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At least 26 people have died after a powerful tornado ripped through several southern US states, destroying buildings and knocking out power.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency announced late Saturday afternoon that the number of deaths in the state had risen from 23 to 25.

Four who were missing have been found but dozens are injured.

One person was also reported dead in Alabama, making the total death toll at least 26.

Severe storms hit Mississippi, Alabama and Texas on Friday, producing hail the size of golf balls and prompting the authorities to warn residents they were in a “life-threatening situation”.

The National Weather Service issued an alert to people in the path of the tornado and said: “To protect your life, TAKE COVER NOW!

“You are in a life-threatening situation. Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter… Considerable damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible.”

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Sheriff heartbroken after relative dies in US tornado

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said in a Twitter post that search and rescue teams from local and state agencies were deployed to help victims impacted by the tornadoes.

The number of fatalities means the storms that ravaged parts of Mississippi overnight were the deadliest in the state in more than a decade.

The tornado caused destruction in the rural Mississippi towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork on Friday night before continuing to sweep northeast towards Alabama at 70mph.

Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN that his town was essentially wiped out.

Video shot as daylight broke showed houses reduced to piles of rubble, cars flipped on their sides and trees stripped of their branches. Occasionally, in the midst of the wreckage, a home would be spared, seemingly undamaged.

“My city is gone. But we are resilient and we are going to come back strong,” Mr Walker said.

Read more: Photos show how deadly storm has reduced buildings to rubble

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Dozens of people have died after a powerful tornado hit

A homeowner surveys the damage in Amory, Mississippi. Pic: AP
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A homeowner surveys the damage in Amory, Mississippi. Pic: AP
The tornado ripped the roof off of a large building in Montebello, California. Pic: AP
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The tornado ripped the roof off of a large building in Montebello, California. Pic: AP

People were trapped in piles of rubble and damage had caused gas leaks in Rolling Fork, local newspaper Vicksburg News reported the Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office as saying.

President Biden said in a statement: “Jill and I are praying for those who have lost loved ones in the devastating tornadoes in Mississippi and for those whose loved ones are missing.

“The images from across Mississippi are heartbreaking. While we are still assessing the full extent of the damage, we know that many of our fellow Americans are not only grieving for family and friends, they’ve lost their homes and businesses.”

Shelters were opened for those whose homes were damaged by the storms.

Read more:
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California floods: Atmospheric river brings snow, strong winds and flooding

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‘It’s really bad’ – Residents hit by tornado

A pickup truck rests on top of a restaurant cooler at Chuck's Dairy Cafe in Rolling Fork, Miss., Saturday, March 25, 2023. .   Emergency officials in Mississippi say several people have been killed by tornadoes that tore through the state on Friday night, destroying buildings and knocking out power as severe weather produced hail the size of golf balls moved through several southern states.  (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
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A truck rests on top of a restaurant cooler at a cafe in Rolling Fork
The damaged site of Enviva Pellets, a maker of sustainable wod pellets, in Amory, Mississippi. Pic: AP
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The damaged site of Enviva Pellets, a maker of sustainable wood pellets, in Amory, Mississippi. Pic: AP

The damage in Rolling Fork was so widespread that several storm chasers – who follow severe weather and often put up livestreams showing dramatic funnel clouds – pleaded for search and rescue help. Others abandoned the chase to drive injured people to the hospitals themselves.

The Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital on the west side of Rolling Fork was damaged, WAPT reported.

Some law enforcement units were unaccounted for in Sharkey County where Rolling Fork is based, according to local media.

According to poweroutage.us, 40,000 customers were without power in Tennessee; 15,000 customers were left without power in Mississippi; and 20,000 were without power in Alabama.

The storms in Mississippi were not as deadly as those that left 31 people dead in the state in April 2011.

In Texas, two tornadoes with 100mph winds struck around 5am on Friday, leaving five people injured.

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WTVA meteorologist Matt Laubhan was overwhelmed as tornado hit

Tracy and Tim Hardin, owners of Chuck's Dairy Bar, survey the tornado destruction to their business in Rolling Fork. Pic: AP
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Tracy and Tim Hardin, owners of Chuck’s Dairy Bar, survey the tornado destruction to their business in Rolling Fork. Pic: AP
Melanie Childs sits on a bucket and holds her two children as they view whats left of her grandfather's home in Armory. Pic: AP
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Melanie Childs sits on a bucket and holds her two children as they view whats left of her grandfather’s home in Armory. Pic: AP

The initial storm was a “supercell”, which brews the deadliest tornadoes and most damaging hail, said University of Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Walker Ashley.

Friday’s storm was a night time, wet one which is “the worst kind”, he said.

Earlier on Friday a car was swept away and two passengers drowned in Missouri during torrential rain that was part of a severe weather system.

By early Saturday, tornado watches remained in parts of eastern Mississippi and in northern Alabama, according to the weather service. Earlier, those watches covered almost all of Mississippi.

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Are Trump’s allies behind hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros?

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Are Trump's allies behind hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros?

👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 

A new White House National Security Strategy gives us an insight into how Donald Trump views the world, and the US’s place within it.

Is this America rejecting Europe and uprooting the established world order?

Two massive media companies go head-to-head to buy Warner Bros in a media shake-up that will have a massive impact on the film and TV industry.

The Supreme Court seems poised to expand the president’s powers which could see the structure of the federal government significantly changed.

You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

Email us on trump100@sky.uk with your comments and questions.

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Paramount launches hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros

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Paramount launches hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros

Paramount has launched a £108.4bn hostile bid for Warner Bros, challenging Netflix, which had reached a $72bn takeover deal with the company.

Paramount said on Monday that it was going straight to Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) shareholders with a $30 per share in cash offer for the entirety of the company, including its Global Networks segment, asking them to reject the deal with Netflix.

On Friday Netflix struck a deal to buy WBD, the Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and HBO Max

The agreement means Warner Bros Discovery's library of film and TV successes including Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones will come under the same roof as Stranger Things and Squid Game.
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The agreement means Warner Bros Discovery’s library of film and TV successes including Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones will come under the same roof as Stranger Things and Squid Game.

The cash and stock deal is valued at $27.75 per Warner share, giving it a total enterprise value of $82.7 billion, including debt.

But Paramount says its deal will pay $30 cash per share, representing $18 billion more in cash than its rivals are offering.

In a statement, Paramount said it was making a “strategically and financially compelling offer to WBD shareholders” and a “superior alternative to the Netflix transaction”.

File pic: iStock
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File pic: iStock

David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, said: “WBD shareholders deserve an opportunity to consider our superior all-cash offer for their shares in the entire company.

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“Our public offer, which is on the same terms we provided to the Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors in private, provides superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion.

“We believe the WBD Board of Directors is pursuing an inferior proposal which exposes shareholders to a mix of cash and stock, an uncertain future trading value of the Global Networks linear cable business and a challenging regulatory approval process.

“We are taking our offer directly to shareholders to give them the opportunity to act in their own best interests and maximize the value of their shares.”

Paramount said it had submitted six proposals to WBD in the course of 12 weeks, but that they were never “meaningfully” engaged with.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

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President Trump may walk away from Ukraine peace process, his eldest son says

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President Trump may walk away from Ukraine peace process, his eldest son says

Donald Trump’s eldest son has said his father may walk away from the Ukraine peace process, claiming the issue is not a priority for Americans, and signalling Europe needs a better plan.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Sky’s lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim at Doha Forum 2025, Donald Trump Jr addressed issues including the US administration’s recent diplomatic efforts around the world.

He was speaking in his capacity as a business leader, setting out his agenda for “America first” investments in defence technology and artificial intelligence (AI), drawing a direct line between global stability and economic prosperity.

Ukraine war latest – follow live updates

Donald Trump meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington earlier this year. Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington earlier this year. Pic: Reuters

When asked directly if he believed the US president would walk away from Ukraine, he answered: “I think he may, what’s good about my father and what’s unique about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s unpredictable.”

President Trump has led renewed efforts for a ceasefire deal with Russia in recent months.

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Drawing a parallel with his father’s current “war” on drug cartels, Donald Trump Jr described gangs bringing illegal drugs into America as a “far greater clear and present danger to the US than anything [going on] in the Ukraine or Russia”.

While he said he did not believe Ukraine would be “abandoned”, he said: “The American public doesn’t have the appetite [for endless wars and further funding of Ukraine’s military efforts].”

Describing Ukraine as “a far more corrupt country than Russia”, he characterised Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as “one of the great marketeers of all time”, who he said had become “a borderline deity, especially to the left”.

He went on to describe President Trump’s approach as “common sense”.

China rivalry was the focus, but Musk got a mention


Yalda Hakim

Yalda Hakim

Lead world news presenter

@SkyYaldaHakim

In a country and at a conference which is friendly, even admiring of the Trump administration, Don Jr was in his element.

He’s here in his capacity as a business leader, promoting his venture, 1789 Capital which claims to be focused on “America First” investments.

But he wasn’t shy about discussing his father’s foreign policy achievements, boasting that Donald Trump had resolved seven or eight wars – conflicts that most ordinary Americans were unaware of.

His pitch is bullish and direct – the current US administration is projecting strength globally, stopping wars and creating investment opportunities which serves the American economy. It’s the MAGA mentality for the global audience.

It’s clear that the rivalry with China is their biggest focus, especially finding ways to combat their dominance over critical minerals.

“America can no longer just sit there and hope that China is going to be a good actor… I think the rest of the world understands that they want America to be at the forefront of all of that.”

When I asked him about recent efforts by President Trump to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, he responded forcefully. “We want peace, we want to stop the death.”

But he went on to say that Europe needed to shoulder the burden and currently they have no plan.

As he sat on the stage in Qatar, the country which has been at the centre of the ceasefire efforts for Gaza, he expressed hope that peace would prevail, but balanced expectations America would fund its re-construction. This would have to be a global effort.

“If there’s one thing my father is, it’s a builder… I think he can be the greatest construction manager in the history of the world, but no one in America wants to bear the entire responsibility of that.”

And, away from international diplomatic efforts, he was happy to announce a breakthrough closer to home.

The “bromance” with Elon Musk and President Trump is back on – calling the entrepreneur a “generational talent, a generational level of genius”.

‘Bromance’ back on

He also confirmed that Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was “100% back in the fold”, after previously appearing to fall out with the president.

Earlier this year, Donald Trump Jr’s investment company, 1789 Capital, heavily invested in some of Musk’s companies, including SpaceX.

Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in May. Pic: AP
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Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in May. Pic: AP

Directly comparing President Trump with Musk, he said: “Imagine dealing with one Donald Trump – now I have to deal with two.

“They’re very similar that way, so it created some headaches… but the reality is they’re both very much aligned, they’re on message with what we want to do with our country. What we want to do with freedom of speech.”

He went on: “Elon did incredible things for Twitter, really allowed the democratisation of truth and freedom and free speech to occur. That’s something that is a true threat in America right now.”

He also praised Musk as “changing the face of free speech, science and technology”, adding, “we have to protect our geniuses”.

When asked whether Mr Trump would stand for a third term, he joked that he could be “just trolling” those on the left.

He went on, “He’s the most unpredictable person, probably in the history of politics. Which is why he’s able to get something done. We’ll see.”

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