Obama to visit storm-ravaged zone

29 April 2011 Last updated at 07:16 Tornado video - first clip courtesy Chris England/Crimson Tide Productions

President Barack Obama is to visit storm-ravaged communities in Alabama as south-eastern US states face up to the aftermath of devastating storms.

At least 297 people are known to have died from tornadoes that ripped through a swathe of states, 204 in Alabama.

Mr Obama will visit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where a twister thought to be a mile wide ploughed through the city.

He has pledged government support for storm-hit communities, with federal aid money being sent to Alabama.

Deaths and widespread devastation are also reported in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and Virginia.

On Thursday the president hailed rescue workers and said he stood with every American affected by the "catastrophic" storms.

A state of emergency has been declared in seven states, and federal aid money is being sent to Alabama.

'Reeling'

Speaking at a news conference at the White House, Mr Obama said: "The loss of life has been heartbreaking, especially in Alabama.

"In a matter of hours, these deadly tornadoes, some of the worst we have seen in decades, took mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbours, even entire communities.

"In many places the damage to homes and businesses is nothing short of catastrophic," he said.

The president said he would travel to Alabama to meet those leading the emergency response and families who are "reeling from the disaster".

"I want every American who has been affected by this disaster to know that the federal government will do everything we can to help you recover, and we will stand with you as you rebuild," he said.

The US National Weather Service has reports of nearly 300 tornadoes since the storms began on Friday, more than 150 of them on Wednesday alone.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has said some of the tornadoes on Wednesday may have been more than a mile (1.6 km) wide with wind speeds over 200 mph (320 km/h).

"These were the most intense super-cell thunderstorms that I think anybody who was out there forecasting has ever seen," Greg Carbin of the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

In Alabama, as many as one million people were without power on Thursday, as emergency workers and 2,000 soldiers scoured the wreckage for survivors.

"We can't control when or where a terrible storm may strike, but we can control how we respond to it," Mr Obama said.

Many people were picking through the remains of destroyed homes.

President Obama: "The loss of life has been heartbreaking, especially in Alabama"

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said he expected the death toll to rise as more bodies were discovered.

The number of deaths from the recent series of tornadoes is the greatest in the US since 1974, when an sequence of twisters claimed 315 lives in 13 US states.

Devastation in Tuscaloosa

One of the worst-hit towns was Tuscaloosa, which was struck by a massive tornado some experts say could have been an EF5, the strongest category of tornado.

Mayor Walter Maddox said after an aerial tour that it had torn a streak of "utter destruction".

"We have neighbourhoods that have been basically removed from the map," he said.

The city's emergency building was one of those destroyed, AP reported.

One Tuscaloosa resident, Angela Smith, whose neighbour was killed, told Reuters: "I made it. I got in a closet, put a pillow over my face and held on for dear life because it started sucking me up."

Storms lash southern US

Another town, Hackleburg, was reported to be "90% destroyed".

The mayor of Birmingham, William Bell said "whole neighbourhoods of housing, just completely gone. Churches, gone. Businesses, gone... [it] seems like a bomb has been dropped".

More than 25 people died in Phil Campbell, a town of about 1,000 in north-west Alabama.

Jerry Mays, the town's mayor, said the tornado that destroyed the town's grocery store and medical clinic was a half-mile wide and travelled for about 20 miles (32 km).

"We've lost everything. Let's just say it like it is," Mr Mays said.

"I'm afraid we might have some suicides because of this," he added.

The storms forced the Tennessee Valley Authority to close three nuclear reactors at a power plant in Alabama. Hundreds of thousands of homes have lost power as a result.

Mississippi reported 33 deaths on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Smithville, Mississippi, many buildings were ripped open, including a church, the city hall and the post office.

At least 14 people have been killed in Georgia and five in Virginia.

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William and Kate to visit Wales

24 February 2011 Last updated at 11:26 GMT It is the couple's first official engagement in Wales - and only their second since announcing they will wed in April Crowds are gathering to witness the first official engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton in Wales.

The couple, who have a home on Anglesey, are the guests of honour at an event to name a new RNLI lifeboat at Trearddur Bay.

It is the second official engagement the pair have carried out since announcing they will marry on 29 April.

Well-wishers are already lining the dockside in the hope of glimpsing the couple.

Lisa Taylor, 42, from Valley on Anglesey, said: "I think it's fantastic. The work the RNLI do around here is vital.

"To have such high-profile guests is great for them.

"It's going to be wonderful to see William and Kate. Really exciting."

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It's very gusty here at Trearddur Bay. Will it play havoc with katemiddleton's locks?”

End Quote Peter Hunt Royal Correspondent Claire James, from Chester, was accompanied by her three children - Charlie, 10, Beau, eight, and seven-year-old Sam.

She said: "I am very excited. My daughter wants to ask if they want a spare bridesmaid - she will step in!"

RNLI chief executive Paul Boissier said he was delighted to welcome William and Kate.

The Atlantic 85 inshore boat will be named Hereford Endeavour, and the couple will meet RNLI crew members and volunteers.

'Proud history'

"We have a proud history of royal patronage and are honoured that Prince William and Miss Middleton will be continuing that tradition," said Mr Boissier.

Thursday's ceremony takes place a few miles from RAF Valley, where William is stationed as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Christopher Pritchard, senior helmsman at Trearddur Bay, said: "Having Prince William and Miss Middleton name our new lifeboat is especially significant to us.

"As Prince William is a pilot with the RAF search and rescue force just down the road at RAF Valley, we also welcome him as a colleague who works with us to save lives at sea."

During the engagement, the royal couple are due to meet RNLI volunteers who funded the new boat at the charity's branches at Leominster and across Herefordshire.

Preparations on Thursday morning ahead of the visit

The boat, the most advanced inshore rescue vessel produced by the RNLI, will also be put through its paces for the royal party and guests.

The presence of the prince and his bride-to-be has generated intense interest on the island, with large crowds of onlookers expected to descend on the seaside village in the hope of catching a glimpse of the couple.

It is only the second official duty together since the couple announced their engagement. The first was attending a Teenage Cancer Trust event in Norfolk in December.

The visit to Anglesey will be swiftly followed by an engagement at their old university St Andrews on Friday to launch an appeal.

Stephen Peters, who works in his family's garage in the village, said the visit had created a real buzz in the area.

"A lot of people have been talking about it and will be visiting," he added

"The children are off school and my niece wants to go - they're excited about seeing a prince."

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'Astonishing visit'

21 February 2011 Last updated at 22:56 GMT By James Landale BBC News deputy political editor, in Cairo Mr Cameron's visit could open him up to accusations that he is lecturing Egypt's new regime I stood with the prime minister on a hotel rooftop in Cairo, staring wistfully across the skyline.

In the distance we could just make out the sun-lit tops of the pyramids, a reminder of Egypt's past glories, a monument to its ancient leaders.

But our business was very much in the present.

It was frankly astonishing for David Cameron to be in Egypt. Egypt is still in flux. It is only 10 days since the country's president Hosni Mubarak stood down.

The interim government is still very much only that. Tahrir Square, where Mr Cameron did an unlikely walkabout, may have returned to its chaotic, noisy self, but the tanks are still there.

The risks for the prime minister are obvious.

He could be accused of lecturing the new regime - the old colonial West come to tell the Egyptians how to do their democracy - or he could be accused of legitimising a temporary military government simply by being here - an administration that may soon find the status quo rather comfortable.

But Mr Cameron rejects these views. For him, this was a moment of opportunity for Britain to encourage Egypt's government to press ahead with its move from military to civilian rule.

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His hope is that Egypt can become a model for the region, responding to the aspirations of its people with reform, not repression”

End Quote His argument is that the most important thing now is for people to have confidence that Egypt is on the right track.

If emergency law can be lifted, if some opposition figures can sit on the interim government, if a few political prisoners can be released, then all sides can take their time to sort out the things that matter, like elections and the constitution.

His hope is that Egypt can become a model for the region, responding to the aspirations of its people with reform, not repression.

But why should Egypt, or any other country in the Gulf, listen to Britain's lessons in democracy? Until recently, the UK supported the nation's autocrats in the name of trade and security, turning a blind eye to the treatment of their people.

And let us not forget that the PM is travelling with a business delegation that includes people who sell arms for a living. This trip may be about the ballot box but the bullet is in there too.

The prime minister rejects this analysis. It is, he says, perfectly valid for Britain to sell arms so countries like Kuwait, where he has now moved on to, can defend themselves.

And the choice between security and democracy here is now out of date, he says.

Autocrats are no longer stable. Long-term stability, he thinks, can be ensured only through permanent democratic reform - only that can secure British interests in trade and security.

That then is the new British foreign policy. And that is why Mr Cameron is rushing about the Middle East on a whistle stop tour preaching the virtues of democracy and not stopping in Cairo long enough to visit the pyramids on a camel.

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Miliband economy warning on visit

12 February 2011 Last updated at 15:09 GMT Ed Miliband: 'People are worried about a government that has a plan to cut jobs but has no plan to replace those jobs'

Ed Miliband has warned of signs of UK economic weakness, on his first visit to Wales as Labour leader.

Mr Miliband, who met business people in the Vale of Glamorgan, said unemployment should be falling faster.

He accused the UK government of taking a "big gamble" with the economy.

"What I see is an economy where there are real signs of weakness in terms of employment, in terms of growth and now inflation as well, " Mr Miliband told BBC Radio Wales.

"That's a bad combination."

He criticised the UK government and said there were "real signs of weakness" and it was making the wrong choices.

"I hope their gamble pays off but it is a big gamble."

His comments came after Justice Secretary Ken Clarke told the Daily Telegraph the middle classes were unaware of the scale of government spending cuts that will hit them this year.

Mr Miliband said: "Ken Clarke has warned this morning of some of the implications of the cuts being made. What you see is a government which has a plan to get rid of jobs in the public sector but not enough of a plan to replace them in the private sector."

Later, he said: "I think Ken Clarke needs to wake up and realise the middle classes across Britain are already very worried about the cuts and the impact they're having.

"That's why we're seeing such protests against, for example, the closure of local libraries that are happening across the United Kingdom."

"I hope that Ken Clarke's comments will make them think again and make sure that they have a plan B that they should be doing."

Party supporters

He said he welcomed all encouraging signs but the economy shrank in the last quarter, and part of the problem was too much money being taken out of the economy.

Continue reading the main story

I think that we have a chance of stopping this being a five year government but only if the Liberal Democrats realise that Nick Clegg is driving them off a cliff.”

End Quote Ed Miliband MP Labour leader Mr Miliband also told BBC Radio Wales Labour in Westminster could emulate some of the policies of the Welsh assembly government and praised the way Welsh students are being protected from the hike in students fees and the continuation of the maintenance grant.

"I think we can learn from some of the things Carwyn [Jones] is doing here as first minister and the Welsh Assembly Government is doing but unfortunately are not happening in England," he added.

After meeting local business leaders in Barry, Mr Miliband travelled to Cardiff to give his support to the Yes campaign on assembly powers, ahead of the referendum on 3 March.

He used a question and answer session with Labour supporters at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff to say he did not think the current way in which Welsh laws are made "'makes sense".

Mr Miliband said: "I'm for a Yes vote because the idea that Carwyn and other ministers in the Welsh assembly government have to come back to London for order-making powers when they want to change things in a devolved area doesn't make sense.

'Not really listening'

"When it's legislation that is only affecting Wales, it should be made in Wales...and that's why I'm supportive of a Yes vote in the referendum."

He also accused the coalition in Westminster of being a "Conservative-led government propped up by Liberal Democrats."

Mr Miliband told supporters: "I don't think this is fated to be a five year government. I think that we have a chance of stopping this being a five year government but only if the Liberal Democrats realise that Nick Clegg is driving them off a cliff."

Nigel Dix, of the No campaign, said of Mr Miliband's visit: "He's not really listening to all Labour activists, councillors and party members in Wales.

"They have grave concerns of what is happening to devolution in Wales and at end of day he's playing into the hands of the separatists within Cardiff Bay by supporting the Yes camp."

He said it was a "recipe for breaking up the United Kingdom in the long run".

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