At least 17 people are reported to have died in powerful storms across the United States.
Authorities in Missouri say 11 people died there, with another three deaths reported in Arkansas, and three others in car crashes amid dust storms in Texas on Friday.
Around 138 million people are at risk of severe weather in central and southern US states.
Tornado warnings are in place in parts of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky.
In Missouri, where a state of emergency was declared on Friday, they are predicted to reach EF2 on the tornado strength scale, which requires wind speeds of between 113mph and 157mph.
Hail the size of baseballs were reported in Christian County, the US weather service said.
Snow of up to six inches is expected in western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota, the National Weather Service said.
Image: The remnants of a destroyed house in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters
Writing on X, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said two people died in Bakersfield, Ozark County, and several others were injured.
A man died after his mobile home was hit by heavy storms in Butler County, on Missouri’s Arkansas border, authorities told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
Butler County coroner Jim Akers said the man and his wife were sleeping when the tornado came. Rescuers were able to pull the woman from the debris – but could not save the man.
“It was unrecognizable to be a home. Just a debris field,” he said, describing the scene. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”
County authorities added that the number of dead there could rise, with rescue operations ongoing.
Large vehicles were also pictured overturned across the state.
Image: Debris covers the road amid storms in Webster County, Missouri. Pic: AP
Image: Debris flies in Webster County, Missouri. Pic: AP
Image: A tornado destroyed house in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters
Lorries fall over in dust storms
In the Texas city of Amarillo, three people were killed in car crashes caused by a dust storm on Friday, according to the state’s public safety department.
One of the deaths happened after three lorries collided with four other vehicles in Palmer County, Bovina’s fire chief Cesar Marquez said. Another occurred after a pile up of an estimated 38 cars.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” public safety department sergeant Cindy Barkley said, calling the near-zero visibility a nightmare. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”
Image: The scene of one of the fatal crashes in Austin, Texas on Friday. Pic: AP
Image: The crash scene in Austin, Texas. Pic: AP
Wind speeds in northern Texas were as high as 62mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Dramatic videos from across the state – and Oklahoma – show huge trucks falling on their side with the strength of the dust storm.
Three of the deaths happened in Independence County, Arkansas overnight, with a further 29 people injured across eight different counties, authorities said.
The extreme weather has destroyed buildings, compromised power supplies, and caused at least 100 wildfires in multiple states.
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Fires across the Southern Plains are likely to spread rapidly amid warm weather and strong winds, with evacuations ordered for some communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico on Friday.
More than 400,000 households are without power in midwestern and southern states, according to the monitoring website PowerOutage.us.
Appealing to residents after implementing emergency measures, Missouri governor Mike Kehoe said on Friday: “I urge all Missourians to stay alert, monitor weather forecasts, and follow official warnings.”
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.