NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

US/ DEATH TOLL RISES IN JOPLIN TORNADO: The tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday evening, was the single deadliest twister in the past 60 years, according to National Weather Service. The news came as the Missouri Governor's office said this morning that the death toll from the massive tornado had risen to 117 confirmed dead. Until this week, the single deadliest tornado on record with the National Weather Service in the past 6 decades was a twister that killed 116 people in Flint, Michigan, in 1953. Sunday's killer tornado ripped through the heart of Joplin, a blue-collar SW Missouri city of 50,000 people, slamming straight into St. John's Regional Medical Center. The hospital confirmed that 5 of the dead were patients, all of them in critical condition before the tornado hit. A hospital visitor also was killed. According to a Fire Department spokesman, the tornado destroyed possibly "thousands" of homes. It leveled hundreds of businesses, including massive ones such as Home Depot and Walmart. Speaking from London, President Barack Obama said he would travel to Missouri on Sunday to meet with people whose lives have been turned upside down by the twister. He vowed to make all federal resources available for efforts to recover and rebuild.

WORLD/ RARE WHITE KIWI CHICK BORN: A rare white kiwi chick has been born in New Zealand, the 1st to be hatched in captivity. The chick, named Manukura, is not an albino but the rare offspring of some North Island brown kiwis from Little Barrier Island. He was born at the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre, 24km N of Masterton, on May 1, weighing approximately 250 grams. The Little Barrier Island kiwis were transferred to Pukaha in May last year. Elders from the Rangitane o Wairarapa iwi gave the chick his name, which means "of chiefly status". A Rangitane chief executive said tribal elders saw the white chick as a "tohu" or "sign" of new beginnings. "Every now and then something extraordinary comes along to remind you of how special life is," he said. "While we're celebrating all 14 kiwis hatched this year, Manukura is a very special gift." The chick is the 13th of 14 baby kiwis hatched at the wildlife centre this season. Manukura is being hand-reared in Pukaha Mount Bruce's new kiwi nursery. He will remain in the nursery until the end of the month. He will remain in captivity with other chicks at the centre for at least 4 to 6 months. When he is old enough to protect itself, he could be released into the sanctuary. Department of Conservation rangers, who manage the kiwi program at the centre, will ensure the best interests of the bird remain a priority.