22/04/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me Tim Willcox.

Let's take you to Minnesota, where we are expecting the sheriff to talk

about Prince's death. I wish it were under different circumstances. This

is a tragedy for all of us. To you, Prince Rogers Nelson was a

celebrity. To us, he is a community member and a good neighbour. To his

family, he is a loved one. In life, he was a very private person. We

will continue to respect his privacy and dignity and we hope that you

will do as well. We also respect the media's right to information.

They're in mind that the information happened asthmatic the incident

happened about 29 hours ago and continues to be under investigation.

There is information that I will not be able to talk about. I'm going to

give you a statement and a mule sake -- and then we will take some

questions. Yesterday morning we received a call and the Sheriff's

office and the ambulance responded to the call, which is our standard

protocol, it is not unusual to have everybody responds to a medical like

that. They found an unresponsive mail in the elevator. CPR was

initially started but was not successful -- male. He was

pronounced deceased at seven minutes past ten. We identified him as

Prince Rogers Nelson, 57 years old. Staff members from Paisley Park had

been unable to contact Prince yesterday morning and went to check

on him. They found him unresponsive and called 911. Deputies went

through the building to make sure there was nobody else inside.

Because this was an unwitnessed death of a middle-aged adults, the

decision was made to process the scene, which is normal protocol and

no different to what we would normally do. We ended up contacting

the head of the county crime lab to help us with that and there should

be no inference taken from that, it isn't unusual for them to do those

types of calls. We finished with our processing late yesterday afternoon.

We turned Paisley Park back over to Prince's representatives. Because

the investigation is ongoing, I will not be answering questions on

whether there were any items taken during our processing. The midwest

medical examiner's office was contacted and the Carver County

medical Examiner was funded. There were no obvious signs of trauma --

responded. The body was taken for autopsy and that is being done

today. The results from that autopsy may take several weeks, which is not

unusual. Again, this will continue to be an open investigation until

the autopsy results come back. We are ready to take take questions

that you may have. It was said that there were people in the home who

were distraught. Can you tell us more about who was in the home?

There were some staff members who were there, who had gone to check on

him and that's all I can respond to. INAUDIBLE

Are not responding to any kind of questions about what may have been

taken -- I am not responding. We have no reason to believe that this

was a suicide. But this is early on in the investigation and we are

continuing to investigate. Any indication of how long he had been

in the elevator? We haven't received that information from the medical

examiner's office. It hadn't been in there for the couple of minutes

before the first responders arrived. You said he is a very private

person. INAUDIBLE I am not the person to answer that,

we will let the medical examiner talk about that. Were any medical

calls made to that address? I have checked calls to service for that

address in the log, and his name directly and there were no calls

involving Prince in the last year. Paisley Park, Prince does some

concern as there sometimes and some get-togethers, so it isn't unusual

for us to receive calls from Paisley Park itself. There was nothing that

I'm aware of that involved Prince directly at Paisley Park. Are you

unable to confirm whether Prince was taking any medication? I'm not able

to confirm that at this time at all. Can you give us an idea about the

investigation? INAUDIBLE We'll be talking to people who are

close to him, gathering some medical records and taking a look at those

and the medical examiner's office and working from there. Worthy staff

members there before he collapsed -- worth were the. They were trying to

reach him yesterday morning and they were not able to reach in, so they

responded to Paisley Park to look for him and found him unresponsive

in the elevator. INAUDIBLE We cleared and you went through the

residence at the time and we did not find anybody else there. Are you

cooperating with any other jurisdictions? We will be looking at

all of that. Can you tell me what you have done so far? This is 29

hours old, detectives are currently working on the case. There are

things they are working on. INAUDIBLE

Yes, of course, we always cooperate federally. You said there were no

calls involving Prince, are you aware of any hospital visits? There

are no calls involving the Sheriff's office that I'm aware of. Was there

medication and the home? I'm not going to get specific on what was

and wasn't taken -- at the home. Some reports that he may have been

on medication such as Percocet. This is under investigation and I cannot

comment on that at this time. INAUDIBLE

Between us and the medical examiner's office we will be looking

at that, absolutely. Reports that he frequented a local Walgreens, is

there any surveillance? That would be our normal protocol, to pull any

kind of video? That would be the normal protocol. This case is 29

hours old and it continues evolving. Can you talk to us about processing

the scene, how they are working? The head of the county crime lab is

helping us from the processing standpoint and they are meticulous,

that is what they do. They are very meticulous. Photos and so on. Any

indications of how long he had been in the elevator? We are going to

wait for the medical examiner's office to give that information. I

cut off somebody here? She is the public information officer, she is

not the medical examiner. Any sign of a drug overdose? There is no

information at this time with regard to attack you what they are talking

about, it is part of the investigation. Let me give you some

background, we are working as part of the investigative team with the

Sheriff's office, so many of the answers I can give you today will

include the word pending. We received a call at 12 minutes past

ten to come and assist the Carver County Sheriff 's office in the best

gauge and and the investigator arrived at 11:30am yesterday

morning, local time and was on the scene for several hours. The autopsy

this moulding begun at 9am -- this morning. It concluded at 1pm. Just

shortly I received word that his body left the midwest medical

examiner 's office and was released to the family. It was a very

meticulous exam, it was a complete exam. Several of the pieces of

information that are gathered in that process will be sent to

laboratories for further testing. So that answer is pending, and it will

take days and weeks to complete those investigations. Is it possible

to say when he died? I know when the time of death was pronounced, but

had he been dead overnight? Do you know when he stopped breathing? That

information is pending. Do you know when he was removed? 1539. Was there

any extra people brought in colour because this was Prince, or any

extra deputies? There were a number of people that started gathering

across the street, very early, as well as the media, so yes, we

certainly brought in other people to help from a crowd control standpoint

and to assist us with that. From the scene processing standpoint, it is a

very large area, Paisley Park, so we had to bring in a couple of extra

people and that is part of the reason for having assistance with

them. INAUDIBLE The building is pretty big.

INAUDIBLE That will be part of the

investigation, I don't want to comment. Did he use the elevator

because he felt he was about to pass out? Did he have access to the

stairway? He certainly has access to stairways. Paisley Park is a big

place. I don't think it would be unusual for him to use the elevator.

The staircases are pretty long, so that wouldn't be unusual, that's why

he took the elevator. He collapsed inside the elevator? He was

collapsed in the elevator. Do you know when he was last seen alive?

Had he retired for the night? The information we have is that he was

last seen at about 8pm on Wednesday night. At Paisley Park. Have you met

Prince before, and what was the interaction like? I did meet him but

it wasn't in my capacity as the mayor. When I was in business I had

the pleasure of riding in an aeroplane with him. The aeroplane

was riding for -- waiting for departure and there were some empty

seats in front of me and very soon after that, the stewardess escorted

Prince and a member of his entourage. That was the only time I

had an encounter. I did greet him, but as the mayor, I've never had any

reason to meet him. We would see Prince from a law Forsman standpoint

occasionally, he would have concerts at Paisley Park and we would help

with traffic systems. He lived there for a long time and had two

different residences, in County and Paisley Park. He had been a

long-time member of the community and had been a good member of the

community. You said no reason to believe it was a suicide. INAUDIBLE

We have no reason to believe it is a suicide, the rest of it is under

investigation. Can questions about medication be cleared up by talking

to his doctor? It will be part of the investigation and we will have

contact with the medical information, personnel he has had

contact with -- with the medical personnel. Have you had any contact?

This investigation is 29 years old, I don't know specifically who they

have talked to. INAUDIBLE I don't have that information. He

was on the first floor. Any rumours that you would like to dispel at

this time about his death or any part of the investigation? There

have been so many rumours, I don't know if I can dispel all of them.

This is under investigation. Was a search warrant issued? We did a

search warrant, yes, and that would be normal protocol. Paisley Park is

very large, it is hard to say who could have given us permission to

process the scene, so we thought it would be safer and better for us to

get a search warrant on the front end to do that. The search warrant

hasn't been filed as of yet and it will be filed probably over the next

week and a half. INAUDIBLE To process the scene at Paisley

Park. I don't have a copy of the search warrant. Different offices do

different things sometimes -- sometimes preliminary results are

released. Are you going to have a preliminary report on any Pelo

information? The short answer is no. The explanation is that we are here

in the capacity of serving the Carver County Sheriff 's office as

part of their team -- LE per limb and information. We will get our

results and we will not any -- release any admission until the

results are complete -- preliminary investigation. It is up to the

Sheriff, what information he releases, whether it is preliminary

or when it is complete. INAUDIBLE His body was Willie is to his

family. -- was released to his family. Results are pending. What do

you expect the timeline to be? It may be days, depending on the type

of tests, but more likely weeks before we have the complete results

and then the medical Examiner's office will release it. How many

investigators do you have working on the case? We have got three, four

agencies working on this and they have a number of detectives working

on it. This is a very large... Let me rephrase it, this is a high

profile case for us. The county continues, life in the county goes

on and there are other cases that we have that we are currently working

on. I'm not sure how many detectives I have working specifically on this

case. The plane landed in Illinois. Was there anything unusual about

where he landed that you can talk about? I know as much about that

currently as you do from reading the paper. Let me address that. Speaking

on behalf of the Chief medical Examiner, when we say we are going

to be doing a complete exam, that not only includes the present state

of the body that is brought to us, but also the medical history of the

individual, the family medical history, so those things will be

encompassed in the medical Examiner's report that will be

delivered to the Sheriff. INAUDIBLE It will include his medical history,

his social history and his family's medical history as well. INAUDIBLE

I assumed they would request them as part of the investigation.

Absolutely, we have access to them. INAUDIBLE

At this moment we have not reached out to the BCA for assistance. The

family cooperating the investigation? I spoke to the family

and they are trying to keep many things quiet. I've had contact with

Prince's family and representatives and they have been very cooperative,

we haven't had any problems. You said there are no obvious signs of

trauma. That is where we will leave this press conference that is being

handled by Jim Balsillie and they represented from the medical

Examiner's office -- Jim Olsen. 29 hours after the death, the autopsy

is being carried out. The facts of the case are that the last time

Prince was seen alive was at 8am in the morning. He was found collapsed

in an elevator, CPR was attempted but there was no response. The

investigation continues and there are no obvious signs of trauma on

his body and no indication that this was a suicide attempt either.

As the debate over Britain's membership of the European Union

intensifies, everyone was waiting to hear how emphatic

President Barack Obama would be on the issue.

His response today was explosive as he urged Britain

in forthright terms to stick with the EU.

with David Cameron, Mr Obama warned that Britain would be "at the back

of the queue" for a bilateral trade deal with the US,

as President began with lunch with the Queen at Windsor Castle,

with the First Lady Michelle and the Duke of Edinburgh.

to Number Ten for a one-to-one with the British Prime Minister.

Mr Obama's intervention in the EU referendum debate has

brought sharp criticism from Leave campaigners.

Editor, John Pienaar, whose report contains some

When the president comes calling, he starts at the top.

Touch down at Windsor Castle for a private visit with the Queen.

Well, as private as these visits get.

The one place and person to whom Barack Obama defers.

Protocol rules, even for the president.

He is here not just as a courtesy on his farewell tour,

but to have his say on Britain's place in the world before

Now, which head of state is supposed to go in front?

Warmer than those wanting out of the EU were about to feel

about Barack Obama, especially after the business end

And in Downing Street, his welcome looked even warmer.

Not just because President and Prime Minister are quite good

friends, you could see that, but because the biggest star

in world politics was here to help David Cameron

in the fight of his life, keeping Britain in the EU

and in the process saving the Cameron premiership

President Obama took his chance and was not holding back.

I figured you might want to hear from the President

of the United States, what I think the

On that matter, for example, I think it is fair to say that maybe

at some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade

agreement, but not any time soon, because our focus is in negotiating

with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done.

And the UK is going to be in the back of the queue.

Toughest warning yet by far, and he was not sorry for saying it.

Ultimately, this is something the British voters have

But, as part of our special relationship, part of being friends

is to be honest, and to let you know what I think.

And speaking honestly, the outcome of that decision

is a matter of deep interest to the United States, because it

David Cameron could not have asked for more.

The out camp are convinced that he did.

Our collective power and reach is amplified by Britain's membership

When it comes to the special relationship between our countries,

there is no greater enthusiast than me.

I am very proud to have had the opportunity to be Prime Minister

and stand outside the White House listening to this man,

my friend Barack, say that the special relationship

between our countries has never been stronger.

But I've never felt constrained in any way in strengthening this

relationship by the fact that we are in the European Union.

Even before the president said a word, you somehow knew

something big was coming, bigger than Prince, the Beatles,

And what a show it is when Barack Obama comes to town.

In there, it is about international diplomacy, high-stakes politics.

Out here, forget the rain, it feels like a crowd at a rock

concert, people have come to get a glance at a president more popular

than any politician here even in their dreams.

But can Barack Obama win minds as well as hearts?

If you did not know these two were close, you know now.

One of them, Boris Johnson, even doubted whether the president

he called "part-Kenyan" had British interests at heart.

I think it is perverse that we are being urged

by the United States to embroil ourselves ever more deeply

in a system where our laws, 60% of them now emanate from the EU,

when the United States would not dream of subjugating itself in any

way to any other international jurisdiction.

Side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder, Barack Obama has

The fight for Britain's future still lies in the balance and that

will decide whether the dramatic support David Cameron's closest

friend and ally has given today is remembered as a prize trophy

It is that time of the day to look at what weather stories

It is that time of the day to look at what weather stories have been

dominating the headlines around the world and unfortunately we've seen

quite a significant landslide in north-east