Obama 'Bubble' Confident On Home Straight

US President Barack Obama has launched an unprecedented campaign blitz through eight states in 39 hours in his bid to secure a second term in the White House.

Mr Obama is travelling more than 6,000 miles across four time zones in what he has described as a "marathon extravaganza" to encourage voters to the polls.

The president is neck-and-neck with Republican challenger Mitt Romney, with 12 days to go until election day.

His trip includes swing states Iowa, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Ohio and Virginia and he held a conference call with 9,000 undecided voters from aboard the presidential jet Air Force One.

Both campaigns have now unleashed what they call their "ground game" of knocking on doors and calling undecided voters in swing states.

Sky News joined the Obama campaign "bubble" for his sweep across the country and discovered a mood of confidence.

Senior advisors believe he has regained the momentum after a sticky patch following the first televised debate. They say he has a "clear path" towards securing the 270 electoral college votes he needs.

Mr Obama's advisors believe he has regained the momentum

Obama campaign advisor David Plouffe told reporters: "We win the election, if it were held today.

"Our view is that in all the battleground states we've contested, every single one of them, we have a credible pathway to 50%."

The campaign believes the key is keeping the pressure on people who voted for Mr Obama in 2008 to come out and do it again.

In Iowa, 3,500 people packed into Mississippi Valley Fairground to stand under autumnal leaves and hear the president.

He told them: "This is where it all began four years ago, on your front porches, in your backyards. This is where the movement for change began. And Iowa, you will once again choose the path ahead.

"We can't afford to go back to what got us into this mess. We've got to stick with policies that are getting out of this mess."

Supporter Heather Khoury said: "I think he's moving us forward, I don't think think that is just his spiel. I think some of the things he promised Congress didn't allow him to do so it shouldn't all be blamed on him."

Randall Dreese said: "I really don't see how the United States as a whole could survive four years of Mitt Romney."

Obama recorded an interview with late night comedy host Jay Leno

In Denver, 16,000 braved the chill to listen to a shirt-sleeved Mr Obama lambast his rival's plans and repeat his now familiar "Romnesia" campaign gag.

Buses were waiting to ferry people to early voting stations nearby. The campaign is now focused on energising its core and looking to find every wavering voter.

Mr Obama, who spent the night aboard Air Force One, also stopped off in Los Angeles to record an interview with late night comedy host Jay Leno.

He mocked controversial tycoon and "birther" Donald Trump, who earlier offered to give $5m to charity if Mr Obama released his college and passport records.

The president joked that their disagreement dates back to when he and Trump were growing up in Kenya.

"We had constant run-ins on the soccer field. He wasn't very good and resented it. When we finally moved to America, I thought it would be over," he said.

Mr Obama will make detour to his home city of Chicago today to cast his own early vote before completing his trip.

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Malala Shooting: Police Name Prime Suspect

Police have named the prime suspect in connection with the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, the teenage activist who spoke out against the Taliban.

Detectives are attempting to track down 23-year-old Atta Ullah Khan, a chemistry student from the Swat district where Malala was attacked.

Khan's mother, brother, and fiancee have been arrested, as well as six other men.

The suspect's relatives are not accused of involvement, a senior police official is reported to have said.

Malala is being treated at a hospital in Birmingham

Alam Zeb, the principal at Jahanzeb College where Khan is studying for a physics degree, said Khan had given school officials three or four dates of birth.

He condemned the attack and said he was surprised to hear that a former student may have been involved.

The 15-year-old girl became a symbol of courage after being shot in the head by the Taliban earlier this month for demanding education for girls.

She is now being treated in Britain, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

The teenager is a high-profile campaigner against the Taliban

The hospital has said she continues to make steady progress and is in a stable condition after she was admitted a week ago following initial treatment in Pakistan.

She had been able to stand with help for the first time in hospital and was "communicating very freely", according to Dr Dave Rosser, medical director of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

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Barnes & Noble Hit By In-Store Hack Attack

America's biggest bookstore chain has warned customers their card and Pin numbers may have been stolen after hackers attached bugs to card readers in stores.

Barnes & Noble admitted credit and debit card details in nine states were targeted by the hi-tech criminals last month.

Hackers planted bugs in a single card reader at 63 different stores, which then picked up data from credit card swipes and debit card Pins.

The bookseller said less than 1% of its payment devices were attacked by the hackers, however it has since disconnected Pin keyboards in nearly 700 stores.

It operates around 689 stores in shopping malls and precincts. Its 667 college bookstores were not hit by the attack.

Barnes & Noble, which is valued at nearly $900m (£560m), described the hack attack as a "sophisticated criminal effort" and warned customers to check for unauthorised transactions on their accounts.

The stores targeted were located in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

The company said it fully implemented a security response on September 14 and deactivated the Pin keyboards. It added that details of online customers and Nook e-readers were not breached.

"Barnes & Noble is continuing to assist federal law enforcement authorities in this matter," the firm said.

The company said online and Nook customers were not affected

"In addition, the company is working with banks, payment card brands and issuers to identify accounts that may have been compromised, so banks and issuers can employ enhanced fraud security measures on potentially impacted accounts."

Customers must now ask shop assistants to swipe their credit or debit cards on readers affixed to cash registers.

Barnes & Noble, which pioneered huge stores and promotes itself as "the internet's largest bookstore", is the latest major retailer to fall victim to a sophisticated data breach.

TJX Companies, the parent firm of Europe's TK Maxx, admitted in 2007 that an attack led to 45.6 million customers' cards being compromised.

Last year, Sony saw 77 million customer details hacked from its Playstation system in a breach that may cost it up to $50m (£31m) in new security, customer compensation and lost revenue.

Earlier this year, online dating site eHarmony lost 1.5 million member passwords while networking site LinkedIn lost 6.5 million user passwords.

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Hurricane Sandy Hits Cuba After Jamaica

Hurricane Sandy tore down power lines and trees as it pounded Jamaica, before heading for Cuba and the Bahamas.

The storm had developed from a Category One to Category Two hurricane when it made landfall just west of Santiago de Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 114mph.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said Sandy was moving north-northeast at 15mph and was expected to keep its hurricane strength as it moved through the Bahamas.

"It is a big storm and it's going to grow in size after it leaves Cuba," said Michael Brennan, a hurricane forecaster at the NHC.  

Storm clouds gathered over Cuba as Sandy approached

In Jamaica, schools and businesses were closed and authorities moved residents in low-lying, flood-prone areas into shelters amid steady rain and fierce winds.

Residents reported widespread power outages, flooded streets and some severely damaged homes.

One man was crushed to death by stones that fell from a hillside as he tried to get into his house in a rural village near Kingston, according to a police official.

Earlier on Wednesday, a woman in Haiti was swept away by a rushing river she was trying to cross.

Widespread flooding was reported across Jamaica

Cruise ships changed their itineraries to avoid the storm, which made landfall five miles east of the capital and airports were closed.

Curfews were imposed on 80 communities in an attempt to prevent the looting which has followed previous storms.

Many people refused to evacuate their homes because they were fearful their possessions would be stolen.

Officers said suspected looters shot and wounded a police official as he led a group through a volatile section of West Kingston called Craig Town.

In some southern towns on Jamaica, a few crocodiles were caught in rushing floodwaters that carried them out of the mangrove thickets, into housing districts, local residents reported.

One large crocodile reportedly took up temporary residence in a family's front yard in the city of Portmore.

Sandy dumped heavy rain on Jamaica and Cuba

Sandy was expected to dump a total of 6in to 12in of rain as it made its way across parts of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba.

It could possibly bring tropical storm conditions along the southeastern Florida coast, the Upper Keys and Florida Bay by Friday morning.

Forecasters are also warning Sandy could merge with a strong autumn cold front and develop into a potentially historic storm along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast from Sunday through until Wednesday.

The White House on Thursday urged residents of the Eastern Seaboard to monitor weather reports and to heed any warnings from local officials in the days ahead.

Spokesman Jay Carney said federal emergency management officials have been working with local officials to prepare for a possible onslaught.

A satellite image of Sandy heading toward Cuba

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Britney Spears: Ex-Manager Claims Dad Hit Him

Britney Spears' ex-manager has claimed the superstar's father chased him around a kitchen, punched him and threatened his life.

Sam Lutfi, who is suing the singer's parents for defamation, testified while they looked on from across a courtroom.

He denied accusations made in a book by Lynne Spears that he was a Svengali who became the gatekeeper of her daughter's world, locking her parents out of her life.

He insists he was a benevolent caretaker who protected Britney during her highly-publicised meltdown following her split from Kevin Federline.

Lutfi claims he helped Spears during her darkest days

Lutfi, who at one point was in tears, told the court in Los Angeles: "After the book came out, there was a huge spike of death threats that were pretty bad.

"People I know were shunning me. Websites were created to kill me. People wished I was dead. People wished my family ... "

He did not finish the sentence because he was crying, but went on to say this had made him feel depressed, anxious and suicidal.

He also recounted the days leading up to Britney Spears being admitted to a psychiatric unit, and said she feared her father Jamie Spears and fled her home when she heard he was coming.

Lutfi claimed: "Jamie came barging into the house. He lunged at me and chased me around the kitchen island. He was spitting, yelling, shouting at me.

"(He) said I had hurt his daughter and he was going to beat the hell out of me and I'd better get out of the house."

After 10 minutes, Lutfi said Jamie Spears was escorted out by security guards, but the next morning he got into the house again and the battle resumed.

Britney, seen here with Rihanna, is now going from strength to strength

"He cornered me in the kitchen, punched me in the solar plexus and threatened to kill me," Lutfi testified.

Lutfi is suing for damages for defamation and for a 15% share of the millions of pounds Britney made while he was with her.

The 30-year-old Toxic singer remains under the conservatorship of her father and has been told by a judge not to attend or testify in the trial.

She has made a remarkable comeback from her hard times, now acting as a judge on the US version of The X Factor.

The trial continues.

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Rolling Stones Fans Clamour For Surprise Gig

The Rolling Stones have surprised fans by announcing plans for a warm-up gig in Paris tonight.

Just 350 tickets went on sale for the event, after the band informed people of their plans with a message on Twitter.

Fans paid just £12 - in contrast to the £375 many had to shell out when tickets went on sale last week for a pair of gigs at London's O2 Arena to mark the band's 50th anniversary.

Fans get their hands on one of the 350 tickets on sale

Within hours of being snapped up, tickets were exchanging hands online for thousands of pounds, with some going for up to £12,000.

Fans were told this morning: "The Rolling Stones are playing a short warm-up gig tonight, Thursday 25th Oct, in Paris."

The message went on to say tickets will be available at the Virgin Megastore on Champs-Elysees at midday.

Ticket-holders will be given a wristband when they arrive at the mystery venue this evening.

The concerts are the band's first since their Bigger Bang tour ground to a halt in 2007.

Gig-goers were warned: "Mobile phones, cameras, video equipment and recording devices are strictly prohibited."

The Stones have been rehearsing in Paris in recent weeks.

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Suspected Pirates' Gun Battle With Nato Boat

Pictures have been released of a fierce gun battle between a Nato warship and a pirate boat in one of the world's most dangerous shipping lanes.

The HNLMS Rotterdam was carrying out routine patrols when it spotted a fishing vessel close to the Somali shoreline.

Because the boats are often used as "mother ships" for pirate crews, a boarding team was sent out to inspect it.

However the Dutch sailors were fired on from the shoreline, and by people on board the vessel.

The Nato team returned fire, killing one man, and the vessel ignited.

The Rotterdam's crew (r) returned fire on the suspected pirates

The 25 men who remained on board jumped into the water to escape the blaze, and were picked up by the Rotterdam's crew.

They received medical treatment and are now being held by Nato.

"In this instance the pirates openly chose confrontation. This does not happen often and it indicates that we are indeed impeding their operations and in doing so, pushing them to take more extreme options," said Commodore Ben Bekkering, commander of the Nato task force.

"It is obvious that the scourge of piracy has not gone away and we need to maintain our vigilance."

Somali pirate activity usually decreases during the monsoon period that has just ended, but the drop this year has been especially steep.

Only 35 vessels have been attacked so far in 2012 and only five vessels have been seized by pirates. In 2010 pirates launched 174 attacks and seized 47 vessels.

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Lady Gaga 'To Face Russian Anti-Gay Law'

Lady Gaga is likely to be charged in Russia under the same 'gay propaganda' laws levelled at Madonna, a leading activist has said.

Madonna has been summoned to a St Petersburg court after allegedly promoting homosexuality at a recent concert in the city. She is almost certain not to attend.

And Nikolai Alexeyev  - who was the first person to be found guilty of breaching the law - said anti-gay campaigners in Russia were exploiting international stars to attract publicity.

He said: "I'm sure that these people who are doing this now in court will do exactly the same with the Lady Gaga concert, which is coming up in December.

"I think that these people are absolutely using this publicity, using these famous people to attract attention to themselves, while no-one knows who they are."

The court had sent a summons to Madonna's New York address after the US pop star failed to attend a hearing on October 11.

Mr Alexeyev said: "I'm absolutely convinced that this court process will not lead to anything, because legally it's a lost case.

"I think Madonna is just waiting (until) ... she's fined on the basis of this law, so that this creates an international scandal.

"At the same time, Russia will do everything to avoid this international scandal and avoid the shame connected to it."

Two anti-gay groups are suing Madonna for £6.7m after she spoke out in support of gay rights during a show in the northwestern Russian town in August.

A local law passed earlier this year bans public actions aimed at "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and trans-genderism" that could "damage the health, moral and spiritual development of the under aged".

Madonna reportedly asked the crowd to: ''Show your love and appreciation to the gay community. We want to fight for the right to be free.''

Pro-Kremlin group Trade Union of Russian Citizens believes Madonna "insulted believers' feelings", as "she promoted homosexuality when there were children at the concert", spokesperson Darya Dedova was quoted saying by Russia Today.

Although homosexuality itself was decriminalised in the 1990s, discrimination against gay people and homophobic-related incidents are not unusual in Russia.

Mr Alexeyev was fined 5,000 rubles (£105) for breaching the law after he picketed the city hall in St. Petersburg with a poster which said that "homosexuality is not a perversion".

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Syrian Army And Rebels Agree to Ceasefire

Syria's military and the main rebel force have agreed to halt military operations from Friday for the Muslim holiday weekend.

In a statement read on state television, the Syrian army added it would still respond to gunfire or roadside bombs and keep rebels from bolstering their positions or getting supplies.

"Military operations will cease on Syrian territory as of Friday morning until Monday the 29th. (The military) reserves the right to respond to continuing attacks on civilians and government forces by armed groups," the statement said.

A Free Syrian Army commander said rebels would also retaliate if they were attacked during Eid al-Adha. They also demanded the release of detainees by Friday.

General Mustafa al-Sheikh said: "We will respect the ceasefire from Friday morning if the Syrian army does the same. But if they fire a single shot, we will respond with 100. So we reserve the right to respond."

However, the spokesman of Islamist Ansar al-Islam, Abu Moaz, said his fighters will not commit to the ceasefire brokered by UN-Arab mediator Lakhdar Brahimi.

Mr Brahimi proposed a four-day ceasefire for the Muslim holiday, saying it could lead to a longer truce and political negotiations between the sides.

Rebel forces have dismissed the idea, saying they don't trust the regime of President Bashar Assad to stick to its promises.

Abu Moaz also said the fighters doubt the government will honour the truce.

If followed through, a ceasefire would mark the first real halt in the 19-month conflict that human rights groups say has killed more than 35,000 people.

But other rebels groups have refused to accept the proposal, with the radical Islamic Al Nusra Front saying it will not lay down its weapons and denouncing the truce as a "trick".

UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi proposed the truce and had earlier said President Bashar al Assad was ready to observe it.

Fighting continued to rage on the eve of the holiday, with rebel forces clashing with regime troops as they moved into new areas of the second city of Aleppo and battles also continuing elsewhere.

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Microsoft Launches Windows 8 Operating System

Microsoft has launched its new Windows 8 operating system at an event in New York.

Addressing those gathered at the Pier 57 building on the banks of the Hudson River in Manhattan, Microsoft head of Windows Steven Sinofsky, said: "Windows 8 is simply the best release of Windows ever."

Designed to run on both PCs and tablet computers, Windows 8 heralds the biggest change to the industry's dominant operating system in at least 17 years.

Mr Sinofsky said Windows 8 had an improved battery life, quicker boot time and been subject to 1.2bn hours of testing.

Windows 8 attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing tablets with its touch-enabled interface.

The launch comes amid a slew of other tablet offerings, with Apple unveiling its iPad Mini with a 7.9in (20cm) screen on Tuesday.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble, makers of the 7in (17.7cm) Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, are coming out with larger versions next month.

At the same time as launching the new Windows operating system, Microsoft is also introducing its Surface tablet - its first venture into making computer devices.

That goes on sale on Friday, along with computers and other tablets running Windows 8.

One factor that might dampen enthusiasm for the Surface is its price - $599 (£372) with its touch keyboard cover - and its availability for purchase only from a limited number of Microsoft stores and online, said analyst Kirk Adams Adams .

He said consumers may be reluctant to buy the device until they can try it in person.

Meanwhile, most analysts believe companies and governments will hold off on upgrading to Windows 8 for at least another year.

About half of business users still have not upgraded to Windows 7 from Windows XP, which came out in 2001.

XP also marked the last time Microsoft had a huge launch campaign for Windows. Releases of Windows Vista and 7 since then have been more subdued.

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