Syria opposition groups set for crucial Doha meeting

Syrian opposition groups are preparing for a crucial meeting on Sunday in the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss how to form a more united front.

The meeting could lead to a replacement for the Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition body in exile.

The SNC has been criticised as out of touch by rebel forces in Syria, and the opposition is also split ideologically.

The Doha talks come a day after rebels in northern Syria launched an offensive to try win control of an key airbase.

Video posted on the internet on Saturday showed fighters attacking the strategically important Taftanaz base in the north with multiple rocket launchers, mortars and other weaponry.

Activists said the fighting at Taftanaz, which is crucial for government supply lines into northern Syria, continued into Saturday evening, although state media said government forces had repelled the assault.

In recent months, the government forces have been making increasing use of air power to strike areas held by the rebels, who lack anti-aircraft weapons to deter the attacks.

Storm Sandy: Power and petrol shortages dog recoveryNearly a million people in New York state remain without power after Storm Sandy, as frustration grows over the slow pace of recovery.

US President Barack Obama said restoring power was "critical for us".

Mayor Michael Bloomberg lashed out at Long Island's power utility, saying it had not acted "aggressively enough" to resupply areas left in the dark.

Officials in storm-hit states are also checking whether polling stations can open for Tuesday's presidential vote.

At least 106 deaths have been blamed on Sandy in the US, 40 of them in New York City.

The death toll was revised upwards as state officials released new figures on Saturday afternoon. The death toll in the state of New Jersey was put at 22.

The storm had also killed 69 people as it swept across the Caribbean last week.

The US presidential candidates have been addressing large crowds ahead of Tuesday's election

With polls showing Barack Obama and Mitt Romney virtually neck-and-neck, the two men are focusing their efforts on voters in key swing states.

In Ohio, Mr Obama said real progress had been made over the past four years, but that he wanted to continue the fight to give everyone a "fair shot".

Mr Romney told a New Hampshire rally he would lead voters to a "better place".

Barack Obama was campaigning in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia on Saturday, while Mitt Romney targeted New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado.

Mr Romney told a crowd in Colorado: "I have got a plan. I can't wait to get going. He [Mr Obama] is hoping we will settle, but Americans don't settle, we build, we aspire, we listen to that voice inside that says: 'We can do better'."

In Virginia, the president was joined by former President Bill Clinton, who said Mr Obama had done "a good job with a bad hand" and deserved another term.

"He [Mr Obama] knows that an economy that builds the middle class and gives poorer people an honourable way to work their way into it is a lot better than four more years of trickle down," Mr Clinton told the rally.

Both candidates were visiting the Iowa town of Dubuque within hours of each other.

Mr Obama, addressing crowds of supporters in Mentor, Ohio, said the election was a choice between "two different visions for America: the top down vision that crashed the economy, or a future built on a strong and growing middle class".