The council said it was disappointed by the walkout and would work to ensure services to residents ran as normal.

BBC: Barnet Town Hall

On both Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, which have large military bases, some residents have left but most are trying to maintain their normal routines.

WSJ: Latest Korean Tensions Focus on Island

There were plenty of reminders that all is not normal though, after Hurricane Sandy tore through the Eastern seaboard and left millions of residents and businesses without power.

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Meanwhile, in Jiangxi, water supplies "return to normal" after a fuel spill in Lake Poyang cut off tap water for 60, 000 residents, China Central Television reports.

BBC: China media: Egypt accident anger

Residents of this tight-knit town of 2, 800, meanwhile, tried to get back to normal, though the explosion is never far from their minds.

CNN: Powerful Texas blast left nearly 100-foot-wide crater