US/ TORNADOES KILL AT LEAST 14 IN ARKANSAS, KANSAS & OKLAHOMA: Another violent storm system rumbled through the central US last evening, spawning tornadoes that killed at least 14 people. The new system moved into the Oklahoma City area Tuesday evening as worried commuters rushed home from work. Several tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma City and its suburbs, pictured above, killing at least 8 people and injuring at least 70 others. The storms killed 2 people in Kansas and 4 others in Arkansas. Officials fear the toll could go higher. Chickasha, Oklahoma and Denning, Arkansas, were 2 communities that were hit especially hard in the storms.
US/ JOPLIN TORNADO DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 125: The death toll from a massive tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday evening, rose to 125 on today after an overnight search turned up more bodies but no new survivors. Search teams endured harsh weather as more storms hit the devastated town of 50,000 overnight. Using cadaver dogs and heavy equipment, they sought both the living and the dead amid the wreckage of homes, businesses, schools and churches. About 1500 people have been reported missing and some 750 people were injured in Joplin, according to authorities. Authorities also said late yesterday that the Joplin tornado was upgraded to an EF5, or the highest rating possible on the Enhanced Fujita scale of tornado power and intensity. The Joplin tornado had previously been rated as an EF4. EF5 tornadoes are rare in the United States but already this year there have been at least 4, 2 in Mississippi, 1 in Alabama and now, Joplin. They are so destructive that experts said they can turn a house into an aerial missile.
In a symbolic act, welcomed by gay rights advocates, Minnesota Gov Mark Dayton vetoed today the Legislature's constitutional amendment defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman. Constitutional amendments do not require a governor's signature, so the veto has no power. But since the amendment came to him as a bill, he felt the need to make his strong condemnation known. "I do not have the power to prevent this divisive and destructive constitutional amendment from appearing on the ballot, in November 2012, the Legislature sent it to me in the form of a bill," he wrote in a letter to legislative leaders. "Thus, symbolic as it my be, I am exercising my legal responsibility to either sign or veto it." He predicted the amendment will fail when it comes before Minnesotans. If that happens, Minnesota voters would be the first voters of dozens of states to reject a gay marriage ban. Meanwhile, the White House has issued a statement condemning proposals to ban gay marriage in Minnesota, although it stops short of backing gay equality. The statement did not explicitly mention the move but called such efforts “divisive” and “discriminatory”.
The governor of Tennessee has signed a bill which gay rights campaigners say will wipe out all any laws which protect LGBT people from discrimination. Governor Bill Haslam signed the law on Monday. It bans cities and municipalities from making their own anti-discrimination ordinances and bans any area from having stronger protections than are available at state level. The city of Nashville already has an ordinance banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender expression. This law will now be rendered void. The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry initially supported the bill, saying it would help businesses in the state. However, it then reversed its position and now opposes the law. Other large companies including Whirlpool, Fed-Ex and KPMG have also spoken out against the bill. Last weekend, the state Senate approved a bill to ban mention of homosexuality in schools. The bill, known as the ‘don’t say gay bill’, will ban all teachers in public elementary and middle schools from talking about the subject.
Russian gay rights campaigners say today they will hold Moscow Pride regardless of a ban. Activists applied to hold the event in Bolotnaya Ploshchad city park on Saturday but the Moscow Mayor's administration turned down the request, citing a risk of public disorder. This is the 6th year in a row that city authorities have banned the event. While campaigners have flouted past bans, some marches ended in violence and allegations of police brutality. Last October, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that bans on Moscow Pride contravene international human rights laws. Organizers said they had approached other countries for support.
2 rare cubs born to a male lion and a female tiger are being nursed by a dog after they were abandoned by their mother. Xixiakou Wildlife Zoo in eastern China said 4 cubs called ligers were born to the lion and tiger earlier this month. A spokesperson said the tiger mother fed the ligers for 4 days but then abandoned them for unknown reasons. 2 of the cubs died of weakness. The staff at the zoo in Shandong province found a dog who had just given birth to feed the surviving cubs. The 2 cubs reportedly had trouble at first drinking milk from the dog but were now used to it. Liger births are considered rare.
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