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Two people were killed and dozens of people injured after a tornado ripped through the Arkansas capital of Little Rock and surrounding US towns on Friday afternoon.

Elsewhere, a third person died after a theatre roof collapsed in Belvidere, Illinois, during another tornado with 28 people injured as the Midwest struggles with intense and destructive storms.

The collapse happened during a heavy metal concert at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, which is about 70 miles northwest of Chicago.

The fallen marquee is seen at the front entrance of the Apollo Theatre where a roof collapsed during a tornado in Belvidere, Ill., during a heavy metal concert, late Friday, March 31, 2023. Belvidere Fire Department Chief Shawn Schadle said 260 people were in the venue at the time. (AP Photo/Mattt Marton)
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The Apollo Theatre’s roof collapsed. Pic: AP

The governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, confirmed that two people had died in the twister with several other people reported to be trapped in the destruction.

The tornado also caused widespread wreckage of homes, overturned cars and uprooted trees.

The total number of people injured is unknown. Around 90,000 customers experienced electricity outages in the state.

The mayor of Little Rock, Frank Scott Jr, said on Twitter: “At this time, we know of 24 people who have been hospitalised at Little Rock hospitals and we are not aware of any fatalities in Little Rock.”

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The Baptist Health Medical Centre in the adjoining town of North Little Rock separately reported it was treating 11 patients from the storm, with one in a critical condition.

Sherwood, Ark. Police and firefighters get help from volunteers clearing downed trees on Keihl Avenue after storms ripped through the area, Friday, March 31, 2023
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Volunteers clear downed trees in Sherwood, Arkansas. Pic: AP

Other towns further away from Little Rock have also reported mass destruction and injuries.

Richard Dennis, the police chief in the town of Wynne – around 100 miles east of Little Rock, told a local television station there was “total destruction throughout the town” with dozens of people trapped.

The twister was caused by one of several violent thunderstorms that have battered the south and Midwest regions of the US – home to some 85 million people.

An apartment complex on Cantrell Road was severely damaged by a tornado Friday, March 31, 2023 in Little Rock, Ark. A monster storm system tore through the South and Midwest on Friday, spawning tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centers, overturned vehicles and uprooted trees as people raced for shelter (Stephen Swofford/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
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An apartment complex in Little Rock, Arkansas. Pic: AP

The destructive storm system has also caused other tornados in Iowa, damaging hail in Illinois and wind-whipped grass fires in Oklahoma.

People were urged to evacuate in parts of Oklahoma City to escape the fires.

Meteorologists are forecasting another batch of intense storms next Tuesday in the same large area.

The fatal tornado came as President Joe Biden toured the aftermath of another deadly tornado that struck Mississippi a week ago. It killed at least 21 people and damaged around 2,000 homes.

Sherwood, Ark. Police and firefighters get help from volunteers clearing downed trees on Keihl Avenue after storms ripped through the area, Friday, March 31, 2023
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Volunteers clear downed trees in Sherwood, Arkansas. Pic: AP

Governor Huckabee Sanders activated 100 members of the Arkansas National Guard to help local authorities respond to the damage throughout the state.

“Praying for all those who were and remain in the path of this storm,” Ms Hucakabee Sanders, who declared a state of emergency, said on Twitter.

“Arkansans must continue to stay weather aware as storms are continuing to move through.”

In Little Rock, local Niki Scott took cover in the bathroom after her husband called to say a tornado was headed her way.

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The aftermath of last week’s tornado in Mississippi

She could hear glass shattering as the tornado roared past, and emerged afterward to find that her house was one of the few on her street that didn’t have a tree fall on it.

“It’s just like everyone says. It got really quiet, then it got really loud,” Ms Scott said afterward, as chainsaws roared and sirens blared in the area.

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Bodycam footage shows ICE agents arrest Newark mayor Ras Baraka

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Bodycam footage shows ICE agents arrest Newark mayor Ras Baraka

Bodycam footage has captured the arrest of a US city mayor during a protest at a federal immigration detention centre.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was released from custody hours after he was detained on Friday, has denied trespassing during a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

He was at the facility, which opened in the New Jersey city last week, with three members of Congress and witnesses said his arrest came after he tried to join them in entering the centre.

Ras Baraka has been released from custody. Pic: REuters
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Ras Baraka (centre) has been released from custody. Pic: Reuters

In bodycam footage released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an agent can be heard telling him: “Listen, congressmen are different, congresswomen are different.

“Mr Mayor, anyone that is not a congresswoman or man, step back… It’s your last warning. You will be placed under arrest.”

A heated argument broke out after Mr Baraka’s entry was blocked and he left the secure area to rejoin protesters on the other side of the gate.

Minutes later, several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side.

Mr Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs, as protesters shouted: “Shame.”

Protesters shout 'let him out' after mayor's arrest. Pic: AP
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Protesters shout ‘let him out’ after mayor’s arrest. Pic: AP

Alina Habba, interim US attorney for New Jersey, said on X that Mr Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group, adding he had “chosen to disregard the law”.

The DHS said in a statement that the politicians had not asked for a tour of the Delaney Hall centre, which the agency said it would have facilitated.

The department said that as a bus carrying detainees was entering in the afternoon “a group of protestors, including two members of the US House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility”.

After his release on Friday night, the mayor told waiting supporters: “The reality is this: I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mr Baraka, a Democrat running to succeed term-limited Governor Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with Donald Trump‘s administration over illegal immigration.

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He has been a vocal critic against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention centre, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.

DHS said in its statement that the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared.

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UK-US trade deal ‘isn’t worth the paper it’s written on’, Nobel Prize-winning economist tells Sky News

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UK-US trade deal 'isn't worth the paper it's written on', Nobel Prize-winning economist tells Sky News

A Nobel Prize-winning economist has told Sky News the recently announced UK-US trade deal “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump announced the “first-of-a-kind” agreement with a live, televised phone call earlier this week – and the British prime minister hailed the deal as one that will save thousands of jobs in the UK.

Politics latest: Tories criticise proposals to tackle immigration

But leading economist Joseph Stiglitz has told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he “wouldn’t view [the deal] as a great achievement”.

“Any agreement with Trump isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” he said, pointing out the president signed deals with Canada and Mexico during his first term – only to slap them with hiked tariffs within days of returning to the White House this year.

“I would view it as playing into Trump’s strategy,” he said.

“His strategy is divide and conquer, go after the weakest countries, and sort of put the stronger countries in the back.”

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How good is the UK-US deal?

The scramble to secure a UK-US trade deal was sparked by Mr Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement last month, which saw the president hike import tariffs for multiple countries and subsequently send global markets crashing.

China initially faced tariffs of 34% and when Beijing hit the US with retaliatory rates, a trade war quickly ensued.

The US and China now impose tariffs of above 100% on each other, but representatives from the two countries have this weekend met for high-stakes negotiations.

Read more:
Key details in the UK-US deal
Analysis – the challenge Starmer faces

President Donald Trump, center, with from l-r., Vice President JD Vance, and Britian's ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, making remarks on a trade deal between U.S. and U.K. in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Donald Trump, with US vice president JD Vance and Britain’s ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson, announcing the deal. Pic: AP

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks on the phone to US President Donald Trump at a car factory in the West Midlands, Thursday, May 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
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Sir Keir Starmer dialled in for the deal announcement. Pic: AP

With its response to Mr Trump, Beijing “made it very clear that the US is very dependent on China in so many ways,” Mr Stiglitz said.

“So they’re beginning now to negotiate, but from a position of strength.”

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Asked if he thinks the UK should have focused on its relationship with the EU instead of the US, Mr Stiglitz said: “Very much so.

“My view is that if you had worked with the EU to get a good deal, you could have done better than what you’ve done.

“If it turns out, in the end, when you work it all out, Trump is unhappy, he’ll run. If he’s unhappy, I pray for you.”

Among the terms in the UK-US trade deal are reduced tariffs on British car and steel exports to the US, while the UK has agreed to remove a tariff on ethanol, used to produce beer.

The agreement also opens a new agricultural exchange, with US farmers being given access to the UK for the first time – though UK food standards on imports have not been weakened.

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Trump’s tariffs hit the West’s busiest port – with traffic down by nearly a third

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Trump's tariffs hit the West's busiest port - with traffic down by nearly a third

Driving south from Los Angeles along the coast, you can’t miss the San Pedro port complex. Dozens of red cranes pop up from behind the freeway.

The sound of industry whirs as containers are unloaded from hulking ocean liners on to waiting lorries and freight trains that seem to never end.

The port of Long Beach combines with the port of Los Angeles to make the busiest port in the western hemisphere.

San Pedro port complex
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The San Pedro port complex

The colourful metal containers contain anything and everything, from clothes and car parts to fridges and furniture. Around $300bn of cargo passes through here every year and 60% of it is from China.

But at the moment, it’s far less busy than usual. Traffic is down by a third, compared with this time last year.

In the closest part of the mainland United States to China, this is Donald Trump‘s new tariffs policy in action, the direct result of frozen trade between the two countries.

“For the month of May, we expect that we’ll be down about 30% from where we were in May of 2024,” Noel Hacegaba, the port of Long Beach chief operating officer, tells Sky News.

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“What that translates into is fewer ships and fewer containers. It means fewer trucks will be needed to transport those containers from the port terminal to the warehouses. It means fewer jobs.”

Noel Hacegaba, COO of the port of Long Beach
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Noel Hacegaba, chief operating officer of the port of Long Beach

‘We’re barely surviving’

Helen Andrade knows all about that. She and her husband, Javier, are both lorry drivers. Helen only got her license in the last few years, so when work dries up, she is likely to be impacted first.

“I’m lying awake at night worrying about this,” she says.

“We’re barely surviving and we’re already seeing work slowing down. In my case, there are two incomes that are not going to come in. How are we going to survive?”

Helen adds: “I’m scared for the next two weeks, because over the next two weeks, I’m going to see where this is going, whether I have saved up enough money, which I know that I have not.”

Helen Andrade
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Lorry driver Helen Andrade

In Long Beach, one in five jobs is connected to the port. But what happens in the port doesn’t stay here.

The shipments reach every part of the country and already, a shortage of certain items imported from China and price hikes are taking hold.

A short drive away is downtown LA’s toy district, a multicultural area consisting of a dozen streets of pastel-coloured buildings, home to importers and wholesalers of toys, much of which is imported from China.

Colourful balloons line windows in LA's toy district
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Colourful balloons line windows in LA’s toy district

Read more about tariffs:
Trump floats China tariff cut ahead of trade talks

China moves to ease tariff pain ahead of US talks
Federal Reserve warns of impact of Trump tariffs

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US port workers regret voting Trump

One woman in a toy warehouse is reading a Chinese newspaper. She points to a headline about the 145% tariffs.

“I can’t afford this, I can’t afford this, I’m going to have to put prices up,” she says, exasperated.

Empty shelves

Around the corner is a party shop, selling gift bags and wrapping paper. There are empty shelves which would otherwise have been full.

“These empty spaces are where we stopped importing from China because the tariffs are too high,” says the owner, Jacob Mok.

Party shop owner Jacob Mok
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Party shop owner Jacob Mok

Empty shelves in a party shop
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Empty shelves in Mr Mok’s party shop

He tells Sky News: “I’ll keep watching China and America negotiations. I hope as soon as possible they reach a deal because this is very hard for us.”

Jacob is not alone. The impact is being felt throughout the supply chain.

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US trade secretary Scott Bessent will meet his Chinese counterpart in Switzerland this weekend.

Pressure is growing on Mr Trump’s team to strike a deal with China and do it quickly.

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