By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER


Joining the greats: Victor Valdes, Xavi and Eric Abidal toast another memorable night for the kings of Europe


For the second time in three years, brilliant Barcelona denied Manchester United Champions League glory with a sensational performance at Wembley.

Although United could take some small consolation from the knowledge they were more effective than that 2009 letdown in Rome and even managed to level Pedro's first-half strike through Wayne Rooney, once again the better team won.

On the ground where the Catalans lifted their first European Cup, Lionel Messi also laid his personal ghost to rest, scoring his first goal for Barcelona on English soil, belting home what proved to be the winner nine minutes into the second half.


The untouchables: Wayne rooney looks stunned as Barca celebrate at the final whistle


David Villa curled home an equally splendid third with just over 20 minutes to go to set the seal on Barcelona's fourth Champions League win and end all arguments about their right to be regarded among the truly great teams that have ever played the game.


Sealing the deal: David Villa curls in Barcelona's third goal


It was a gut-wrenching night for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who started it by making one of those brave decisions for which he is so renowned. Not even finding a place on the bench for his record signing and top scorer, Dimitar Berbatov, was a big call.

United could not have made a better start either. Park Ji-sung set the tone, nipping in to whip the ball away from Dani Alves.


The Little Maestro strikes: Lionel Messi surprises the United rearguard, firing Barca 2-1 ahead


Just as Jack Wilshere advised, the white shirts got right in Barcelona's faces, pressing them, allowing no room for them to settle.

Unlike two years ago, Ferguson's team did not create a clear-cut chance.

However, former Red Devil Gerard Pique was very fortunate to get away with a back pass to Victor Valdes, when his goalkeeper was much closer than he realised.

With Javier Hernandez closing in, Valdes scrambled the ball away.


Mixed emotions: As Messi wheels away, United get that sinking feeling


It was the template United needed to follow. To have done it for the entire 90 minutes would have required additional lung capacity. And once Barcelona got into their stride, they were relentless.

For once Ryan Giggs looked every one of those 37 years as Xavi and Andres Iniesta flashed around him, holes appearing everywhere.

Pedro prodded wide at the near post. Villa hit exactly the same point in the advertising hoarding with a 20-yard effort that had Edwin van der Sar scrambling.



Magic moment: Wayne Rooney linked up with Ryan Giggs to restore parity with this magnificent strike


If there was one consolation, other than Nemanja Vidic's colossal performance at the heart of their defence, it was that United had prevented Messi running at them from deep.

Unfortunately, he soon started doing it, his close control near-perfect, as was a Vidic lunge to stop the world's best player as he was about to break clean through.

It was just a matter of time. Another hole for Xavi to chase into. He looked. He looked again. He rolled the ball to Pedro, who beat Van der Sar with ease.


Falling behind: Edwin van der Sar looks ruefully at his net after Pedro (unsighted) gave the Catalans the advantage


Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola sat back, sensing United would not be able to respond. His opposite number urged more from his team, particularly Antonio Valencia.

The Ecuador wide man was not at his best. However, it was Rooney who needed a performance on the biggest stage, having failed so miserably at the World Cup.

And it was Rooney who delivered at the end of a move which saw the Premier League champions carve Barcelona open with their own game.


Disappointing evening: Javier Hernandez failed to shine in the Wembley spotlight


A quick pass from Fabio to Rooney, to Michael Carrick, to Rooney, to Giggs, to Rooney, into the corner from 15 yards. Simple.

Football is never that. Not at this level, and not when Messi is involved.

You had to feel sorry for United. Barcelona were back into their rhythm almost immediately after the break, the concentration required to always be in the right place at the right time phenomenal.


Mutual respect: Sir Alex Ferguson congratulates his victorious opponents


After more stoic defending, Iniesta rolled a pass to the Argentinian, a worthy heir to Diego Maradona.

Offered a couple of yards to dart into, he did exactly that, then beat Van der Sar with a 20-yard shot that required barely any back lift, the veteran Dutchman unable to get down to it.

Vidic was on hand to hack away when Van der Sar spilled Messi's next effort, although, playing in his fifth final, the former Ajax man redeemed himself when he brilliantly turned away a Xavi shot that would have ripped away any hope.


Pulling the strings: United had no answer to the brilliance of Xavi, pictured setting up Pedro's opener


By introducing Nani for Fabio and pushing Valencia to full-back, the United boss was attempting to push Barcelona towards their own goal.

Before the strategy could be applied, Nani committed suicide by gifting the ball to Messi by the touchline.



Food for thought: Rooney and Ryan Giggs contemplate another defeat at the hands of Barcelona


In attempting to atone for his error, the winger made it worse.

Sergio Busquets quickly laid the ball off to Villa, who took one touch before curling a sublime shot into the top corner.

From that hammer blow, there was no way back.


source: dailymail

By Peter Allen


-Pilot was on a break when trouble started and never made it back to his seat
-Two co-pilots battled to keep Flight 447 in the air as it stalled and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean

Terrifying: Analysis of the black box flight recorders recovered from Air France flight 447 found it plunged for four minutes before crashing into the Atlantic Ocean


Hundreds of passengers on board an Air France jet endured a three-and-a-half minute plunge to their deaths after it stalled while the pilot was resting, it emerged today.

The terrifying end of Flight 447 came after it malfunctioned in a heavy storm en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris two years ago.

All 228 people from 32 nations, including five Britons and two Americans, died after it hit the Atlantic at a speed of 180 feet a second.


Details of the worst crash in Air France's history emerged in Paris where experts have analysed data from the plane's recently retrieved black box flight recorders.

Aviation industry sources said pilots appeared to have acted contrary to normal procedures in raising, rather than lowering, its nose in response to an alert that the plane was about to lose lift or, in technical parlance, 'stall'.

An aerodynamic stall is a loss of lift due to a high angle of attack, or angle between the plane and airflow. Pushing the control stick forward and lowering the nose adjusts for this.

It does not refer to a stall of the engines, which the BEA said had operated and responded throughout to crew actions.


The 2009 emergency began with a stall warning two and a half hours into the Rio-Paris flight and nine minutes after the captain had left the cockpit for a rest period.

Shortly before, a junior pilot had told flight attendants to prepare for a 'little bit of turbulence'

The Airbus A330 jet climbed to 38,000 feet and then began a dramatic, rolling from left to right, with the youngest of three pilots handing control to the second most senior pilot one minute before the crash.

The time-line was described in a note by France's BEA crash investigation authority, which said it was too early to give the causes of the crash ahead of a fuller report in the summer.

'These are so far just observations, not an understanding of the events,' BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec said.

The captain Marc Dubois had been taking a break, four hours into the flight when a co-pilot, 32, reported heavy turbulence, announcing the problem to crew and getting passengers to fasten seat-belts. Another co-pilot, aged 37, was also assisting.

Mr Dubois returned after 'several attempts' to call him back to the cockpit but was not at the controls in the final moments, according to information gleaned from black boxes.

Agony: Friends and relatives of the Air France flight 447 passengers comfort each other after attending a mass at the Candelaria Cathedral in June 2009

Grief-stricken: People from 32 nations including five Britons and two Americans were killed when the plane went down while flying over the Atlantic Ocean


By the time the 58-year-old returned, just over a minute into the emergency, the aircraft was plunging at 10,000 feet-a-minute with its nose pointing up 15 degrees and at too high an angle compared to the onrushing air to provide lift.

Recorded conversations also show that he never actually returned to his seat, or took over the controls - instead leaving the flying to his assistants.

He had clocked up 11,000 flying hours over his airline career, while his more junior counterparts had 6,500 and 2,900 hours respectively.

The co-pilot tried to fly above the storm, but instead the plane began plunging seawards, with its nose pointed up at about 15 degrees, while rolling from left to right.

By this time an alarm was sounding because of the stall, with the co-pilot announcing that the aircraft was at an altitude of just 10,000 feet.

The BEA said the reading of the black boxes suggested the crew were not able to determine how fast the plane was flying.

That echoes earlier findings which suggest the pitot tubes or speed sensors on the plane may have become iced up.

Information from black boxes hauled up from the Atlantic floor earlier this month was still incomplete.

The airline said in a statement that the crew had demonstrated a 'totally professional attitude'. France's pilots union declined to comment.

'It's very emotional to see the unrolling minute by minute or second by second at some points of what happened,' said John Clemes, vice president of the families' support group.

Search: Two Hercules C-130 crew members from the Brazilian Air Force search for remains

Recovered: A sealed flight data recorder from the Air France flight


'You automatically think of your family member and how they were living through this. It's the events that caused the deaths of 228 people so it's traumatic and moving.

France's BEA crash investigation agency said pilots pulled the nose up at crucial moments as the aircraft became unstable and the aircraft generated an audible stall warning.

'The inputs made by the pilot flying were mainly nose-up,' the BEA said in a time-line based on initial examination of the cockpit voice and data recorders.

A top aircraft industry safety consultant said the standard guidance in the Airbus pilot manual called for the pilot to push the control stick forward to force the plane's nose down in the event of a stall, which can lead to a loss of control.

'The BEA is now going to have to analyse and get to bottom of how crew handled this event,' said Paul Hayes, safety director at Ascend Aviation, a UK-based aviation consultancy.

'The big question in my mind is why did the pilot flying (the aircraft) appear to continue to pull the nose up,' he said.

'I must stress we are commenting and speculating on preliminary factual information, which will need analysing.'

Horrific: The black box had lain 12,000ft below the Atlantic after the Air France jet sank

Details: The recordings revealed that two co-pilots were flying the plane when its engines cut out and desperately tried to keep it in the air


The BEA report was strictly factual and did not allocate any blame or cause of the crash on June 1, 2009.

'These are so far just observations, not an understanding of the events,' BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec told reporters.

In a passage likely to attract scrutiny, the BEA said the pilot 'maintained nose-up inputs' when a fresh stall warning went off 46 seconds after the autopilot disengaged itself.

The BEA declined to say whether this was the correct action to take and the information given so far does not give a complete picture of the information displayed to the crew.

But the response contrasts with the latest advice to pilots contained in an Airbus training seminar in October last year, according to a document obtained by Reuters.

In large red capital letters, the document says that in the event of a stall warning, pilots should 'APPLY NOSE DOWN PITCH CONTROL TO REDUCE AOA (ANGLE OF ATTACK)'.

Orthodontist Jose Rommel Souza who worked at the Reading Orthodontic Centre was listed among the 228 passengers on the jet


Two aviation industry sources said the drill in force at the time of the accident was to apply full thrust and reduce the pitch attitude of the aircraft, which means lowering the nose.

Later guidance calls for pilots to push the nose down and adjust thrust as necessary, they said, asking not to be named.

The crew's response will be added to what is already known about probable icing of the aircraft's speed sensors, which Air France identified as the most likely cause of the crash.

Airbus said the report upheld earlier evidence which was based on automated maintenance messages relayed from the plane.

The BEA dampened speculation that the jet may have been engulfed by a freak equatorial storm.

Pilots had decided without apparent stress to alter course slightly to avoid turbulence shortly beforehand. But the junior pilot told flight attendants to prepare for a 'little bit of turbulence'

'In two minutes we should enter an area where it'll move about more than at the moment; you should watch out,' he told cabin staff. 'I'll call you back as soon as we're out of it.'


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


Foot fetish: A little Meerkat at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire jumps up onto one woman's ankle in an effort to grab her foot


Warning signs have been put up at a new attraction where meerkats mingle with visitors after the quirky creatures developed a fetish for human feet.

The small mammals have taken a liking to painted toenails and colourful sandals and jump all over them given the chance.

The bizarre foot fascination extends to the meerkats sniffing women's feet and one has even taken a little nibble at one visitor.


Staff at the new Jungle Kingdom enclosure at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, have had to put up signs to warn female guests about the odd fetish.

The new enclosure is the first place in Britain where people can interact with the cute critters.

Among the more inquisitive meerkats are the six new arrivals which have been venturing into the walk-through enclosure for the first time.

Keeper Catriona Carr said: ‘The babies seem to be settling really well into their new environment and are certainly not lacking in confidence.

Curious meerkat: The small mammals have taken a liking to painted toenails and colourful sandals


‘We've had to keep an eye on anybody wearing sandals or flip-flops, especially if they have painted toenails.

‘They seem to be more attracted to reds and blues for some reason.

‘We're not entirely sure what it is about the feet. It might be the bright colours of the footwear and toenails, the movement of the toes or even the smell.

‘As keepers it certainly keeps us on our toes to make sure the cheeky critters don't nibble any visitor feet!’

Warning sign: Staff have had to put up signs to warn female guests about the odd fetish


The new path through the enclosure in Jungle Kingdom enables people to interact with the animals, which are among the favourites at the park.

The six baby meerkats are now part of a group of 19 living in Jungle Kingdom at Longleat, with the majority all successful births from previous years.

Groups of meerkats are known as mob and originate from parts of Southern Africa, Namibia and the Kalahari.

Waiting for visitors: Baby Meerkats on the lookout for the first painted toenails of the day


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


This morning's blustery conditions at Dublin Airport caused havoc with Michelle Obama's hair - and she ended up looking like she had taken inspiration from Irish pop duo Jedward


With a hairstyle like that, she could have been auditioning to join Jedward.

But it was just the wind that made Michelle Obama's hair stand on end as she and her husband stepped onto the tarmac at Dublin Airport.

President Barack Obama landed in Ireland this morning on the first day of his four-country, six-day European tour.

Scroll down for video

The U.S. President and his wife are greeted by Ireland's deputy prime minister Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore after stepping off Air Force One in Dublin earlier


His largely ceremonial visit will highlight America's deep ties with the Irish.

The centrepiece of Obama's 24-hour stop on the Emerald Isle will be a visit to Moneygall, the tiny village in Co. Offaly where Obama's maternal great-great-great-grandfather was born.

Residents in the town of 350 are eagerly anticipating Obama's arrival and hope to raise a pint with the American President who shares their roots.

Air Force One landed amid tight security and wet, blustery conditions at Dublin Airport just after 9.30am.

Strong winds catch the hair of the U.S. First Lady as she arrives at Dublin airport


The President was met by Ireland's deputy prime minister Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore and his wife Carol Hanney, and U.S. ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney.

Mr Obama waved as he stepped off the plane with Michelle.

The visit lacked the ceremony of last week's state visit of the Queen, with only a small welcoming party waiting on the runway apron to greet the President and shake hands.

Barack Obama meets with Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny at Farmleigh in Dublin

Obama enjoys a joke with Kenny ahead of talks with the Irish Prime Minister


The Obamas immediately boarded helicopter Marine One to travel the few miles to the residence of Irish President Mary McAleese in the Phoenix Park, Aras an Uachtarain.

Airspace around Dublin has been shut down for the President's arrival and transfer over the capital.

From Ireland, Obama will travel to England, France and Poland.

President McAleese greeted President Obama at the front steps of the Aras.

'Thank you so much. We're thrilled to be here,' he said.

And despite the grey skies, the President remarked: 'The sun's coming out - I can feel it.'

He signed the visitor's book before holding private talks in the drawing room of the Aras with the Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The U.S. President and his wife were all smiles as they stepped off Air Force One in Dublin

Air Force One sits on the tarmac after landing at Dublin Airport just after 9.30am this morning


The President will later travel to Moneygall ahead of a public concert this afternoon in Dublin.

Ever since the American President announced on St Patrick's Day he would visit Moneygall, the village has been suffering an incurable case of Obamamania.

This roadside hamlet of two pubs, three shops and barely 350 residents has repainted every house, festooned every lamppost and seemingly rebranded every product in preparation for Monday's visit by President Obama.


U.S. President Barack Obama jokingly swings a hurling stick given to him by Mr Kenny (right) during his visit to Farmleigh House


The U.S. President meets Irish President Mary McAleese at her official residence in Dublin this morning


Barack Obama poses with (from left) U.S. Ambassador Daniel M. Rooney and his wife Patricia, Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, and Michelle Obama outside the presidential residence in Dublin


Locals have stood in line for hours to receive one of 3,000 tickets that will let them meet Moneygall's most famous son.

'We've all been caught up in this dream. Nothing in the village seems real,' said Henry Healy, a 26-year-old accountant for a plumbing firm who discovered four years ago he was one of Obama's closest Irish relatives.

'I've been rehearsing what I'm going to say to the President for months in my head. I can't really believe it's going to happen.'

Children wave U.S. flags as they queue to see President Barack Obama address a rally at College Green in Dublin today

Thousands line up for a security check before a concert in Dublin at which President Obama will appear and give a speech this evening


As he spoke, the powerful rotors of two U.S. military helicopters thumped in the distance, and a deliveryman arrived with another truckload of spiced Irish fruitbread called brack - rebranded 'Barack's Brack' this month across Ireland and bearing a cartoon portrait of the President.

Healy received Ticket No. 0001 since he's an eighth cousin to Obama, the closest blood relative still living in Moneygall. In fact, he lives next door to the American flag-festooned pub that Obama is expected to visit.

U.S. and Irish genealogists have detected several other distant Irish cousins of Obama living in Ireland and England, including Dick Benn and Ton Donovan, whose families live just across the border in County Tipperary and have farmed the same land for 250 years.

Michelle Obama gasps beside Fionnuala Kenny, centre, wife of the Irish PM as they view an embroidered panel depicting the Norman Invasion during a tour of Farmleigh House


They're all descendants of Falmouth Kearney, one of Obama's great-great-great grandfathers on his Kansas mother's side.

Kearney, a shoemaker, emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1850 at age 19, at the height of the Great Famine.

Every known Irish relative is expected to be standing on Moneygall's Main Street when Obama arrives later today.

Nationally, Ireland has barely had time to register Obama's imminent arrival. The country just hosted a high-security tour of Queen Elizabeth II, the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland following its 1919-21 war of independence from Britain.

Her triumphant four-day tour involved carefully choreographed acts of reconciliation.
No such drama awaits Obama. Ireland has always offered warm welcomes to U.S. presidents since John F. Kennedy became the first to visit in 1963. More than 40 million Americans have Irish ancestors. The two countries today enjoy exceptional ties of culture and commerce, a crucial relationship for Ireland because of its current battle to avoid national bankruptcy.

Obama's biggest event today will be an open-air speech at the entrance to Trinity College in Dublin, the capital that spent much of the last week in a security lockdown for the Queen.

A no-ticket crowd is being encouraged to gather in the street outside Trinity several hours beforehand, lured in part by rumours that an array of Irish bands, actors and other celebrities will provide a warm-up act.

Obama and his wife wave goodbye to the U.S. as they depart for the President's four-country, six-day European tour

Obama and the First Lady leave the White House last night to travel to Dublin


While Obama is widely admired in Ireland, he doesn't have anything close to the fan base built by Bill Clinton, who made Northern Ireland peacemaking a top priority and visited both parts of Ireland three times from 1995 to 2000.

But Moneygall officials have been cheering for Obama since the Iowa primaries in hopes that his entry to the White House would put their long-bypassed village - beside the Dublin-to-Limerick highway in the southwest corner of County Offaly - on the tourist map.

They held an all-night party in Ollie's Bar the night Obama won the 2008 presidential race, and began lobbying for a visit immediately. Obama announced he would come during the St. Patrick's Day visit to Washington by Ireland's newly elected prime minister, Enda Kenny.

Secret Service agents in dark suits and sunglasses arrived in Moneygall last month.

Locals have applied 3,500 litres of paint and laid new pavements. A village caterer has painted U.S. and Irish flags on the front of his home and is cooking Obama burgers. Construction workers have hurriedly built the Obama Cafe. The altar of the Catholic church has been covered in red, white and blue bunting.

Guinness last week delivered a specially brewed keg of stout to be poured the moment when Obama walks through the door of Ollie's Bar, which sports a bronze bust, painting and life-size photo cut-out of the President.

U.S. and British flags line The Mall in preparation for the state visit of President Barack Obama tomorrow

British police officers patrol today in front of Parliament ahead of the visit by Obama

Members of the Scots Guards take part in a Trooping the Colour rehearsal in London today ahead of Obama's state visit tomorrow


Meanwhile, some of the tightest security measures ever seen in London are currently underway ahead of the President's three-day state visit to the UK tomorrow.

David Cameron and Barack Obama are to unveil an unprecedented joint national security drive as the U.S. leader makes his first state visit to our shores.

Government sources revealed that the White House has agreed to open up its secretive National Security Council to Downing Street, the first such arrangement in the world.

A joint U.S.-UK national security board is to be established so that senior officials on both sides can convene regularly to discuss long-term foreign policy, defence and security issues, including terrorism.

The deal is intended to signal that the transatlantic ‘special relationship’, which has been under strain over defence cuts, continuing controversy over the release of the Lockerbie bomber and President Obama’s initially cool attitude to the UK, remains unparalleled.

The bilateral group will meet every six to eight weeks – either in person or by video-conference. It will focus on ‘horizon-scanning’ for security or foreign policy issues that threaten the U.S. and UK’s safety or national interests.

He and Mr Cameron, accompanied by their wives Michelle and Samantha, will serve food at a barbecue in the Downing Street garden on Wednesday for UK and U.S. veterans.

The main focus of their talks will be Afghanistan, where both leaders are keen to demonstrate an exit strategy with rapid reductions in the number of troops on the ground.




source:dailymail

By JOHN STEVENS

The aftermath: A 198mph tornado tore a path a mile wide and six miles long straight through Joplin, Missouri devastating all in its wake


Devastating 198mph tornado tore a path a mile wide and six miles long straight through Joplin, Missouri

Deadliest single tornado in more than 60 years with at least 125 people killed

1,500 people still remain unaccounted for, according to fire officials

'This is a very serious situation brewing,' warns Storm Prediction Center as forecasters say city could be hit again

Tornado was rare 'multivortex' twister, reveals National Weather Service

Obama to visit region on Sunday as he says tornado was 'devastating and heartbreaking'



The way things used to be: This Google Street Map view shows the same place as the above picture, before the horrific tornado struck


As shell-shocked residents of tornado-hit Joplin braced themselves for another powerful storm system this evening, new aerial images emerged showing in terrifying detail the path of the twister which destroyed the Missouri city.

The shocking photos reveal for the first time the true extent of the damage caused when the mile-wide tornado that killed at least 122 people blasted much of the city off the map and slammed straight into its hospital.

Forecasters warned residents on Tuesday to prepare themselves for a looming storm system that has all the early signs of spawning more deadly tornadoes.


Devastated: Aerial photo shows 26th street, the main route through the centre of Joplin, Missouri. On the right is St Mary's elementary school


Housing: Whole residential neighbourhoods were destroyed by the powerful tornado when it went straight through the centre of the city that has has 50,000 people


Tonight the stunned residents of Joplin faced the horrifying possibility of more storms - but a tornado warning was cancelled later in the evening.

‘This is a very serious situation brewing,’ said Russell Schneider, director of the Storm Prediction Center.

About 1,500 people are still unaccounted for, it was announced Tuesday, leading to fears that the death count could rise much higher.

Tonight tornadoes touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma - including one on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, which reportedly tore a 50-mile long path through rush-hour traffic.


Blown away: The remains of this apartment block surround what was once a swimming pool. Around 2,000 homes are thought to have been destroyed


Closed for business: The Home Depot do-it-yourself store was where many dead bodies have been recovered. Many of the shop shelves are still intact though


Grocery store: The city's Walmart superstore is barely recognisable in this photo from after Sunday's tornado that killed over 100 people


Shopping mall: This line of shops was severely damaged by the storm system when it struck on Sunday evening at around 6pm


Hospital: The St John's Medical Center was at the heart of the tornado's path through the city. Hundreds of patients had to be evacuated


Fire chief Robert Daus said that 500 people had been injured by the tornado, in addition to the 1,500 people who remain unaccounted for.

But he said the high number of people still recorded as missing could be a reflection of the widespread breakdown of communication systems in the city.

Thunderstorms that are moving across southeast Kansas, central Oklahoma and north Texas this afternoon are forecast to move into the Joplin area between 10pm and 2am tonight.


Destroyed: This incredible aerial image reveals how the tornado tore off the roof of Joplin's Home Depot


Flattened: This aerial photograph shows the scale of the destruction to the Home Depot store



Flattened: Damage is seen a day after the tornado tore through Joplin killing at least 122 people in Joplin, a town of about 50,000


Decimation: Residential buildings are shown flattened in this aerial shot over Joplin


Razed to the ground: Joplin's Walmart store was completely destroyed by Sunday's devastating twister


Wasteland: The horror of Sunday's tornado is laid bare by this harrowing panoramic shot of Joplin


Horseshoe: A destroyed neighbourhood is seen in Joplin on Tuesday after a big tornado moved through much of the city



Ruins: The winding path of the devastating tornado is seen in this aerial picture of Joplin, Missouri


Savaged: The path of the powerful tornado is seen in an aerial photo over Joplin, Missouri


Destroyed: The tornado ruined thousands of houses in Joplin, Missouri


From the sky: Uprooted trees and building without roofs lie devastated in Joplin, Missouri after the tornado hit on Sunday


Flattened: Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team work at the tornado-damaged Home Depot store in Joplin


Shock: Joplin residents are still coming to terms with the loss of their homes as rescue workers continue efforts to find survivors


Recovery: Beverly Winans, left, Debbie Spurlin and Austin Spurlin look for what they can salvage from their home after it was destroyed


Lost: Carra Reed looks at a friends home that was destroyed when the massive tornado passed through Joplin, Missouri


Missing: Rescue workers and neighbours search for victims and survivors


The President says he wants Midwesterners whose lives were disrupted by the deadly storms last weekend to know that the federal government will use all resources at its disposal to help them recover and rebuild.

Obama spoke in London, the second stop on his four-country, six-day tour of Europe.

Obama is due back in Washington Saturday night.


Little hope: Ryan Harper pauses in the shadow of a splintered tree as he searches for a missing friend after who may have been pulled away by the twister



A time for coming together: A couple drenched by the heavy rain walk arm-in-arm towards a building ravaged by the killer storm, and right, a woman whose life has been shattered overnight by the tornado breaks down in tears and has to be comforted by a friend


Frantic: Volunteers claw through the rubble in search of survivors, but grey storm clouds loom overhead threatening to disrupt the efforts


'Heartbreaking': Barack Obama, speaking in London today, vowed to visit Missouri on Sunday to console victims


President Barack Obama called Nixon after details of teh tragedy emergedand offered his condolences to those affected, assuring the governor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide whatever assistance was needed.

'Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri, as well as communities across the Midwest today,' the President said in a statement sent from Air Force One as he flew to Europe.

'We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.'


New dawn: The sun rises over devastated Joplin on Tuesday as the search for survivors continues


Heartache: Two women fight back the tears as they hug in front of a house ripped apart by the tornado. In a symbolic show of strength, the U.S. flag flies from a tree behind them


Wiped off the landscape: Meghan Miller stands in the middle of a destroyed neighbourhood as she checks on her sister-in-law's home, which only days before had stood in the same spot


source: dailymail