a night-time curfew in at least two towns.
The latest clashes are the first serious outburst of violence since June when a state of emergency was declared in Rakhine after 90 people were killed.
But tensions remained high between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims.
It is unclear what prompted the latest clashes. The Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims blame each other for the violence.
Clashes erupted in the Ratha Taung township late last night but this later spread to the Kyauk Taw township, where security forces opened fire, reports say.
Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing told BBC Burmese on Thursday that the total death toll since violence flared up again on Sunday had reached 56.
More than 1,000 houses have been torched since then and police have deployed reinforcements in the townships of Min Bya and Mrauk Oo, where curfews are now in effect.

Background: Burma unrest

What sparked the violence in June?
The rape and murder of a young Buddhist woman in Rakhine in May set off a chain of deadly religious clashes.
Why was a state of emergency declared?
A state of emergency allows the introduction of martial law, which means the military can take over administrative control of the region.
Who are the Rohingyas?
The United Nations describes Rohingya as a persecuted religious and linguistic minority from western Burma. The Burmese government, on the other hand, says they are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent. Neighbouring Bangladesh already hosts several hundred thousand refugees from Burma and says it cannot take any more.

It was the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman by three Muslims in May that set off the initial unrest.

A mob later killed 10 Muslims in retaliation, although they were unconnected with the earlier incident, and the violence escalated after that.
In June, about 90 people were killed as clashes spread across the state.
The houses of both Buddhists and Muslims were burnt down and thousands of people fled. Muslims throughout Burma have abandoned plans to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha because of the violence.
There is long-standing tension between the ethnic Rakhine people, who make up the majority of the state's population, and Muslims, many of whom are Rohingya. The Burmese authorities regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and correspondents say there is widepsread public hostility to them.
In August Burma set up a commission to investigate the violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the west of the country. Authorities earlier rejected a UN-led inquiry.
From BBC

Barack Obama casts vote early in Chicago

President Obama: "I can't tell you who I voted for"

President Barack Obama has cast his vote in his hometown of Chicago as his campaign seeks to boost early ballots in a neck-and-neck election race.

Mr Obama, who is on a two-day campaign marathon across eight states, is the first president to vote early.
His Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, is in Ohio, a swing state which could hold the key to the White House.
Thirteen days from the election, a new national poll says Mr Romney has 50%-47% support among likely voters.
The survey, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that when asked about which candidate they would trust more to handle the economy, 52% backed Mr Romney versus 43% for Mr Obama - the first time a candidate has held a clear lead on the issue.

"Widespread early voting, as well as postal voting changes the game”

Mark Mardell North America editor

The president's ballot casting on Thursday was part of his campaign's wider effort to encourage early voting, with many states holding open in-person polls this week.

First Lady Michelle Obama voted by absentee ballot on 15 October.
It is estimated that 7.2 million people have already cast early ballots, and that about 35% of the electorate will have already voted by polling day.
The Obama campaign recently won a court ruling to keep Ohio's early voting open through the weekend before the election.
Because the US election is a state-by-state contest, a presidential candidate must win key battlegrounds like Ohio, Virginia and Florida, which do not reliably vote for either party. No Republican has ever won the White House without taking Ohio.

Obama spoke about the Mourdock controversy on late-night TV

Former Massachusetts Governor Romney makes three stops across the Mid-Western state on Thursday, while his running mate Paul Ryan is spending the day in Virginia.
But they have been distracted by the fall-out from a fellow Republican candidate's remarks on Tuesday night that pregnancy from rape was part of God's plan.
The campaign has said it disagreed with the comments by anti-abortion Indiana Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock, although it did not withdraw support from him.

Race to the White House

Romney49%

Obama47%

Poll of polls, 22 October 

"We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest, but still support him," a campaign spokeswoman said.

Republicans running in tight contests elsewhere have repudiated Mr Mourdock's remarks.
Mr Obama criticised Mr Mourdock on a US late-night talk show on Wednesday.
"I don't know how these guys come up with these ideas... rape is rape. It is a crime," Mr Obama told host Jay Leno, adding that politicians had no business making decisions for women about their bodies and health choices.
On Thursday, the president makes campaign stops in Florida, Virginia and Ohio. On Monday, he will appear for the first time at a campaign event this election cycle with former President Bill Clinton.
In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Mr Obama indicated what issues would be his priority in a second term, including a budget deal to reduce the US debt, as well as immigration.

Election Daily Diet

25 October Lots of laughing on the campaign trail

Mr Obama received a boost from Colin Powel, formerly Secretary of State for Republican President George W Bush, who endorsed the president on Thursday.

Mr Powell, who also backed Mr Obama in 2008, cited recent improvements in the economy and Mr Obama's guidance of the US military as reasons for his renewed support.
"I also saw the president get us out of one war, start to get us out of a second war and did not get us into any new wars." Mr Powell said, adding that under Mr Obama the US economy was "out of the dive and starting to gain altitude".
He also expressed doubts over Mr Romney's approach to foreign policy, saying the candidate's policies were a "moving target".

Feds arrest NYC police officer, accuse him of failed plot to kidnap, rape and then cook women

By Tom Hays, The Associated Press | Associated Press

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Federal authorities say a New York City police officer plotted to kidnap women, rape and torture them and then cook and eat their body parts.

Gilberto Valle was arrested Wednesday in the ghoulish case. He is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan sometime Thursday.

According to a criminal complaint, the FBI intercepted emails from Valle to an unidentified co-conspirator "discussing plans to kidnap, rape, torture, kill, cook and eat body parts of a number of women."

No women were actually harmed.

The New York Police Department patrolman lives in Queens. He had been assigned to a Manhattan precinct before being suspended Wednesday.

The name of Valle's attorney was not immediately available. There was no immediate response to a message left with the NYPD.

2016 Copa America to be played in U.S.

By ESPN.com news services

South American soccer governing body CONMEBOL will hold a special Copa America tournament in 2016 in the United States to commemorate the organization's 100th year.

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With the Copa America coming to the U.S., Lionel Messi & Co. will play alongside the likes of Clint Dempsey. The only question is, what took so long to bring the tournament to the U.S., asks Jeff Carlisle. Story

CONMEBOL said at a meeting of its executive committee in the Argentine capital Wednesday that the tournament would include the 10 South American confederation teams, plus the United States, Mexico and four others from the CONCACAF region, which comprises North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The event will take place between the 2015 and 2019 Copa America tournaments.
CONMEBOL said in a statement that the four CONCACAF teams would be added according to their rankings in the Gold Cup, the CONCACAF regional championship.
CONMEBOL said the event will be played in July, but offered few other details. It's the first time the event will be played outside South America and could be a huge financial success showcasing Brazil and Argentina to North American fans.
Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Neymar, Oscar and Radamel Falcao are among the international stars who could represent South American teams.

GettyImagesLionel Messi is among the stars who would likely play in the special U.S.-hosted Copa America 2016.

The event will follow the 2016 European Championship in France, which will be expanded to 24 teams for the first time.
CONMEBOL also said Japan and Mexico will play in the 2015 Copa America as guest teams.
Uruguay won the 2011 Copa America, which was played in Argentina.
CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, holds its Gold Cup championship in odd-numbered years. Since 2007, South America's Copa America has been held every four years in the summers following World Cups. There have been two outside invitees since 1993, mostly from CONCACAF.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Palin accuses Obama of ‘shuck and jive shtick’(yes it is racist)

By Mike Krumboltz | The Ticket – Wed, Oct 24, 2012

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin released a statement on her Facebook page accusing President Obama of engaging in "shuck and jive shtick" regarding last month's attack in Benghazi, Libya.

"Why the lies? Why the cover up? Why the dissembling about the cause of the murder of our ambassador on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil? We deserve answers to this. President Obama's shuck and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end," Palin wrote.

For those who aren't familiar with the phrase, "shuck and jive" is a racially-tinged expression. According to the user-submitted Urban Dictionary, the term "originally referred to the intentionally misleading words and actions that African-Americans would employ in order to deceive racist Euro-Americans in power, both during the period of slavery and afterwards."

As Politico points out, this isn't the first time the phrase has come up and inspired controversy. Several years ago, Andrew Cuomo, then New York's Attorney General, used the expression while campaigning for Hillary Rodham Clinton. "You can't shuck and jive at a press conference," Cuomo said. "All those moves you can make with the press don't work when you're in someone's living room."

Cuomo was promptly blasted by CNN's Roland Martin, who wrote: "'Shucking and jiving' have long been words used as a negative assessment of African Americans, along the lines of a 'foot shufflin' Negro.' In fact, I don't recall ever hearing the phrase used in reference to anyone white."

Earlier this week, conservative pundit Ann Coulter inspired outrage when she called President Obama a "retard" following his Florida debate with GOP challenger Mitt Romney. An athlete with Down Syndrome wrote an open letter to Coulter in response. "Come on Ms. Coulter," he wrote. "You aren't dumb and you aren't shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?"

Reds Win again at Anfield

Inter leave it late

Inter Milan finally broke the resistance of stubborn Partizan Belgrade two minutes from time to win their Europa League clash at the San Siro 1-0.

GettyImagesRodrigo Palacio heads home Inter's late, late winner against Partizan Belgrade

Inter looked on course for a frustrating goalless draw in the Group H match as they failed to find a way past their Serbian opponents. But, having lived dangerously at times, substitute Rodrigo Palacio's header at the death won it for Andrea Stramaccioni's side.
Victory kept them level on seven points with Rubin Kazan as Alan Kasaev's first-half goal proved enough to give Rubin a 1-0 win at home to Neftchi.
Kasaev's 16th-minute drilled shot from a Gokdeniz Karadeniz through-ball maintained the Russian side's unbeaten start, while Neftchi remain without a win.
A superb strike from Stewart Downing saw Liverpool claim a 1-0 victory over Anzhi Makhachkala.
Downing cracked home an unstoppable effort from outside the box in the 53rd minute after coming in from the left flank. The win was no less than the Reds deserved having been the better side for much of the contest, and they now lead the group with six points from three games.
Raul Bobadilla continued his recent hot streak as he fired a hat-trick to revive Young Boys' Europa League hopes with a stunning 3-1 home win over Udinese.
Bobadilla had the Swiss side cruising with goals after four and 72 minutes but Udinese, second-best throughout, threatened a comeback when Andrea Coda headed in moments later. But Bobadilla eased any home concerns when he coolly converted an 82nd-minute penalty to grab his hat-trick and an eighth goal in his past nine games.
Gylfi Sigurdsson helped Tottenham Hotspur rescue a point in Slovenia after an inept performance at NK Maribor saw them slump to a third successive Europa League draw, this time 1-1.
The former Swansea midfielder has yet to find his feet since his summer arrival, but went some way to repaying the north Londoners' faith by lashing home to ensure his side did not leave the Stadion Ljudski vrt empty-handed.
It was a goal that saved Spurs' blushes in what was a frustrating night against a Maribor side that came into the match with a record of just two wins their previous 15 European games on home soil.
The Vijolicasti lost home and away to the Championship side Birmingham in last season's competition yet took the lead three minutes from half-time when Robert Beric prodded home.
Toche was Panathinaikos' hero again as his last-minute goal earned a 1-1 draw with Lazio.
Giorgos Seitaridis' farcical own goal gave Lazio a half-time lead but Toche poached a late equaliser, having also scored the goal which earned his side a point against Tottenham last time out.
Ukrainian side Dnipro earned a third win in as many Europa League games to top Group F at the midway stage with a 3-1 victory over Napoli.
Artem Fedetskiy's early goal and Matheus' header shortly before half-time gave the hosts a comfortable interval lead. It was extended by Victor Giuliano before Napoli substitute Edinson Cavani netted a consolation goal from the penalty spot.
Jeremain Lens' 80th-minute equaliser earned PSV Eindhoven a 1-1 draw at home to AIK.
The Eredivisie outfit looked to be heading to a surprise home defeat as they trailed to a Kwame Karikari effort after 60 minutes and struggled to create any clear-cut chances to level. But Lens spared their blushes with a sharp finish and even sent them up to second in the Group F table.
Gabriel Obertan's first goal of the season maintained Newcastle's challenge as the Ameobi brothers joined forces to see off Club Brugge 1-0.
Shola, 31, and 20-year-old Sammy combined in breathtaking style three minutes into the second half to set up the Frenchman to secure the narrowest of victories.
It was a far from comfortable evening for a much-changed Newcastle side, although they might have been in control of the game long before Obertan struck had Papiss Cisse managed to convert any of the chances which came his way.
Maritimo and Bordeaux shared the points in a closely-fought clash which ended 1-1 at the Estadio dos Barreiros in Funchal.
Ligue 1 Bordeaux took a first-half lead through Yoan Gouffran, but Maritimo hit back soon after thanks to Frenchman Valentin Roberge and neither side could fashion a winning goal in the remainder of the match.
The draw leaves Bordeaux on four points in Group D, now three behind leaders Newcastle, while Portuguese outfit Maritimo moved on to two points as they continue to prop up the standings.
Atletico Madrid extended their winning run in UEFA competitions to 16 games with a comfortable 2-1 win over Academica thanks to goals from Diego Costa and Emre Belozoglu.
Adrian Lopez had spurned the best chance of a largely uneventful first half but the holders went in front just two minutes after the restart when Costa hooked in Tiago's flick-on from Gabi's corner.
The goal brought the Portuguese side out of their shell a little but any hope they had of heading back across the Iberian border with a point were extinguished 23 minutes from time when Emre curled a sumptuous free-kick into the top corner and, despite a late consolation goal from Salim Cisse, Atleti saw out the final few minutes with relative ease.
Viktoria Plzen moved five points clear in second place in Group B with a tight 2-1 win over 10-man Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel.
The Czech side had to fight back from behind after Hanan Maman's early opener, with Pavel Horvath and Frantisek Rajtoral putting the visitors in front before Hapoel's Iyad Khutaba was sent off late on.
Jimmy Briand scored four minutes from time to hand Lyon a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in a pulsating finale at the Stade Gerland.
Lisandro Lopez had headed the French side ahead against the run of play eight minutes into the second half but Athletic deservedly equalised with 11 minutes remaining as substitutes Fernando Llorente and Ibai Gomez combined for the latter to smack home a glorious volley.
Lyon keeper Remi Vercoutre then made a world-class save to deny Markel Susaeta and within seconds the hosts snatched the three points when Gorka Iraizoz failed to hold onto Gueida Fofana's powerful effort and Briand tucked away the rebound.
Three first-half goals were enough to propel Sparta Prague to a routine 3-1 victory over Hapoel Kiryat Shmona at the Generali Arena.
Ladislav Krejci and Vaclav Kadlec scored within the first 10 minutes to give Sparta a flying start in the Group I fixture. Ondrej Svejdik added the third on the stroke of half-time and, although their beleaguered Israeli opponents pulled one back through Shimon Abuhatzira in the 76th minute, it mattered little.
Bayer Leverkusen retained top spot in Group K with a convincing 4-0 victory over struggling Rapid Vienna at the Ernst Happel Stadion.
Philipp Wollscheid gave the German outfit a half-time lead and then two goals in three minutes just before the hour mark from Gonzalo Castro and Karim Bellarabi ended the match as a contest.
Castro then notched his second in stoppage time to put the icing on a victory that lifts Leverkusen on to seven points and keeps them narrowly ahead of Metalist Kharkiv.
Late goals from Bonfim Marlos and Cleiton Xavier maintained Metalist's hopes of progressing as they came from behind to win 2-1 in Rosenborg.
Rosenborg grabbed a deserved lead one minute into the second half when John Chibuike crossed for Tarik Elyounoussi to fire home low from 12 yards.
Metalist grabbed their equaliser with 10 minutes to go, Marlos firing home low from the edge of the six-yard box after a cross from Cristian Villagra.
And Metalist grabbed victory in the 89th minute after Taison was fouled by Mikkel Diskerud and Cleiton blasted the resulting free-kick past Orlund from 20 yards.
Borussia Monchengladbach remain in the race for qualification from Group C after inflicting a first Europa League defeat of the season on Marseille.
It was a lacklustre encounter in Westphalia, with Filip Daems' first-half penalty failing to prompt a meaningful response from Elie Baup's side.
If anything, the French outfit retreated further into themselves and a first loss in seven European outings was confirmed by Peniel Mlapa's long-range effort.
Egeman Korkmaz's second-half header gifted Fenerbahce a hard-fought 1-0 win as Jorge Costa's first match in charge of AEL Limassol ended in defeat.
Former SC Braga and CFR 1907 Cluj boss Costa was given little time to prepare for this fixture after only being announced as the Cypriot side's new coach on Wednesday. And although the hosts performed admirably for the Portuguese it was all in vain as Korkmaz headed home from Cristian Baroni's corner to send the Turkish outfit top of Group C.
It could prove to be a priceless victory for Fenerbahce, who are three points clear of German side Borussia Monchengladbach and French outfit Marseille.
Didier Konan struck a stoppage-time winner to give Hannover a dramatic 2-1 win over Helsingborg that just moments earlier looked to have been snatched away from them.
Hannover were on course for a win for much of the match thanks to Mame Biram Diouf's early goal but hosts Helsingborg appeared to have snatched a point right at the death when substitute Alvaro Dos Santos equalised a minute into injury time.
However, there was still another twist in the tale as, with three of minutes of added time up, Konan fired in from close range to earn Hannover the points and keep them a point clear of Levante at the top of Group L.
Levante took a giant stride towards the knockout stages as a Michel penalty and two goals from Pedro Rios guided them to a 3-0 victory over FC Twente.
The Eredivisie leaders enjoyed the better of the first period and were controversially denied the opening goal when Dusan Tadic's strike was ruled out because Luc Castaignos was in an offside position and adjudged to have been active.
Steven McClaren's men were even less pleased with the officials just before the hour mark when a penalty was harshly awarded for Douglas handling Nikos Karabelas' cross and Michel calmly slotted away the spot-kick.
And, with Twente chasing an equaliser, they were caught out on the break as Rios was twice left with the easiest of finishes to roll the ball home and tighten the Spanish side's grip on second place in Group L.
Sporting Lisbon's campaign was left in tatters as their 10 men succumbed 2-1 to Genk in Belgium.
Sporting led through Stijn Schaars' deflected opener on seven minutes, but there was little else for new boss Franky Vercauteren, who watched on in the stands, to be enthused by.
Benjamin De Ceulaer brought Genk level on 24 minutes and after Khalid Boulahrouz saw red. The ailing visitors then conceded an 87th-minute winner to Elyaniv Barda.
The result means Sporting are rock bottom of Group G with just a draw from three games, leaving them six points adrift of leaders Genk.
An own goal from Fabian Schar and Marco Caneira's strike helped Videoton claim another upset victory as Basle were left to rue a woeful start in a 2-1 defeat in Szekesfehervar.
The Hungarians caused a major upset by sweeping aside Group G favourites Sporting Lisbon three weeks ago and they went ahead as early as the third minute here when Schar diverted Alvaro Brachi's cross into his own net.
Caneira's close-range strike half an hour later put the hosts, managed by Paulo Sousa, further in the ascendancy and it was enough for victory, although Schar made slight amends for his earlier mistake with a header that halved the deficit in injury-time.
Stuttgart's home woes continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw by FC Copenhagen.
Reds boss Bruno Labbadia has come under fire for his side's poor home form that has now seen them fail to record a win in their past six games in all competitions at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Two quickfire first-half goals gave Steaua Bucharest a richly deserved 2-0 win in a game they thoroughly dominated against Molde.
Vlad Chiriches' spectacular opener was swiftly added to by Raul Rusescu as the Romanian side got the reward for their early dominance.
There was no let-up after the break but Molde keeper Ole Soderberg fought a lone vigil to keep the scoreline respectable for the outclassed Norwegians.
Source ESPN

Mali crisis: 'Foreign fighters come to help Islamists'

 

Islamists took advantage of the chaos after the coup to establish their control

Foreign fighters have arrived in a town in northern Mali, Gao's exiled mayor has told the BBC, confirming reports of an influx of jihadists to the north.

Sadou Diallo said between 60 and 100 Algerians and Sahrawis had come into the town about four or five days ago.
A resident in Timbuktu told the AFP news agency on Monday that Sudanese Islamists had arrived over the weekend.
Plans are under way for military intervention after Islamists took over northern Mali earlier this year.

"If we don't act there is a very real threat of further attacks in Africa, and eventually Europe, the Middle East and beyond”

          Stephen O'Brien UK envoy

Two weeks ago, the UN Security Council gave the regional bloc Ecowas 45 days to draw up a plan with the details of its offer to send 3,000 troops to the vast desert region.

The Islamist groups and Tuareg rebels took control of northern Mali following a coup in March.
The junta seized power, accusing the government of failing to deal effectively with a Tuareg rebellion that had started in January - but Islamist groups then took advantage of the chaos and seized all the region's major towns, including the historic city of Timbuktu.
The Islamists, who have since fallen out with their Tuareg allies, have imposed a harsh interpretation of Sharia in the areas they control - there are reports of people being stoned to death and having their limbs amputated.
'Koranic students recruited' Mr Diallo told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme the foreign fighters were lightly armed and had arrived in Gao on 93 trucks.
"They were identified as coming mainly from Western Sahara and Algeria. They seem to be instructors. They bring small arms with them, not heavy weapons," he said, adding that one or two of the fighters were from Sudan.

"They don't live in the town, they come in during the day, they don't harm the population, they just go about their business and leave at night."
Mr Diallo, Gao's elected mayor who was speaking from the capital, Bamako, said that the Islamist group controlling the town - the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao) - had also recruited 200 students from local Koranic schools.
"There is a radical Muslim sect in surrounding villages and all young people from the Koranic schools in the area have joined Mujao... not because they support the group, but because they've lost hope after seven months of suffering, they're unemployed; they can't resist," he added.
He said Mujao paid them between $300 (about £190) and $400 a month.
Earlier a security official told AFP news agency that hundreds of Sudanese and Sahrawi fighters had arrived in the region.
An resident in Timbuktu told the agency on Monday that "more than 150 Sudanese Islamists arrived in 48 hours".
"They are armed and explained that they had come to help their Muslim brothers against the infidels," the agency quoted him as saying.
Timbuktu is where centuries-old shrines to Islamic saints, revered by Sufi Muslims, have also been destroyed by the Islamists, who consider them idolatrous.
Meanwhile, the UK says it could help to provide training for the West African military intervention.
Stephen O'Brien, the UK special envoy to the region, said after his return from discussions in Mali with the government and its international partners that if the crisis in the north was left unresolved the region could provide a new base for terror networks.
"Al-Qaeda in the [Islamic] Maghreb, which has activities in the area, is growing in both capability and ambition, and if we don't act there is a very real threat of further attacks in Africa, and eventually Europe, the Middle East and beyond," AP news agency quotes him as saying.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has pledged similar support and voiced similar concerns.

Nigerian navy detains Russian crew over arms

The Nigerian navy has seized a foreign-flagged ship carrying arms and ammunition and arrested its 15 mainly Russian crew members.

The vessel was intercepted over the weekend by patrol boats, a naval official told AFP news agency.
Officials said the boat, belonging to Moscow-based security firm Moran, was carrying rifles and ammunition.
Moran told the BBC the boat had all the required permissions to carry arms and had stopped in Lagos to change crew.
"It was proceeding from one high-risk area to another," Alexey Badikov said.
"The ship was travelling from Madagascar. The final destination was Conakry."
He said officials from the Russian embassy in Lagos had visited the crew members, who were unable to leave the ship, and were working to ensure their release.
But Naval Command spokesman Lt Commander Jerry Omodara told AFP that the MV Myre Seadiver and its crew were being detained for further investigation.
"There is no indication that the vessel was authorised to come into Nigeria and, worse still, to carry arms," he said.
The cargo is said to have included 14 AK-47 rifles and 3,643 rounds of ammunition, as well as 22 Benelli MR1 rifles with 4,955 rounds.
The Nigerian navy says the vessel was travelling under a Dutch flag while Moran says the boat had a Cook Islands flag.
Arms smuggling is a flourishing enterprise in Nigeria, which is battling an Islamist insurgency in the north of the country, and oil thefts and piracy in the south-east.

Koto sacked by Senegal for Africa Cup of Nations failure

Senegal coach Joseph Koto has been sacked ten days after the violence-tainted 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ivory Coast.

Koto and his assistant Karim Sega Diouf were dismissed, after a Senegal Football Federation meeting on Tuesday, for failing to meet their objectives.
The Teranga Lions were formally disqualified from the 2013 Nations Cup last week by the Confederation of African Football.
 
The match against the visiting Elephants was abandoned 14 minutes from time due to crowd violence, with the Ivorians leading 2-0.
The two goals from Didier Drogba in Dakar had extended Ivory Coast's overall lead in the final round qualifier to 6-2 on aggregate.
The qualifier had to be called off as Ivory Coast players and fans were subjected to a hail of stones, bottles and chairs with fires lit in the stands and firecrackers thrown.
Trouble flared at the 60,000-capacity stadium after a penalty converted by captain Drogba gave his side a seemingly unbeatable lead.
After a 40-minute delay while security officials battled to restore calm, the match was abandoned.
Koto had been in the job just four months, he had replaced Amara Traore who lost his job following the Teranga Lions first round exit from this year's Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Sudan arms factory hit by explosions and fire

 

 Soldiers blocked roads to the factory in Khartoum

Fire has engulfed an arms factory in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, following an explosion.

Khartoum governor Abdul Rahman al-Khidir told state media that no-one had died but that some people had suffered smoke inhalation.
The reason for the blast at the Yarmouk industrial complex in the south of the city is not yet clear.
Flames also spread to nearby buildings causing panic among local residents, local media said.
"There was a very loud explosion and you can see now a huge fire," one resident told Reuters news agency.
'Flashes of white light' Armed forces spokesman Col Al-Sawarmi Khalid said the explosion set light to surrounding grass and trees sending flames over a wide area, state news agency Suna reported.

Unverified pictures which claim to show the explosion at the arms facility

He said civil defence forces had contained the fire.
"Investigations are under way to determine the causes of the explosion as well as assessing human and material loss," he said.
Witnesses reported seeing two or three fires with dense smoke and intermittent flashes of white light.
Mr Khidir, governor of Khartoum state, told local TV that the explosion had occurred at midnight.
"There are losses in the building and the authorities are investigating the cause. A preliminary investigation says the explosion happened in a store room," he said.
Mr Khidir said some people had been taken to hospitals suffering smoke inhalation but otherwise there were no casualties.
In 1998, the US launched a missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, alleging that it was making materials for chemical weapons.
Sudan denied the allegation, insisting that the US had attacked a factory that manufactured anti-malaria medicines and veterinary products in defiance of international laws.

Ukraine's Femen: Topless protests 'help feminist cause'

 

By Sam Wilson BBC News, Kiev

Their audacious topless stunts have earned them high-value exposure in the West - but with an approaching election at home in Ukraine, can the women's rights group Femen make a real difference?

The door to Femen headquarters is adorned with a large pair of sculpted breasts, painted in blue and yellow, the Ukrainian colours.
Despite complaining of police harassment and making plenty of enemies, they clearly have no intention of being discreet.

"The young generation don't want to be classical feminists, they want to be part of a new feminism”

          Oleksandra Shevchenko Femen

Inside the small, unfurnished basement flat near Kiev's main square, four women, the eldest 25, sit in a line on a bench.

Oleksandra Shevchenko, the tallest, sets out the group's ideology.
"We're fighting against patriarchy, in its three manifestations: sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion," she says.
Ms Shevchenko helped found the movement in 2008 in reaction to what they saw as the belittled status of women in post-Soviet Ukraine. The fate of too many, they believed, was to be trafficked into prostitution abroad, or touted as internet brides.
'We decide' Feminist discussion groups at a university in western Ukraine soon turned to protests in Kiev.

 

 Femen say their attack on a cross targeted patriarchal religion

Femen did not go topless at first, but they insist stripping off has won them a wider audience for their message - without undermining it.
"For centuries, women's bodies and sexuality was used by men," says Ms Shevchenko.
"We understood we have to control our bodies and sexuality ourselves. We decide what to do with our body, our sexuality, our boobs - whether to hide it or show it."
But many Ukrainians are unimpressed by their antics. A common reaction, when they are mentioned, is to raise eyebrows or snort with derision.
People do not take them seriously, see them as self-publicists, or even suspect they are a decoy, devised to take pressure off the government they spend so much time attacking.
They have had more luck in the West. Editors have happily given space to topless feminists with slogans daubed on their chests, brandishing chainsaws.
Ms Shevchenko says sympathetic Western groups have invited them abroad and helped with their funding.
She says the group has about 40 topless activists in Ukraine, and another 100 who have joined their protests abroad.
'Sextremist' tactics Some Western feminists have welcomed the debate they have started, and the attention they have brought to a cause that has not dominated the news for decades.
Alice Schwarzer, editor of Germany's leading feminist magazine, Emma, calls them "courageous and clever" as well as "creative".
Despite condemning the exploitation of female nudity for much of her career, she put Femen on her front cover.
"The bare breast, which would normally objectify them, becomes a weapon for them," she told the German journal Spiegel.

Ms Shevchenko argues that today's neo-feminists need to use "sextremist" tactics, rather than rely on arguments, to provoke a response.
"Many years ago, suffragettes used this way of protest, so I don't know why now feminists try to criticise our way.
"The young generation don't want to be classical feminists, they want to be part of a new feminism."
Their sisters in this endeavour are the women who march on Slutwalks, and the Russian punk protesters Pussy Riot.

"They had a spade with them - when they poured oil over us we thought they'd set us on fire”

          Oksana Shachko Femen

It was partly in sympathy with the jailed Russian trio that Femen launched their most controversial protest, felling a large wooden cross in Kiev with a chainsaw, half-naked.

Their gesture was a strike against religion, they say.
That would have upset enough people in devoutly religious Ukraine. But the cross was also, according to Ukrainian media, a monument to victims of Stalin's repression in the 1920s and 1930s.
Ms Shevchenko denies this. That was a different cross, she says. Either way, the act angered and alienated many people, some of whom might otherwise be sympathetic to their cause.
It also cast a shadow over what has become a much broader human rights agenda focused on other former Soviet states.
Menaced in Belarus At the end of the bench sits Oksana Shachko, yawning as much of the interview, in English, passes her by.
She has become associated with Femen's most overtly political stunts.

 

Mocking Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has landed Femen in trouble

It was she who attempted - topless - to steal the ballot box into which President Vladimir Putin had posted his vote in this year's Russian presidential election. That cost her two weeks in a prison cell.
She also risked much worse in Belarus. Last December, on the first anniversary of his re-election, she and two others lampooned President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been described as the last dictator in Europe. They all stripped off. One had her head shaved bald and donned a lookalike moustache.
Afterwards, they decided to run for it, but could not escape Belarus' KGB. After questioning for hours, Ms Shachko says, they were hooded and driven into a forest, stripped and covered in oil, menaced with knives, and told they would never make it out of the woods.
"We were sure they'd rape us. The most nerve-wracking moment was when they made us take off our trousers and knickers and get on our hands and knees," she says.
"They had a spade with them too. When they poured oil over us we thought they'd set us on fire."
Eventually they were left to find their own way out of the forest.
Their outright defiance of Eastern Europe's strongmen is unquestionably brave. Femen argue their acts can help inspire campaigners for democracy in that region.
But whether they have made any difference in advancing the cause of women is open to question.
With Ukraine's parliamentary election coming this weekend, Femen have no faith in the main candidates.
"We don't have politicians in Ukraine," says Ms Shevchenko.
"All of them are just faces of different oligarch groups. We don't have ideas, ideologies, real parties. Only people who have a lot of money, or who have good friends who want to lobby their interests."
They certainly will not be supporting the imprisoned opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, whom they believe is as corrupt and self-serving as her male rivals.
They say they have plans up their sleeve to disrupt the election campaign.
They are unlikely to make much difference to the result. But they may at least get the election some attention in the West.