US/ TENSION AS STORM PASSES OVER MEMPHIS: Ominous clouds lingered over the Mississippi River and Downtown Memphis, Tenneessee last evening, creating tense moments for those who saw it. Many residents said that given all the recent devastating tornadoes in the country, they were worred their city was about to be struck. However, according to weather officials, it wasn't a funnel cloud. According to a National Weather Service meteorologist, the cloud formation is called a "beaver tail". He said: “The warm air condenses as it goes up into the storm. You get this real low cloud. It’s almost horizontal". The line of storms that moved thru Memphis did bring heavy rains and strong winds, with some minor damage reported and several trees down, but no injuries. About 6000 customers did lose power, however most had power restored by this morning.
US/ OVER 200 STILL MISSING IN JOPLIN: Missouri officials released a list today of 232 people missing since the massive EF5 tornado struck the city of Joplin on Sunday. Officials hope many of those are will be found alive and have simply failed to contact relatives. The tornado killed at least 125 people, injured over 900 and destroyed as much as a 1/3 of the city, making it one of the most destructive in US history. Search teams in Joplin have scoured the wreckage for survivors. But by this morning, authorities began weighing when to begin using bulldozers and other heavy kit to clear debris, a step that would indicate no more survivors were expected to be found. Those leading the search effort say it is impossible to know how many people are truly missing, since many may have simply left the area and not been in contact with relatives. Animal rescue teams have also moved into Joplin, helping to round up a number of pets that are in the wreckage of what was once their homes, pictured above. Most are said to be scared and hungry and will be taken to temporary shelters while attempts are made to trace their owners. US President Barack Obama plans to visit Joplin on Sunday.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has suspended the distribution and production of sex education films for schools in the country. According to media reports, Rousseff believes the footage is not suitable for youngsters. The education packs contain gay and lesbian video scenes and are supposed to combat homophobia. However, evangelical church groups and their allies in Congress threatened to block any upcoming legislation unless Rousseff halted the films. A government spokesman said President Rousseff had viewed the material personally and decided to suspend its distribution. "She didn't like what she saw," he said. He said Rousseff was unhappy with the footage and believed it did not offer an objective picture of homosexuality. The "anti-homophobia kits", as they are known in Brazil, were about to be rolled out by Brazil's ministry of health and the ministry of education. Several members of Brazil's chamber of deputies with strong evangelic Christian beliefs said the sex education packs encouraged homosexual behaviour. Gay rights campaigners have expressed serious concerns over the move. A leading rights campaigner and congressman said the decision called into question Rousseff's commitment to human rights.
WORLD/ SERBIA ARRESTS FUGITIVE WAR CRIMINAL MLADIC: Fugitive Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic has been arrested early today in Serbia after 16 years on the run. Mladic, 69, was found in a village in northern Serbia where had been living under an assumed name. The house was owned by a relative of Mladic's and had been under surveillance for the past 2 weeks. He faces charges over the massacre of at least 7500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995. Serbian President Boris Tadic said the process to extradite the former Bosnian Serb army chief to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague was under way. Following the arrest of Radovan Karadzic in 2008, Mladic became the most prominent Bosnian war crimes suspect at large. Serbia had been under intense international pressure for years to arrest him. The detention brings the country and the region closer to reconciliation, and opened the doors to European Union membership.
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