21/05/2013 BBC News at One

getting in my eyes. At least two schools were caught in the

Tornado's path. Our correspondent will be joining us from Moore, one

of the worst affected areas. The rate of inflation has fallen for the

first time since September, it is partly down to cheaper fuel. The

economic case for Scotland's independence. Noble action on the

illegal poaching of wild animals - Prince Charles says the problem has

reached crisis point. And the witty words of Morecambe and wise. Coming

up on sport on the BBC News Channel, could the special one be on his way

back to Chelsea? Rumours intensify after confirmation Jose Mourinho

BBC News. Rescuers in Oklahoma in the United States have spent the

night picking through the rubble looking for survivors after a

powerful tornado ripped through a suburb of the city. At least 90

people have died including 20 children, who were killed when their

primary school collapsed. The wind reached almost 200 mph as the

tornado moved through Moore. Barack Obama has promised government aid.

This is the area where the tornado ripped through this building behind

me, which was a bowling alley. The extent of the damage from this

tornado is unbelievable. Twisters are part of life here, but nobody

expected this huge and terrifying force of nature to strike. There is

a huge flash, it is ripping up everything in its path. It touched

down just south of Oklahoma City. The start of a 40 minute path of

destruction, ripping up everything in its way and tearing it apart.

This is not good. As fast as it came, it was gone, and a

post-apocalyptic landscape was left behind. We thought we had died. We

locked ourselves inside the doors when we saw it coming and it got

louder. The next thing you know, we could see the latch being on dorm

and ripped open the door. Just glass and debris started slamming on us so

we thought we were dead to be honest. The scale of the devastation

was laid out before the emergency services. They had to decide where

to begin. Fires burned, the injured needed treatment, those trapped

needed to be freed. People were in shock. The focus began to switch to

a primary school, which took the full force of the tornado. The

warning had come, but not quickly enough to get everyone out. Children

and their teachers belong to the walls as the roof was ripped off.

really got stuck because the desks were on top of us and the teacher

got stock so I had to help her because the desk was on her leg.

thoughts are with the Oklahoma families that have been hit hard by

this terrible storm. This last two days in particular, our hearts are

broken for the parents that are wondering at the state of their

children. The rescue efforts continued into the night with the

school still the main focus. Working under floodlights with heavy

machinery, the emergency services searched the debris to see if anyone

else could have survived. This is the neighbourhood where the tornado

barrelled through. The strongest building here, the hospital. People

inside were fine but the building has been destroyed. The streets

either side have been completely levelled, houses tossed aside. A

tree stripped down to just a tree trunk of metal wrapped around it.

You can get a real sense of the power of this storm, the impact it

has had on such a huge area. The weather forecasters say there is a

risk of more storms hindering the rescue effort and threatening more

communities on this stretch of America known as tornado alley.

There were terrible stories of loss, amazing stories of heroism,

and some heart-warming moments amid the destruction. Now the light has

come back, the search and rescuers are trying to establish if there is

anyone who was trapped in the many houses that have been destroyed and

reduced to rubble. The rescuers have been working all night, so what

happens to the rescue operation throughout the day?

Of course they did have a fair amount of time during daylight

yesterday to get the majority of people out. They are going through

in daylight to establish that everyone is safe, but it is a huge

collaboration. So many people have lost their homes, they have spent

their nights in shelters and they will continue to need help as the

repair work gets under way. Oklahoma City lies inside the

so-called tornado alley that stretches from South Dakota to

Central Texas, but the winds that struck this time were not only fast,

but wide as well. Some reports suggesting they stretched up to two

miles. They can travel at motorway speeds for more than 100 miles, this

tornado in Oklahoma was unusual for its size but they are fact of life

this state. The United States gets more tornadoes than any other

country, around 1000 every year. The vast majority of them hit this

area, known as tornado alley, where Oklahoma is located. When cold, dry

air from the Rocky Mountains hits moist air from the gulf of Mexico

and dry air from the desert, it creates turbulence thunderstorms

which, under the right conditions, can form tornadoes. On the way down

to Oklahoma I saw this little cloud that went from that to a powerful

super cell producing one of the most powerful tornadoes in Oklahoma

history in probably a matter of 20 minutes. Tornado warning systems

have been in place in America since the 50s, giving people precious

minutes to take cover, but predicting how and when tornadoes

strike isn't easy. The timing of tornadoes is difficult until you can

see them forming on the radar, it is difficult to pinpoint them precisely

but warnings can be issued several hours in advance for the counties of

the states that could be affected. As they pick through the rubble of

their communities, the residents of Oklahoma can be sure this won't be

the last tornado they have to face. With me now is our science editor. A

lot of tornadoes in this area. What made this one particularly

destructive? A combination of things. Most tornadoes don't last

for more than a few minutes, this one dragged on for 45. This one

stretched over two miles in places. Most of them fizzle out over fields

and don't do a lot of damage, but this one hit the town of Moore. It

is a question of luck as to where these things go. There was a more

violent tornado that hit the same town 14 years ago and killed fewer

people, so it really comes down to the precise path of the tornado and

who is around at what time. Are we seeing more of them? It looks that

way but the records don't indicate that. One might have thought that

with climate change we might get more tornadoes but the data does not

show that. The biggest factor is the sheer growing number of people in

these areas, simply more people in harm's way. How strong were the

homes, the schools that were hit? That is bound to be one of the

lessons learned of this tragedy. can keep up-to-date with the latest

developments on that story throughout the afternoon on the BBC

News Channel. Inflation has fallen for the first time in six months.

The Office for National Statistics says the consumer prices index was

up 2.4%, down from 2.8 the month before. The fall is caused in part

by a drop in fuel prices. It measures price increases for goods

and services across the economy. The inflation rate has fallen sharply.

Most prices are still rising but not as rapidly as they were. Inflation

is coming down so it is less of a squeeze on households and they will

spend their cash which is good news for economic growth. One reason was

a drop in fuel rises, on average 3.7% less than a year ago. Food and

non-alcoholic drinks have risen 0.6% -- 4.6% over 12 months. I am a

university and I commute quite a lot forwards and backwards so it has

brought my costs down quite a lot every week. I think people are

cutting back, I know I am. I keep my miles down as much as I can.

inflation may have fallen but it is still running ahead of peoples pay

packets. There is still a squeeze on household budgets. Many experts

expect inflation to pick up again over the next few months. When all

is said and done, average cost of living is still well above 2%. If

you want to work out how the change in inflation will affect you, you

can go online and look at our calculator.

The Prime Minister has written to Conservative party activists saying

he wouldn't allow any of his inner circle to sneer at them. At the

weekend it was reported that one of David Cameron 's allies had called

grass roots members mad, swivel-eyed loons, which has been denied by

Downing Street. David Cameron said party members stood for decency and

civic pride. Will this dissipate the anger among the grassroots, Norman?

One e-mail, just like one box of chocolate is following a tiff with

the wife will not make everything OK, but it is a peace offering, the

first step in rebuilding relations. In his e-mail, David Cameron goes

out of the way to say he has been a member of the party the 25 years, he

has pounded the pavements, he knows what it is like to campaign. In

other words, saying I am one of you, I understand where you are

coming from. I suspect you will find David Cameron turning up on the

doorstep with more metaphorical boxes of chocolates on subjects like

immigration, and the deficit, and maybe be more beastly to the Liberal

Democrats. But it seems to me David Cameron, if he wants to rebuild

relations, he could do worse than the example of Tony Blair who seemed

to be alone from many members of his party and yet they stuck with him

because they knew he was a winner. I suspect if David Cameron can win,

most of the doubts about his leadership will fade away. Marks and

Spencers' annual profits have fallen to their lowest level for four

years, partly due to a slump in sales of clothing. Their profits

took a fall of 6% on the previous year. The first Minister of

Scotland, Alex Salmond, has claimed the nation has been held back by

past and present British governments, saying Scottish people

would have been �8 billion better off over the last five years if they

had been independent and could more than afford to be a successful

country on their own. He was setting out the economic arguments in favour

of Scottish independence during a visit to a factory in Falkirk. Where

is Scotland heading? Next September the voters will get the chance to

choose the destination in a referendum on independence. Alex

Salmond came to this boss factory today to accuse Westminster of

driving Scotland down a dead-end by concentrating power and wealth in

London. We cannot afford to make these mistakes in Scotland, nor can

we afford to have mismanagement by governments we have never elected.

We have huge potential, but to realise that potential we have to

have more of the levers of economic power. Until now the direction of

travel in this referendum debate has been dominated by warnings about

where Scotland could be heading. The Scottish government is trying to

turn that on its head, saying the union has been bad for this country

and independence would set it on a better route. At the heart of the

national debate is oil. Campaigners for independents insist the economy

is not reliant on it, but opponents say it's volatility is one of many

reasons why a yes vote in the referendum would be risky.

argument for independence is based on the argument that they could

follow Norway, live off oil, but of course that just assumes the prices

of oil remain high indefinitely. Scotland trains the workforce of

tomorrow, the government in Edinburgh says the country could be

more ambitious. The SN -- SNP say that Scotland could prosper if it

was in control of its own destiny. our top story this lunchtime: A

massive tornado in Oklahoma has killed at least 90 people. 20 people

died after a primary school collapsed.

Still to come: How Ghana's economy is backing the global trend.

Later on BBC London: We meet the girl band from South London, hoping

to become the new queens of pop. And he called himself a "Special

One" when he was last in charge at Chelsea, but would Jose Mourinho

still have the magic were he to Now, it is a subject close to both

their hearts, saving wild animals from poachers. Today Prince William

and his father are hosting a conference for global action to do

just that. They want to find some of the solutions to the problems that

Prince Charles described as having reached crisis point.

Under threat, the target of poachers. Last year conservation

groups estimate 25,000 African elephants were the teams of

poaching. For the rhinoceros, the story is even more bleak. Their

horns, scene of having medicinal value in some countries. But this is

the harsh reality of poaching. Animals killed, the parts that can

be sold taken, then left to rot. In the unlikely setting of a royal

palace today's conference aims to find ways of ending this illegal

wildlife trade. For the Prince of Wales it is a long-term passion,

using his position to persuade and cajole. As a father and soon-to-be

grandfather, I find it inconceivable that our children and grandchildren

could live in a world bereft of these animals. And for his son, a

similar story. Conservation now a focus of his charitable work.

sincerely hope that my generation is not the first to consider

elephants, tigers and rhinos as historical creatures, in the same

category as the dodo. They want this event to be more than just a talking

shop. They have described poaching as the work of huge, organised,

criminal networks that need to be stopped.

The family of a woman strangled to death by her former partner are

calling for a public enquiry into the way the police and other

agencies responded to complaints of domestic violence. Maria Stubbins

was killed I am man who had already been sentenced in Germany for the

murder of another woman. Maria Stubbins was strangled with it

all believed by a man who already had a conviction for assaulting her.

Today's report details how the Essex force constantly fail to protect

her. When she began her brief relationship with Mark Chivers, she

did not know he had served 15 years in prison for killing a previous

girlfriend. He murdered Maria at her home. They had been a panic alarm in

the house but the police had removed it. At the time, she was sharing the

house with her teenage son. Now for the first time he has spoken about

the police failings. I find it hard to understand how they did not react

or show any care or respond in the way that they should. There is just

no need for people to continue suffering in the way that we have.

It is prevention. They need to do simple things higher up the ladder.

Their mother was murdered just before Christmas in 2008. The Essex

police force in system that lessons have been learned and other victims

will be better protected. They need to be treated as though they are

properly believed, they need for us to take control away from some of

these manipulative comic evil individuals who control their lives.

Maria Stubbins's families are joining campaigners in calling for a

public enquiry into the way police around the country and other

agencies deal with domestic violence.

Royal Mail's annual profits have more than 22 to �403 million. The

volume of letters declined but revenues are up -- �423 million. A

huge increase. On the face of it, very strong

numbers from an organisation which was until recently loss-making. The

operating profit, it did increase, up at more than �400 million, and

that compares with an hundred and 52 million last time. Three reasons.

Big growth in online retailing and parcels. Letter volumes declined but

a big rise in stamp crisis. And also they are cutting costs. A big

turnaround in fortunes for a business which of course the

government wants to privatise. When will it be privatised? The

official government line is they are looking at this financial year but

interestingly, Vince Cable was speaking on the BBC this morning and

he was asked what his favourite option was, that Royal Mail would

float on the stock market in the autumn? He replied, that is the one

we are looking at but we have an open mind. That timing sounds

interesting. The timing of an IPO flotation is critical. It is

interesting the business secretary did not pick the interviewer up on

that so it sounds as though the privatisation could be sooner rather

than later. It would be the biggest privatisation we have seen in many

years and it could certainly come by the autumn.

This week if the 50th anniversary of the African Union and leaders from

all over the continent will be gathering in Addis at the bar. My

colleague is looking at the changing face of Africa. According to a

report in the World Bank, sub Sahara's economic growth in the next

three years is likely to outstrip the global average. George has been

to Ghana, riding the crest of this economic wave.

I am outside one of the many construction sites you see in the

capital, Accra. Office blocks, hotels and luxury apartments as

well. Let's have a look. No expense has been spared. You have all the

mod cons, including the wine cooler, to keep your Chablis at the

right temperature. It is exactly what Ghana's new burgeoning middle

class will want. One of the people looking at the new apartment right

now is Gladys Mbiri. Hello, what do you think? It is brilliant, the

architecture is fantastic, the location is perfect. I would move in

any day. The thing about people like Gladys Mbiri is they are fuelling a

new kind of growth in Ghana, waste on domestic consumption, not just

reflecting what is going on around the world -- based on domestic

consumption. And if all this does not convince her, look at this

rooftop terrace. With all of the capital, Accra, spread out beneath.

Ghana is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa but there are

questions about whether the wealthiest trickling down. Some

argue if the feelgood factor is not spread out, the optimism could be

short lived. George joins me now from the

Ethiopian capital. What are your impressions of Africa at the

moment? It is interesting, isn't it, I have

gone from west Africa to East Africa and both in Ethiopia and Ghana, the

challenge is the same. It is the same challenge all of Africa is

facing. When I was reporting here in the 90s, people were talking about

the lost generations and the lost decades and the challenge for all

governments is to improve their economics, and that these countries

have done. But Ghana has gone from what you might call this free market

boom, letting the private sector have its own way. The criticism

perhaps is that not enough money is trickling down to the poor. Here in

Ethiopian they have gone for something different. They are trying

to manage economic growth. When I interviewed the Prime Minister

yesterday, he said they started with agriculture because that is where

80% of the population lives in this country. 60% of the continent earn

their living from agriculture and that is really important. You can

take your pick about those different approaches but what is clear and

what we have been trying to report on this week from Africa is that the

leadership in this continent has changed. I think they are now

realising that the rest of the world is marching on and if they do not

start offering some genuine, credible leadership, rooted in

economics, this is a continent that will be left behind. The evidence I

have seen, and you can argue it both ways, is that this is a continent

that is very different from the one I reported on in the 90s.

Thank you. More from George throughout the week on the BBC. You

will find more coverage in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of

the African Union on our website. The comedy writer Eddie Braeburn,

who came up with many of the jokes from Morecambe and wise, has died at

the age of 82. He also worked with Ken -- Ken Dodd. I am playing all

the right notes is but not necessarily in the right order.

many, Eddie Braben was the third man behind this famous duo. And it was

Eddie Braben and his writing, that in the 70s, help choreograph the

pair's time as the BBC's most popular entertainers. The real

pressure came when I was sat in front of that typewriter with all of

those blank pages. That is when you realise there were 20 million 24

million, 25 million looking over your shoulder, all of them saying,

make me laugh. He believed one of the keys to writing to Morecambe and

Wise was incorporating elements of their offscreen personalities and

that persisted, even in sketches he did not have a direct hand in

writing. He will be remembered as one of the greats, a man whose wit

and imagination enabled Morecambe and wise to bring joy to millions.

Bring me Sunshine, in your smile! The comedy writer Eddie Braben, who

has died at the age of 32. Let's to the day but things have been

slowly brightening up. Just a slim start of some isolated showers into

breaks in the cloud in West Wales. As the afternoon continues,

hopefully we will have subtle glimpses of sunshine. More cloud for

the south coast but not a bad afternoon in prospect through Wales

and North Devon. The same for the North West of England. We have had

some sunshine in Northern Ireland. But potential for thicker cloud to

develop and drizzle into the evening. Not as warm as yesterday in

Scotland. There is the potential for if you isolated showers across the

Pennines through the latter stages of the afternoon. Overnight, the

cloud returns yet again. A quiet night to come. We will start off

tomorrow on another grey note. Scotland will have the best of the

sunshine, at with free print showers developing. The winds will be

picking up as well -- frequent showers. The best of the sunshine,

South and West. Things are starting to change so if you are heading for

the Chelsea flower show on Wednesday, pleasant, but sharp

showers on Thursday and a fresher field. That is because of this

northerly flow pushing the mild air away from the South West. It will be

and for all. We start to become stronger northerly winds as well. On

the North Sea coast, it will feel disappointing. The detail is

difficult at the moment but it looks as though we continue with a West

and East split. Rain and a colder feel out to the east. Certainly the

story has been what is happening in the USA. If you want more