BBC News with Jerry Smit.
The Nobel prize-winning author Doris Lessing has died at the age of 94. She grew up in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe before moving to London. Lessing wrote more than 50 books tackling issues as diverse as gender, race and communism. In 2007, she became the oldest author to win the Nobel Prize. The Swedish Academy described her as an author who has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny with skepticism, fire and visionary power. Despite her success, Doris Lessing never forgot the experiences of her early years. “If you had a kind of bleakness in your childhood which I had, you never lose it. It doesn't matter if you were given 15,000 prizes and the congratulations of I don't know who gotten itself what make any difference.”
Large and destructive tornadoes have hit the American states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Tornado sirens send residents rushing for cover as the fast moving storms cross the Midwestern region. At least one person is reported to have been killed. Susan Kiamfour is in Washington.
“The authorities are calling it a very dangerous storm and 53 million people in the Midwest are in its path. Tornado winds blowing at up to 95km/hr, hail and thunderstorms are predicted. The storm has already hit central Illinois. One tornado has touched down and leveled homes near the city of Peoria and more storms are being spotted in surrounding areas. Hail stones, the size of tennis balls, have been also been reported and officials are warning of rapid moving thunderstorms ahead.”
Syrian opposition groups say a powerful bomb attack has killed more than 30 soldiers at an army base near the capital Damascus. Reports say four of the victims were generals. The blast is said to cause the buildings to collapse and groups indicated the explosives have been placed in its basement meaning opposition fighters have been able to breach the security around the base.
The deputy head of the Libyan intelligence services has been kidnapped outside the airport in the capital Tripoli. An officer who was also seized but he managed to escape said they were taken by unidentified gunmen who stopped their car. Tensions are running high in Tripoli while a three-day strike has been observed in protest of the presence of armed militias.
Russian officials say 50 people were killed when a passenger plane crashed in the city of Kazan. Among the dead was Irek Minnikhanov, the oldest son of Tatarstan's regional President. From Moscow, Daniel Sandford.
“The Boeing 737 operated by Tatarstan Air Company had been flying from Moscow's Domodedovo airport. Earlier reports suggested that before it crashed, it already tried to land in Kazan at least once. The emergencies ministry said there were 44 passengers on board and six crewmembers and so far there were no signs of any survivors.”
World News from the BBC.
The International Aid agencies are urging delegates to the UN climate talks in Poland to make meaningful progress towards cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Debate of the two meeting in Warsaw has become an especially chart since typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines. Relief organization said the storm is putting an example of how climate change is generating more destructive tropical storms.
With negotiations on Iran's program of Uranium enrichment due to restart this week, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again expressed his concerns at the prospect of sanctions on Tehran being eased. He was speaking after meeting the French President Francois Hollande who said he would continue to oppose an easing of sanctions until he was convinced Iran had abandoned its pursue to nuclear weapons. Here's our Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell.
“Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly opposed to an emerging deal in which the international community would ease economic sanctions on Iran if it suspend some nuclear activities. He said Israel must convince its friends to reach a better deal by maintaining and even increasing pressure until Iran dismantles its entire uranium enrichment program. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.”
The polls have closed in Chile's presidential election with front runner, a left-wing candidate Michelle Bachelet hoping to get more than 50% of the vote and avoid a runoff next month. Ms. Bachelet was Chile's first woman president between 2006 and 2010. A main opponent is Evelyn Matthei, the former minister in the centre-right government of President Sebastian Pinera.
The Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has told the BBC that cricket needs to clean up its image following revelation of match-fixing and illegal betting. Speaking a day after his retirement, Mr. Tendulkar said that recurring injuries had hastened his decision to leave the game.