01/11/2012 BBC News at One

Thousands are still trapped in their homes three days after

Superstorm Sandy hit the east coast of America. The death toll has

risen to 82. Millions are without power. With five days to go until

the election, President Obama resumes the campaign trial. A

prison officer has died after his car was shot at on a motorway in

Northern Ireland. Jimmy Savile's multi-million pound estate is

frozen, as some of his alleged victims threaten to sue. Pulling

the plug - Comet is to be placed in administration, threatening 6,000

jobs. On BBC London: The Met receives �22

million of donations and sponsorship in five years. It says

that wont interfere with police duties. And the hostel for the

Good afternoon. Welcome to the BBC News at One. Thousands are still

stranded in New Jersey, three days after Superstorm Sandy brought

devastation to the east coast of America. In Hoboken, on the New

Jersey side of the Hudson River, 20,000 people in flooded homes are

still waiting for help. The death toll has risen to 82. Six million

homes and businesses still have no power. Our correspondent is in New

York now. Well, there are attempts here in New York to try and return

to some semblance of normality. The subway system is operating a

limited service. The main three airports here are all open, and

preparations are under way for the New York marathon. But, we are

seeing also that petrol stations are running short of supplies. Many,

in fact, have closed down completely. Some of the many

hindrances facing those who try to keep going with the recovery

efforts. Breezy Point in Queen's New York, where 80-100 homes were

destroyed. For residents there is little to come back to. A fire

wiped out what the superstorm had not. My house is gone. That is it

with the flag. It used to be up here, but the water took it back to

the next corner. 50 miles away, on a narrow stretch between the

Atlantic and a canal, there are more scenes of destruction.

Residents have started to pick up the pieces. This woman returned to

her home for the first time. Her pride and joy - her brand new

kitchen - is gone. This part of the house upsets me the most right now.

We put a lot of work and time and money and effort into it and it is

destroyed. Unlike his neighbours, James made the controversial

decision not to evacuate. The water was up to here on me in the street.

Then the house was on fire. When that started burning, all the

embers from the house were being blown directly to our houses. We

were concerned we were also going to go on fire. New Jersey, the

state in the eye of Superstorm Sandy suffered most damage. This

rollercoaster was reduced to a pile of twisted metal. Sewerage-

contaminated water has left 20,000 people trapped in their homes.

President Obama, who is resuming campaigning, offered comfort. His

response may help his standing in an election five days ago. It has

won him praise from Chris Christie. He used to make this face where he

would... For some, life after Sandy will not be the same again. Marcia

Sikowitz's son is among 76 who lost their lives. Jason and a friend

were crushed to death by a fallen tree while walking a tree in a

Brooklyn park. I kept calling every five minutes. A man answered his

phone. I said, where is my son? He said, "I am Detective Jason. Tell

me your address, I want to come to your apartment." Along the US

North-East some six million people are still without power. More than

200 patients at Belle Vue hospital had to be evacuated after the

generator failed. We will be unable to adequately power this building,

even with additional generators for quite some time. Some New York

subways are still damaged by water, but a limited service is running.

Airports too are open. Supplies at petrol stations are running low.

The big apple, which has faced tough times before, is once again

being tested. Well, an American concert is being organised to

benefit the victims. It will air on an American TV network this Friday

and will feature artists from the worst-affected areas.

The proceeds from all of that will be given to the American Red Cross.

Thank you very much. President Obama will return to the campaign

trail today, which was suspended in the aftermath of the superstorm.

Yesterday, he visited some of the worst-affected areas and promised

he would be with the victims for the long-haul. His opponent, Mitt

Romney, cancelled some rallies W the election five days ago, let's

speak to our correspondent. What impact has the storm had on their

campaign trails? Well, it's had a deeply unsettling affect on the

campaign. It has up-ended this Presidential campaign. We don't

tkpho which way it will fall. What we -- know which way it will fall.

What we know is it has forced Mitt Romney off the air waves. His

campaign says all it has done is put the race in place where it was

at the weekend, saying it is not a negative either. President Obama

had to be the Commander-in-Chief. It is what Americans expect in a

crisis and the main job of a President. He could not afford to

fail the way George W Bush did with his response to Hurricane Katrina

in 2005. 80% of Americans believe that he did a good job, or an

excellent job in his handling of the crisis. So, that is good news

for him. In terms of the biggest political October surprise, it had

to be the sight of the Republican governor of New Jersey, Chris

Christie, showing President Obama the devastation in his State. Chris

Christie is a fierce foe of President Obama normally. Here he

was heaping praise on the President for his handling of the crisis.

Really lavish praise for the President. That surprised many. I

think it suggests a certain bipartisanship that Americans like.

In terms of how it would have affected the race, however, it was

worth 1,000 political ads. We don't know if it was enough to turn a

tight race President Obama's way. Thank you. You can find out more

information on the campaigning ahead of the US election and get

live updates of Superstorm Sandy's progress and the devastation caused

all online. A prison officer who has been named

as David Black, has died after a gunman opened fire on his car on

the M1 in County Armagh this morning. Police say the vehicle was

ambushed between Lurgan and Portadown. Our correspondent is

there now. What more can you tell us? Well, he was 52-year-olds, a

prison officer for about 30 years. He had a career which went back as

far back as 1981, we are told, when of course the IRA staged their

hunger strike in the high security Maze Prison. He was on his way from

his home along this motorway, that you can see behind me, to the new

high-security prison in Maghaberry, Northern Ireland, where he had

worked for some years. And his car was ambushed by a gunman or gunmen

in what has been called a meticulously-planned attack. A car,

which may be connected, was found in Lurgan, it was burnt out. The

finger will be pointed as dissident Republicans. This is called Craig

aven. It has been simnom nous with Republicanism. Particularly the

Continuity IRA, which three years ago shot dead the first police

officer from the police service to be murdered in Northern Ireland.

That was Constable Carroll. This is a surprise in many ways. Some

people thought an attack by dissident republicans was, in some

ways overdue. We had been told recently that the ability of

dissidents had been downgraded. The Secretary of State for Northern

Ireland said their capability had diminished somewhat. Today, we know

they still have the ability to mount attacks and prison officers

targeted for the first time since 1993. Thank you very much. The

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, says there is absolutely no

prospect of Britain securing a cut in the European Union budget. More

than 50 Conservative backbenchers, supported by Labour, voted against

the Government, challenging David Cameron's calls for only a freeze

in spending. Parliament last night defied the

Prime Minister and said the EU must spend less on its farmers,

fishermen and infrastructure. Will the Government heed that message?

The British Government, David Cameron, are going to fight for the

toughest position in this EU budget negotiation. In other words we'll

get the best possible view for Britain. Better than any Prime

Minister has got before us. Last night 53 Conservatives voted with

Labour to defeat the Government and demand a cut in the EU budget.

307. The knows to the left, 294. Tory rebels say the Government must

toughen up its approach to the negotiations in Brussels. I think a

cut is the only sensible option. It is not mandatory, it is a strong

recommendation. Of course, the Government would have to get any

budget through that it did negotiate. This Parliament has so

far shown it wants to spend less and spend more wisely. At stake is

the EU's long-term budget from 2014 to 2020. The European Commission

and some countries want it to rise by 5%. David Cameron wants a freeze,

with no rise above inflation. The Commons voted for a cut. The Deputy

Prime Minister dismissed that as completely unrealistic. Of course I

would... It is what do you think is the best possible deal, rather than

insist on an impossible deal. And David Cameron, with my full support,

will go into the negotiations later this month and say, we want a real-

terms freeze. Nick Clegg says he and David Cameron are united in

their stance on the EU budget. He has made it clear he's prepared to

confront his coalition partners when it comes to reclaiming powers

from Brussels. This, he says, is a false promise, which will take

Britain closer to exit from the EU. So, for David Cameron, the

negotiations over Europe's budget are now more difficult than ever.

He knows that any deal will have to be approved by the Commons.

Our correspondent is in Brussels. So, a headache for the Prime

Minister, but what has the response been in Brussels? Well, I think

first of all, it is important to point out that Nick Clegg is on the

real terms is probably the best Britain could expect. There are

other countries who support cutting the budget to a certain extent,

certainly keeping it tightly controlled. That's not going to

happen because of those other countries that Vicky talked about

in her report there, who want an increase far and above what Britain

is talking about. Far and above inflation. Now, look, for those who

already see Britain as a problem child in the European Union, this

will reinforce their suspicions thaifplt are angry Britain has

vetoed things. They are angry the British Government is trying to

withdraw from certain aspects of EU policy. They will see it as another

indication of Britain getting side- lined in terms of the European

Union, I think. As Vicky pointed out, there's a great diversity of

opinion here. We are not just heading for a massive row in

British politics, we are heading for a massive row in the European

Union. November 22nd, it is then all 27 member cuntries in the EU,

including Britain, have to agree unanimously on this budget. Britain

is not the only one suggests it might use its veto. People are

wondering, is Europe really asking for more money? It is. I suppose

one of the answers which will be given here is, remember the UK is

part of Europe. It is part of the EU. It is part of Europe. It is

part of the club, as the European commission would say, that has

voted to bring more member countries in. It is part of the

club who has decided to give it more power in terms of foreign

policy, for instance. The commission says that costs more

money. They also point out that actually the EU comes relatively

cheaply. If you look at the size of its budget, compared to the size of

the EU's economy, it is a fraction of the size of what the Treasury

spends every year, in relation to the size of the British economy.

Those are arguments the Euro- scepticss don't like. They are the

arguments put forward here in Brussels to say why in Britain, in

the British parliamentary stance last night, why they believe that

stance was wrong. Thank you very much.

Jimmy Savile's assets of arounds �4 million have been frozen because of

potential claims from people who say they were abused by the late

presenter. Police are investigating claims for around 300 alleged

victims. Back in July, the auction of Jimmy

Savile's belongings raised hundreds of thousands of pounds. He was a

wealthy man. He owned flats around Britain and with police now talking

of perhaps 300 victims and the possibility of compensation claims,

from natwes, -- the natwes, has frozen those assets. None have

asked how much money they will get. Principally for them, the inquiry

and the police investigation is a very important process for them as

well. They don't want to be hushed up by just receiving quick

compensation. They want to be heard and they want to know why their

original complaints were not listened to. Once they've had a

voice at the inquiry, then the civil courts will consider each

case. Jimmy Savile had two charitable trusts. Both have said

they will close following the revelations of recent weeks.

Originally one of the beneficiaries was going to be Leeds general

infirmary. His relationship with the hospital went back years. It

was announced at his funeral that money was earmarked to fund a unit

to look into heart disease. The future of Jimmy Savile's millions

The electrical chain, it is going into administration next week. It

runs 240 stores across the UK. What has gone wrong?

, it has been struggling for quite some time. -- come at. In recent

years sales have collapsed, more and more of us are going to sales

online. Increased competition from the supermarkets and the downturn

income see the spending. The consumer electricals market is a

cut-throat business and it has struggled to stay relevant. As to

why administration is on the cards now, it turns out, it was being

forced to pay up front for all its Christmas stock, a very own

arresting for a retailer to do. All the credit insurance that provides

the cover for suppliers, that was withdrawn. When that happens the

game really is up. It goes into administration next

week causing an awful lot of uncertainty for thousands.

That is right. It must be a very worrying time for 6,500 workers. We

are talking about one of the biggest retail collapses since well

worth us when the administrators are called in they will be trying

to sell the business as a going concern. That question must be who

would want to buy it? The current owners were paid �50 million just

to take the business off the previous owner's hands, that is how

complicated the sale this business is likely to prove.

It is almost 1:20pm. Our top story this lunchtime:

Thousands are still trapped in their homes three days after

Superstorm Sandy hit the East coast of America. At least 82 people have

died, and millions are without power. One wants to tell about it

and to pay my respects to a young man who has commanded such love in

his short life. Telling her story - the mother of a

soldier killed in Afghanistan publishes a book about losing her

only son. Later on BBC London:

MPs debate how much tax you pay on your pint as campaigners claim it's

forcing pubs out of business. British Legion launches Poppy

appeal in a bid to raise �1 million In one week members of China's

ruling Communist Party will gather to appoint new rulers who will run

the country for the next 10 years. The biggest task they will face is

a narrowing of the massive gap between the urban elite and the

rural poor. In China's poorest province, it

deep in its rural heart, life still ambles by. The economic boom in the

cities and along the coast is happening far from here.

Nevertheless, today they are celebrating. Lu Da Yi's first child.

There is a banquet, fridge, a new bird, he could never afford these.

-- a new bed. A farm and labourer, he has learnt nothing this year. He

is one of 100 million Chinese in its villages living below the

poverty line. TRANSLATION: It is not fair, I have been to the cities,

at the rich eat in fancy restaurants every day, my life does

not compare. China's economic growth has been deeply unfair. Some

have not benefited much. It is a problem China's next leaders know

they must tackle. The gap between the rich and the rest getting ever

wider. It may not be sustainable. A three-hour flight away his Beijing,

and megacity of almost 20 million, it feels like a different country.

The world's most expensive designer labels target a new class of urban

elite. The poor are here as well. Alongside the fabulously wealthy,

enjoying the global rich elite. Almost one million Chinese are now

dollar millionaires. They dress in designer outfits which cost more

than Lu Da Yi and his elite have had in their lifetime. TRANSLATION:

In China we are rich nowt so we want what is fashionable and

sophisticated. -- we are rich now. Near by a replica chateau. A

playground for China's rising classes. They tried the grapes and

sample the wines. Leisure and luxury, all new to China. The most

pricey vintage costs �1,000 a bottle. �1,000 is what this couple

are paying for their castle themed wedding photos. His costume, a

European dandy, part of the package. It is almost an entire month of

their earnings as real estate agents. They are middle-class, but

they don't feel particularly well- off. They cannot afford to buy a

flat in increasingly pricey Beijing. TRANSLATION: Our lives are better

than the poorest but far better than three -- but worse than the

rich. China's Communist rulers say tackling inequality is one of their

most urgent tasks, it Feering if they fail it could undermine the

Lidgett to some -- legitimacy of the one-party rule.

You can get more information on the challenges facing China's new

leaders on our website. At least seven people are known to

have died in a cyclone that has battered the south-east coast of

India. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from their

homes in low-lying areas in the City of Chennai. 15 sailors were

rescued and search teams continued -- continue to search for missing

crew workers when an oil tanker ran aground.

Lloyds Banking Group has set aside an extra �1 billion to cover claims

from customers who were mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance. It

brings his total compensation bill to more than �5 billion and pursues

its losses for the third quarter to �144 million.

You could reclaim the premiums if it was an assault. It is the

biggest mis-selling payouts ever in the financial world, encouraged by

claims companies and consumer groups, there has been a growing

flood of customers saying they were wrongly sold Payment Protection

Insurance or PPI when they took out a loan. Lloyd's was by far the

biggest player in the PPI business, hence the staggering figure that

with today's top up it has set aside �5.3 billion for compensation,

and even that may not be enough. The banks are in denial about how

big this is going to get. They keep increasing the amount of money they

are setting aside, they need to be much more open about how many

customers they think they will have to compensate, and be realistic

about what this will cost them. The PPI tally so far shows 3

million customers have complained, at the table paid out until the end

of August was �6.5 billion -- the total payout. Each customer

receiving �2,750 on average. If your claim is turned down you can

send it here to the financial ombudsman service for an appeal and

the Ombudsman is finding in favour of customers most of the time. That

has fuelled accusations banks are spooked by the size of the Bill and

using delaying tactics. Lloyd's chief executive admitted today a

number of uncertainties remain as to the eventual cost to the group

of PPI complaints. There is a potential boost to the economy if

millions start spending their compensation when fall in the shops

but the huge bill could delay the bank's recovery from a financial

crisis. Lloyd's and the other banks have clearly underestimated the

compensation bill by a wide margin. That is partly because there has

been so much publicity but because they are being forced to go through

their files and conduct people directly who might have lost out.

Some forecasters say the total PPI bill will exceed �15 billion.

A body has been recovered by search teams involved in the hunt for the

missing Det Catherine Gowing. She was last seen on the evening of

Friday October 12th in New Brighton infringer. A 46-year-old man has

been charged with her murder. -- In the Flintshire. The mother of a

British soldier killed by the Taliban has written about the

experience of losing her only son and about her own battles with the

MoD. 26-year-old lieutenant Mark Edison was shot in Helmand in 2009.

He survived long enough to be brought back to the UK where his

mother Margaret had to make the agonising decision to turn off his

life-support machine. This is the story of a journey, not

through the awesome vistas of great mountains, but a journey through

the loved one has for others, care and compassion we feel for each

other, and the structures we built to protect ourselves. I understand

more completely now whenever his love there will also be pain and

suffering. -- whenever there is loved. Margaret Evison began

writing as she watched the sea since changed in her garden a year

after her only son Mark died after leading his men in Helmand province.

Her book takes in her son's life and the battles she fought with the

MoD after his death. But her book also tells a more universal story

of a mother's love and a mother's loss. When one travels to a new

world one wants to tell about it, and to pay my respects to a young

man who commanded such love in his short life, and in the words on his

gravestone, a man of great distinction, courage, charm and

compassion, fare well. -- fare well. More on our top story. In the

aftermath of Superstorm Sandy which has left thousands stranded in New

Jersey, let's go to an area just over the Hudson River.

It is quite staggering, this is a very densely packed town, about 50

does and people in really quite a small area across from Manhattan. -

- about 50,000 people. The mayor is estimating 20,000 of those are

still trapped. Really, the focus is very much on New Jersey. A big

operation. The National Guard is out. We have seen a number of

national guard vans around today trying to rescue people, and it is

buildings such as this, a regular at middle school, which are being

requisitioned as shelters so hundreds of people have a roof over

their heads, they are warm, they are fed by volunteers from the

American Red Cross, and that is the situation that will be facing

residents of this town for a very long time. It could even be at

least a week before some of them even have power. There will be

extraordinary stories coming out of this town here across from

Manhattan. Let's have a look at the latest

We have seen some autumnal sunshine but that is interrupted by some

sharp showers. The rest of the afternoon, it sunny spells,

scattered showers. We Kent seek the radar image where we have seen

those heavy showers -- we can see. You can see some sunshine returning

later on. Not every work seeing those heavy showers. By about 6pm

some of the showers across Devon and Cornwall could be quite heavy,

the odd rumble of thunder, and quite persistent piling in around

the Bristol Channel. Across parts of Wales we will see snow on higher

ground. A similar story for the Pennines. At low level it will be

rain showers for the Isle of Man, and for much of Northern Ireland it

will be turning the drier. The breeze will pick up. That will blow

in some heavy showers to the west of Scotland with some snow on

higher ground. East of Scotland, clearer skies and the temperatures

will dip quickly. Some showers for the north-west of England. Anywhere

to the east of the Pennines it will be a little drier. We will keep

that risk of heavy showers piling in around the southern coasts of

England. This evening and every night we will stay with the showery

theme of but the wind picks up. You can see it blowing in from a

westerly direction. Tunbridge is holding up -- temperatures holding

up. We could see some frost in the east of Scotland. A cold start to

Friday, a similar sort of day. A brisk breeze blowing tomorrow.

Showers in Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, north of England.

The temperatures are not great for the time of year, below what we

would expect. The unsettled theme sticks around into the weekend.

Low-pressure dominates, heavy downpours at times. For the weekend

it will be fairly cold, sunshine and showers. It will generally be a

mix of sunglasses and umbrellas. At least 82 people are now known to

have died after Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast of America.

Northern Ireland Chief Constable has condemned the murder of a