NEW YORK

Libyan forces closed in on Muammar Gaddafi's home town Sunday, vowing to seize it by force if negotiations failed, and their leaders ruled out any talks with the deposed ruler.

President Barack Obama held a conference call on Saturday evening as Hurricane Irene pounded the U.S. East Coast and scoured north toward New York.

Hurricane Irene downgraded to a tropical storm Sunday, making landfall in Coney Island, N.Y., sending sea water running across boardwalk and down some low-lying streets in Manhattan and other boroughs, as well as power outages.

While Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm Sunday morning, it hit New York City and New Jersey with wind, rain and flooding waters.

President Barack Obama kept a close eye on Hurricane Irene as it charged north along the East Coast on Saturday by visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency and receiving an evening briefing from top officials.

U.S. airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights due to Hurricane Irene by late Saturday, while New York and other eastern cities initiated sweeping storm-related shutdowns of rail and mass transit systems.

World stocks rose 1 percent and the dollar fell on Friday as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke left the door open for future U.S. economic stimulus.

With the Republican campaign for the White House taking shape, hundreds of Tea Party activists kicked off a national bus tour on Saturday, aiming to rally their base and new recruits to the conservative political cause.

Hurricane Irene knocked out power to 3.3 million homes and businesses along the East Coast, forced two nuclear plants to shut and idled oil ports and refining as it approached New York City early on Sunday.

Hurricane Irene knocked out power to 3.3 million homes and businesses along the U.S. East Coast, forced two nuclear plants to shut and idled oil ports and refining as it approached New York City early on Sunday.

President Barack Obama visited Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters on Saturday to get an update on preparations for Hurricane Irene as it charged north along the U.S. East Coast.

In Nassau County, Irene felled trees and knocked out power

Congratulations New York. You can really weather a storm. First this week there was an earthquake, registering 5.8 on the scale. That rattled some nerves, but the city, calmly, came out just fine. Today, Hurricane Irene cut a path to the city, but just before 10 a.m., the worst has passed, the sun is peaking out and the rain has let up to a trickle.

Hurricane Irene battered New York with heavy winds and driving rain on Sunday, knocking out power and flooding some of Lower Manhattan's deserted streets even as it lost some of its power.

New York City on Sunday morning sees Hurricane Irene weakening to tropical storm, as its menace battered the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast.

Two events took the centre stage last week. One was Hurricane Irene that caused havoc in the Bahamas and North Carolina before heading towards New york City.

A new report says if current trends continue half of all adults in the United States will be obese by 2030. The report calls for government action to stem the trend.

Hurricane Irene is not a hurricane any more: it was demoted to a tropical storm after its sustained winds fell below 74 mph to an average of 55 mph.

New York may have dodged a big bullet as Hurricane Irene weakened early Sunday but America's largest city isn't dodging major impact from the storm's path and might. Irene weakened to barely hurricane as it approached New York early Sunday morning and hurricane force winds were expected to spare the city, but the storm has rattled windows and been driving heavy rain since the early morning hours.

Hurricane Irene roared into New York City shortly after dawn Sunday with winds gusting to 70 mph and a storm surge threatening the boardwalk of Rockawy Beach and other low-lying areas of Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan's financial district.

Hurricane Irene battered New York with heavy winds and driving rain on Sunday, shutting down the U.S. financial capital and most populous city, halting mass transit and causing massive power blackouts as it churned slowly northward along the eastern seaboard.