Vigilantes Seize Mexico Town After Murder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Seven Panda Cubs Make Their Debut In China

Eyes tightly shut, these seven panda cubs are the main attraction of a competition in China to win the chance to look after the rare animals for a year.

The tiny cubs made their debut at the Chengdu Panda Base, in southwest Sichuan Province.

The animals are a major draw for the "panda ambassador" competition, which has 16 finalists competing for the top prize later this month.

Of the seven pandas, the biggest is Aoliao weighing 13lbs.

Twin brothers, Chengshuang and Chengdui - "pairs" in Mandarin - are the only twin pandas born this year.

The 16 competition finalists have joined up with the Chengdu Panda Base to train giant pandas for release into the wild.

Three winners of the "Pambassador" programme will be announced on November 16.

According to organisers, the contest aims to raise awareness of protecting an endangered species.

Only 1,600 pandas are estimated to remain in the wild.

During their one-year "ambassadorship", the selected winners will be given the opportunity to witness a panda delivering babies and spend time with the cubs.

They are also expected to visit pandas living in different countries and to promote conservation.

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New York City: Power Being Switched Back On

Energy companies have been working day and night to restore power to parts of New York devastated by the powerful Sandy storm.

In the last 24 hours, engineers in Manhattan have managed to repair 11 power grids damaged by the high winds and storm surge.

Around 5,800 homes were still without electricity in Manhattan as of Saturday morning.

The worst-hit area of New York remains Queens - with 81,000 people still without power. Brooklyn and Staten Island both have 31,000 and the Bronx has 25,000 without electricity.

Runners make their way through Queens during the 2011 race

A statement from energy firm Con Edison said it had now restored power to 70% of customers - around 645,000 homes.

It said: "The hurricane is the worst natural disaster to strike Con Edison's customers in the company's history.

"Crews are facing thousands of downed wires in New York City and Westchester County.

"Some cannot be re-energised since they are in flood zones with damage that bars the safe re-introduction of electricity."

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

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, has also said that 80% of the city's subway system has now been restored.

He also urged local people not to panic about a fuel shortage, and said petrol supplies were on the way.

"Do not panic. I know there is anxiety about fuel," he said. "The situation has been remedied. Gas stations will be getting fuel."

A lot of repair and clean-up work remains on the US East Coast, with parts of New Jersey also badly hit by the storm on Monday night and facing being cut off from electricity until the middle of November.

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

Motorists in 12 New Jersey counties will only be allowed to buy petrol every other day under order of governor Chris Christie.

Petrol stations have seen long queues and angry scenes as people attempt to fill up after the storm.

President Barack Obama said: "We still have a long way to go to make sure the people of New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and some of the other surrounding areas get their basic needs taken care of and we start moving back to normalcy.

"It is critical for us to get power back on as quickly as possible. It is a painstaking process but we are making progress.

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

"As we start seeing the weather get a little bit colder people can't be without power for long periods of time."

In his weekly radio address he added: "We're Americans, when times are tough, we're tougher. We put others first. We go that extra mile.

"We open our hearts and our homes to one another, as one American family. We recover, we rebuild, we come back stronger -- and together we will do that once more."

The official death toll for those in the US now stands at 109 people, on top of at least 69 people killed when Sandy tore through the Caribbean.

Estimates put the total damage up to $50bn (£30bn), according to forecasting firm Eqecat - making it the second costliest after Hurricane Katrina.

It comes after mayor Michael Bloomberg finally agreed to cancel the New York Marathon after outrage from residents left homeless or beset by power cuts.

The U-turn came just three hours after he defended the decision to hold it.

Concerns were raised that the city's already stretched police force would be redeployed to patrol the race from carrying out relief work and storm victims could be evicted from hotels to make room for people taking part.

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

Mr Bloomberg said: "It is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division.

"The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination.

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

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

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

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Expenses: MacShane Letters Protected By Rules

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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US Election: Romney Die-Hards Fund Own Campaigns

By Gary Mitchell, in Ohio

Some Republicans are so desperate to get their man in the White House they are spending thousands of dollars of their own money travelling around the country to aid the campaign, Sky News has learned.

With the race now in its final sprint, Mitt Romney's army of die-hard fans are understood to be driving and jetting to the key swing states, the places that will decide the result.

They are door-knocking, visiting businesses and meeting community groups in the likes of Ohio and Virginia - targeting undecided voters as well as shoring up support in strong conservative areas.

In a sign of just how much they want multimillionaire Mr Romney in the highest office in the land, some are making multiple trips to different states, paying their own way with flights, car journeys, hotels and meals.

Self-funding volunteers have been organised into groups and have been convening at hotels to form their campaigning plan. It is not clear how much direction they are given by Republican Party officials.

One such volunteer Sky News met in Ohio, where the two candidates arrived to campaign on Friday, said: "We're going to swing states, but we're not just doing the touch-and-go counties - we're going to places where we know Mitt has a lot of support, but we don't want to be complacent.

"This race is extremely tight, so it's about energising the base as well as the swing counties.

Volunteers are hoping to build on Mr Romney's strong base of support

"I've spent $2,000 (£1,250) on this trip alone and taken two weeks' vacation, travelling up from Texas. There are a few others here from Utah and Alabama.

"But I know of others who go it alone rather than doing this in groups."

The man, in his 50s, was speaking at a hotel where his group of fewer than 10 were staying and asked to remain anonymous, saying the Republican Party advises its volunteers not to speak to the media.

Matt Reger, the chairman of Wood County Republican Party in Ohio, said he had recently met two Republican supporters who are travelling to parts of the country to back Mr Romney and bearing all of the cost.

"Last Sunday, I had lunch with a couple from Alabama who came up here for the week to do door-to-door for Romney," he said.

"They had come up at the beginning of October and then had gone to North Carolina. They had then gone back to Alabama and then had once again come back to Ohio.

"They did all of this at their own expense."

Sky News made repeated attempts to reach the Republican Party for a comment, but no one was available.

A Democratic Party spokesman said they had many volunteers, but were not aware of any who spend their own money travelling around the country campaigning for Barack Obama.

He said: "If we have volunteers in California, they might put phone calls into people in Virginia. But to my knowledge, we don't have people flying around anywhere unless they really have something in particular to offer."

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Comet Collapse: Gift Vouchers Suspended

Gift vouchers for stricken electrical retailer Comet have been suspended, the chain's administrator has confirmed.

Deloitte, which was appointed on Friday, has launched an "urgent" search for a buyer to protect some 6,600 jobs at the 236-outlet chain.

But, as a consequence, of administration gift vouchers have been suspended even though all Comet stores remain open and the group's staff will continue to be paid.

A spokesman for Deloitte said: "We are assessing the position with regard to gift vouchers, to establish whether it is possible for the company to accept them in future.

"But in the meantime stores have been instructed not to accept payment by means other than credit card or cash.

"If ultimately it is not possible for customers to redeem gift cards at Comet, then they will have an unsecured claim against the company, and the administrators will be pleased to provide the appropriate forms for customers to make such a claim if and when that eventuality arises."

The collapse of Comet marks one of the biggest high street casualties since the demise of Woolworths in 2008 and comes a month after the failure of JJB Sports.

Neville Kahn, joint administrator and restructuring services partner at Deloitte, said on appointment: "Our immediate priorities are to stabilise the business, fully assess its financial position, and begin an urgent process to seek a suitable buyer which would also preserve jobs.

"We appreciate the co-operation and support from the management, staff, customers, landlords and suppliers at what is clearly a very difficult time."

Deloitte said Comet had been hit by weak high street trading conditions, competition from online rivals and being unable to secure the trade credit insurance needed to safeguard suppliers.

"The inability to obtain supplier credit for the peak Christmas trading period means that the company had no realistic prospect of raising further capital to build up sufficient stock to allow it to continue trading," Deloitte added.

In particular, it was knocked by the lack of first-time home buyers, which had been key customers for Comet.

Its administration comes just months after Comet was taken over by investment firm OpCapita, which bought the chain in February.

The UK's high street electrical market has come under huge pressure as cash-strapped shoppers put off purchases of big-ticket items such as TVs and large appliances, as online rivals take a bigger slice of the sector.

The spokesman said extended warranties previously purchased remain unaffected by the administration and remain valid.

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Crackdown Sees 14 Nigerian Kidnappers Killed

Security forces in Nigeria have stormed the hideout where a Turkish national had been held for ransom.

Fourteen members of a gang thought to responsible for the kidnap died during the operation in the Niger Delta after opening fire on the security agents.

"The hoodlums were shot dead during a gun battle with the security agents in their camp in Kaani community in Ogoni land," said state police spokesman Ben Ugwuegbulam.

"The security operatives returned with a superior firepower and in the process shot dead six of the kidnappers instantly," he added.

Mr Ugwuegbulam said eight wounded gang members died on the way to hospital.

The gang was thought to be behind a wave of robberies and attacks on security agents in recent months.

Two other suspects had assisted the police with their investigations.

Six AK-47 rifles, 444 rounds of ammunition, 17 magazines and around $620 in Nigerian currency were found by police.

The Turkish construction worker the men had abducted last month was released unhurt by his captors after they collected the ransom money.

He was one of scores of people who have been kidnapped for ransom in the Niger Delta, which has in recent months seen increasing unrest.

Despite having large oil and gas reserves the region remains impoverished and badly polluted.

A report by the International Maritime Bureau recently warned that the area was emerging as a new hub for pirate activity.

In an unrelated development, five African aid workers kidnapped last month in central Niger have been released after being held captive in the deserts of Islamist-controlled northern Mali.

A sixth aid worker - who was also kidnapped - was shot during the abduction and later died of his wounds.

A government official said the five had arrived in the western Nigerian village of Yassan, near the Mali border, during Friday night.

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Wiggins Withdraws From Tax Avoidance Scheme

Olympic and Tour de France cycling hero Bradley Wiggins has withdrawn from a controversial tax avoidance scheme.

The 32-year-old was criticised last week for investing in a scheme named Twofold First Services, reportedly owned by a company based in the Cayman Islands.

He told The Guardian: "I had a small investment in Twofold, following guidance from my professional advisers.

"I had, however, claimed no tax relief of any amount in regard to this investment. Given the concerns raised about it, I have now instructed my advisers to withdraw me from the scheme with immediate effect."

The tax partnership reportedly took advantage of farming tax credits to create tax relief described as "abusive" and "artificial" by the Treasury.

In an interview with the newspaper, Wiggins went on to describe his frustration over accusations that his performance was fuelled by drug use – in light of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.

He said: "The anger is more: I've got to pick up the pieces. He's still a multimillionaire, and he's not here to answer the questions. I can't not answer them because I've got to go and race next year, and I hate talking about it."

The cyclist, who is the strong favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, said there were a number of drawbacks to his success.

He said: "I wouldn't say I wish I hadn't won the Tour, but sometimes, especially with recent events, the Lance Armstrong stuff, I find it hard being the winner of the Tour and everything that goes with it.

"I wanted to be the winner for the challenge of what the sporting event is about and how hard you can train to do that, and I never wanted all the stuff that went with it."

Wiggins also revealed he finds it difficult to cope with being recognised by fans when he is out with his family.

He said: "They ask your wife to take the photo, which is a bit rude. And after a while that becomes tiresome, especially when you're having a pizza with your children, or you have to have a photo with somebody else's kids while yours stand to the side."

He added: "There comes a point when I've got to start getting on with my life. It would be hard to live my life as it is forever."

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Ancient Princess' Tomb Discovered In Egypt

The tomb of a pharaonic princess has been discovered south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The 4,500-year-old burial site was discovered by Czech archaeologists near the famous step pyramid of Saqqara.

Princess Shert Nebti's tomb includes four limestone columns and hieroglyphic inscriptions which researchers are now translating.

An official from Egypt's antiquities ministry said the site dates back to the fifth dynasty - around 2,500 BC.

"The discovery of this tomb marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the sepulchres at Abu Sir and Saqqara," antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim said.

The site includes the tombs of four senior officials, including a "grand upholder of the law" and an "inspector of the servants of the palace", according to their inscriptions.

Archaeologists will now establish more details about the princess and her life and importance.

The discoveries were made during the annual excavation season in Egypt, when temperatures are moderate.

The country's tourism industry has suffered significantly since the 2011 uprisings which toppled leader Hosni Mubarak.

Earlier this week the Foreign Office raised its terror threat level for UK citizens visiting the country, saying there was a "high risk" of attack.

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Obama And Romney In Final Weekend Frenzy

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney have launched a frenzied final weekend of campaigning, with both seeking an edge in a handful of battleground states.

Opinion polls showed a race for the popular vote so close that only a statistically insignificant point or two separated the two rivals.

Soundings in the nine remaining battleground states tightened after Mr Obama's poor performance in the first presidential debate on October 3, and have stayed that way.

However Republicans quietly acknowledged that Mr Romney had so far been unable to achieve the breakthroughs needed such pivotal states as Ohio and Wisconsin.

That leaves Mr Romney with the tougher path to reach the required 270 electoral votes.

He must win more of the nine most-contested swing states that are not reliably Republican or Democratic – the linchpin of Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire.

President Obama disembarks from Air Force One

After holding mostly small and mid-size rallies for much of the campaign, Mr Obama's team is planning a series of larger events this weekend aimed at drawing big crowds in battleground states.

Still, the campaign is not expecting to draw the massive audiences Mr Obama had in the closing days of the 2008 race, when his rallies drew more than 50,000.

Mr Obama's closing weekend also includes two joint events with former president Bill Clinton - a rally Saturday night in Virginia and an event Sunday in New Hampshire.

The two Democrats had planned to campaign together across three states earlier this week, but that trip was called off because of superstorm Sandy.

On Saturday the President was briefed by rescue co-ordinators on government efforts to support recovery work, with many parts of the US East Coast still suffering from fuel shortages and power outages.

Meanwhile Mr Romney hosted a massive rally on Friday night in West Chester, Ohio, drawing more than 10,000 people to the Cincinnati area for an event that featured rock stars, sports celebrities and dozens of Republican officials.

It was a high-energy event on a cold night designed to kick off his own sprint to the finish.

Mr Romney and his wife in West Chester, Ohio

Mr Romney arrived in New Hampshire close to midnight on Friday after an 18-hour day on the campaign trail that took him from Virginia to Wisconsin and on to Ohio.

He was attending a Saturday morning rally on the New Hampshire coast before making an afternoon appearance in Iowa, and two more in Colorado.

He shifted an original plan to campaign in Nevada on Sunday in favour of a schedule likely to bring him back to Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Aides stress that his schedule is fluid and may change with little notice as they evaluate where his time is best spent.

On Saturday, Obama's first stop was in Mentor, Ohio, then he was campaigning in Milwaukee and Dubuque, Iowa, and ending the day in Bristow, Virginia.

On Sunday, he was taking his campaign to New Hampshire, Florida, Colorado and back to Ohio.

About 25 million people have already voted in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Mr Obama holds an apparent lead over Mr Romney in key states.

But Mr Obama's advantage is not as big as the one he held over John McCain in the 2008 race, giving Mr Romney hope that he could make up that gap in Tuesday's election.

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