Tornado Tourism: Thrill-Seeking Trend On Rise

By Amanda Walker, US Correspondent

A summer of deadly twisters has not discouraged British tourists from signing up for storm-chasing holidays in America's Tornado Alley.

Roger and Caryn Hill, who run Silver Lining Tours out of Denver, Colorado, say around 30% of their thrill-seeking clients are from the UK.

Roger, one of the most renowned and respected chasers in the business, says: "I've seen 660 tornadoes in my life and every one I've seen is like the first one I ever saw."

The husband and wife team run six-day weather stalking tours, often covering thousands of miles across several states in a convoy of vans, each marked with impressive hailstone dents.

Roger Hill uses a weather tracking system to chase the storms

This could be a rough ride. Roger sits up front, plugged into his advanced weather tracking system as we and 17 eager storm tourists head out onto the Montana plains.

As we motor through Big Sky Country, Roger says the charts look hopeful, not for the blue sky and sunshine you would normally wish for on holiday - but for powerful dramatic tempests.

There's a feeling of anticipation and confidence among the tourists: if a storm is brewing, Roger will find it.

In 25 years of weather hunting, Roger has seen and captured hundreds of tornadoes on camera. A twister has yet to surface on this latest mission, but Roger's appetite for any form of dramatic weather is insatiable and infectious.

A powerful twister tore through Oklahoma City last month

Brit Gayle Dawes says: "When Roger comes on the radio and says we're at code red which means there are storms and they are looking really, really good.

"I think it's the moment when you get out of the van, just before a storm you can feel that tension in the air."

UK tourists spend around £2,000 to join Silver Lining Tours for some high impact, adrenaline pumping storm chasing.

It sounds and looks fun, but these situations can quickly turn deadly - even for the most experienced chasers.

Roger's close friend and established meteorologist Tim Samaras was among the dozens killed by the series of lethal tornadoes that crashed through the Midwest this summer.

Roger's friend Tim Samaras died while chasing the Oklahoma storm

Roger says: "It hit real close to home. He always said 'If I get killed by one of these damned things, it had better be an EF5'. And, lo and behold, he was killed by an EF5 and it was the most violent kind of tornado there is."

The group gather under heavy, rumbling clouds to capture images of a looming "wall cloud" before Roger calls everyone back into the vehicles for a moment the thrill-seeking group have been craving: "core punching" - the industry term for racing through the heart of the storm.

The rain lashing the windscreen is punctuated by huge thumps from what Roger says is golfball-sized hail. The atmosphere fizzes as Roger warns his group to hold on - experiencing a storm from the relative safety of the van is a tour highlight.

Londoner Selvin Reid says his family and friends had reservations about his unusual holiday choice.

Tornado tourists say it's an experience of a lifetime

"The obvious reaction is 'be careful what you're doing, it's going to be dangerous'. Because quite obviously, they've been influenced by the headlines where people have been killed," he said.

Steve Famiglietti, who is partially sighted, has been on eight storm-chasing tours. For him it's about feeling and sensing the magnitude of the weather around him.

"It's so exciting. Roger gets so excited. He's so good at showing us what we're looking at ... to be able to come out here and see that is just something that you don't get everywhere on Earth," he explained.

These people's backgrounds are as varied as the weather they hunt. What binds them is a fascination with the elements - as long as there's a storm, their desire to chase will be irrepressible.

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Halle Berry 'Marries' Olivier Martinez

American actress Halle Berry has married French film star Olivier Martinez, according to reports.

Berry, 46, and Martinez, 47, are believed to have tied the knot on Saturday at a chateau in Vallery, Burgundy.

America's People magazine and French website Pure People said the pair were married at the small Chateau des Conde.

They were reportedly wed in a civil service at 4pm followed by a religious ceremony in the village chapel 90 minutes later.

Monster's Ball star Berry, who is pregnant, was seen arriving in a vintage Citroen DS car that had been decorated with lace.

Onlookers were kept away from the venue by police officers, and security staff held up white sheets in an attempt to thwart photographers.

Halle Berry, who is expecting a child, with Olivier Martinez

Some 60 guests were invited to the ceremony, including the actress' five-year-old daughter Nahla.

Dinner was reportedly served under a canopy and the festivities included a firework display.

The Oscar-winning actress first met Martinez in 2010 during filming of the movie Dark Tide.

Martinez was previously in a relationship with Kylie Minogue.

In January 2012 the Australian singer wished the film stars well and tweeted: "Congrats to Olivier Martinez and Halle Berry!! #wedding."

Berry has been married twice before - to baseball player David Justice and R&B singer-songwriter Eric Benét.

The father of her daughter Nahla is former boyfriend Gabriel Aubry. The couple separated in 2010.

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Cory Monteith: Glee Star Found Dead In Hotel

Glee star Cory Monteith has been found dead in a hotel room in Canada, Vancouver Police have confirmed.

The 31-year-old's body was discovered at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel just after noon on Saturday after he failed to check out.

Police believe he was alone when he died, and have ruled out foul play.

Doug LePard, the acting chief of Vancouver Police, said: "As was the case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters, and I know there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic death.

Monteith had reportedly been dating Glee co-star Lea Michele

"Mr Monteith checked into the hotel on July 6 and was due to check out of the room (on Saturday).

"There were others with Mr Monteith in his room earlier ... but video and fob key entries show him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe he was alone when he died."

Monteith had voluntarily entered rehab for substance abuse problems in April.

It was not Monteith's first time in rehab. He received treatment when he was 19 and had previously talked about his addiction struggles, saying he had a serious problem and took just "anything and everything".

Popular musical comedy Glee first aired in 2009

He told Parade magazine in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive".

He was best known for playing Finn Hudson in the popular musical comedy series Glee, which follows a group of American secondary school misfits.

A post-mortem will take place on Monday, and the coroner will decide on the next steps to establish the cause of death.

A statement on behalf of Glee's executive producers and 20th Century Fox Television said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news.

"Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones."

Stars have spoken of their shock at the news.

Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Bieste in Glee, wrote on Twitter: "I have no words! My heart is broken, Cory was not only a hell of a friend, he was one amazing man that I will hold close to my heart forever."

Singer Taylor Swift wrote: "Speechless. And for the worst reason."

Actress Jaimie Alexander added: "Sweet man... Gone far too soon. Peace be with you friend."

Singer Lance Bass said: "Devastated about the news of Cory Monteith - such an incredible guy - my thoughts are with his family and friends."

And Zooey Deschanel wrote: "What an absolutely tragic loss of a very talented young man."

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Trayvon Martin: George Zimmerman Acquitted

George Zimmerman has been acquitted of all charges over the fatal shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida.

Mr Zimmerman was freed after the jury deliberated for more than 15 hours over two days in the second-degree murder trial.

The jurors notified the judge on Saturday night, shortly before 10pm local time, that they had reached a decision.

Minutes later the verdict was announced. Mr Zimmerman stood impassively as the verdict was read out.

The parents of the teenager were not in court for the verdict.

The verdict met with angry reaction from protesters outside the court

But outside the court supporters of Trayvon reacted with disappointment and anger.

Some chanted and held up a large banner saying "End racial oppression", while others yelled "No" in disbelief at the acquittal.

The six-member, all-woman jury began deliberating at 2.30pm on Friday after spending part of the day listening to the defence team's closing arguments and a rebuttal from the prosecution.

The jurors considered nearly three weeks of often wildly conflicting testimony over who was the aggressor on the rainy night the 17-year-old was shot while walking through the gated townhouse community where he was staying.

George Zimmerman is congratualted by his defence team

Mr Zimmerman's lawyers said the case was classic self-defence, claiming Trayvon knocked Mr Zimmerman down and was slamming the older man's head against the concrete footpath when Mr Zimmerman fired his pistol.

"We're ecstatic with the results," defence lawyer Mark O'Mara said after the verdict.

"George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defence."

Another member of his defence team, Don West, said: "I'm glad this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty."

Prosecutors called Mr Zimmerman a liar and portrayed him as a wannabe police officer and vigilante who had grown frustrated by break-ins in his neighbourhood committed primarily by young black men.

The teen's death drew protests in cities across America

They said Mr Zimmerman assumed the teen was up to no good and took the law into his own hands.

The case divided public opinion in the United States, with even President Barack Obama commenting on the shooting. Congressman Bobby Rush wore a "hoodie" in the House of Representatives in support of Trayvon.

Further criticism came from the 44-day delay before Mr Zimmerman was arrested.

After hearing the verdict, judge Debra Nelson told the defendant he was free to go and the GPS tracking tag unit would be removed.

"You have no further business with this court," she said.

Trayvon's father was not in court for the verdict

Mr Zimmerman later hugged his family, and his wife Shellie smiled and cried.

Fearing further social unrest over the controversial shooting, the police chief in Sanford, where Trayvon Martin was shot and where the trial was held, urged peace.

State Attorney Angela Corey said she believed second-degree murder was the appropriate charge because Mr Zimmerman's mindset "fitted the bill of second-degree murder."

"We charged what we believed we could prove," Ms Corey said.

Second-degree murder is classed as a death that does not include specific intent to kill, and the trial centred on the state's controversial self-defence rule of "Stand Your Ground".

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Edward Snowden Wants Asylum In Russia

Intelligence services whistleblower Edward Snowden plans to request asylum in Russia, accusing the US of trying to block him from travelling to other countries.

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday but appeared to make no headway on Washington's demand that Moscow send Snowden back to the US to face espionage charges.

Snowden's asylum remarks came in a statement after closed-door talks with human rights groups and lawyers at the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks.

In a statement released after the 45-minute meeting, Snowden said: "That moral decision to tell the public about spying that affects all of us has been costly, but it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets."

He said he had given up his family and a "home in paradise" to put an end to what he said was a "serious violation of the law".

Pic: Courtesy of Tatyana Lokshina/Human Rights Watch

"I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets. I did not partner with any foreign government to guarantee my safety," he said in the statement.

"Instead, I took what I knew to the public, so what affects all of us can be discussed by all of us in the light of day, and I asked the world for justice."

Snowden is wanted by the US over a series of leaks about spying programmes, with his most recent claims involving collaboration between Microsoft and American intelligence services.

Washington had previously criticised Moscow for giving Snowden a "propaganda platform", saying it was "disappointed" that Russia had allowed him to hold the meeting at Moscow airport.

The talks drew politicians, lawyers and activists including representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

A picture of Snowden at the meeting, taken by Human Rights Watch representative Tanya Lokshina, shows him with WikiLeaks representative Sarah Harrison on his right. 

Politician Vyacheslav Nikonov took part in the meeting

It was the first time that he had been seen since the scandal broke last month.

He seemed nervous, but in apparently good health, according to one of the participant, Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov.

The former NSA contractor, 30, accuses Washington of waging a campaign to stop him from leaving Russia and getting asylum.

"The government and intelligence services of the United States of America have attempted to make an example of me, a warning to all others who might speak out as I have."

"I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression," the statement said.

Protesters have shown their support for Snowden

Snowden said he was grateful for those countries, including Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, which offered support and asylum, saying he accepted all offers that had been extended and any future one.

But, he said, given the "unlawful threat" posed by the US and his inability to reach those countries, he planned to formally request asylum in Russia until he can legally travel to Latin America.

Austrian authorities last week searched the Bolivian president's plane when it was diverted to Vienna because the US suspected Snowden was on board.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mr Putin said Snowden might be allowed to stay in Russia if he stops releasing leaks that would damage the US or Russia-US relations, repeating conditions the Kremlin had set out earlier.

Both Mr Nikonov and Genri Reznik, a lawyer who participated in the meeting, said Snowden was willing to stop leaks.

"He said he was informed of this condition and that he can easily accept it. He does not intend to damage US interests given that he is a patriot of his country," Mr Nikonov said.

Snowden fled to Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23 and has been in limbo in Sheremetyevo airport's transit area despite the offers for asylum.

The US has revoked his passport, and doubts have also been raised about whether Snowden could fly from Moscow to any of those countries without passing through the airspace of the US or its allies.

The UN human rights chief has weighed in for the first time, giving guarded support for the fugitive ex-contractor.

Entrances were guarded during the meeting at the airport

"Snowden's case has shown the need to protect persons disclosing information on matters that have implications for human rights, as well as the importance of ensuring respect for the right to privacy," Navi Pillay said in a statement.

Snowden is seeking to avoid extradition after divulging embarrassing evidence about the activities of US spies, as well as the British eavesdropping agency GCHQ, to newspapers including The Guardian.

The latest files said Microsoft helped America's National Security Agency (NSA) to circumvent encryption so it could view web chats on the Outlook.com portal, which is replacing Hotmail.

Evidence seen by the paper said Microsoft also worked to give the NSA easier access to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which has more than 250 million users. And by July 2012, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the Prism intelligence programme was collecting triple the amount of Skype video calls.

Microsoft told the paper it only provides information about users when demanded to do so by the government.

Snowden's files have also revealed the NSA claimed to have access to the servers of web firms including Apple, Google, Facebook and Yahoo, while GCHQ scans vast amounts of internet traffic through a system of fibre-optic cables.

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Egypt: US Calls For Release Of Detained Morsi

The US has called for the release of Mohamed Morsi as tens of thousands of supporters of the ousted Egyptian president staged protests across the country.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US agrees with the German Foreign Ministry, which had called for an "end to all restrictive measures considering Morsi".

Mr Morsi, an Islamist who became the country's first freely elected leader, was ousted on July 3 by the military.

His removal followed a wave of protests calling on him to step down.

He has been kept at an undisclosed Defence Ministry facility since then, but no formal charges have been filed.

Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the Army in what many called a coup

Supporters vowed to continue their campaign of street rallies as long as necessary to force Mr Morsi's reinstitution.

At the main Islamist rally in Cairo, the crowd poured into a large boulevard in front of a main mosque where his supporters have been camped out for two weeks.

Some held up photos of Mr Morsi, others carried posters depicting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi with blood coming out of his mouth and emblazoned with the word "traitor".

"We are ready to stay for a month, two months, a year or even two years," an ultraconservative Salafi cleric, Safwat Hegazi, told protesters.

Friday prayers on the third day of Ramadan

The day of protests marked the first Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, which usually cuts down on activity during the day - particularly outdoors in warm summer temperatures.

During the daytime fast, some at the rally rested in their tents, reading the Quran or sleeping.

Similar rallies were held across the Nile River in Cairo's sister city Giza, in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and several other cities.

Clashes have broken out between Mr Morsi's supporters and his critics

A week of violence in a bitterly divided nation has left dozens of Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters dead.

The new military-backed administration has intensified its crackdown on the leadership of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, issuing several arrest warrants.

The administration is pushing ahead quickly with its transition plans, which the military said would include new elections.

However, the new prime minister Hazem el Beblawi said members of the Muslim Brotherhood would be offered cabinet posts.

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Moscow Crash: 'At Least 14 Dead'

Fourteen people have been killed and many injured in a traffic accident in Moscow, according to Russian officials.

A truck, a passenger bus and several other vehicles were involved and the dead includes a young girl, said the interior ministry.

Police believe the accident took place when a truck carrying gravel turned onto a main road and ploughed into the bus.

Helicopter teams and 30 ambulance crews have been sent to the scene.

The crash occurred near Oznobishino, about 25 miles south of Moscow city centre.

The bus was broken up into two parts by the force of the collision, according to local reports.

More follows...

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Paris Train Crash: Faulty Track Likely Cause

A faulty part on a set of points may have triggered the derailment of a packed train outside Paris that left at least six people dead and dozens injured.

Pierre Izard, a general manager of the SNCF national rail company, said a joint bar, a kind of steel clip that links two rails on a switch, broke away, became detached and came out of its housing.

The detached joint "lodged itself at the centre of the switch, prevented the normal progression of the train's wheels and seems to have caused the train's derailment," he said, adding that checks had been ordered on some 5,000 similar devices on the network.

Carriages came off the tracks and smashed into Bretigny-sur-Orge station

The head of the SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, said the "detachment of this joint bar" was the focus of investigations.

He said the third and fourth carriages initially came off the track, then knocked the others off. He called the accident a "catastrophe", adding that "some cars simply derailed, others are leaning, others fell over".

Earlier, transport minister Frederic Cuvillier had said that human error was unlikely to have caused the tragedy, and that authorities were looking into a possible mechanical error in the switching system as well as other possibilities.

Rescuers pull survivors from the wreckage. Pic: @aishakurdish

The crash was France's deadliest in years, but Mr Cuvillier said it could have been worse and praised the driver who sent out an alert quickly, preventing a pile up.

Responding to criticism that France had not invested enough in maintaining infrastructure, he added: "For the moment we have no information that allows us to confirm that the dilapidation of the network was the cause of this derailment."

The seven-carriage service with 385 passengers on board was about 20 minutes into a three-hour journey to Limoges when it crashed 12 miles south of the capital at about 5.15pm local time on Friday.

Part of the metal roof over the platform was crushed as carriages came off the tracks and smashed into Bretigny-sur-Orge station.

Up to 200 passengers are said to have been injured in the smash

Interior minister Manuel Valls said at least six people had been killed. He added that nine people were gravely injured, and warned the number of dead could rise. In all, nearly 200 people were hurt.

A large, heavyweight crane is expected to be brought in later to try to lift one of the carriages which toppled over.

Sky's Ian Woods, who was at the scene, said: "They don't know for certain, but there may well still be people underneath that carriage they haven't been able to get to.

The French interior minister has called the crash a "catastrophe"

"It's unclear whether anyone at the station was hurt by the impact of the train and flying debris, or whether all of those injured were on the train."

Footage from the scene showed crushed metal on the platform and debris from the crash clogging up the stairs.

Emergency services went on red alert with 300 firefighters, 20 paramedic teams and eight helicopters deployed to the area.

All Paris regional hospitals were put on standby to deal with casualties.

Firefighters rescue passengers trapped in a carraige

Within hours French President Francois Hollande was at the scene and said: "I want to express our solidarity to all the families.

"It will take a long time to identify the victims. Investigations are under way and as soon as possible we will name them and inform their families - I understand their anxiety and pain."

Briton Graham Hope, a passenger in the third carriage, told Sky News: "The carriage I was in was bouncing for several seconds before we came to a halt.

"Everyone was very calm. A couple of people were quite concerned, but we worked together to get out of the carriage.

People at the station look on from across another platform

"When I got out we could see the rest of the train was further up the line ... I would be very surprised if people got out of the front carriage unscathed."

A witness in a nearby train, 19-year-old Bazgua El Mehdi told Le Parisien newspaper: "I heard a loud noise. A cloud of sand covered everything. Then the dust dissipated.

"I thought it was a freight train, but then we saw the first casualties ... many passengers on the (train) were crying."

The passenger train crashed into the platform and some cars tipped over

A police source said: "The train arrived at the station at high speed. It split in two for an unknown reason. Part of the train continued to roll while the other was left on its side on the platform."

But a passenger speaking on France's BFM television said the train was going at a normal speed and was not meant to stop at Bretigny-sur-Orge.

The station is expected to remain closed for several days during the investigation and clear-up operation.

French President Francois Hollande speaks to some of the injured

The crash comes as France prepares to celebrate its most important national holiday, Bastille Day, on Sunday.

Many people have been heading out of Paris and other big cities to see their families or to go on holiday.

Earlier, passengers observed a minute's silence at Austerlitz railway station in Paris as a mark of respect.

The train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, just south of Paris

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Indonesia: Prisoners Escape Amid Jail Riot

Security forces have retaken control of a crowded prison in western Indonesia where inmates started a massive riot that left five people dead and hundreds of prisoners, including convicted terrorists, on the loose.

About 500 policemen and 300 soldiers have been deployed around Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, where the riot broke out on Thursday night.

Fire brigades have also been battling fires started by prisoners which had engulfed the jail.

Prison directorate spokesman Akbar Hadi said the situation is now under control after soldiers entered the prison without resistance.

Prisoners stand inside the Tanjung Gusta prison amid the riot

Hundreds of policemen have blocked roads linking Medan to the provinces of Aceh, Jambi and West Sumatra while searching for inmates who escaped during the riot, which began after a protest over a lack of water and electricity turned violent.

Indonesian authorities said security forces had recaptured 64 out of 240 prisoners who fled the facility in the nation's third-largest city.

Inmates had been in control of the jail until early on Friday morning, casually chatting outside their cells while heavily armed security forces formed a cordon round the building.

Five people, three prisoners and two prison staff, were killed in the riots. Ten civilian guards had briefly been held hostage but were later released.

The jail was set ablaze by inmates

Prisoners still on the loose included five of the 14 terror convicts that were being held at the institution.

The terrorists are believed to have links to Toni Togar, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a separate prison for a series of church bombings in Sumatra in 2000, according to the Jakarta Post.

A spokesman for the justice and human rights ministry, Goncang Raharjo, said that, like many jails in Indonesia, Tanjung Gusta was overcrowded - holding more than double its official capacity.

"The prison capacity is only 1,054 but it now holds about 2,600 convicts and suspects on trials.

"Most prisons across the country have this problem," he said.

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Kremlin Typewriters: Russian Plan To Stop Leaks

The Kremlin's security agency is buying up typewriters to avoid damaging leaks in a move said to be motivated by recent US surveillance scandals.

Russia's Federal Protective Service, the KGB's successor in charge of protecting President Vladimir Putin and his officials, placed an order for 20 typewriters, according to the state procurement website

The agency, known by its Russian acronym FSO, is ready to pay £500 each for them, the Kremlin-connected newspaper Izvestia reported.

It said the FSO believed it was necessary to expand the use of typewriters after American Edward Snowden reportedly used a simple flash drive to reveal the extent of the US government's phone and internet surveillance programmes.

"After the scandal with the spread of classified documents WikiLeaks, revelations of Edward Snowden, reports of tapping Dmitry Medvedev during his visit to the G20 summit in London, it has been decided to expand the practice of creating paper documents," a FSO source told the newspaper.

Typewriters have already been used for printing drafts of some official documents and reports presented to Mr Putin, according to the report.

Leaks by Edward Snowden Julian Assange leaks may have sparked the move

The Russian newspaper also said the FSO has been ordering print cartridge ribbons for the Triumph Adler Twain 180.

The Triumph model "allows you to create fairly complex documents for use in their professional organisations", it said.

The FSO has not commented on why it needs the devices.

Snowden abandoned his high-paying intelligence contractor job in Hawaii and went to Hong Kong on May 20 to begin issuing a series of leaks on the National Security Agency (NSA).

He revealed the NSA's access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video under a government programme known as Prism.

Snowden is now holed up in the transit area of a Moscow airport, seeking to avoid extradition to the US to face espionage charges.

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