21/05/2013 BBC News at Ten

survivors of the powerful tornado in Oklahoma City.

It is just ripping up everything in its path. One of the worst storms in

US history claimed the lives of nine children. The tornado devastated

entire neighbourhoods and survivors have been describing its impact.

ripped open the door and it just glass and debris started slamming on

us. We thought we were dead. Joy for some parents in the suburb

of Moore finding their children safe and well as the president promised

unlimited support. The people of Moore should know that

their country will remain on the ground and there for them, beside

them as long as it takes. We will have the latest on the

rescue operation in Oklahoma. Also tonight:

The head of NHS England, Sir David Nicholson, who has been criticised

for his role in the Stafford Hospital scandal says he will

retire. The Apple bosses hit back at

allegations that the firm has avoided paying billions in tax.

And the film the big studios were not keen on backing. We talk to the

Stoke begin the search for their Good evening. Rescue workers in

Oklahoma City are still searching for survivors after the tornado

which devastated entire neighbourhoods yesterday. It has

been confirmed that 24 people died including nine children. Most of

them in the suburb of Moore. Officials fear that number could

rise. The tornado was over a mile wide and travelled 20 miles, moving

from Newcastle and on to Moore in Oklahoma City. From there, Alastair

Leithead September this report. -- sent this report.

This is the moment the tornado struck. A huge and terrifying force

of nature. It touched down just south of Oklahoma City and began its

40 minute path of destruction, tearing up everything in its way.

That's a big, big tornado. It levelled a neighbourhood, ripping

homes apart with 200mph winds. is terrible. This is war zone.

Terrible. Fires burned as power lines came

down and gas leaked from ruptured pipes. They know about tornadoes

here, warning sirens had given many people a chance to take cover. This

family survived the storm and emerged unscathed. There were many

stories of near misses. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

We thought we died. We locked the cellar door and the next thing you

know, you see the latch coming undone and we couldn't reach for it

and it ripped open the door and it just glass and debris started

slamming on us. We thought we were dead to be honest.

It just tore it like a truck. The focus began to switch to a

primary school that fell to the twister's full force. It is

destroyed. The warning had not come quickly enough to get everyone out.

Children and their teachers clung to the walls as the roof was ripped

off. But many were buried by the rubble. Firefighters moved fast to

free them from the debris, some were badly hurt. One by one, they

emerged. I've really got stuck because all the desks were on top of

us and the teacher got stuck and so I had to help her because the desk

was on her leg. For the the -- parents a wait to see if their

children were pulled out alive. Not all had emotional reunions. This is

the path that the tornado took. It is as wide as you can see and it

goes on as far as you can see. And just over there, amid all that

wreckage, it is where the school once was. House after house, street

after street, destroyed. Cars picked up and thrown around like toys.

Trees shredded amid the tangle of wood and metal. People's possessions

skratered across the neighbourhood -- scattered across the

neighbourhood. For the few who made it through the

police road blocks, the clean-up has started. Many were grateful they

survived. It was really scary. I thought I was

going to die. I laid in there on the ground and held my dog close to me

and just waited to see what was going to happen.

President Obama said the focus was on rescue, but recovery.

We face -- rerecognise you face a long road ahead and in some cases

there will be gref that has to be absorbed, but you will not travel

that path alone. Search and rescue teams with sniffer

dogs went from house-to-house to make sure nobody had been left

trapped below the rubble. As the work continued, the storm clouds

were gathering again and forecasters warned more tornadoes could be on

Three-quarters of the world's tornadoes strike in North America

with most hitting an area stretching from south South Dakota to kal rad

owe. -- Colorado. David Shukman is with

me with more details. Thank you, Huw. This is the season

for tornados and we are talking about the region that gets hit

hardest by them. This storm has taken everyone by surprise. Its

speed and power, making it unusually dangerous as we have seen. Le my

god. Terrifying approach of one of the

most violent forms of weather. Most tornadoes only last a few minutes

and pass over fields. This one, just kept going for 45 minutes and headed

for the town of Moore. There will be a lot of damage

produced by this tornado. This is the month that sees the

highest number of tornadoes. Many pass unnoticed, not this one.

America gets hit by tornado more than any other country because of

its geography, cold, dry air from Rockies cold lIEdz with -- clIEdz

with air from the Gulf of Mexico. This area spans several States

including Oklahoma and tornadoes are frequent here. So let's take a look

in more detail at how tornadoes form.

First, if the storms are large enough, they pool air up from the

ground. This forms a connection with a column of air that starts to

twist. Yesterday, the winds reached 200mph. Now most tornadoes are

narrow, but this one was up to two miles across. All of which, made it

unusually damaging. America's worst tornado struck back in 1925, over

600 people were killed. So tornadoes are nothing new and so far, there is

no evidence that over the past century that climate change is

causing more of them. In the 1950s, early warning systems were put in

place, but tornadoes are unpredictable, the storms that can

create them can be forecast, but not the tornadoes themselves. Scientists

are trying to understand them and one researcher who has worked in

Oklahoma said it is really difficult. We are quite good at the

moment at predicting the largest scale weather patterns, but as you

get down to individual thunderstorms, individual large

clouds, that's a real challenge and we don't have the computer power to

model the atmosphere on that scale. Even the forecasters in Tornado

Alley ran into trouble. I think it is our time to go.

The weather system that generated the deadly tornado was getting close

to this studio. Everybody down below. Let's go.

It might look as if tornadoes are becoming more frequent, they are

not. It is just that more people are living in harm's way. The sixth form

that caused the tornado isn't finished. There are warnings of

rainfall and there is always the risk of more tornadoes. Huw.

Dived shack man there. -- shaved shook man there. Let's go

back to Oklahoma and Alastair Leithead. Alistair, what can you

tell us? Well, the latest from the search and

rescue side of the operation is that's winding down. The fire chief

says that he is sure that there is nobody left in the wreckage of these

houses. Almost a mile-and-a-half across, that's a lot of houses to go

through. He says each of them will be searched at least and by the end

of the day he hopes each will have been searched three times. We have

seen extra search and rescue teams coming in today to back up the 200

that worked through the night. The storm has been upgraded from a

Category 4 to a Category 5 which is the highest level you can have for

this kind of twister and that's been given by the statement who -- given

by the teams working on the ground. Alastair Leithead for us there.

The head of the NHS in England, Sir David Nicholson, announced that he

will be taking a retirement next year. Sir David has come under

pressure to step down since the public inquiry into the scandal at

Stafford Hospital. Jeremy Hunt praised him for staying calm in a

difficult post. NHS England struggles to deal with a

number of serious challenges. Branwen Jeffreys reports.

He is the NHS's top boss, the tough operator who delivered on targets,

but Sir David Nicholson has been dogged by controversy and calls for

him to resign over failings at Stafford Hospital. As the boss of

the NHS in England, he managed �100 billion budget. His focus on finance

and targets made him popular with the Treasury, but that culture in

the NHS was blamed for the needless suffering in Stafford. For months

the relatives campaigned for him to resign calling him the man with no

shame even now they are disappointed he has been able to choose to

retire. He will have a huge pension pot and

he will be keep his knighthood. He will have a happy retirement unlike

the many people who he has left behind at Mid Staffs who will have

to suffer after they have watched their loved one suffer at Mid Staffs

Hospital. In Westminster, more than 40 MPs

called for him to step down. Some felt he found it too hard to

apologise. You seem to not be able to remember lots of things that go

on. There it is at paragraph 116. I cannot recall what we... Some were

frus strayed by his failure to -- frustrated by his failure to answer

questions. Today, he wrote to say he would

retire from NHS England. Just weeks after it took control of the Health

Service and said recent events showed on occasion the NHS can still

sometimes fail patients, their families and careers. This continues

to be a matter of profound regret to me." I don't think that history will

judge David Nicholson by Mid Staffs, but by the leadership that he

provided to a really complex, really difficult, really challenging

organisation over seven years. The job description for his

relaysment -- replacement, someone dwilg to run a world-class

organisation in difficult times. Lower petrol prices and air fares

have led to the first drop in the UK's inflation rate for six months.

The measures which tracks the rate at which goods and services increase

in price fell to 2. 4% in April. For more detail on how it might affect

your finances and circumstances, you can try our inflation calculator.

You'll find it on the website. The technology giant, Apple has been

defending itself against accusations it's avoided paying billions of

dollars of tax on profits. The Chief Executive told the US Senate that it

was come plying with the law and with the spirit of the law.

Yesterday, a report claimed that they avoided taxes by spreading its

accounts over a network of subsiduaries. It concluded that

Ireland had functioned as a tax haven for the company. As we now

report. It's a global brand and the devices are used in countries around

the world. It's been hailed as an American success story, but now US

politicians are accusing it of shunting of billions of dollars away

from the country to avoid paying tax. Senators at a hearing today

said it was clear they were simply not paying its fair share of

corporate taxes. The real issue is the billions in taxes that it is not

paying. Thanks to off-shore tax strategies, whose purpose is tax

avoidance pure and simple. bosses were sworn in and then

mounted a robust defence of their position. We pay all the taxes we

owe, every single dollar. We not only comply with the laws, but we

comply with the spirit of the laws. We don't depend on tax gimmicks.

the Senate investigation said more than half of the profits were held

in Irish companies. One made a profit of $30 billion over three

years, but paid no income tax over that time. Another made $74 billion

in profit, but paid tax on only a tiny fraction. Ireland has long had

a low tax regime as a policy to attract investment. The Government

there said today it was not to blame for the level of tax payments. This

was a global issue. In so far as there is an international dimension

to this, it needs to be tackled by having robust international

agreements and Ireland very much is in favour of that. The criticism of

Apple comes as politicians here have berated Amazon, Google and Starbucks

over low levels of corporate taxes paid in the UK, despite sales of

billions of pounds between them. Whether it's Apple or others, there

is one thing in common, they all sell goods and services around the

world and move money across borders every week. That's why many are now

arguing that no single economy on its own can tackle the corporate tax

issue. The saga has pushed tax higher up the agenda. Tomorrow's

European summit in Brussels will focus on the issue and there's talk

of international action, but precisely what remains to be seen.

One of the fastest-growing economies in Africa is Ghana. It's making

significant progress in tackling poverty and corruption. Growth in

Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to outstrip the global average over the

next three years. The economy has been expanding at 8. 4% over the

past four years and that has brought social benefits too. For example,

life expectancy back in 1970 was 49. Now, it is 64. For latest in our

series of special reports on the changing face, the BBC's George

Alagiah reports from the capital. First, there were the Asian tigers,

now meet the African lions. From building sites to stock exchanges,

the Continent is seeing a surge in economic activity. Growth rates here

put much of the rest of the world into the shade and Ghana is in the

vanguard. This would be a sitting room. Very light, so you have the

feel of a comfortable area. People who might have taken their money

abroad are splashing out at home. All that spending is fuelling an

economy that is no longer as quite as dependent on traditional exports.

People are reaping the benefits of more than a decade of political

stability. I think for the first time the African story is not just

communities, but one of expanding incomes and opportunities and a

growing middle class. You talk about this new-frowned growth, but is

everybody -- new-found growth, but is everybody sharing in it, or are

people being left behind? We can do more. Government spending ought to

help redress that imimbalance. -- imbalance. I went to school here

before your parents were born. was a time of unbridled optimism.

Which one do you think I am? That's it. This guy here. What do you want

to be? A banker. A doctor.You want to be a doctor. Why? Because I like

taking care of sick people. lawyer. But no-one said they wanted

to be a scientist or an engineer. The skills that the country will

need if it's to expand its manufacturing sector. At 70,000

bottles an hour, this one of the most successful drinks producers.

The buy Joe chemists here are trying to give a new African twist to the

old business of a good night out. What Stephen and his team is mixing

alcohol with traditional roots and herbs and now they are doing it on

an industrial scale. With a �20 million investment in new plant, the

company's targeting the wider African market. Its founder says

either he does it or the mleT nationals will. -- multinationals

will. It is hard times for us. We need to take the opportunity and use

it ourselves, instead of watching for the foreigners to come for us.

Gore Ghana the key to sustaining success is making sure there are

enough jobs when the pupils are done with their education. By that

measure, there is still some way to go. Just to tell you, you can see

more on the changing face of Africa. It's on the website. You will see

the links and all the information there.

The First Minister of Scotland says the Scots can more than afford to

embrace independence. He set out his economic case ahead of next year's

referendum, he accused British governments past and present are

holding the Scottish people back. But critics have questioned the

detail and the direction of his policy, as we now report. Get on

board - Alex Salmond at a bus and coach builders in Falkirk. The

company's doing well and growing the business. Alex Salmond says Scotland

is prospering, but could do better with independence if he can quash

the doubts raised by his rivals. we go through the debate, every

scaremongering initiative will be dragged out of the cupboard and done

with like Dracula and the "yes" campaign and everything will build

its strength on the positive. underlying SNP narrative is that

Scotland's economy has been held back by Westminster governance, but

the tone of this document launched here today is upbeat and it's about

potential, not about grief and despair. That's because Alex Salmond

believes the Scots will be convinced to opt for independence if they feel

confident in themselves, not apprehensive about ending the union.

There's more to the Scottish economy than the oil around her shores, but

it's critical in this debate. Supporters of a union say it's a

declining asset, too volatile in value to sustain Scotland.

Nationalists say the UK Government deliberately underplayed the extent

of oil discoveries in the 1970s to head off demands for independence

then. Even today, they say there is still oil aplenty to help fund an

independent Scotland. But they point to other UK downsides in their case

for independence. They say successive UK governments have

implemented spending curbs on capital investment, the wrong tack

they say in a recession. They say Scotland is experiencing lower

long-term growth than the UK because, they claim, the emphasis

has been on the City of London. And, they blame pay inequality in the UK

for depressing demand and curbing social mobility. But supporters of a

union say Scotland has thrived precisely because of open access to

the British market. The finance services industry depends on the UK

market. The oil industry depends on the UK subsidy for decommissioning

in the North Sea and renewables, it is all backed by a UK bill payers'

subsidies, so it shows we are better together and stronger as part of the

UK. Back at the bus factory, the date for the referendum is on

display. All we await now is the destination. A new film that tells

the life story of the flamboyant pianist, Liberace, has been

premiered tonight at the Cannes Film Festival. Behind the Candelabra,

starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, struggled to get the

necessary funding because some studios apparently thought it would

only appeal to a gay audience. It was eventually backed by the cable

channel HBO. Our arts editor, Will Gompertz, has been to meet the

treatment and on top form as Liberace. The man who put the show

into showbiz. In a new film, Behind the Candelabra. It's about the love

affair that the performer had with a much young younger Scott Percy,

played by Matt day Monday. The film is explicit about the nature of

their relationship. I want to be everything to you, Scott. Brother,

father, lover. I asked them how they approached the more intimate scenes?

From my wife, so we are on the coach and I throw my legs over his and we

are sitting there. How do you sit and watch a movie late at night with

your spouse? Liberace managed his public image. First he denies the

homosexuality and having AIDS, but now stars are quick to tell all.

What has changed? It's because of the digital age and you are able to

hide and have a private life 30, 40 years ago. It doesn't exist and

there were maybe two or three gossip columnists and that's all there was.

Now you don't have that privacy. As celebrities, it is better for you to

get it out and say it and control the information rather than just

turn into being gossiped about. know, the last time, stare as long

as you want. Behind the Candelabra might be opening at the Cannes Film

Festival, but it's commissioned by and made for American television.

The studios wouldn't go near it, according to the director, too gay

apparently. The feeling was because it would only appeal to a gay

audience, which is pretty narrow thinking, but there is some sense of

where our studios are at today and many of them. In America some of the

best things you get are on TV period and movies seem to be becoming more