Clashes Leave Ukraine Diplomacy Dead In Water

It is now clear that the diplomacy that was supposed to usher an end to the conflict in Ukraine is now dead in the water.

The Kremlin is calling for an emergency UN Security Council meeting but nobody expects that to bring a breakthrough.

So the situation remains. Pro-Russian separatists control much of the east and south and Kiev is pretty much powerless to do anything about it.

It is a win-win situation for the Kremlin, at least in the short term.

The United States said it would hold Vladimir Putin accountable for the actions of the separatists but he has always maintained they are not under his control.

That argument remains intact and the instability continues.

Russia has already achieved a core objective in Ukraine

And all the time the authority is leaching from the acting government in Kiev.

The country is supposed to be holding elections later this month but at this stage that seems far-fetched.

The Russian separatists, meanwhile, are planning their own Crimea-style independence elections on the May 11.

All Moscow has to do is watch. It has already achieved a core objective.

There is no way Ukraine in its present composition will ever become part of the EU or Nato.

As far as Putin is concerned, he has already stopped the West's expansion onto his turf in its tracks.

Russia of course is likely to face further sanctions, but the real danger for all sides is that this geo-political game of push and shove between East and West will turn into a real war.

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Ukraine Observers Freed Amid New Offensive

Military observers kept prisoner in Ukraine for more than a week have been released as bloody clashes in the country show no sign of letting up.

The seven observers and their five assistants, from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, were seized in Slavyansk on April 25.

The separatists had previously accused the observers of being "Nato spies" and said they were to be used as human shields.

A prisoner-swap was thought likely, although they were set free today without any conditions.

Fresh scuffles broke out outside the burned building in Odessa on Saturday

Colonel Axel Schneider, the head of the observers, said the group had shown "strength" and said the captivity was "unforgettable for us".

The release comes as Ukraine launched a dawn military operation against separatists in the east of the country.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said troops had seized control of a television tower in Kramatorsk, near the rebel stronghold of Slavyansk.

Two of the observers pictured while they were being held in Slavyansk

"We are not stopping," Mr Avakov wrote on his Facebook page. Heavy fighting is now being reported in the town, according to Ukraine's anti-terrorist centre.

The violence comes hours after 31 people died after a building in Odessa was set on fire during clashes between protesters.

Police said some people inside the trade union building were overcome by smoke and others were killed jumping from windows as they tried to escape.

Pro-Russian and pro-Kiev activists fought running battles as the southern city saw some of its worst violence since President Victor Yanukovych was ousted in February.

Police are guarding the charred trade union building in Odessa

The Interior Ministry said a total of 42 people had died.

Sky News' Katie Stallard said emotions were running high on the city's streets on Saturday as a few hundred officers guarded the charred building and people came to lay flowers.

"There is anger toward these officers. People feel they stood by yesterday; that they did very little to protect people.

"One woman told us she saw a young man and woman jump together from this building. People here witnessed something terrible last night."

A protester throws a petrol bomb at the building during Friday's clashes

Russia said it was "outraged" and denounced the "criminal irresponsibility" of the pro-Western authorities in Kiev.

Russia's foreign ministry called on Ukraine and its "Western backers to end the anarchy and take responsibility for the Ukranian people".

At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, the UK accused Moscow of "breathtaking" hypocrisy over the latest clashes.

People wait for rescue on an upper-storey ledge during the fire

The UK's ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, said Russia had "funded, equipped and directed" some of those involved in the insurgency.

"Many" pro-Russian separatists were also said to have been killed on Friday as the Ukrainian army took control of checkpoints around Slavyansk.

Two Ukrainian soldiers were also killed as two helicopters were shot down in the city, acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said.

The Ukrainian Security Service said one was shot down with a surface-to-air missile, adding that the sophisticated weapon undermined Russia's claims that Slavyansk was simply under the control of armed locals.

Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, in Donetsk, said the Ukraine government is in a "very difficult position".

"If they want to take control of these towns they are going to have to put a lot of soldiers on the ground and bring in police from other parts of the country. If that happens it will absolutely be violent – it will only escalate further.

"Russia has made it clear that would be a reason for them to intervene to protect ethnic Russians.

"If Kiev doesn't do that, they are going to see the eastern parts of the country drift away."

Russia has tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's border, and Kiev claims its neighbouring country is preparing to invade and that it is stoking the unrest in the east.

Moscow denies the allegations, but has warned Russia would respond to attacks on Russian citizens or interests in the east, where insurgents have seized government buildings in around a dozen cities.

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US And Germany United In Russia Warning

Germany and the US appear to have hardened their line on potential sanctions on Russia.

This is surprising and raises the stakes for what happens in the region.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Barack Obama both set a new threshold for action over Ukraine after meeting at the White House on Friday.

More severe "sectoral sanctions" have been held in reserve until now. Both leaders previously warning they could be used to punish a Russian military invasion.

But they are now threatening their use if elections in Ukraine on May 25 are disrupted.

Putin warned of "consequences" over military action

In the run up to their meeting much had been made of differences between the two allies.

German industry has been vigorously lobbying the Chancellor not to impose more severe sanctions. Germany is closer to Russia and has more trade than America, meaning it has more to lose than the US.

There have been differences of opinion on the degree to which sanctions should be ramped up. But if the two leaders are sincere in the warning issued to Russia from the White House Rose Garden those divisions have not prevented agreement on when more stringent sanctions should next be imposed.

Until now, sanctions have targeted individuals and some companies and banks. Assets have been frozen, visa bans imposed.

The White House has talked up the impact on the Russian economy. Others have pointed out it was heading in a negative direction before all this started.

But sectoral sanctions would be far more punishing, They would target entire sectors of the Russian economy - banking, mining, financial services, for instance.

It would hurt Russia, but its trading partners too.

While sceptics will question how much Mr Obama and Ms Merkel mean what they say, it is still significant that they said it.

A variety of factors may be pushing them closer.

Ukraine has launched a major offensive against pro-Russian forces

The German chancellor is reportedly furious about the continued detention of OSCE observers, some of them German, by pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine.

The US president poured scorn on Russian actions and propaganda, ridiculing the claim what is happening in Eastern Ukraine is a local protest.

Local protestors, he said, generally do not have the capacity to shoot down helicopters. The president knows recent polls show the Ukraine situation is weakening his popularity and approval ratings.

The German-US response makes escalation more likely.

It is hard to see how the May 25 elections can avoid disruption given the takeover of towns in the east of the country and the presence of shadowy militia.

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Over 2,000 Confirmed Dead In Afghan Landslide

More than 2,000 people have been confirmed dead in a landslide in Afghanistan after part of a hill above a village collapsed.

The community, in Badakhshan province which borders Tajikistan in the country's northeast, has been buried in more than 300ft of mud (100 metres).

"More than 2,100 people from 300 families are all dead," Naweed Forotan, a spokesman for the Badakhshan provincial governor, told the Reuters news agency.

There are fears of further landslides in the area

Hundreds of mud brick homes were destroyed when two landslides triggered by torrential rain hit Hobo Barik, in Argo district.

At least 100 people have been injured.

The side of the mountain collapsed as villagers were trying to recover belongings and livestock following a smaller landslip a few hours earlier.

A digger works to clear the mud

Mark Bowden, the humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, has told Sky News as many as 2,700 people could have been killed, with at least 4,500 people displaced.

Local people and dozens of police officers equipped with only basic digging tools began searching for survivors from first light on Saturday.

But it quickly became apparent there was no hope of finding anyone.

Thousands of people have been displaced

The United Nations says the focus is now on the thousands of people who have been displaced by the disaster.

A memorial service was planned for later on Saturday, and the site is expected to be designated as a mass grave, according to UN spokesman Ari Gaitanis.

He added the survivors need water, medical support, counselling, food and emergency shelter.

Afghan National Army troops in Kabul load supplies for survivors

British charities are mobilising teams to help with the rescue effort.

Save the Children sent five ambulances to the scene and are planning to distribute blankets and give medical assistance.

Other charities are monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide assistance if necessary.

There are also fears that another section of the mountainside could collapse, threatening the homeless and hundreds of rescue workers.

The US and the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan have offered to send help

The Afghan military flew rescue teams to the search area on Saturday because the remote mountain region is served by only narrow, poor roads that have been damaged by more than a week of heavy rain.

Nato-led coalition troops are ready to assist, but have not yet been asked for help by the Afghan government.

US President Barack Obama has also offered to send help.

Seasonal rains and spring snow melt have brought destruction to large parts of northern Afghanistan, killing more than 100 people.

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British Fighters Filmed In Syria 'War Crime'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

Video has emerged implicating British fighters in Syria in an apparent war crime.

Footage uncovered by researchers at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) shows jihadist rebels killing a prisoner, said to be a loyalist of President Bashar al Assad.

The incident is thought to have happened in the last two weeks near Raqqa in northern Syria.

The footage was posted on the Instagram account of a man believed to be from London.

The caption accompanying the video describes the prisoner as one of "Bashar [al Assad's] dogs" and says the killing was retribution for the deaths of four fellow rebels and the rape of a woman.

The ICSR monitors the social media accounts of hundreds of foreign fighters inside Syria.

Researchers say one of the executioners is a Briton seen in other videos

They believe the man that posted the video is part of a group of British fighters, known as Rayat al Tawheed, an affiliate of the Sunni jihadi movement ISIS, which controls large swathes of northern Syria.

Shiraz Maher, a senior ICSR researcher based at King's College London, said the killing of prisoners is a war crime in international law.

"It's incredibly serious," he said.

"We believe the main characters involved with Rayat al Tawheed come from London.

"We have deduced this based on our discussions with foreign fighters, our extensive record-keeping of foreign fighter activity in Syria, and our maintenance of social network maps which allows us to plot activity and associations in a visual form."

In one video a British fighter says a bullet is "the pen of the mujahid"

Although no audible English is spoken in the video itself, analysts from the ICSR believe they have identified one of the gunmen as being a British citizen.

A man is seen in the video firing shots into the body of the prisoner in the seconds after the initial bullet was fired by the main shooter.

Analysis of the gunman's physical build, wristwatch and balaclava led the ICSR to conclude he is the same man seen speaking English with a London accent in other videos posted by the group.

"We don't know if the prisoner was alive or dead when he fired, but he did partake in the execution, he did fire shots at the individual from his weapon, and we believe he is a British citizen," said ICSR researcher Joseph Carter.

On two separate videos posted on YouTube, the man identified as the gunman by the ICSR is heard berating the British Muslim community for failing to provide sufficient financial support for the jihad or the families the fighters have left behind.

The group lobbies for donations to buy more weapons and ammunition

"You know who you are, from the capital, the Midlands, up north, wherever you may be… it's a disgrace, that brothers know where these wives are, where these families are, and yet you are buying your nephew or your child a PlayStation 4 or taking them out to Nando's," he said.

The Government's counter-terrorism programme last week launched a campaign urging the families of young men planning to travel to Syria to intervene.

It is estimated that up to 400 Britons have travelled to fight or train in Syria in the last two years. 

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "This demonstrates why we have consistently called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

"Horrific atrocities have been committed by both the Assad regime and by extremists. The international community must ensure that all those responsible are held to account.

"Our priority is to dissuade people from travelling, but any extremists should know we are prepared to take action to protect national security, and intelligence agencies and police are working to identify potential threats."

Amnesty International UK Syria campaign manager Kristyan Benedict said: "This alleged British member of the extremist group ISIS says it's 'a disgrace' other British Muslims will not join him in Syria.

"The real disgrace is people like him and other extremists brazenly committing war crimes and holding Syrians back from realising their aspirations for a Syria free from violent authoritarianism.

"The scale of unlawful killing, torture and arbitrary detention from the Syrian government side still dwarfs abuses carried out by numerous armed groups, but the Assad government certainly doesn't have a monopoly on atrocities.

"All these crimes will need to be properly investigated and the perpetrators held to account."

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Ukraine In Military Assault On Slavyansk

Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed after pro-Russian forces shot down helicopters during the first major government offensive in the east of Ukraine.

A spokeswoman for the pro-Russian militants also said one of their men was killed and another injured, according to the AP news agency.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov urged local residents to stay indoors during the "anti-terrorist operation" in rebel-held Slavyansk early Friday morning.

A man, said to be one of the helicopter crew, is taken away

Posting on Facebook, he said the city was "tightly surrounded" after government troops seized nine rebel-held road checkpoints.

"Against Ukraine's special forces, terrorists used heavy artillery, including grenade launchers and portable anti-aircraft missile launchers," Mr Avakov said.

Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the insurgency-appointed mayor of Slavyansk, said self-defence forces had shot down two helicopters and taken one person hostage.

A helicopter lands at Andreevka, 7 km from the centre of Slavyansk

Shoulder-launched missiles had downed the aircraft, according to the Ukrainian defence ministry.

A third helicopter, said to be carrying carrying medical staff, was also hit and one person wounded, according to the ministry.

Ukrainian officials believe the use of such heavy weaponry proves Russian forces are in the area - something repeatedly denied by Moscow.

Ukrainian troops stand guard at a checkpoint near Slavyansk

Separatist forces were still reported to be firmly in control of Slavyansk's streets, with Ukrainian armoured vehicles restricted to the city's outskirts.

The offensive by the Ukrainian government marks the first significant military response by Kiev.

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "punitive operation" had destroyed a peace plan agreed with Western powers in Geneva last month.

"While Russia is making efforts to de-escalate and settle the conflict, the Kiev regime moved combat air forces against peaceful settlements, began a reprisal raid, essentially finishing off the last hope for the feasibility of the Geneva accords," Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Officials have been criticised for being slow to act to stop the pro-Russian forces seizing swathes of its Donbass coal and steel belt.

The armed groups seeking union with Moscow have seized a number of government buildings in towns in eastern Ukraine.

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North Korean Defectors' Harrowing Stories

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

In a series of rare and harrowing interviews, defectors have told Sky News of their horrific lives inside North Korea and their extraordinary journeys to escape the country.

The men and women agreed to talk from their new homes in the South Korean capital, Seoul.

Their interviews form part of a special programme to be shown on Sky News this weekend.

Two of the defectors had spent time inside North Korea's notorious political prison camps.

Another was a tank commander in the secretive state's army before managing to escape.

One women describes, for the first time, the torture she endured at the hands of North Korean prison camp guards.

From her Seoul apartment, Cheon YoungSuk sobbed uncontrollably as she recalled the torture.

"With that plank, they hit me until it split into two or they won't stop hitting me. It must split into two. Then the beating stops. They hit me like that, they starved me, kicked me," she said.

Lee Soon Shil managed to escape from North to South Korea

"During the torture the hardest thing was they made me kneel on a chair. The guard had ridges on the bottom of his shoes. He would stand on my bare skin and start twisting (his feet).

"When bare skin and shoe soles are twisted with pressure it grinds the skin. That was the most hard. That was the time I shouted. It hurt too much.

"Because it hurt too much I shouted to him to grind faster. Twist faster to finish it more quickly.

"They wrapped my hair on their hand and start smashing my face on the corner of the desk.... [they are] crueller than beasts. How could a human do that to another human?"

On Thursday, diplomats addressed the United Nations saying that North Korea must act immediately to halt its "litany of abuses" and "crimes against humanity".

"We note with concern that... human rights violations and crimes against humanity continue to take place with impunity," British UN representative Karen Pierce told the Geneva forum.

Sky's Mark Stone speaks to a defector in Seoul

North Korea denies the existence of prison camps. It reacted angrily to a United Nations Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry (COI), published in February.

The COI conducted scores of interviews with defectors all of whom told stories similar to those heard by Sky News.

The UN body concluded that "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed" by North Korea.

It said that "the gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world".

It described a catalogue of "unspeakable atrocities" which amounted to "crimes against humanity".

The report is currently being considered at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

The detailed findings of the report were also discussed at informal meeting of the UN Security Council two weeks ago. However, two members of the council, Russia and China, both historically allied to North Korea, failed to attend.

Speaking after the informal meeting, the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, retired Australian judge Michael Kirby, said he was disappointed that China and Russia failed to attend but still hoped that the UN would now act against North Korea.

"The time has come for effective action from the United Nations," he said.

"If ever there is to be a case for referral of a matter to the International Criminal Court, it is difficult to imagine a stronger case than has been made out in the case of North Korea.

"If this is not a case for such a referral, it is difficult to imagine what would be."

The level of abuse uncovered in North Korea, both in the UN report and the interviews conducted by Sky News has been compared to some of the abuses during the holocaust of World War Two.

Mr Kirby said that the descriptions he heard reminded him of Holocaust abuses.

He said: "I never thought that in my professional life, my life as a judge or as an officer of the United Nations, I would sit there and hear descriptions that were so similar to the descriptions of what went on in those places.

"I thought we had said as a world community, 'never again'.

"I thought that was what the charter of the United Nations was about. I thought that was why in the charter it speaks of international peace and security and the protection of universal human rights together."

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Al Qaeda Boss Orders End To Jihadist Infighting

Al Qaeda's chief has called on members of the group's Syrian affiliate, the al Nusra Front, to stop fighting with their jihadist rivals.

In an audiotape posted online, Ayman al Zawahiri ordered "all soldiers of the front immediately cease fighting" one another.

And al Nusra's leader Abu Mohammed al Jolani was told to "devote himself to combat the enemies of Islam, specifically Baathists, Shiites and their allies".

The Baath is Syria's ruling party, headed by President Bashar al Assad.

Al Nusra has been locked in fierce fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) since the start of the year.

ISIL - a rebranding of al Qaeda in Iraq - has recently been accused of atrocities against rival opposition fighters.

ISIL fighters burn confiscated cigarettes in the city of Raqqa

Its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, has previously been warned by al Zawahiri to restrict its activities to Iraq.

That order was repeated by al Zawahiri in Friday's message, with the ISIL chief being told to "devote himself to wounded Iraq, which needs you to redouble your efforts".

He said ISIL's presence had hindered the fighting against forces loyal to the Syrian president because it had created divisions which had proved to be "a gift to Assad".

Al Qaeda, which is intolerant of non-Sunni branches of Islam and regards liberal Muslims and other sects including Shias, Sufis to be heretics, threatened in February to break links with ISIL.

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Ukraine 'Detains Russian Attache For Spying'

Ukraine Mine: Militia Controls Million Weapons

Updated: 11:37pm UK, Wednesday 30 April 2014

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Ukraine

At the end of a completely anonymous road on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Artemivsk is the village of Paraskoviyevka.

It has two claims to fame: one of the few still functioning salt mines in the region, and, more importantly, the largest cache of weapons in Europe - over a million of them and they are under the control of separatists.

Outside the gates of the mine, a cluster of tents mark the pro-Russian checkpoint guarding the entrance to this enormous supply of weapons.

The militia say they started guarding the mine in March when efforts were made to move some of the weapons. They say they will not allow anyone to get their hands on them.

But military experts and government sources in Kiev have warned that such a ready supply should not be guarded by groups who wish to separate from the country.

The storage facility was created in the 1950s by the Soviet Union.

About 150 metres below ground and stretching horizontally for kilometres the weapons age back to World War Two but in the 1990s huge numbers of Kalashnikov machine guns were stored in the facility as well.

The men guarding the store say the conditions underground are dry and perfect for storage.

They say that the armaments, particularly the newer ones, are in perfect working order.

"If anyone got in there they could arm everyone in Ukraine," a masked separatist told me.

He added: "There are rifles, machine guns, heavy weapons and millions and millions of rounds of ammunition. We are here to stop the forces of the west and anyone else for that matter from getting their hands on them.

"For certain the fascists from Kiev won't get them."

The real point of this is that there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to take control of the store from the pro-Russia group.

Soldiers at a nearby camp are powerless here; their authority has gone and do nothing to move the blockade outside the mine.

To a degree this is a perfect microcosm example of what is happening across the east of the country.

Government institutions and police stations in virtually all the main towns and cities have fallen to the pro-Russia militia.

It is an extremely well-organised takeover. Armed and masked men arrive and disarm police before moving to town halls and regional buildings.

At gunpoint, they impose their authority before civilian activists move in and start building barricades.

Asked who the enemy are, the usual reply is "Fascists from Kiev".

The truth is there isn't a fascist horde wending its way out here.

It is a myth that has been propagated by self-appointed regional leaders with the help of Russian media, whose reporting of events is watched by most people here.

And it is a cross between hysterical warnings of armageddon and comic manipulation of facts and events; comic if people were not dying as a result, which they are.

This is getting increasingly nasty and once again there is nothing anyone can do about it.

In Donestsk, where pro-Kiev supporters have staged rallies of support, people have been beaten senseless and in one instance knifed to death by pro-Russian thugs.

The police do nothing to stop the attacks happening and, worse, there is more than a suspicion that they are in cahoots with the mob.

I have seen riot police clad in full protective gear hugging men who minutes earlier were beating an old man.

The Kiev administration admits its forces in the east are not able to intervene or are failing to do their jobs.

But the police themselves say they are getting no orders or guidance from Kiev.

Even if they don't like what is going on here, and many admit they do, they have no intention of taking a beating, or worse, by stick-wielding groups and armed masked men.

From Kiev, they are warning of an imminent invasion by Russian forces and have put their troops on full alert.

But these soldiers are in truth utterly incapable of resistance to an army, or, as we have seen, even a militia.

Eastern Ukraine is drifting away and it seems there is nothing anyone can do to stop it - just like Crimea.

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IMF: Ukraine Crisis Sparks Russia 'Recession'

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Russia is already in recession as a result of the effects of the crisis in Ukraine.

An economist working for the organisation, Antonio Spilimbergo, made the comment while confirming a huge downgrade in the IMF's growth forecast for 2014 from 1.3% to just 0.2%.

It had predicted the higher growth figure for Russia just three weeks ago.

The move was a response to heightened concerns over the effects of a flight in capital from Russia - expected by the IMF to top $100bn in 2014 alone.

A tightening of sanctions against Russian individuals and firms close to Russian president Vladimir Putin, imposed by the West in response to his annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, was also cited as a core reason for the downgrade.

The tensions surrounding the crisis in Ukraine have pushed relations between Russia and the West to their lowest since the end of the Cold War, sparking a wider flight from risk on world markets.

As the IMF amended its forecasts, Ukraine's acting leader warned his country's forces were on full combat alert in case of a Russia invasion.

Mr Spilimbergo was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "If we define recession as negative growth in two quarters in a row, then Russia from that point of view is experiencing recession.

"This all has a very negative effect on the investment climate. We expect that the fall in investments that already took place in 2013 will increase further this year."

Russia's economy contracted by about 0.5% in the first three months of the year compared with the previous quarter.

Standard and Poor's ratings agency on Friday downgraded Russia's ability to repay debt to BBB-, one notch above junk status, and retained its negative outlook.

Mr Spilimbergo, who acts as the IMF's mission chief to Moscow, agreed there were "considerable downside risks" and said the decision by Russia's central bank to raise interest rates last week would reduce inflation but would not be enough.

He argued the depreciation in the rouble over the past few months would put pressure on inflation and forecast consumer prices would rise more than 6% during the course of 2014.

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Ukraine: Militia Controls A Million Weapons

At the end of a completely anonymous road on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Artemivsk is the village of Paraskoviyevka.

It has two claims to fame: one of the few still functioning salt mines in the region, and, more importantly, the largest cache of weapons in Europe - over a million of them and they are under the control of separatists.

Outside the gates of the mine, a cluster of tents mark the pro-Russian checkpoint guarding the entrance to this enormous supply of weapons.

The militia say they started guarding the mine in March when efforts were made to move some of the weapons. They say they will not allow anyone to get their hands on them.

But military experts and government sources in Kiev have warned that such a ready supply should not be guarded by groups who wish to separate from the country.

The storage facility was created in the 1950s by the Soviet Union.

About 150 metres below ground and stretching horizontally for kilometres the weapons age back to World War Two but in the 1990s huge numbers of Kalashnikov machine guns were stored in the facility as well.

The men guarding the store say the conditions underground are dry and perfect for storage.

The weapons are held in a storage facility at a salt mine

They say that the armaments, particularly the newer ones, are in perfect working order.

"If anyone got in there they could arm everyone in Ukraine," a masked separatist told me.

He added: "There are rifles, machine guns, heavy weapons and millions and millions of rounds of ammunition. We are here to stop the forces of the west and anyone else for that matter from getting their hands on them.

"For certain the fascists from Kiev won't get them."

The real point of this is that there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to take control of the store from the pro-Russia group.

Soldiers at a nearby camp are powerless here; their authority has gone and do nothing to move the blockade outside the mine.

To a degree this is a perfect microcosm example of what is happening across the east of the country.

Government institutions and police stations in virtually all the main towns and cities have fallen to the pro-Russia militia.

Tents mark the pro-Russian checkpoint guarding the entrance

It is an extremely well-organised takeover. Armed and masked men arrive and disarm police before moving to town halls and regional buildings.

At gunpoint, they impose their authority before civilian activists move in and start building barricades.

Asked who the enemy are, the usual reply is "Fascists from Kiev".

The truth is there isn't a fascist horde wending its way out here.

It is a myth that has been propagated by self-appointed regional leaders with the help of Russian media, whose reporting of events is watched by most people here.

And it is a cross between hysterical warnings of armageddon and comic manipulation of facts and events; comic if people were not dying as a result, which they are.

This is getting increasingly nasty and once again there is nothing anyone can do about it.

A pro-Russian separatist in Ukraine

In Donestsk, where pro-Kiev supporters have staged rallies of support, people have been beaten senseless and in one instance knifed to death by pro-Russian thugs.

The police do nothing to stop the attacks happening and, worse, there is more than a suspicion that they are in cahoots with the mob.

I have seen riot police clad in full protective gear hugging men who minutes earlier were beating an old man.

The Kiev administration admits its forces in the east are not able to intervene or are failing to do their jobs.

But the police themselves say they are getting no orders or guidance from Kiev.

Even if they don't like what is going on here, and many admit they do, they have no intention of taking a beating, or worse, by stick-wielding groups and armed masked men.

From Kiev, they are warning of an imminent invasion by Russian forces and have put their troops on full alert.

But these soldiers are in truth utterly incapable of resistance to an army, or, as we have seen, even a militia.

Eastern Ukraine is drifting away and it seems there is nothing anyone can do to stop it - just like Crimea.

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Florida Jail Gas Blast Kills 2 And Injures 100

A gas explosion at a Florida jail has killed two people and left up to 150 inmates and corrections officers hurt.

County spokeswoman Kathleen Castro said the blast triggered the partial collapse of Escambia County jail's booking facility building.

She said at least two prisoners were killed in the explosion, which happened at around 11pm local time on Wednesday. Around 600 inmates were in the building at the time.

Officials described frantic scenes following the explosion

Ms Castro said she did not know if flooding in the area was a factor, but that the prison did suffer extensive flooding during heavy rains in the region on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The injured were taken to hospital while inmates who were unhurt were taken to jails in neighbouring counties.

Escambia County Jail. Pic: Google street view

No escapees were reported.

Ms Castro said officials were scrambling to get people out of the building, provide medical care, and working to make sure inmates were detained and routed to other facilities.

Sacred Heart Hospital and West Florida Hospital in Pensacola said the injuries they had treated were all relatively minor.

Vicki Brooks, a spokeswoman for Sacred Heart, said they treated 31 patients with mostly neck and back injuries.

Kendrick Doidge said West Florida Hospital treated 37 inmates in the emergency room and that all had been released back into the custody of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.

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IMF: Ukraine Crisis Sparks Russia 'Recession'

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned Russia is already in recession as a result of the effects of the crisis in Ukraine.

An economist working for the organisation, Antonio Spilimbergo, made the comment while confirming a huge downgrade in the IMF's growth forecast for 2014 from 1.3% to just 0.2%.

It had predicted the higher growth figure for Russia just three weeks ago.

The move was a response to heightened concerns over the effects of a flight in capital from Russia - expected by the IMF to top $100bn in 2014 alone.

A tightening of sanctions against Russian individuals and firms close to Russian president Vladimir Putin, imposed by the West in response to his annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, was also cited as a core reason for the downgrade.

The tensions surrounding the crisis in Ukraine have pushed relations between Russia and the West to their lowest since the end of the Cold War, sparking a wider flight from risk on world markets.

As the IMF amended its forecasts, Ukraine's acting leader warned his country's forces were on full combat alert in case of a Russia invasion.

Mr Spilimbergo was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "If we define recession as negative growth in two quarters in a row, then Russia from that point of view is experiencing recession.

"This all has a very negative effect on the investment climate. We expect that the fall in investments that already took place in 2013 will increase further this year."

Russia's economy contracted by about 0.5% in the first three months of the year compared with the previous quarter.

Standard and Poor's ratings agency on Friday downgraded Russia's ability to repay debt to BBB-, one notch above junk status, and retained its negative outlook.

Mr Spilimbergo, who acts as the IMF's mission chief to Moscow, agreed there were "considerable downside risks" and said the decision by Russia's central bank to raise interest rates last week would reduce inflation but would not be enough.

He argued the depreciation in the rouble over the past few months would put pressure on inflation and forecast consumer prices would rise more than 6% during the course of 2014.

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India: Burning Man Hugs Politician On TV Show

An Indian politician has suffered horrific burns after he was grabbed by a man who set himself on fire during a TV election debate.

Kamruzzama Fauji was taking part in the show in Sultanpur, in Uttar Pradesh state, when an audience member doused himself in petrol.

Crowds of people ran from the set as the man, named by police as Durgesh Kumar Singh, set himself alight before embracing Mr Fauji.

Local photographer Pankaj Kumar Gupta, whose pictures show the two men engulfed in flames, said the debate was coming to an end when the man suddenly appeared.

"People were just too shocked to know what was happening," he added.

Onlookers grabbed buckets of water to try to extinguish the flames

Mr Singh, whose motive is unknown, suffered burns to 95% of his body and is unlikely to survive, according to doctors.

Mr Fauji, the local leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, sustained 75% burns and is in a critical condition in hospital.

Two other politicians were treated for minor injuries they suffered while trying to save the pair.

The debate was being recorded for India's state-owned Doordarshan channel.

A spokesman for the station, which is understood to have stopped filming and packed up its equipment within minutes, described the incident as "sad and shocking".

He said the debate was part of a "roadshow" held by the station, with politicians taking questions from local voters.

Parliamentary elections are being held across India until May 12, with results expected four days later.

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Ukraine On Full Combat Alert Over 'Invasion'

Ukraine's military is "on full combat alert" over a possible invasion by Russian troops massed on the border, Kiev's acting leader has said.

Interim president Oleksandr Turchynov told a ministerial meeting: "Our armed forces are on full combat alert. The threat of Russia starting a war against mainland Ukraine is real."

Ukraine's government later announced the country's armed forces would hold military exercises in central Kiev on Wednesday night.

Russia has denied it has any plans to invade eastern Ukraine after its annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March.

Ukraine's acting president Oleksander Turchinov at the cabinet meeting

Kiev, however, has accused Moscow of orchestrating an armed uprising in the industrial east by Russian-speaking separatists, who have seized government buildings in a number of towns and cities.

Ukraine's army and police appear to be making little progress in a high-profile operation to prevent the rebels expanding their grip over towns in the east.

It came as the International Monetary Fund said Russia was already in recession, while citing the effect of the ongoing crisis on investment in the country.

IMF economist Antonio Spilimbergo was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "If we define recession as negative growth in two quarters in a row, then Russia from that point of view is experiencing recession."

The IMF has lowered its 2014 growth forecast for Russia to 0.2% from the 1.3% figure it issued on April 8, Mr Spilimbergo added.

Russia deployed around 40,000 troops to its shared border with Ukraine in March. Moscow initially claimed they were sent for exercises but later said they were ready to respond to Kiev's military offensive against pro-Kremlin rebels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists he has a "right" to send his forces into Ukraine, but has not yet done so.

Kiev and the US say Russian special forces are already active in the insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

Mr  Turchynov told the cabinet meeting: "Our number one task is to prevent terrorism spreading from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to other Ukrainian regions".

He underlined moves announced a day earlier to set up armed civilian "territorial volunteer militia" units to help beleaguered police and troops in the east.

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Minnesota Homeowner Guilty of Teen Murders

A US homeowner who shot and killed two teenagers, calling them "vermin" after they broke into his house in Minnesota, has been convicted of their murders.

Byron Smith shot unarmed cousins Haile Kifer, 18, and Nick Brady, 17, a total of nine times as they crept into his Little Falls home on Thanksgiving Day in 2012.

The 65-year-old said it was self-defence and that he had been in fear of his life after previous burglaries in the area.

But prosecutors said Smith had plotted to kill the intruders, waiting with loaded guns in his basement and even parking his vehicle elsewhere to make the property appear unoccupied.

Smith said he lived in fear of being burgled

On Tuesday, a jury found Smith guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

The trial heard Smith had set up an audio-recording device and surveillance cameras to capture the intruders in the act.

In the recording that was played in court, Smith could be heard shooting Brady and saying: "You're dead." He then opened fire on a screaming Kifer.

As the audio continued to run, Smith was then heard saying: "I see them as vermin."

The killings prompted debate in the state about how much deadly force a householder may reasonably use.

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South Korean President Sorry For Ferry Response

South Korea's president has apologised for her government's "insufficient" response to the ferry disaster.

While 204 people - most of them schoolchildren - have been confirmed dead, nearly 100 passengers are still missing after the Sewol sank on April 16.

President Park Geun-hye apologised at a Cabinet meeting, saying South Korea has "lost many precious lives because of the accident, and I am sorry to the public and am heavy hearted."

She insisted the government could not have prevented the accident but said: "The initial response and remedy were insufficient."

Ms Park said she was "heavy hearted"

Ms Park's apology came after her prime minister's resignation amid continuing claims by relatives that the government did not do enough in the initial stages to try to rescue their loved ones.

The government has also been widely criticised over perceived corruption and lax safety standards that may have led to the disaster.

The ferry sunk on April 16

Meanwhile, divers are continuing to work through strong currents to try to recover the remaining victims.

They are mainly using their hands to feel for remaining bodies as they make their way through dark cabins, stairwells, storage rooms, lounges and restaurants of the submerged passenger ship.

But the search is being hampered by strong currents swirling around the ferry and, once inside, divers have to deal with overturned furniture, mattresses and other debris floating in the murky, sediment-heavy waters.

Ms Park earlier visited Ansan, south of Seoul, where she paid respects at a memorial for the schoolchildren who died in the disaster.

A mourner weeps at the official memorial altar in Ansan

Of the 476 people on board the ferry, 325 were students from the same high school in Ansan. Only 75 of them were rescued.

Media reports said the president listened to angry family members of victims for 10 minutes as they shouted at her and demanded an apology.

All 15 of the surviving crew responsible for sailing the ferry remain in custody, facing charges including negligence and abandoning passengers.

Prime minister Chung Hong-won has resigned

Investigators, meanwhile, are widening their inquiries into both the cause of the ship's sinking and emergency workers' initial response to the tragedy.

Prosecutors are investigating an exchange of calls between crew members of the sunken ferry and the offices of the owner, Chonghaejin Marine.

A number of crew members on the ferry spoke by phone about seven times with the owner's offices, prosecutors said, with the first call to the owner going through just six minutes after the ferry reported a distress call to a vessel traffic services centre.

Prosecutors are looking into what was the purpose of the calls. 

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Ukraine: US And Nato Build-Up 'Worries' Russia

Russia has told the United States it has no intention of invading Ukraine and expressed concern about the build-up of American and Nato forces in eastern Europe.

Four British Typhoon fighter jets have arrived at a Nato base in Lithuania to take part in increased Baltic border patrols, while 600 US troops have been deployed to Poland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, reportedly for military exercises.

It comes as the US and European Union imposed more sanctions on Russian firms and individuals close to President Vladimir Putin.

Japan has also imposed visa bans on 23 Russian officials.

Moscow denounced the new US sanctions, accusing Washington of using Cold War tactics from a "bygone era".

It also criticised the new European measures, saying the EU was simply doing Washington's bidding and should be ashamed of itself.

A child looks at pro-Russian militants standing guard in Konstantinovka

In an hour-long phone call with Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu voiced concern about an "unprecedented" increase in US and Nato activity near Russia's borders.

Allies of Mr Putin have been subjected to visa bans and asset freezes, including his friend Igor Sechin, head of oil giant Rosneft.

US officials said America's penalties, which affect seven individuals and 17 companies, were aimed at "cronies" of the Russian leader.

President Barack Obama said: "The goal is not to go after Mr Putin personally.

"The goal is to change his calculus with respect to how the current actions he's engaging in Ukraine could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy over the long haul."

Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov described the US sanctions as illegitimate, uncivilised and in breach of international law.

Pro-Russians attack a pro-Ukrainian protester during a rally in Donetsk

"Washington is in effect reviving ... an old method of restricting normal cooperation, from Cold War times, essentially chasing itself into a dark, dusty closet of a bygone era," he said.

The EU has added 15 more Russians and Ukrainians to its blacklist, including General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff, and Lieutenant General Igor Sergun, head of GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency.

Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak and pro-Russian separatist leaders in Crimea and the eastern Ukrainian cities of Lugansk and Donetsk were also on the list.

The latest round of sanctions comes amid continuing violence in eastern Ukraine.

Gennady Kernes, the mayor of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, who was shot in the back while exercising, is in a stable condition after being flown to Israel for treatment.

Pro-Russian separatists in Slavyansk continue to hold seven monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The self-declared mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, has given the OSCE a list of detainees his movement wants released by the government in Kiev for the observers he is holding.

Russia has been accused by the US of stirring up unrest in Ukraine, allegations Moscow rejects.

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North Korea Holds Live-Fire Drills Near Border

North Korea has carried out live-fire drills in two areas near the disputed Yellow Sea border with the South, which told its island residents to take cover in shelters.

The Pyongyang regime fired artillery close to the Northern Limit Line (NLL) but no rounds appear to have landed south of it.

The drills came hours after North Korea told Seoul of the areas near populated South Korean islands where it would be conducting the exercise.

A red line marks the Korean peninsula's de facto maritime border

Last month, it carried out similar drills close to the NLL, firing more than 500 artillery rounds, including over 100 that landed south of the border.

The move led to the South firing hundreds of rounds back into the North's waters.

The NLL is an extension of the land border between the two Koreas, stretching into the sea west of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un

It was drawn up by the US-led UN Command without Pyongyang's consent after the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with a truce rather than a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula still technically at war.

The North has refused to recognise the line as the sea border and has periodically challenged the South by violating it and demanding a new border be set further to the south.

The existing line curves northwards, effectively isolating five remote, South Korean-controlled islands from the mainland.

The furthest of those islands is closer to Pyongyang than Seoul.

The South has increased its military presence on the islands after four people died during the 2010 bombardment of Yeonpyeong island by the North, which it said was in response to its rival's artillery drills.

Seoul officials have claimed the North could be preparing for its fourth nuclear test and US President Barack Obama recently warned Pyongyang against such a measure.

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Tornadoes: Death Toll In US South Rises To 11

Tornadoes in the US have killed at least 11 people, as severe weather systems continue to lash the US.

Officials said seven people died on Monday night in Mississippi, two in Alabama and two more in Tennessee.

It brings the death toll from the storms for the last two days to 28.

Weather forecasters said the storm system that has caused the havoc is on its way to Birmingham, Alabama, and then may head towards Georgia.

Republican state senator for Louisville, Mississippi, Giles Ward, was among those who lost his home after apparently having to cower in his bathroom as the twister went overhead.

Volunteers begin to clear trees off cars in Tupelo, Mississippi

He, his wife, his daughter, son-in-law, two granddaughters and his dog survived unscathed but his home was destroyed. A picture posted online showed his wrecked SUV turned upside down.

Tens of thousands of householders were left without power in Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi.

Six people died in Winston County, Mississippi, including a woman who died in the day care centre she owned in Louisville.

Authorities said it was not known if any children were in the day care centre at the time. Another was reported to have been killed elsewhere in the state.

In Tennessee, two people were killed in a home in Lincoln County, which borders Alabama in the south of the state. Winds destroyed several other homes, as well as a middle school.

A map showing the states affected by Tornadoes

In northern Alabama, a further two deaths have been confirmed after a tornado caused major damage to the city of Athens. Rescuers were unable to reach some areas due to downed power lines.

The severe weather comes after a series of tornadoes and violent storms lashed central and mid-western states on Sunday.

Seventeen people were confirmed dead from those storms, during which more than a dozen tornadoes damaged buildings, overturned trucks and brought down trees.

Aerial photos of the devastation in Vilonia, Arkansas, showed piles of debris where houses once stood and a line carved out into the ground indicating the path taken by the twister.

National Guard troops have been mobilised in the worst-hit areas and rescue crews continue to search debris for victims.

Across the country, tornadoes have struck Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Louisiana.

Severe storms have struck many US states in recent days

Officials said they expect the overall death toll to rise as crews continue to sift through debris.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said officials did not yet have a count of the missing.

Vilonia Mayor James Firestone said: "It's chaos right now."

Authorities have also yet to put a figure on the number who have lost their homes, but it is expected to be hundreds, if not more.

President Barack Obama, who is currently in the Philippines, pledged federal assistance to the hard-hit communities.

He said: "Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild, as long as it takes."

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India: Briton's Body Found Inside Plastic Bag

By Neville Lazurus, India Producer

The decomposed body of a 40-year-old British man has been found by the side of a road in India.

Roddick Andrew Reymond's body was discovered wrapped in a carpet inside a plastic bag in southern Delhi by passers-by.

It was found outside a mobile repair shop on Church Road in Jangpura, where local people noticed a large, blue bag emanating a foul smell.

Neveen, who lives in the neighbourhood, said: "Initially we thought it was a dead animal. We called the police and when they opened the bag they found a body of a man."

According to police, the body was dumped in the early hours of the morning when area guards were off duty.

The level of decomposition suggests the killing took place several days ago.

A passport recovered from Mr Reymond's pocket allowed him to be identified, although it was soiled and prevented police obtaining his address.

An investigator, who did not want to be identified, said the victim suffered multiple injuries inflicted by a blunt object struck around his head and face.

There were abrasions on his hands and legs, which were bound together, as well as burn marks on his face.

Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told Sky News the body had been transferred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for a post-mortem examination.

The local deputy police commissioner told Sky News an investigation had been launched.

Detectives are now trying to obtain the phone number Mr Reymond used while travelling in India.

Preliminary reports suggest he has been in the country on a tourist visa for the last two months and had travelled to Goa, Chennai and Mumbai.

The police are yet to determine where he was staying.

In a statement, the British High Commission in Delhi said: "We are aware of the death of the British national in Delhi and are providing consular assistance."

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Saudi Arabia: Killer Flu Bug Claims More Victims

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter

The number of fatal cases from a deadly flu virus in Saudi Arabia has risen to more than 100.

The country's health ministry has recorded a 73% spike in cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), or coronavirus, since the start of the month.

Last night, it confirmed eight new deaths in the last 24 hours, including one child.

Of the 339 confirmed cases, 102 people have now died from the SARS-like virus in Saudi Arabia since it was first detected in 2012.

Cases of infection have been confirmed in other countries around the region including Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and, most recently, Egypt.

Infected individuals have also been identified in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

An electron microscope image of coronavirus

Symptoms of the virus include shortness of breath, fever, coughing, kidney failure and diarrhoea.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said around 75% of reported cases were acquired through contact with an infected person.

It is offering assistance to Saudi Arabia to monitor any "evolving risk".

Many recent cases of infection have been hospital workers or people who have been in hospital environments, such as other patients and their visitors.

Concerns have been raised in Saudi Arabia about the government's handling of the crisis and people have taken to wearing surgical masks in many major towns and cities.

Health Minister Abdullah Al Rabiah was recently sacked

Last Monday, health minister Abdullah Al Rabiah was dismissed from his post, although there was no official confirmation this was connected to the MERS outbreak.

King Abdullah was reported to have visited Jeddah on Thursday to play down what he claimed were "exaggerated and false rumours" about the virus.

The country has now established three specialist treatment centres in hospitals in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

Western diplomatic sources in Saudi Arabia have said they believe the government views the situation seriously and is taking "proactive responses".

Significant efforts are now being made to understand more about the virus, for which there is no known vaccine.

Experts consider it to be a more dangerous but less infectious off-shoot of the SARS virus, which spread through Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, leaving nearly 800 people dead.

The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel guidance for Saudi Arabia to make travellers aware of the presence of MERS.

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American State At War Over Abortion Rights

By Amanda Walker, US Correspondent, in Jackson, Mississippi

A court in New Orleans will hear arguments today that could result in the closure of Mississippi's only abortion clinic.

The case is just one of many abortion battles being fought across the US. In several states laws are being passed that restrict the right to choose by imposing new limits on abortion.

You can't miss Jackson Women's Clinic - the big, pink building sits on a hill where protesters carry banners showing images of aborted foetuses.

It's the only abortion facility in the entire state of Mississippi.

Up to 40 women come here each day. Some are teenagers from the poorest parts of the state; others are working women with families.

What they all have in common is that none of them want to be here. Each woman has to have a scan to determine the age of the foetus.

Shonda, 19, lies back as gel is applied to her stomach. The image of her unborn baby appears on the screen and she can't look.

It is 12 weeks and six days old. Her eyes overflow with tears. Shonda says she has no choice but to have an abortion because she was raped.

For the women, actually getting inside the clinic is the first challenge. A permanent rotation of anti-abortion protesters stand outside and confront them as they enter.

Berkeley Ostrand says God "put it on her heart" to save babies. She approaches women in their cars, showing them a plastic model of a 12-week-old foetus.

Anti-abortion campaigner Berkeley Ostrand at the Jackson Women's Clinic

"Little hands, little feet ... It breaks your heart. The women look at this and this is a real baby to them.

"We try to make them realise this is a real baby, not just a blob of tissue - it has a beating heart, it has fingers and toes."

A team of escorts - mainly volunteers - are on a mission to stop the women being approached by the constant rotation of anti-abortion protesters.

Betty Thompson, the chief counsellor at the clinic, says its survival is constantly under threat.

"We have had it rough trying to stay in compliance, trying to follow everything to the letter of the law and we have been very successful at doing that.

The women's clinic is under constrant threat from campaigners

"The need that women have for this health service is not going to go away."

The clinic is struggling to stay open amid sweeping measures to restrict abortion across the US.

Ultrasound technician Stephanie Battle says if they are shut down, she believes women will resort to desperate measures.

"They will drink bleach, turpentine; anything that they think will make them have an abortion. Fall down some steps, have somebody kick them, and probably even go back to the coat hanger."

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More Tornado Warnings After Deadly US Strikes

At least 17 people have been killed and many more injured in the United States after a powerful storm system saw tornadoes rip through Arkansas and Oklahoma.

A dozen or more twisters tore through central and southern parts of the country, decimating buildings, overturning trucks and bringing down trees and power lines.

National Guard troops have been mobilised in the worst hit areas and rescue workers have been searching debris for victims, as forecasters warned more twisters were on their way.

A tornado in Arkansas killed 16 people on its 30-mile destructive path

Tornadoes also hit in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Louisiana, causing damage and injuries.

President Barack Obama, who is currently in the Philippines, sent his condolences to those affected and pledged any assistance necessary.

"Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild, as long as it takes," he said.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said a large tornado which formed outside Little Rock killed 16 people as it carved a 30-mile path of destruction through the state.

It was the largest of several tornadoes created by a powerful storm system.

Another twister which hit the town of Quapaw, Oklahoma, left one person dead and at least six people injured.

A tornado obliterated homes in Mayflower, Arkansas

It then continued into Kansas, destroying up to 70 homes and injuring 25 people in the city of Baxter Springs. 

In Mayflower, Arkansas, one person was killed and 45 homes were destroyed as a tornado swept through.

City alderman Will Elder said: "It's extremely hazardous here right now. The power lines are down, roads are blocked and they (emergency services) will have to proceed with caution."

James Firestone, mayor of the Arkansas town of Vilonia said: "It's chaos right now."

He said the downtown area "seems like it's completely levelled", adding: "There are a few buildings partially standing, gas lines are spewing and fire lines are down. We've had some casualties."

Firefighters from nearby cities, as well as National Guard troops, were heading to the town to help, with the county sheriff's office reporting a "mass casualty situation".

The deadly twisters have devastated neighbourhoods

Representative Tim Griffin said: "Tonight, I walked around what was only hours earlier a thriving neighbourhood that is now gone.

"An entire neighbourhood of 50 or so homes has been destroyed.

"Many homes are completely gone except the foundation and there is more devastation like this in other parts of Arkansas."

Writing on Twitter, Arkansas governor Mike Beebe added: "It's been a truly awful night for many families, neighbourhoods and communities, but Arkansans always step up to help each other recover."

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