Disney buys firm behind Star Wars

31 October 2012 Last updated at 07:22 ET

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George Lucas signs away his Star Wars empire to Disney's Robert Iger

Disney is buying Lucasfilm, the company behind the Star Wars films, from its chairman and founder George Lucas for $4.05bn (£2.5bn).

Mr Lucas said: "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of film-makers."

In a statement announcing the purchase, Disney said it planned to release a new Star Wars film, episode seven, in 2015.

That will be followed by episodes eight and nine and then one new movie every two or three years, the company said.

The last Star Wars film was 2005's Revenge of the Sith, and Disney said it believed there was "substantial pent-up demand".

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Some fans are up in arms at the 'House of Mouse' getting its hands on a series that left such an indelible mark on their collective imaginations. "

End Quote

Neil Smith Arts reporter, BBC News

---

James Burns, founder of Jedi News fansite in the UK said: "It is fantastic that we are doing to be seeing more Star Wars films as George Lucas has said many times that there wouldn't be any more."

Disney will pay about half in cash and half in stock, issuing 40 million Disney shares in the transaction.

The deal follows Disney's acquisitions of Pixar studios for $7.4bn in 2006 and Marvel comics for $4.2bn in 2009.

"Our valuation of Lucasfilm is roughly comparable to the value we placed on Marvel when we announced that acquisition in 2009," Disney said, adding that the valuation was almost entirely driven by the Star Wars franchise.

Transition

George Lucas launched Lucasfilm in 1971 and the first Star Wars film was released in 1977.

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," Mr Lucas said.

"I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime."

Mr Lucas will continue as a creative consultant.

Kathleen Kennedy, currently co-chairman of Lucasfilm, will become president of the firm and will be the executive producer on the new Star Wars films.

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She worked on the Jurassic Park and Back to the Future franchises and co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg.

When the later Star Wars films were released in the 1990s and 2000s, although they did well at the box office, they were generally not well-received by fans.

But Josh Dickey, film editor at Variety magazine in LA, said that Disney was a "great fit" to update Star Wars.

"They're so good at branding and brands. They're so good at working with existing intellectual property and making it resonate with fans and marketing it very well," he told BBC World Service radio.

"They're not as good at creating original content, except for their Pixar division.

"I think if you bring together the minds from Pixar [and] the minds from Disney, the news that Disney is going to reboot Star Wars was a lot more exciting to fans than just 'there's gonna be another Star Wars'."

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Jedi fans "really, really excited"

Surprise

Lucasfilm is also the production company behind the Indiana Jones franchise, and fantasy films Willow and Labyrinth.

Michael Corty, analyst at Morning Star, said Disney's deal was clearly part of a pattern in buying new franchises.

"Pixar was the first big one, then Marvel, and now this one here," he said.

"Because Lucas is private, I would assume most investors would be surprised."

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Apple ousts two key executives

30 October 2012 Last updated at 05:42 ET

Apple has announced a major shake-up of its management, with two senior executives to leave the company.

The announcement follows embarrassing problems with its new mapping software and disappointing quarterly results.

Scott Forstall, head of its iOS software, will leave next year. He will serve as an adviser to chief executive Tim Cook in the interim.

Head of retail John Browett, the former Dixons boss, is also leaving after just six months in the job.

Apple said the moves were a way to increase collaboration across its hardware, software and services businesses. No specific reasons were given for either man's departure.

As part of the changes, Sir Jonathan Ive, who runs the team designing Apple's hardware, will also oversee the user experience on its software.

Mapping problems

The company faced a barrage of criticism after its new mapping software, introduced last month, showed inaccuracies and misplaced towns and cities.

The maps debacle led to Mr Cook issuing an apology to customers, while some critics called for Mr Forstall's head as he was the executive behind the panned app.

Continue reading the main story

Leo Kelion Technology reporter

---

He had been described as Apple's CEO-in-waiting and "mini-Steve". Now Scott Forstall faces becoming a footnote in Apple's history. The iOS software chief had worked alongside the firm's late founder Steve Jobs at Next before Apple bought the firm.

His app-based system has been credited as a major factor in turning round the company's fortunes to the point where the iPhone and iPad now account for most of the firm's profits.

However, he has also been described as a polarising figure within the company, and his "skeuomorphic" design ethic - which involved software resembling real-world items such as calendars with torn paper and stitching - was at odds with Jony Ive's more Spartan visions.

The balance of power appears to have shifted after the fiasco over iOS 6's mapping software which led to a front page apology from Tim Cook on Apple's website.

Steve Jobs only secured his legacy after a period in the tech industry's wilderness. Mr Forstall's own legacy will depend on whether he can repeat the trick.

Mr Forstall joined Apple in 1997 when the technology giant purchased Steve Jobs' start-up Next, and he is credited as one of the original architects of Mac OS X.

A profile in Businessweek called him the "best remaining proxy for the voice of Steve Jobs", the iconic co-founder of Apple, for his strong views on how consumer technology should function and was responsible for the development of iOS, the operating system on iPhones and iPads that bring in most of Apple's money.

But he was reportedly unpopular with the rest of senior management.

There are several reports that he refused to sign the apology that Mr Cook eventually issued for the maps disaster.

Mr Forstall made almost $39m this year from selling shares, and is likely to be in high demand from rival firms in Silicon Valley.

Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X now, while Sir Jonathan will take on responsibility for the design of "human interface" in its software.

One analyst said Sir Jonathan - responsible for much of the look of the iPod, iPhone and other devices - could now help reinvigorate the look of Apple's software, which has been slower to evolve than Google's Android.

"If you have two different heads, you have two different fiefdoms," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.

'Relentless focus'

Mr Browett left British electronics chain Dixons to take up his post with Apple in April this year. His efforts to cut back staffing at the firm's stores provoked a backlash and U-turn, all of which was leaked to the press.

The search for his successor is already underway, with stores reporting directly to chief executive Tim Cook in the meantime.

The management changes come a little over a year into Mr Cook's reign as chief executive.

"We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple's history," Mr Cook said.

"The amazing products that we've introduced in September and October... could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services."

Mr Browett was seen as one of Mr Cook's key recruitments. The fact he has moved him out after such a short period of time may be seen as the Apple boss demonstrating a ruthless, but perhaps efficient streak.

"These changes show that Tim Cook is stamping his authority on the business," Ben Wood, analyst with CCS Insight, said.

"Perhaps disappointed with the maps issues, Forstall became the scapegoat."

Apple's fourth quarter profits of $8.2bn (£5bn) reported last week, also missed Wall Street forecasts, while the 14 million iPads it sold in the quarter fell short of analysts' expectations.

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Intruder held at Tom Cruise home

A 41-year-old has been arrested after being held at Tom Cruise's mansion in Los Angeles, California.

The man, later identified as Jason Sullivan, was shot with a Taser by security guards after being caught on the property.

Sullivan, who lives across the road from the Mission: Impossible star, was treated in hospital for his injuries.

Reports claim he was intoxicated at the time and may have confused the house for his own.

Authorities say neither the actor nor his family were at home when the intruder was spotted climbing a fence.

Tom Cruise is on location in London where he's filming All You Need Is Kill.

Scheduled for release in 2014, the film also stars The Devil Wears Prada actress Emily Blunt.

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Drones share sky with civil jets

30 October 2012 Last updated at 08:59 ET

Tests have been carried out to see whether military drones can mix safely in the air with passenger planes.

The tests involved a Predator B drone fitted with radio location systems found on domestic aircraft that help them spot and avoid other planes.

The tests will help to pave the way for greater use of drones in America's domestic airspace.

The flight tests took place off the coast of Florida in early August, but details have only just been released.

The Predator B used in the tests is a modified version of the Guardian drone typically used by the US navy. While such robot planes have been widely used in war zones and on military operations, their use over native soil has been restricted.

Politicians have given the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) until 2015 to prepare its air traffic systems for the use of drones, both commercial and military, over US territory.

For the tests it was fitted with a location system known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) that the FAA wants all domestic aircraft to use by 2020.

Once widely used, ADS-B will change America's air controls from a ground-based system to one that takes flight position data from satellites. By switching to this, the FAA hopes to simplify the job of managing air traffic and improve safety.

The drone completed its trials successfully, said a statement from drone maker General Atomics. The drone's location and flight path were precisely monitored throughout its flight, said the defence firm, and suggests such craft can "fly cooperatively and safely" in domestic US airspace.

More tests are planned.

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Storm blows US campaign off track

30 October 2012 Last updated at 18:47 ET

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President Obama: "The storm is not yet over"

Sandy the super-storm has blown the US presidential race off track with just a week to go until the elections.

President Barack Obama cancelled Wednesday campaign events as he stayed in Washington focusing on relief efforts for the devastated East Coast.

Republican Mitt Romney held a storm-relief event in Ohio, a state crucial to his hopes, and will return to the campaign trail on Wednesday.

Opinion polls show the candidates are running neck-and-neck.

Mr Romney holds a slender lead in some national surveys of the popular vote, but Mr Obama was narrowly ahead in some of the swing states that are expected to decide the race.

The storm has effectively frozen the hotly fought election race by dominating media coverage, while muting the two rivals.

Republican praises Obama

With President Obama monitoring relief efforts from the White House, Mr Romney faced the delicate challenge of trying to demonstrate his leadership abilities without electioneering amid a natural disaster.

Continue reading the main story

Although the president is not campaigning, being seen to be doing his job, and doing it well, is worth a thousand rallies"

End Quote

Washington political analysts were meanwhile left playing guessing games about Sandy's possible implications for the White House contest.

The storm has complicated early voting already underway in Virginia and Florida and could depress voter turnout in areas with power cuts and debris-clogged roads.

On Tuesday, the president met American Red Cross workers in Washington DC and held briefings with disaster-relief managers, as well as the governors and mayors of affected areas.

Mr Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to those affected, telling them: "America is with you."

He will tour disaster areas in New Jersey on Wednesday, accompanied by the state's Republican Governor Chris Christie.

Gov Christie has praised Mr Obama's response to the storm as "outstanding".

'Heavy hearts'

Analysts say such plaudits from a popular Republican governor touted as a possible 2016 presidential candidate should Mr Romney lose, represent useful publicity for the Obama campaign.

Continue reading the main story

Storm aftermath permitting, Mr Obama is still scheduled to hold rallies on Thursday in Nevada, Colorado and Ohio.

Mr Romney is meanwhile heading to Florida. The former governor of Massachusetts is scheduled to stage at least three rallies in that critical swing state on Wednesday.

The Republican candidate went ahead with an appearance on Tuesday morning in Kettering, Ohio, far from Sandy's reach, although it was converted from a political rally to a storm-relief event.

The gathering was not entirely stripped of campaign trappings - there was a biographical film about the candidate, and a country music singer who was originally booked for the rally still turned up to perform.

But Mr Romney did not mention the Democratic incumbent he aims to oust from the White House after next week's election.

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Mitt Romney: "Make the difference you can"

"We have heavy hearts this morning with all the suffering going on in a major part of our country," Mr Romney told several hundred people, many of whom came with bags of canned goods and other items that will be shipped to the East Coast.

The Republican faced questions from reporters about a proposal he made earlier this year to funnel money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the states and private sector.

Mr Romney refused to answer questions from reporters about whether he intended to target the agency, which is now leading the relief effort in areas battered by Sandy.

But a campaign spokeswoman, Amanda Henneberg, said: "A Romney-Ryan administration will always ensure that disaster funding is there for those in need. Period."

The BBC will be providing full online live results of the US presidential election on 6 November. Follow our coverage here

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Guilty plea in US agent's murder

30 October 2012 Last updated at 19:48 ET

A Mexican man has pleaded guilty to the 2010 murder of a US border agent, whose killing was linked to the Fast and Furious gun-running sting operation.

Manuel Osorio-Arellanes could face life in prison for Brian Terry's murder.

Following a plea bargain, prosecutors will not seek the death penalty.

Weapons found at the shooting site were linked to Fast and Furious, which saw US agents allowing hundreds of guns to enter Mexico in the hope of tracking them to major arms dealers.

Manuel Osorio-Arellanes is one of five Mexican men arrested and charged with the shooting of Agent Terry.

Osorio-Arellanes said he had entered the US state of Arizona from Mexico in December 2010 with fellow gang members to rob traffickers crossing into the US of the drugs they were carrying.

Continue reading the main story

• Began in October 2009
• Officials hoped to follow the guns to drug cartel leaders
• But weapons were lost after being transferred from buyers to smugglers who brought them to Mexico
• Congressional report showed at least 122 weapons recovered at crime scenes in Mexico were linked to the sting
• About 1,400 have yet to be recovered
• The operation has produced charges against 20 gun traffickers, 14 have pleaded guilty

On 14 December, Osorio-Arellanes and his gang engaged in a firefight with US border agents, in which Brian Terry was killed and Osorio-Arellanes injured.

Osorio-Arellanes was arrested that same night.

Two of the weapons found at the site of the firefight were traced to the Fast and Furious sting operation.

The operation led to no arrests and many of the smuggled guns were later found at crime scenes, causing outrage in both the US and Mexico.

A US Justice Department report has cited 14 people for possible disciplinary action for their roles in Fast and Furious.

Osorio-Arellanes is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

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Conviction in Craigslist murders

30 October 2012 Last updated at 20:31 ET

A teenager accused of helping kill three men who responded to a fake job advert on the Craigslist website has been convicted of aggravated murder.

Brogan Rafferty, 17, helped Richard Beasley lure victims with bogus ads for a nonexistent rural Ohio cattle farm.

Mr Beasley has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including the attempted killing of a fourth man.

Rafferty faces up to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on 5 November.

He was tried as an adult but will not face the death penalty because he is a juvenile.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that Rafferty was a quick student of violence and a willing participant in the killings, while defence lawyers say he went along with Mr Beasley's plan because he feared for his life.

The man who survived, 49-year-old Scott Davis, testified during the weeks-long trial, as the prosecution's star witness. He identified Rafferty as Mr Beasley's accomplice.

Mr Davis said he responded to a Craigslist ad to work as a farmhand, and met Rafferty and a man who called himself "Jack" for breakfast before driving to an isolated farm.

Prosecutors say that "Jack" was actually Mr Beasley, and that he urged Mr Davis into a wooded area to look for farm equipment.

Mr Davis told the court he heard a gun cock and turned around to find himself face-to-face with a handgun, but pushed it aside and was shot in the arm. He fled, found a house and called police.

The three men killed were Ralph Geiger, 56, David Pauley, 51 and Timothy Kern, 47. Officials say they were targeted because they were older, single, out-of-work men with backgrounds that made it unlikely their disappearances would be noticed quickly.

On Tuesday, Rafferty stood with his hands clasped behind his back and showed no emotion as the convictions were read.

The Ohio jury of seven women and five men took 20 hours to reach verdicts on 25 counts. Rafferty was acquitted of on a charge of identity theft.

Jury forewoman Dana Nash said it was a difficult decision because of Rafferty's age, calling him "a child", but that jurors were sceptical of some of the 17-year-old's testimony, saying they felt he contradicted himself.

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Court rules against US detainee

31 October 2012 Last updated at 06:48 ET

The UK Supreme Court has ruled against a legal charity which argued a Pakistani national in US custody should be handed over to the UK.

Yunus Rahmatullah was captured by British forces in Iraq in 2004 and later taken to Bagram airbase in Afghanistan having been the subject of "extraordinary rendition".

Mr Rahmatullah, a suspected insurgent, remains in US custody, without charge.

The Supreme Court upheld a Court of Appeal ruling challenged by Reprieve.

Last year the Court of Appeal ordered Mr Rahmatullah's return to UK authorities under the law of habeas corpus, an ancient tenet of English law.

However, that release order was cancelled in February by Court of Appeal judges after they were told the US authorities were not going to "play ball".

A panel of seven Supreme Court judges has decided, by a 5-2 majority, to dismiss legal charity Reprieve's appeal against that decision.

Habeas corpus

Under habeas corpus - which means "show the body" in Latin - Reprieve had sought to force the UK authorities to produce Mr Rahmatullah.

Reprieve and Mr Rahmatullah's solicitors, who took instructions from one of his relatives, said while he was being held by US forces at Bagram he remained under UK control as part of a "memorandum of understanding" with the US.

They argued the UK government had the power to ask the US authorities to free him.

But in February British ministers said their efforts to persuade the Americans had "reached the end of the road".

Despite their appeal being rejected, Jamie Beagent, a lawyer representing Mr Rahmatullah, said: "Today's judgment is a resounding affirmation of the principles of habeas corpus and its importance in defending the liberty of the individual from unbridled executive power.

"The government's attempts to row back on centuries of constitutional development and restrict the reach of habeas corpus has been rejected by the highest court in the land.

"Sadly, despite the fact that in international law Mr Rahmatullah remains a British detainee and the United States does not consider him a security threat, our client remains in detention at Bagram."

Mr Beagent said the US was breaching the Geneva Convention and they would be drawing this to the attention of the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating Mr Rahmatullah's case.

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US stock exchanges set to reopen

31 October 2012 Last updated at 07:34 ET

The stock markets in New York are to reopen after their longest closure since 9/11 due to the superstorm Sandy.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is due to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning. Nasdaq will also open after being closed for two days.

Sandy has flooded the subway and submerged much of Lower Manhattan near the financial district.

The cost of clearing up after the storm is estimated at $30-40bn (£18-24bn).

"NYC will be open for business tomorrow. The financial markets will resume, as will businesses in all 5 boros," the mayor tweeted late on Tuesday.

"New Yorkers are rising to the occasion today. It will take some time, but with common purpose we are on the road to recovery."

It is the first time the weather has shut the stock markets for two consecutive days since 1888.

Backlog fears

Some analysts are concerned that the length of time that the markets have remained closed could lead to the backlog of pending trades overwhelming the system.

"You build up pressure when you keep people out of the markets," said Mark Travis, president of Intrepid Capital Funds. "Trading volume that may normally happen in a two-day period could get compressed into an hour or two when markets reopen."

NYSE said it would reopen Wednesday using backup generators - for the first time - because power is out in much of downtown Manhattan.

The exchange also said that one of its key data centres in New Jersey was in good condition after the storm and would be fully up and running.

Duncan Niederauer, chief executive of NYSE Euronext, said on Tuesday: "Our building and systems were not damaged and our people have been working diligently to ensure that we have a smooth opening tomorrow."

Businesses are slowly getting back to normal. The two biggest international airports, JFK and Newark Liberty, are scheduled to open for a limited service on Wednesday.

Beyond New York City, public transport has been halted in several eastern US cities. Eight million people have no power and 18,000 flights have been cancelled.

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Eastern US gets back on its feet

31 October 2012 Last updated at 09:04 ET

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Jody Herrington, New Jersey charity worker: "There are rollercoasters in the water"

Businesses and services in the north-eastern US are starting to reopen on Wednesday after two days of closure forced by storm Sandy.

Flights have resumed to airports in New York. Some federal offices, schools and the stock exchange are due to reopen.

But many homes still have no power and the New York subway remains shut. More than 40 people are dead.

President Barack Obama, who has suspended his election campaign, is due to visit affected areas in New Jersey.

The cost of clearing up after the storm has been estimated at $30-40bn (£18-24bn).

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "We have not seen damage like this in a generation."

Flight backlog

Continue reading the main story

At the Scene

Having removed himself from the election campaign to concentrate on the storm, President Obama will now see at first hand just how destructive Hurricane Sandy has been. He'll travel to Atlantic City where the Republican governor, Chris Christie - normally a fierce critic - will show him scenes of widespread destruction along the Jersey Shore. They'll meet some of those who have lost homes, as well as the emergency teams who have been working around the clock since the weekend.

Across several states, tens of thousands of people spent a second night in school gymnasiums, community centres and hotel rooms, with or without electricity. In a converted detention centre in Teterboro, across the Hudson River from upper Manhattan, I found evacuees receiving food and a bed for the night, but anxious about their flooded homes. In the nearby communities of Little Ferry and Moonachie, the streets were dark, deserted and, in some places, still under water.

People have begun returning to the homes they abandoned on the orders of local authorities.

"It's heartbreaking after being here 37 years. You see your home demolished like this, it's tough," Barry Prezioso of Point Pleasant, a beachfront community in New Jersey, told the Associated Press.

"But nobody got hurt and the upstairs is still liveable, so we can still live upstairs and clean this out. I'm sure there's people that had worse. I feel kind of lucky."

The storm is still causing severe disruption after moving inland from the coast. It is forecast to weaken as it turns north into Canada, but to continue dumping heavy snow and rainfall.

At least 22 people were killed in New York City alone.

Flights started arriving at JFK and Newark Liberty airports on Wednesday morning. Services will be limited, and delays are expected after the cancellation of more than 18,000 flights across the affected area. LaGuardia airport remains closed.

The New York Stock Exchange says it will also re-open after two days' closure, as will the Nasdaq exchange. The last time the stock exchange shut down for two days because of the weather was in 1888.

New York's subway system sustained the worst damage in its 108-year history, said Joseph Lhota, head of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).

Subway tunnels were flooded and electrical equipment will have to be cleaned before the network can re-open.

Continue reading the main story

Impact on US, in figures

• 40+ people killed
• 8 million left without power
• 139 mph - highest gust of wind - Mt Washington, New Hampshire
• 12.55 in (31.88cm) rainfall, Easton, Maryland
• 13.88 feet (4.23m) storm surge, Lower Manhattan
• 7,000 reports of trees down in NY City
• 29 hospitals lost power in New Jersey

Sources: New York Times, AP

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was "no timeline" for when the subway would restart, but he hoped buses could begin running again on Wednesday.

Trams and ferries were resuming services, but most of New York's bridges remain closed.

Across the north-east, at least eight million homes and businesses are without power because of the storm, says the US Department of Energy.

Hospital blackout

Sandy brought a record storm surge of almost 14ft (4.2m) to central Manhattan, well above the previous record of 10ft during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.

Maryland appeared to have the worst of the rain and snow - with falls of 12.5in (32cm) and 28in respectively.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We felt like we would be putting the audience at jeopardy if they had to sit through the show... I had to come in. I used up all my sick days"

End Quote David Letterman

President Obama was due to tour disaster areas in New Jersey on Wednesday with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Mr Christie, a Republican and staunch supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, went out of his way to praise the Democratic president for his handling of the storm.

"I spoke to the president three times yesterday," Mr Christie told CNN. "He's been incredibly supportive and helpful to our state and not once did he bring up the election... If he's not bringing it up, I'm certainly not going to bring it up."

Mr Romney resumed low-key campaigning on Tuesday, converting a rally into a storm relief event in the swing state of Ohio.

In all, storm Sandy has claimed well over 100 lives, after killing nearly 70 people as it hit the Caribbean.

Impoverished Haiti is facing severe food shortages after 70% of crops were destroyed by the storm, officials said.

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Singer Natina Reed killed by car

28 October 2012 Last updated at 06:52 ET

Natina Reed, a member of the US R&B trio Blaque who played a cheerleader in the 2000 film Bring It On, has died in Georgia, police have confirmed.

Reed was struck and killed by a car on Friday night, two days before what would have been her 33rd birthday.

Blaque released a number of successful singles in the late 1990s that included 808, I Do and Bring It All To Me.

In a statement, her bandmates Brandi Williams and Shamari Fears-DeVoe said they were "devastated" by the news.

"Natina continuously embodied the pioneering spirit of Blaque and her undeniable creativity touched the hearts of fans everywhere," they continued.

"Natina was a mother, sister, accomplished songwriter, artist and friend.

"She will forever be missed and her global influence eternally felt."

Survived by son

Proteges of the late TLC rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Blaque took their acronymic name from the words Believing, Life, Achieving, Quest, Unity and Everything.

The trio appeared together in the cheerleading film Bring It On as members of the East Compton Clovers troupe led by Gabrielle Union's character Isis.

Blaque's biggest UK success came in 2004 when their single I'm Good, featured in the dance film Honey, reached 17 in the official singles chart.

Reed was engaged in 2001 to the rapper Ricardo Brown, better known as Kurupt, and is survived by their 10-year-old son Tren.

Authorities in Georgia have ruled that the driver who struck Reed was not at fault and that no charges are expected to be filed.

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Hawaii is spared tsunami damage

28 October 2012 Last updated at 08:05 ET

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Dr Charles McCreery, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center: "It's mostly a marine threat now"

A tsunami triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake thousands of miles away in Canada has hit the island chain of Hawaii, without causing major damage.

Emergency sirens sounded to alert residents late on Saturday, and people were ordered out of of low-lying areas.

The first waves were reported to be up to 2.5ft (76cm) in one area, but were generally smaller than expected.

Hours later, the tsunami warning was downgraded and the state governor said Hawaii could count its blessings.

Wave heights of three to six feet had been predicted in some areas.

The quake struck 125 miles (200km) south-west of the Canadian town of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles (18km), said the US Geological Survey.

While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not initially expect a threat beyond the immediate area, it later warned that a tsunami had been generated "that could cause damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii."

The centre called for urgent action to protect lives and property. People living in areas considered to be at risk were urged to move to higher ground.

First waves hit the archipelago, made up of hundreds of islands spread over some 1,500 miles, from around 22:30 local (08:30GMT).

A senior scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Gerard Fryer, told journalists that while the tsunami had arrived as predicted, he had been "expecting it to be a little bigger."

A civil defence source tweeted that Wailoa Harbor on Hawaii island was reporting 4ft waves every six minutes.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, in an announcement posted at 00:54 local, that the tsunami warning was cancelled.

"Based on all available data, the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase.

"Sea level changes and strong currents may still occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbours and marinas. The threat may continue for several hours," it said.

In the wake of the cancellation, police began reopening roads and people in low-lying areas area were being allowed home, local media reported.

"We want to make certain that everybody understands this advisory now. The water is still treacherous; the water is still dangerous but we can go home and, as I say, we can count our blessings here in Hawaii," Governor Neil Abercrombie said.

Earlier, an eyewitness watching the beaches on Kauai island told the BBC that the waves were big and that a "strange mixture of fear and anticipation" reigned.

"A plane with a siren flew over ... and everyone left the beach and coastal buildings. All the boats have been taken out of the water. It's empty down there which is weird. People went buying gas and groceries," Mike Dexter-Smith said.

'Everything moving'

The quake struck the coast of western Canada at around 03:00 GMT and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock.

There were no immediate reports of damage on the Canadian coast following the earthquake.

Tsunami alerts that were issued for coastal areas of Alaska and British Columbia were swiftly downgraded.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements, close to the epicentre, said the initial quake lasted about three minutes.

"It was a pretty good shock," he told Associated Press. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving."

A resident of the mainland town of Prince Rupert, Grainne Barthe, told AP: "Everything was moving. It was crazy. I've felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve-wracking. I thought we should be going under a table."

Following the quake, small waves measuring 69 cm (27 inches) were reported on the north-east tip of Haida Gwai, while parts of the north-east coast of Vancouver Island saw waves up to 55cm high.

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SpaceX capsule returns to Earth

28 October 2012 Last updated at 18:32 ET

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The capsule returned to Earth carrying an unusual cargo

A space capsule has returned to Earth, ending the first commercially contracted re-supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The capsule was sent by the California-based company SpaceX, the first of 12 missions it will perform for US space agency Nasa.

It landed in the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico at 12:22 local time (19:22 GMT).

Nasa is looking to the private sector to assume routine transport duties to and from low-Earth orbit.

The robotic Dragon ship lifted off on 7 October, with 400kg of food, clothing, experiments and spares for the orbiting platform's six astronauts, and docked three days later.

On its return, the capsule carried broken machinery and medical samples gathered by the astronauts aboard the ISS over the course of the past year.

SpaceX's next mission is expected in January, although the company will need to satisfy Nasa before then that the cause of an engine anomaly experienced by Dragon's launch rocket during its 7 October ascent has been understood, and that corrective action has been taken.

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• The International Space Station (ISS) is larger than a football pitch
• The first module called Zarya was launched into orbit in 1998
• It took 13 years to complete at a cost of around $100bn
• There is a permanent crew of six astronauts onboard who carry out space environment research

New destinations

Nasa has given SpaceX a $1.6bn contract to keep the ISS stocked with essentials, restoring a re-supply capability that the US lost when it retired its shuttles last year.

The terms of the contract kicked in following a successful test of Dragon's systems in May.

That demonstration saw the capsule berth with the ISS - the first commercially designed and built vehicle to do so - and then return safely to Earth.

Nasa hopes a second company can also soon begin operational cargo deliveries to the station.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) will shortly test its new Antares rocket before undertaking its own ISS demonstration with a robotic vessel called Cygnus.

If that mission - tipped to take place next year - goes well, it will trigger a $1.9bn contract for Orbital.

Nasa's aim is eventually to put astronaut transport in the hands of the private sector too.

SpaceX says it is just a few years away from being able to provide an astronaut "taxi" service.

Nasa's policy of outsourcing its cargo and crew transport needs is intended to find savings that can be ploughed back into building a rocket and capsule system capable of taking humans to more challenging destinations.

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San Francisco win World Series

San Francisco Giants clinched their second World Series title in three years as a 4-3 win at Detroit Tigers sealed a 4-0 sweep in the Fall Classic.

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the third inning to put the Tigers ahead for the first time in the series.

Catcher Buster Posey hammered a two-run shot of his own in the sixth to put the 2010 champions ahead but Delmon Young's solo home run levelled the game at 3-3.

World Series 2012

• Game 1: Giants 8-3 Tigers
• Game 2: Giants 2-0 Tigers
• Game 3: Tigers 0-2 Giants
• Game 4: Tigers 3-4 Giants

*home team listed first

Marco Scutaro drove in Ryan Theriot for the winning run in the 10th inning.

Giants' starting pitcher Matt Cain had stayed in the game for seven innings, giving up five hits, but after both sides failed to score in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, the game went to extra innings.

Reliever Santiago Casilla was the winning pitcher after Scutaro's single in the top of the 10th, with two men out, proved the winning hit as Tigers left-hander Phil Coke took the loss.

After winning the National League West division, San Francisco had faced elimination on six occasions in the play-offs, coming from 2-0 down to beat Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in the NL Division Series, then trailed St Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the NL Championship Series before triumphing 4-3.

By contrast, American League Central champions Detroit made steady progress through the post-season, beating Oakland A's 3-2 in the AL Division Series and sweeping New York Yankees 4-0 in the AL Championship Series, allowing them the best part of a week's rest while the Giants toiled away.

World Series analysis

Josh Chetwynd Former GB catcher & BBC baseball analyst

"Everything the Giants did was strong, and it was too little, too late from the Tigers. Their offensive performance was sub-par, and although they swung the bats well in this game, you can't expect to turn it round in the fourth game when you're so far behind. One of the big differences between the two teams was the bullpen - the Giants struck out seven batters in the last three innings and dominated when it mattered most."

Reflecting on the seven-game winning streak that handed them the title, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said: "When you look at the clubs that we played, and having our backs to the wall, it's pretty remarkable what these guys have done.

"It's amazing what a club can do when they play as a team. They're unselfish and they do whatever they can to help a club win.

"For us to play like we did against this great club, I couldn't be prouder."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland conceded: "You can't sit up here and try to find some reason or excuse. They beat us. They earned it, we just spluttered offensively.

"If somebody told me in spring training that we would be in the World Series, I would have had to say 'I'll take that'. But we didn't hit enough, so you just move on. Congratulations to the Giants, they did a fantastic job."

The Giants' burly third baseman Pablo Sandoval, nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", was named as the series' Most Valuable Player, having hit three home runs in the opening match which the Giants won 8-3 - only the fourth player to do so in a World Series game.

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Musician Terry Callier dies at 67

29 October 2012 Last updated at 10:45 ET

Chicago-born singer-songwriter Terry Callier, who collaborated with Massive Attack and Beth Orton, has died at the age of 67.

Callier, who began his career at 17 when he signed to Chess records, recorded his final album in 2009.

Hidden Conversations was written and produced with Bristol collective Massive Attack.

He also worked on Orton's Mercury prize nominated album, Central Reservations. Callier died in hospital in Chicago.

The news was confirmed by record label Mr Bongo, which worked with him on six albums between 2001 and 2009.

His funeral will take place on 3 November in his home city and a memorial is planned for London. The date is yet to be announced.

Many musicians have taken to Twitter and YouTube to pay tribute to the jazz and soul musician.

Orton shared a YouTube video with fans, saying: "This was one of the best nights of my life. Such a privilege and joy - RIP dear Terry Callier."

'Dynamite neighbourhood'

Tim Burgess of The Charlatans posted: "The world has lost another beautiful voice. Rest in peace Terry Callier."

Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody posted a video of Callier's track Ordinary Joe, saying: "Terry Callier RIP. A great soul-folk legend. A sad day."

David Buttle, founder of Mr Bongo, wrote on the company's website: "I first worked with Terry when recording him at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, London in the late 90s. This was a spiritual home for Terry's fans; most nights that he played you could hear a pin drop when he sang and many people passed out, overwhelmed by the light that shone from him."

Callier was born on 24 May, 1945.

He grew up singing alongside soul singers Jerry Butler, Major Lance and Curtis Mayfield.

"That was a dynamite neighbourhood. All of us were doo-woping at the time in different groups," Callier wrote on his MySpace page.

He released his first single Look at me now in 1963.

Callier released three jazz-funk albums in the 1970s but in the 1980s, he left music behind after he was granted custody of his only daughter Sundiata, and re-trained as a computer programmer.

"When I got custody of my daughter I had to give up music to raise her properly, she needed me and the music business just didn't seem like a viable option at that point," Callier said, although he continued to perform.

His music career was resurrected in the early 1990s when his Chess/Cadet recordings were re-discovered by acid jazz fans in the UK.

He sang vocals on Massive Attack's single Live With Me, which was released in 2006.

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Windows Phone 8 system launches

29 October 2012 Last updated at 14:00 ET

Microsoft has formally launched the Windows Phone 8 operating system in a bid to reclaim smartphone market share.

It boasted that the system's internet browser, Internet Explorer 10, was the fastest on any mobile, and also suggested it offered the closest integration with video chat app Skype.

Microsoft had a 3.1% share of the handset system market in the April-to-June quarter, according to IDC.

The low figure has discouraged some developers from building apps for it.

HTC, Nokia and Samsung have all unveiled flagship WP8 devices over recent months, but had been unable to release them while they waited for Microsoft to sign off its software.

The handsets will now go on sale in Europe at the weekend and rollout worldwide during November.

"It can't be underestimated how important it is to Microsoft to get a successful handheld platform," Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight, told the BBC.

"It's the fastest growing and most prolific sector - 800 million smartphones will be sold this year, within three years that number will be up to one billion annually. Nokia has also bet the ranch on this at a time when the market is dominated by Apple and Google's systems - and Microsoft is seen as being late to the party."

Kid's Corner

WP8 resembles the Windows 8 PC operating system released last week. Users navigate the interface by swiping through tiles which also display information pulled from the internet - for example weather conditions, Facebook status updates or recently received emails.

While its predecessor WP7.5 was based on the firm's ageing Windows Mobile platform, WP8 shares its kernel - or software core - with its PC equivalent, which should help make it easier to port programs between the two environments.

Much of the details of WP8 were announced at a previous event in June. But Microsoft had held a few features back until the San Francisco launch.

These included the speed of Internet Explorer 10 which it said was up to seven times faster than the version on WP7.5 at handling webpages based on the commonly used Javascript language. In addition it has been designed to make use of devices' graphics processing units (GPUs) to render videos or animations written in the HTML5 computer language.

The firm also showed off Kid's Corner - a function designed for parents who give their handsets to their children to play with. It allows them to restrict access to a limited number of apps without giving access to email, phone call or text message functions.

Microsoft said a survey had suggested about two-thirds of smartphone-owning parents in the US had used the handsets to occupy their children while out shopping, visiting friends or some other activity.

Another new feature is Rooms which allows users to create an invitation-only environment in which members share their calendars, notes, photos and other material. The firm suggested it might be used to help families, sports teams and other community groups stay "in sync".

Microsoft also made much of an "always-on" Skype experience.

This addresses one of the major flaws with its previous mobile system which had not allowed the video chat program to run in the background. That had meant that users of iOS and Android phones had been able to receive calls while using other apps, but WP7.5 devices had not - a notable omission bearing in mind Microsoft paid $8.5bn (£13.7bn) to buy Skype in 2011.

On WP8 Skype runs in the background even if the app is closed and the phone locked. It uses a similar method introduced in the full Windows 8 system to reduce its battery use by effectively being "asleep" until an incoming notification of a call wakes up the program.

Microsoft stressed the facility would also be available to other video chap apps including Tango and Qik so that its own program would not be given an unfair advantage.

Unfamiliar system

Despite the new features some analysts believe Microsoft could have an uphill struggle to lure customers away from Google's market-leading platform Android, and iOS which powers Apple's iPhones.

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The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones looks at what sets the Lumia 920 apart from rivals.

"Windows Phone as a platform still has very low awareness among consumers, and that's the biggest challenge," Francisco Jeronimo, mobile devices research manager at the consultants IDC, told the BBC.

"Apple still has a strong brand thanks to the advantage it gained by offering the best smartphone experience of its kind in 2007 with the launch of the iPhone. Android benefits from the fact it powers about 147 devices on the market in Western Europe.

"There are only about 8 to 10 handsets running Windows Phone and that makes it hard for it to stand out. It won't be until we see 20 to 30 devices and people relate it to the desktop system that consumers understand there is something going on."

WP8 runs software written for previous versions of the system. But Stuart Miles, founder of the gadget site Pocket-lint, said some consumers might be put off by the fact some apps - including the BBC's iPlayer - remained unavailable.

"Windows Phone 8 will encourage the release of more software, and some of the apps that are already there work well - but the problem is that I've been to several launches where the developers say that a release for the system is on their roadmap but is not a priority.

"So if you are a die-hard app fan you may be disappointed, but if you don't care so much about the latest third-party software then it is worth looking at."

Microsoft said they have 46 of the top 50 apps on the platform so far.

"That's huge progress for us," said Joe Belfiore, manager of the Windows Phone program.

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Apple ousts two key executives

30 October 2012 Last updated at 05:42 ET

Apple has announced a major shake-up of its management, with two senior executives to leave the company.

The announcement follows embarrassing problems with its new mapping software and disappointing quarterly results.

Scott Forstall, head of its iOS software, will leave next year. He will serve as an adviser to chief executive Tim Cook in the interim.

Head of retail John Browett, the former Dixons boss, is also leaving after just six months in the job.

Apple said the moves were a way to increase collaboration across its hardware, software and services businesses. No specific reasons were given for either man's departure.

As part of the changes, Sir Jonathan Ive, who runs the team designing Apple's hardware, will also oversee the user experience on its software.

Mapping problems

The company faced a barrage of criticism after its new mapping software, introduced last month, showed inaccuracies and misplaced towns and cities.

The maps debacle led to Mr Cook issuing an apology to customers, while some critics called for Mr Forstall's head as he was the executive behind the panned app.

Continue reading the main story

Leo Kelion Technology reporter

---

He had been described as Apple's CEO-in-waiting and "mini-Steve". Now Scott Forstall faces becoming a footnote in Apple's history. The iOS software chief had worked alongside the firm's late founder Steve Jobs at Next before Apple bought the firm.

His app-based system has been credited as a major factor in turning round the company's fortunes to the point where the iPhone and iPad now account for most of the firm's profits.

However, he has also been described as a polarising figure within the company, and his "skeuomorphic" design ethic - which involved software resembling real-world items such as calendars with torn paper and stitching - was at odds with Jony Ive's more Spartan visions.

The balance of power appears to have shifted after the fiasco over iOS 6's mapping software which led to a front page apology from Tim Cook on Apple's website.

Steve Jobs only secured his legacy after a period in the tech industry's wilderness. Mr Forstall's own legacy will depend on whether he can repeat the trick.

Mr Forstall joined Apple in 1997 when the technology giant purchased Steve Jobs' start-up Next, and he is credited as one of the original architects of Mac OS X.

A profile in Businessweek called him the "best remaining proxy for the voice of Steve Jobs", the iconic co-founder of Apple, for his strong views on how consumer technology should function and was responsible for the development of iOS, the operating system on iPhones and iPads that bring in most of Apple's money.

But he was reportedly unpopular with the rest of senior management.

There are several reports that he refused to sign the apology that Mr Cook eventually issued for the maps disaster.

Mr Forstall made almost $39m this year from selling shares, and is likely to be in high demand from rival firms in Silicon Valley.

Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X now, while Sir Jonathan will take on responsibility for the design of "human interface" in its software.

One analyst said Sir Jonathan - responsible for much of the look of the iPod, iPhone and other devices - could now help reinvigorate the look of Apple's software, which has been slower to evolve than Google's Android.

"If you have two different heads, you have two different fiefdoms," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.

'Relentless focus'

Mr Browett left British electronics chain Dixons to take up his post with Apple in April this year. His efforts to cut back staffing at the firm's stores provoked a backlash and U-turn, all of which was leaked to the press.

The search for his successor is already underway, with stores reporting directly to chief executive Tim Cook in the meantime.

The management changes come a little over a year into Mr Cook's reign as chief executive.

"We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple's history," Mr Cook said.

"The amazing products that we've introduced in September and October... could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services."

Mr Browett was seen as one of Mr Cook's key recruitments. The fact he has moved him out after such a short period of time may be seen as the Apple boss demonstrating a ruthless, but perhaps efficient streak.

"These changes show that Tim Cook is stamping his authority on the business," Ben Wood, analyst with CCS Insight, said.

"Perhaps disappointed with the maps issues, Forstall became the scapegoat."

Apple's fourth quarter profits of $8.2bn (£5bn) reported last week, also missed Wall Street forecasts, while the 14 million iPads it sold in the quarter fell short of analysts' expectations.

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Second day of US hurricane impact

30 October 2012 Last updated at 08:44 ET

Hurricane Sandy has continued to disrupt business in the US East Coast, including forcing US stock markets to close again on Tuesday.

Sandy has flooded subway and road tunnels in much of Lower Manhattan.

Beyond New York City, public transport has been halted in several eastern US cities, and thousands of flights have been grounded.

The total damage is already estimated at between $10bn and $20bn (£6bn-£12bn).

It is the longest closure since 9/11 and the first time the weather has shut the stock markets for two consecutive days since 1888.

Sandy threatens an 800-mile (1,290-km) swathe of the US, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes in the Mid-West and killed 66 people in the Caribbean last week before pounding the East Coast of the US.

The storm has closed thousands businesses and severely shut down the infrastructure of the nation.

Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, said that depending on how long flooding lasts, the hurricane could maybe shave one tenth of US output during the quarter.

"But you have to remember that the hurricane generates extra activity too, in terms of the clean-up and rebuilding," he told the BBC.

"In theory, it could even be a positive for the economy."

Peter Morici, an economist and professor at the University of Maryland, estimated that some $15bn to $20bn will likely be spent on rebuilding after the storm, which could create as much as $36bn in an "economy with high unemployment and underused construction resources".

"When government authorities facilitate quick and effective rebuilding, the process of economic renewal can leave communities better off than before in many tangible ways."

'Income lost'

Roan Kirby, a farmer in Hope, New Jersey, told the BBC he has had to shut his farm down during the storm.

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BBC's Ben Thompson, in New York: ''All night there were sparks and flashes of light as the power systems went down''

"I see no mention of the impact on farmers," he said.

"It is easy to forget livestock, stored crops and buildings that are at great risk. If trucks cannot get through to pick up milk at the farms and if the processing plants are affected, milk supply will surely be affected. Milk will have to be disposed of on the farm if it cannot be collected, which will mean a huge loss of income."

In New York, the US financial capital, an explosion at a sub-station caused power outages and darkened most of downtown Manhattan as well as Westchester County and affected more than 650,000 customers, power company Consolidated Edison said.

"This is the largest storm-related outage in our history," said John Miksad, Con Ed's senior vice president for electric operations.

Six million homes are currently without power.

Both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq exchanges said they would remain closed on Tuesday, but both plan to reopen on Wednesday. NYSE said that its famed trading floor - based close to the major flooding in Lower Manhattan - remained undamaged.

Wednesday is a key trading day because it is the last day of the month, when traders price their portfolios.

Bond trading is also suspended.

In Europe, shares in Swiss Re rose 1.3% and Munich Re shares were also higher. The two companies are reinsurers - they insure insurers, who will have to pay out a large amount to businesses and individuals affected by Sandy.

The continued closure of public transport along the US East Coast means millions of people won't be able to get to work.

Air traffic to and from the region has also been severely disrupted and nearly 14,000 flights were cancelled, potentially hurting airlines that were already struggling in the weak economy.

Amtrak has suspended passenger train services across the north-east.

The UN headquarters in New York is also to stay closed, while public transport was suspended in Washington DC, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.

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Europe losses curb Ford profits

30 October 2012 Last updated at 09:00 ET

Carmaker Ford has reported a slight dip in profits for the third quarter after losses in Europe offset record profits in the US.

Net income fell 1% to $1.63bn (£1.01bn, 1.26bn euros).

The company said it earned a record $2.3bn in the US, partly thanks to an increase in selling prices.

Fiat's third quarter results were also released on Tuesday and told a similar tale of strong US sales and losses in Europe.

Ford said European car sales across the industry were the lowest in 20 years.

Ford last week announced it would close two plants in the UK and one in Belgium following a sharp fall in sales in the region.

Italy's Fiat more than doubled its third quarter profits, helped by strong North American sales figures at its Chrysler unit.

Net profit for the quarter to the end of September was 286m euros ($369m), up from 112m in the same period a year ago.

The Italian car giant said the European market would not recover until 2014.

Fiat has warned in the past it may have to shut one its five Italian plants and that sales in its home country - one of the worst affected by the eurozone's economic crisis - were down to levels seen 40 years ago.

European woes

Ford said it believed the problems in Europe, where personal debt and government austerity is biting into consumers' income, was "structural, rather than cyclical".

It said the changes it announced last week to its European operations were designed to return it to profits in the region by mid-decade, with an operating profit margin of 6-8%.

That compares with a margin of 12% in North America.

Elsewhere in the world Ford's performance was positive, with record market shares recorded in Africa and Asia. Fiat, too, did well in the faster-growing emerging markets.

Alan Mulally, Ford president and chief executive said: "While we are facing near-term challenges in Europe, we are fully committed to transforming our business in Europe by moving decisively to match production to demand, improve revenue through new products and a stronger brand, improve our cost efficiencies and take advantage of opportunities to profitably grow our business."

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New York major disaster declared

30 October 2012 Last updated at 09:00 ET

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BBC's Ben Thompson, in New York: ''All night there were sparks and flashes of light as the power systems went down''

US President Barack Obama has declared a "major disaster" in New York state after storm Sandy smashed into the US East Coast, causing flooding and cutting power to millions.

A record 4m (13ft) tidal surge sent seawater cascading into large parts of New York City's subway system.

Across the city, a power sub-station exploded, a hospital was evacuated and fire destroyed 50 homes.

At least 15 people are reported dead across several US states.

In northern New Jersey, a rescue operation is reported to be under way after a levee broke and flooded the town of Moonachie.

Bergen County chief of staff Jeanne Baratta told CNN: "Moonachie has been devastated. Every street has got four or five feet of water on it."

An estimated six million homes and businesses stretching from the Carolinas to Ohio are without power, AP news agency reported.

In all, about 50 million people could be affected by the storm, with up to a million ordered to evacuate their homes.

Sandy, now downgraded from a hurricane but described as a "super-storm", is churning north heading for Canada.

Over the past week Sandy has killed more than 80 people as it carved a path of destruction through the Caribbean.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

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"

End Quote New York City transport director Joseph Lhota

The storm made landfall close to Atlantic City in New Jersey at about 20:00 local time (midnight GMT), with winds of more than 80mph (129km/h).

It collided with cold weather fronts from the west and north to create what some forecasters have dubbed a "Frankenstorm".

Much of Atlantic City was under water and 30,000 residents were evacuated.

In New York City, parts of Lower Manhattan were quickly inundated as the Hudson and East rivers overflowed. Seawater poured into road tunnels and the subway system. Images showed cars being swept along streets by the torrent.

"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.

City officials had earlier ordered some 375,000 residents out of Lower Manhattan and other areas under threat.

"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 an explosion at a sub-station, probably caused by flooding or flying debris, blacked out much of Lower Manhattan.

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Matthew Trowbridge and Susan Burke Mangano filmed flooding in Ocean City, New Jersey

The company said about 500,000 homes in Manhattan were without power.

As dawn broke, residents emerged to see the havoc wreaked by the storm.

In other developments:

• Fire has destroyed about 50 homes in the New York City borough of Queens
• More than 200 patients were evacuated from New York University's Tisch Hospital after power went out and a backup generator failed
• A large tanker ship has been washed on to a street in Staten Island, New York
• 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.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the storm surge had surpassed the highest forecast, but he expected waters to start receding.

Continue reading the main story

SANDY HITS EAST COAST

• At least 15 people dead, including one in Canada
• 1m ordered to leave their homes
• 50m people estimated to be affected, with 6m left without power
• 800-mile (1,290 km) stretch of the US affected
• 10,000 flights reported grounded globally on Monday and Tuesday
• Manhattan hit by record storm surge of 13.7ft (4.15m) on Tuesday morning

Elsewhere in the city, the storm left a construction crane bent double next to a skyscraper and caused the facade of a four-storey building to collapse.

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.

Officials reported at least 15 deaths in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut - several caused by falling trees. A Canadian woman was also reported killed by flying debris in Toronto.

Forecasters have said Sandy could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours.

Earlier, President Obama declared emergencies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Early on Tuesday he declared a major disaster in New York and Long Island, making federal funding available to those areas.

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 was 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).

New York major disaster declared

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Canada country profile

8 August 2012 Last updated at 05:32 ET

Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. However, its population is only about one-fifth of Russia's.

Nearly 90% of Canadians live within 200km of the border with the United States, which means that Canada contains vast expanses of wilderness to the north.

The relationship to its powerful neighbour is a defining factor for Canada. The US and Canada have the world's largest trading relationship.

The North American Free Trade Agreement, involving Canada, the US and Mexico, has brought a trade boom for Canada. But thorny issues abound. American moves which impact on Canadian exports, in the form of tariffs on Canadian timber and increased subsidies for US farmers, have created particular tension.

Canada is also worried about pollution from US factories near the border, and about the possible impact on the environment of the exploitation of oil deposits in Alaska.

Canada pursues a foreign policy that is distinct from that of the US. The country has committed troops to the American-led war on terror, but does not back the US trade embargo on Cuba. Canada did not send troops to join the US-led war in Iraq.

After the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US, the challenge of securing the 9,000-km Canada-US border from possible terrorist infiltration prompted both countries to look at ways of sharing information.

Immigration

Immigration has helped to make Canada one of the world's richest nations. Challenges related to discrimination and integration are gaining increasing attention. Many recent newcomers hail from Asia. Canada's indigenous peoples make up less than two per cent of the population. The way in which provincial governments share land and natural resources with native groups is an ongoing issue.

Separatist aspirations in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec are a major domestic issue. A referendum in 1995 saw advocates of an independent Quebec only narrowly defeated. Subsequent opinion polls indicated a fall in support for independence and the pro-independence Parti Quebecois was defeated in 2003's provincial election.

The concept of nationhood for Quebec resurfaced in late 2006, when parliament agreed that the Quebecois should be considered a "nation" within a united Canada. The move was largely symbolic, having no constitutional or legal grounding.

Canada has been asserting its sovereignty in the Arctic with growing vigour and has become embroiled in territorial spats with the US and Denmark. At stake is the possible bounty from previously-untapped reserves of oil and gas.

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Puerto Rico profile

20 August 2012 Last updated at 05:11 ET

Hispanic, Afro-Caribbean and North American influences meld in Puerto Rico, a self-governing commonwealth that belongs to the United States.

The subtropical Caribbean territory is urbanised, industrialised and relatively prosperous.

The US invaded and occupied Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War of 1898, ending centuries of rule from Spain. The US saw the island as a strategic asset and ran it as a colonial protectorate.

Under American administration Puerto Rico saw growth and development. But nationalist sentiment sometimes spilled over into violence, notably in the 1930s and 1940s. Nationalists staged an armed attack in the US Congress in 1954.

A series of bombings and killings in the 1970s and 1980s were blamed on a pro-independence group, the Macheteros, or Cane Cutters. The group's fugitive leader was killed by federal agents in 2005.

Puerto Ricans are to vote on their island's political status in a referendum scheduled for late 2012. They will be asked whether they want a change in status or prefer to remain in a US commonwealth. In a second part of the referendum they will be asked to choose from three options: statehood, independence or sovereign free association. Regardless of what they decide, any change requires approval by the US Congress and president.

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• Politics: Puerto Rico is a self-governing overseas territory of the United States
• Economy: Tourism is an important earner

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Puerto Rican voters, who elect a governor for the island, have tended to favour parties that support the union with the US. Puerto Ricans do not pay US income tax, and the island receives federal funds.

There is an established cycle of migration between Puerto Rico and the US; hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have lived and worked in New York and other cities.

The once substantial US military presence has been scaled down with the closures of a major naval base and a bombing range. Rancour over the latter grew after a civilian employee was killed by a stray bomb.

Explorer Christopher Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain in 1493, heralding an influx of Spanish settlers. The newcomers, and the diseases they brought with them, decimated the territory's Taino indian population.

The main settlement, San Juan, became an important Spanish outpost. Slaves were brought to the island in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Puerto Rico's landscape is varied, and includes rainforests in the north-east. The territory is prone to hurricanes.

Tourism is an important money-earner; the island receives millions of visitors each year and is a port-of-call for cruise liners.

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Apple profits miss expectations

25 October 2012 Last updated at 17:58 ET

Apple's fourth quarter profits missed Wall Street forecasts as iPad sales fell short of analysts' predictions.

Profits in the last three months were $8.2bn (£5bn), up from $6.6bn last year, with revenues of $36bn, up 27%.

Apple sold 26.9 million iPhones in the quarter to 29 September, higher than forecast, and 14 million iPads.

The slower iPad sales was put down to consumers delaying purchases on rumours that Apple was launching an iPad Mini, which was unveiled on Tuesday.

"We were happy with the 14 million iPad sales in the quarter. It exceeded our expectations," said Apple finance director Peter Oppenheimer. "But as the summer went on, the rumours were pretty rampant about the iPhone and iPad."

Apple shares fell 1.5% in after hours trading on Wall Street, although analysts said the lower numbers should not be of too much concern.

Shaw Wu, analyst at Sterne Agee, said: "The iPhones came in better than expected. The shortfall was on the iPad for two reasons. There was a pause on the iPad ahead of the iPad Mini. Everyone was waiting for that. Then they replaced the third generation iPad with the fourth generation."

"They stopped shipping the third generation to the channels. So it was customers waiting for the iPad mini and drawing down the third generation."

'Very confident'

Attention will now turn to the iPhone 5, which has been on sale for nine days, as the market enters the run-up to the key Christmas spending season.

Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a statement: "We're entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline."

Apple said that it sold 4.9 million Macintosh computers in the latest quarter, a 1% rise from the same three-month period last year. However, sales of iPods fell 19% to 5.3 million, according to the earnings report.

The fourth quarter figures took Apple's profits for the year to $41.7bn, up 45% on 2011, with revenues of $156.5bn, a 61% increase.

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US economic growth up sharply

26 October 2012 Last updated at 13:36 ET

The US economy grew more than expected in the three months to September, official figures showed.

The world's largest economy expanded at an annualised rate of 2% in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said.

The jump was partly due to a large increase in government spending.

The figures are one of the last pieces of important economic data before the US presidential election between Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney on 6 November.

Federal government expenditures and gross investment increased 9.6% compared with the previous quarter, while national defence spending rose by 13%. The Commerce Department said there was a jump in personal consumption as well.

A drought in the US, which was the worst for 50 years, cut farm output and took 0.4 percentage points off the GDP figures, the Commerce Department said.

With more than 20 million Americans unemployed and a huge public deficit, the economy has become one of the central issues of the campaign.

The US has now been growing for more than three years, since June 2009.

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Analysis

In political terms, today's figures probably don't change much.

They offer yet another snapshot of an economy that's growing, but growing too slowly for comfort or for any particular optimism. And it's been like this for 13 quarters.

Since mid-2009, growth in the US has averaged 2.2% per year. There has been a shift though.

Instead of businesses, it is now consumers and housing that are providing the growth. Companies are increasingly cautious.

That may be because of the dreaded "fiscal cliff" - a bunch of tax hikes and spending cuts that go in to effect in the new year unless Congress acts.

The economy simply does not have enough momentum to absorb the shock from going over the fiscal cliff without going into recession.

"While we have more work to do, together with other economic indicators, this report provides further evidence that the economy is moving in the right direction," said Alan Krueger, chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

But the Romney camp was not impressed. "Slow economic growth means slow job growth and declining take-home pay," Mr Romney said in a statement. "This is what four years of President Obama's policies have produced."

Speaking at a rally on Friday in the state of Iowa he said the growth figure was disappointing and that he could do better.

Economic fight

Mr Romney has repeatedly challenged President Obama's record, saying ''we have not made the progress we need to make''.

"If the president were re-elected, we'd go to almost $20 trillion (£12.4tn) of national debt. This puts us on a road to Greece," Mr Romney said during the second presidential debate.

Mr Obama replied that his opponent did not have a five-point plan to fix the economy, but ''a one-point plan''.

Last month, the US unemployment rate fell to 7.8%, down from 8.1%, its lowest since January 2009 when Mr Obama's term in office began.

Nigel Gault, chief US economist at IHS Global Insight, said: "There is prospect that we could do better next year if we could clear up some of the uncertainties, particularly the fiscal cliff.

"A lot of the ingredients for stronger growth are falling into place, particularly the gradual easing of credit conditions and the improvement in the housing market."

The "fiscal cliff" refers to automatic tax hikes and government spending cuts that were agreed by Democrats and Republicans during the last budget face-off. They will drain about $600bn out of the economy next year, possibly plunging the US economy into unless action is taken by Congress.

Chris Williamson, chief economist at financial research firm Markit, said there was no certainty that this pace of growth would be maintained: "It remains too early to tell whether growth will accelerate or slow in the fourth quarter.

"However, it seems unlikely that the consumer mood will continue to brighten if not supported by evidence that the corporate sector is also seeing stronger growth, suggesting there are downside risks and the GDP growth rate could slow from the third quarter's 2% pace."

Low interest rates

To help get the US economy back on track, the US Federal Reserve in September restarted its policy of pumping money into the economy via quantitative easing. The Fed pledged to buy $40bn of mortgage debt a month, with the aim of reducing long-term borrowing costs for firms and households.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

By now, people know what they think of the state of the economy. It is what - or who - could make it better. That is the question"

End Quote

"Growth was fairly resilient," said Christopher Vecchio, a currency analyst at DailyFX, but "nevertheless, this is still not the stable recovery the Federal Reserve is looking for".

Recent housing data has also shown some encouraging signs of recovery, analysts say.

Sales of existing homes and housing construction have picked up and the main home price index has risen consecutively for three months.

House prices have rebounded in some areas, while mortgage rates are expected to stay at record lows because of low interest rates.

The Fed has vowed to keep rates at the current levels of close to zero until 2015.

The economy grew by 1.3% in the previous quarter. The US states its growth in annualised terms, meaning that its quarterly growth rate is extrapolated as if it was growing at that pace for the whole year.

By way of rough comparison, that means the US grew by about 0.5% from the previous three months on a quarterly basis. During the same quarter, the UK grew by 1%,

Figures for the eurozone have not yet been released but Germany is expecting a "noticeable expansion" and debt-ridden nations like Spain and Greece will likely have shrunk again.

China, the world's second-biggest economy, also uses an annualised rate of growth. It expanded 7.4% in the third quarter.

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Singer Natina Reed killed by car

28 October 2012 Last updated at 06:52 ET

Natina Reed, a member of the US R&B trio Blaque who played a cheerleader in the 2000 film Bring It On, has died in Georgia, police have confirmed.

Reed was struck and killed by a car on Friday night, two days before what would have been her 33rd birthday.

Blaque released a number of successful singles in the late 1990s that included 808, I Do and Bring It All To Me.

In a statement, her bandmates Brandi Williams and Shamari Fears-DeVoe said they were "devastated" by the news.

"Natina continuously embodied the pioneering spirit of Blaque and her undeniable creativity touched the hearts of fans everywhere," they continued.

"Natina was a mother, sister, accomplished songwriter, artist and friend.

"She will forever be missed and her global influence eternally felt."

Survived by son

Proteges of the late TLC rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Blaque took their acronymic name from the words Believing, Life, Achieving, Quest, Unity and Everything.

The trio appeared together in the cheerleading film Bring It On as members of the East Compton Clovers troupe led by Gabrielle Union's character Isis.

Blaque's biggest UK success came in 2004 when their single I'm Good, featured in the dance film Honey, reached 17 in the official singles chart.

Reed was engaged in 2001 to the rapper Ricardo Brown, better known as Kurupt, and is survived by their 10-year-old son Tren.

Authorities in Georgia have ruled that the driver who struck Reed was not at fault and that no charges are expected to be filed.

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Hawaii is spared tsunami damage

28 October 2012 Last updated at 08:05 ET

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Dr Charles McCreery, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center: "It's mostly a marine threat now"

A tsunami triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake thousands of miles away in Canada has hit the island chain of Hawaii, without causing major damage.

Emergency sirens sounded to alert residents late on Saturday, and people were ordered out of of low-lying areas.

The first waves were reported to be up to 2.5ft (76cm) in one area, but were generally smaller than expected.

Hours later, the tsunami warning was downgraded and the state governor said Hawaii could count its blessings.

Wave heights of three to six feet had been predicted in some areas.

The quake struck 125 miles (200km) south-west of the Canadian town of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles (18km), said the US Geological Survey.

While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not initially expect a threat beyond the immediate area, it later warned that a tsunami had been generated "that could cause damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii."

The centre called for urgent action to protect lives and property. People living in areas considered to be at risk were urged to move to higher ground.

First waves hit the archipelago, made up of hundreds of islands spread over some 1,500 miles, from around 22:30 local (08:30GMT).

A senior scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Gerard Fryer, told journalists that while the tsunami had arrived as predicted, he had been "expecting it to be a little bigger."

A civil defence source tweeted that Wailoa Harbor on Hawaii island was reporting 4ft waves every six minutes.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, in an announcement posted at 00:54 local, that the tsunami warning was cancelled.

"Based on all available data, the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase.

"Sea level changes and strong currents may still occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbours and marinas. The threat may continue for several hours," it said.

In the wake of the cancellation, police began reopening roads and people in low-lying areas area were being allowed home, local media reported.

"We want to make certain that everybody understands this advisory now. The water is still treacherous; the water is still dangerous but we can go home and, as I say, we can count our blessings here in Hawaii," Governor Neil Abercrombie said.

Earlier, an eyewitness watching the beaches on Kauai island told the BBC that the waves were big and that a "strange mixture of fear and anticipation" reigned.

"A plane with a siren flew over ... and everyone left the beach and coastal buildings. All the boats have been taken out of the water. It's empty down there which is weird. People went buying gas and groceries," Mike Dexter-Smith said.

'Everything moving'

The quake struck the coast of western Canada at around 03:00 GMT and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock.

There were no immediate reports of damage on the Canadian coast following the earthquake.

Tsunami alerts that were issued for coastal areas of Alaska and British Columbia were swiftly downgraded.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements, close to the epicentre, said the initial quake lasted about three minutes.

"It was a pretty good shock," he told Associated Press. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving."

A resident of the mainland town of Prince Rupert, Grainne Barthe, told AP: "Everything was moving. It was crazy. I've felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve-wracking. I thought we should be going under a table."

Following the quake, small waves measuring 69 cm (27 inches) were reported on the north-east tip of Haida Gwai, while parts of the north-east coast of Vancouver Island saw waves up to 55cm high.

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SpaceX capsule returns to Earth

28 October 2012 Last updated at 18:32 ET

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The capsule returned to Earth carrying an unusual cargo

A space capsule has returned to Earth, ending the first commercially contracted re-supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The capsule was sent by the California-based company SpaceX, the first of 12 missions it will perform for US space agency Nasa.

It landed in the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico at 12:22 local time (19:22 GMT).

Nasa is looking to the private sector to assume routine transport duties to and from low-Earth orbit.

The robotic Dragon ship lifted off on 7 October, with 400kg of food, clothing, experiments and spares for the orbiting platform's six astronauts, and docked three days later.

On its return, the capsule carried broken machinery and medical samples gathered by the astronauts aboard the ISS over the course of the past year.

SpaceX's next mission is expected in January, although the company will need to satisfy Nasa before then that the cause of an engine anomaly experienced by Dragon's launch rocket during its 7 October ascent has been understood, and that corrective action has been taken.

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• The International Space Station (ISS) is larger than a football pitch
• The first module called Zarya was launched into orbit in 1998
• It took 13 years to complete at a cost of around $100bn
• There is a permanent crew of six astronauts onboard who carry out space environment research

New destinations

Nasa has given SpaceX a $1.6bn contract to keep the ISS stocked with essentials, restoring a re-supply capability that the US lost when it retired its shuttles last year.

The terms of the contract kicked in following a successful test of Dragon's systems in May.

That demonstration saw the capsule berth with the ISS - the first commercially designed and built vehicle to do so - and then return safely to Earth.

Nasa hopes a second company can also soon begin operational cargo deliveries to the station.

The Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) will shortly test its new Antares rocket before undertaking its own ISS demonstration with a robotic vessel called Cygnus.

If that mission - tipped to take place next year - goes well, it will trigger a $1.9bn contract for Orbital.

Nasa's aim is eventually to put astronaut transport in the hands of the private sector too.

SpaceX says it is just a few years away from being able to provide an astronaut "taxi" service.

Nasa's policy of outsourcing its cargo and crew transport needs is intended to find savings that can be ploughed back into building a rocket and capsule system capable of taking humans to more challenging destinations.

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San Francisco win World Series

San Francisco Giants clinched their second World Series title in three years as a 4-3 win at Detroit Tigers sealed a 4-0 sweep in the Fall Classic.

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the third inning to put the Tigers ahead for the first time in the series.

Catcher Buster Posey hammered a two-run shot of his own in the sixth to put the 2010 champions ahead but Delmon Young's solo home run levelled the game at 3-3.

World Series 2012

• Game 1: Giants 8-3 Tigers
• Game 2: Giants 2-0 Tigers
• Game 3: Tigers 0-2 Giants
• Game 4: Tigers 3-4 Giants

*home team listed first

Marco Scutaro drove in Ryan Theriot for the winning run in the 10th inning.

Giants' starting pitcher Matt Cain had stayed in the game for seven innings, giving up five hits, but after both sides failed to score in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, the game went to extra innings.

Reliever Santiago Casilla was the winning pitcher after Scutaro's single in the top of the 10th, with two men out, proved the winning hit as Tigers left-hander Phil Coke took the loss.

After winning the National League West division, San Francisco had faced elimination on six occasions in the play-offs, coming from 2-0 down to beat Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in the NL Division Series, then trailed St Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the NL Championship Series before triumphing 4-3.

By contrast, American League Central champions Detroit made steady progress through the post-season, beating Oakland A's 3-2 in the AL Division Series and sweeping New York Yankees 4-0 in the AL Championship Series, allowing them the best part of a week's rest while the Giants toiled away.

World Series analysis

Josh Chetwynd Former GB catcher & BBC baseball analyst

"Everything the Giants did was strong, and it was too little, too late from the Tigers. Their offensive performance was sub-par, and although they swung the bats well in this game, you can't expect to turn it round in the fourth game when you're so far behind. One of the big differences between the two teams was the bullpen - the Giants struck out seven batters in the last three innings and dominated when it mattered most."

Reflecting on the seven-game winning streak that handed them the title, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said: "When you look at the clubs that we played, and having our backs to the wall, it's pretty remarkable what these guys have done.

"It's amazing what a club can do when they play as a team. They're unselfish and they do whatever they can to help a club win.

"For us to play like we did against this great club, I couldn't be prouder."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland conceded: "You can't sit up here and try to find some reason or excuse. They beat us. They earned it, we just spluttered offensively.

"If somebody told me in spring training that we would be in the World Series, I would have had to say 'I'll take that'. But we didn't hit enough, so you just move on. Congratulations to the Giants, they did a fantastic job."

The Giants' burly third baseman Pablo Sandoval, nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda", was named as the series' Most Valuable Player, having hit three home runs in the opening match which the Giants won 8-3 - only the fourth player to do so in a World Series game.

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