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Connect the World

Obama Leaves Ireland Ahead of Schedule; Kickoff to 2012 Campaign?

Aired May 23, 2011 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MAX FOSTER, HOST: Barack Obama heads out of Ireland early, as an ash cloud from Iceland heads in.

The erupting volcano has forced flights to be canceled, but could it cause the travel chaos of last year?

Plus, one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history tears through a Missouri city, killing almost 90 people.

And named on Twitter and now outed in the House of Commons.

So who is the Premier League player at the center of a legal storm?

These stories and more tonight, as we connect the world.

Well, it is a different volcano, but a familiar story. A plume of ash is now making its way from Iceland to Britain after a volcano there began to erupt on Saturday. And now it's threatening to plunge the region into another unpredictable mess.

U.S. President Barack Obama is not taking any chances. To avoid getting stuck in the cloud or by the cloud, he and his entourage are leaving Ireland and flying to London late tonight, a day ahead of schedule. He'll spend the night at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in London before officially beginning his state visit on Tuesday, as planned.

Britain's Met Office is warning that the ash could reach Scotland as early as tonight. One Scottish carrier, Logan Air, has already canceled most of its flights for Tuesday morning, even though the air space is open. And just moments ago, the Dutch carrier, KLM, has announced that 16 of its flights to and from Scotland have been canceled for Tuesday, as well.

Authorities are insisting they are prepared or better prepared than they were this time last year, when a volcanic ash cloud brought European air traffic to a grinding halt. The fact is, this is a different volcano, a different ash and a different situation, actually, altogether.

CNN's Guillermo Arduino is at the World Weather Center to help us understand what we could be in for -- Guillermo, just explain what you've learned about this ash cloud?

GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the meteorological condition right now, even though it is different, it is more unpredictable, because the winds are moving more erratically. So, so far, the European authorities are going with a forecast of 24 hours only. So here on the map, we see the forecast. Where you see that red area, that indicates that within 24 hours from the surface to 35,000 feet is where we can expect cloud ash.

Now, what happens in this case is that you see it doesn't go as far south as Central Europe, for instance. But it's a -- it has to do with the jet stream. The winds are not that strong right now, so they are weak. So the ash is going northwards so far.

Now, whip this graphic into motion and we see what's going to happen into Wednesday, so we've got a little bit farther away. Then we can get the -- with the behavior of the jet stream, that if there were more action from this volcano, the Great Britain area and the northern Scandinavian section is where we may see some problems.

I'm going to stick to the official word, though, that so far, so good. In Iceland, I was reading at "The Wall Street Journal," that the airport is expected to have normal operations on Tuesday. So that may change.

And I'm going to show you what we have right now with all these planes over Europe. It is -- it is OK. It is operating normally. We don't have much over Northern Scotland, but it has to do with the volume, it has to do with the time. And, of course, you know, you have to log onto the different airlines and go there and see what they have to say.

The winds at 10,000 feet, as you see, are moving in this manner. That is a little bit more complicated, because that's the area that we will use for takeoffs and landings. But as we go higher up, into 30,000 feet, the winds are much better. And that has to do with the first part of my presentation -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Guillermo, thank you very much, indeed.

KLM then the latest airline to adjust flights for tomorrow in and out of Scotland.

Here are some final financial figures on the 2010 volcano crisis. During the ash cloud chaos last summer, there were more than 100,000 flights canceled. Ten million passengers were left stranded. According to the EU transport minister, the total cost to businesses across Europe was more than $3.2 billion in the end.

As you might imagine, airlines are determined to avoid a repeat of that catastrophe and so is the American president.

A short time ago, I asked Richard Quest what he made of Obama's last minute change of plans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": I think it's a fascinating development. We'd been told all day, both by the meteorological offices and by the various experts in Iceland, that the volcano was subsiding and that it wasn't as serious as the last time.

And then all of a sudden, the U.S. president changes his plans, leaves Ireland a night early, flies to the U.K., throwing goodness knows what sort of chaos and havoc into the plans in Britain, and his -- instead of going and staying at Buckingham Palace for the first night, he's going to be at Winfield House, the ambassador's residence.

FOSTER: They're going to be busy tonight, aren't they...

QUEST: Well, I can only assume...

FOSTER: -- getting things ready?

QUEST: -- I can only assume, Max, that they were -- they're always prepared, that the U.S. ambassador's residence must always work on the basis of if the president's in town, he may end up staying...

FOSTER: They'll have a suitable bedroom for him?

QUEST: Yes, they will. And the coms will all be there. The communications will all be there. It will all be ready for him, because he was in country anyway.

FOSTER: OK, well, President Obama is not the only one who's worried about this ash cloud.

Here's what some other travelers are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, I'm very worried, actually, because I'm supposed to go to Cannes, to the Monte Carlos Grand Prix. And I'm very excited. I rented a dress, a like company online rental. And like I got everything ready for the party. And now I don't know if I'm going to be able to go because of the volcano. So I'm very worried.

DAVID BONAR: Well, I'm in Singapore at the moment. And I'm coming back on Saturday. I wouldn't say I was too worried about it, though, because -- well, I've done a little bit of research myself and I've seen that the air traffic control in England didn't expect it to be as bad as the last one from last year, because of the coarseness of the ash is going to force the ash to come down to the ground a lot faster.

JAMES KELLY: I'm in Sydney at the moment, in Australia. And I am worried about the ash cloud. I'm coming to London next week. And I'm worried that it's going to cause the same amount of chaos that it did last year, when the -- when a volcano near this one erupted. I know a lot of passengers, internationally, were affected and being someone that's meant to be coming for a holiday in Europe for the next two months, I'm worried that everything is going to get postponed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: You can understand their concern, can't you, Richard, especially when we had that other experience with that other ash cloud?

QUEST: I don't think this is going to be anything like last year. There are some key differences -- the location of the volcano, the amount that's being spewed into the environment and also the size of the dust in there. It's not the sure -- the small, fine, very sharp. It's much coarser. So it's not going to be as impactful.

And also, the airlines and the aviation authorities have different procedures. They know a lot more about it. You can fly closer to the volcano -- volcanic cloud. So there's all sorts of differences that militate against this being the -- the sort of thing of 2010.

However, there is the cloud there. It is moving. It seems to be moving down toward the other part of the U.K. and Northern Europe. The president's obviously felt it serious enough to actually arrive a day early.

So you have to take it with a pinch of salt.

FOSTER: So what's your advice to the president and others in the days ahead?

How do they monitor it?

How do they make decisions on their travel based on that?

QUEST: I think the authorities are going to be a lot more robust about saying flying can continue. They're going to have -- fly people around it. They will take them closer to it. They will use their white -- yellow, white, gray and black se -- sequence of circles to make it all work, as it definitely did at the end of the crisis.

If you are stranded and you're flying on a U.K. or a European carrier, then E.U. 261 comfort and care comes in and you'll get some sort of assistance with that.

Otherwise, I would say travel pretty much on the wider scale continues as normal for the time being.

FOSTER: People, do they still need to check if they're covered on their insurance, because many people weren't last time, were they?

QUEST: A lot of difficulties in terms of the insurance before of force majeure, act of God, all sorts of technicalities. Quite a few insurance policies did add some form of compensation in. And remember, you're not covered for compensation under EU 261. That is only for care and comfort.

FOSTER: This story developing whilst we are on air. We've also heard from KLM. We mentioned that earlier. We've just heard from British Airways. They're saying they're not going to operate any flights between London and Scotland until 2:00 p.m. Local time. So British Airways now affected by the ash cloud. They're assessing the situation, though.

Politicians aren't the only ones making contingency plans for the ash cloud. A team of footballers may be planning an early arrival in London to avoid getting caught in this mess, as well.

Patrick Snell is at CNN Center with more on this.

You're talking about a big match here, aren't you -- Patrick?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are. And a team of footballers, Barcelona, no less, Max, headed to England for the European Cup final, which takes place on Saturday. They're playing the England-based team, Manchester United, in the showpiece final at Wembley Stadium in London.

And so far, we don't know what may or may not be happening with Barcelona. What we do know is that the Catalan Giants Catalan Giants are considering a change in their plans and leaving on Tuesday instead of Thursday. Now, they're not going to take a decision, we understand, until Tuesday morning, mid-morning, perhaps, potentially, Central European time. That would get them.

And, of course, then the other issue is how are they going to actually do it?

Are they going to risk a flight or are they going to perhaps go by coach, which is something they tried last year, for The European Commission semi-final first leg, where they were headed to Milan. They took a coach journey to play Inter at the San Siro. That didn't go too well on the field of play, at least because they lost the game 3-1. They eventually went out to Internacionale, as well.

So I would imagine Pet Guardiola, who is the Barcelona head coach, will be desperate to get a flight in instead of that laborious and long coach journey. It could, of course, affect preparations for his team. Everything that he's envisaged, Guardiola, the meticulous head coach of Barcelona, would potentially go out the window.

But, of course, as I say, no decision, we understand, will be taken by the reigning three time defending Spanish champions until early mid-morning or so on Tuesday.

Manchester United, of course, is not affected, because they are already based in England. Guardiola, as well, thinking about the 20,000 or so Barce fans who are due to fly in, as well, saying it would be a great pity if the stadium were not completely full due to fans having also to re- -- re-jiggle their schedules.

So we'll learn a lot more, I would think, by early Tuesday or so -- Max, back to you.

FOSTER: OK, Patrick.

Thank you very much, indeed.

In the last hour, hearing that KLM and British Airways, two of Europe's major airlines, are canceling flights in and out of Scotland. Limited numbers at the moment, but clearly a big issue.

Let's look at the data.

Let's get back to Guillermo.

Give us a bit more on this, Guillermo, because you're looking at the sort of information that they're going to be considering.

ARDUINO: Yes, I think that mostly, it must be associated with what's going on at 10,000 feet and on surfaces. That's the space that it would take to -- for takeoff and landings, because when we look at the winds over there and the forecast -- this is the next two days -- we see how the winds may drag some of that cloud farther south. And bear in mind that that's the area that is still in question concerning the warnings coming from Europe.

Also, if we go up into 30,000 feet, you see that there's not that likelihood of the winds to come into that area of Scotland. But, again, takeoff and landings because 30,000 would be cruise altitude.

So when we look at the warnings that are coming from Europe, we have to see this red area. The shade is saying that the -- the ash is likely -- may -- that's the wording that they use -- within 24 hours may impact Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland there, according to what we gather right now.

So, again, the European authorities say that within 24 hours -- they don't give us any more forecast period that, but 24 hours. We may see disruptions in these areas. So that and what we observe with the surface to 10,000 feet winds, is -- is probably the cause for these cancellations - - Max.

FOSTER: OK, Guillermo, thank you very much.

ARDUINO: You're welcome.

FOSTER: We'll come up with you, of course, as you get more developments.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

When we return, President Obama may have cut his trip to Ireland short, but he still found time to make an appearance in a village with a population of less than 300. We'll tell you why.

Plus a Midwest town being torn apart -- we examine the aftermath of the latest city to suffer the wrath of a killer tornado in the United States.

And Monte Carlo gears up for one of the biggest dates on the Formula 1 calendar. We look ahead to the iconic Monaco Grand Prix.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: A little green behind the red, white and blue -- U.S. President Barack Obama plays to both an Irish and American crowd during his trip to Dublin. Some are calling it the unofficial start of his 2012 presidential campaign.

So what did the president accomplish during his visit?

We'll have a live report, coming up in just a few minutes.

I'm Max Foster in London.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

Here's a look at some other stories that we're following this hour.

Pakistan's interior minister says his country has a daily 911. This after 10 troops were killed in a militant attack on a Naval base in Karachi. Gun battles raged for hours and a Navy spokesman now says that the base has been cleared of attackers. Authorities believe two militants escaped, but they have found the bodies of three others and think another is buried in the debris.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has written a message to his former colleagues at the International Monetary Fund explaining his reasons for signing. The former head of the organization write in an e-mail: "I cannot except that the Fund and you, dear colleagues, should in any way have to share my own personal nightmare, so I had to go." Strauss-Kahn also wrote he believes he will be exonerated on charges he sexually assaulted and tried to rape a hotel maid at a New York hotel earlier this month.

Syria's president is facing increasing pressure to end the violent crackdown in his country. The European Union imposed new sanctions on Monday on Bashar al-Assad and other senior government officials. The sanctions include assets freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo.

International rights groups estimate more than 700 anti-government protests have died in the two -month-old uprising.

Syria was on the table when the top diplomats from the U.K. and the U.S. met, as Hillary Clinton and William Hague urged Damascus to end this crackdown. Clinton outlined what the U.S. and the European Union are saying Syria needs to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The U.S., the EU and others have already imposed sanctions against senior Syrian officials, including new measures announced today target President Assad. Foreign Secretary Haig and I are both absolutely consistent with our message to the Assad government -- stop the killings, the beatings, the arrests, release all political prisoners and detainee, begin to respond to the demands that are upon you for a process of credible -- inclusive democratic change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: The family of Nelson Mandela says he's in good spirits and doing very well. The former South African president is on a visit to his birthplace of Qunu in the rural Eastern Cape. It's his first trip outside his Johannesburg home since January, when he was hospitalized the phenomena, putting the country on edge. The 92 -year-old Mandela hasn't made a public appearance since last July.

A warm welcome on the Emerald Isle. U.S. President Barack Obama kicks off his whirlwind European tour with a visit to Ireland and a secret no more -- a British MP uses parliamentary privilege to go around a super- injunction, putting U.K. privacy laws in the spotlight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Irish signatures are on our founding documents. Irish blood was spilled on our battlefields. Irish sweat built our great cities. Our spirit is eternally refreshed by Irish story and Irish song. Our public life by the humor and heart and dedication of servants with names like Kennedy and Reagan, O'Neill and Moynihan.

So you could say there's always been a little green behind the red, white and blue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, despite a very warm welcome in Ireland, U.S. President Barack Obama is cutting his visit a little short because of possible travel complications due to a bad volcano in Iceland.

But although brief, the president's first leg of his four nation European tour was jam packed. It included a visit to a tiny rural village most people have never even heard of.

Fionnuala Sweeney explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Finally coming home -- the presidential helicopter touched down, marking the end of a long, long wait for Moneygall's 300 residents. He did not disappoint.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome home, Mr. President.

OBAMA: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). You're very welcome.

OBAMA: It's nice to see you.

SWEENEY: Henry Hayes is Obama's eighth cousin. They have a great, great, great grandfather in common.

HENRY HEALY: Well, first of all, I welcomed him and I said you're here -- Mr. President, and you're welcome back here in your ancestral home. And he goes, "I believe you're my cousin, Henry VIII. So it was nice. It was nice.

SWEENEY: It was a celebration for all ages.

OBAMA: This is good.

(CROSSTALK)

SWEENEY: He stayed almost 90 minutes with them and in doing so, put the Moneygall family on the map.

OBAMA: I am very impressed with your (INAUDIBLE). It is wonderful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He came up with that very nice. A 10 or 50 euro (INAUDIBLE), he says the president ought to fence me a drink.

SWEENEY: Then the party began in earnest. The people of Moneygall had seen their president come home and everyone, it seemed wanted a piece of him. But every party must come to an end eventually.

(singing)

SWEENEY: Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Moneygall, Ireland.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FOSTER: Well, as we've been reporting, the U.S. president is having some travel complications. But those problems aren't limited to the air.

Check that out. After leaving his speech in Dublin, one of the limousines in the presidential motorcade got temporarily stuck whilst pulling out of a -- a steep slope on the driveway. Look at that. The heavy machines, those. The president was arriving in a second limousine and he wasn't affected. His motorcade went out another exit.

U.S. relations with Ireland have long been based on common ancestral ties and shared values. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 37 million U.S. residents claimed Irish descent in 2009. That's more than eight times Ireland's population of 4.5 million people. The Irish are second on the top ancestry lists in the U.S., only behind Germany. And in trade, U.S. exports to Ireland were valued at more than $7 billion in 2010, whilst Irish exports to the U.S. totaled $133 billion.

The president's visit to Ireland is largely ceremonially. In fact, Poland, which is the last leg of his tour, will be much the same. The pictures will be played out over and over in the American media.

Could this be the kickoff, then, of Mr. Obama's 2012 presidential campaign?

Well, Patricia Harty is the editor of "Irish America Magazine".

She joins us now live from San Francisco.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Did this look good on the American media, this trip?

PATRICIA HARTY, EDITOR, "IRISH AMERICA MAGAZINE": It looked fantastic. It really is. I mean it was a great morale boost for the Irish. But in terms of, you know, a political campaign, he's putting himself right into the largest -- one of the largest ethnic groups in America, the Irish.

And so it's not going to hurt him there either.

FOSTER: So they would have really appreciated the link he has in Ireland and, thus, with them.

So how important would that play in voting in America?

HARTY: I think it could be potentially very important. And, also, you know, this is a chance for the Americans to see President Obama at his most relaxed. I don't think we've ever seen him like this before. So it's interesting that, you know, he has to go to Ireland so it -- you know, to get that kind of hands on presidents that we've been looking for here.

FOSTER: He couldn't have wished for a better reaction, could he?

I mean I know we were expecting a good reaction, but that was just phenomenal, those crowds. It was like a rock concert.

HARTY: It was really great, you know?

I mean there's a reason why six billion people visit Ireland every year. It's that warm and generous welcome that we like to give them. And I hope that this will -- will really help tourism.

FOSTER: OK.

And in terms of the election, give us a sense, from America, about how this is gearing up.

Is this one thing we're going to see more and more of as this international vote becomes -- well, it's always been important, hasn't it?

But it -- it feels like it's becoming more important as politics gets more sophisticated.

HARTY: Well, yes. And definitely, as we've become more global, you know, with the Internet and all of that. I think it is hugely important. And, you know, he -- he did talk quite a bit the ties between Ireland and America. And there is a little bit of green behind the red, white and blue, as he says.

So there are a lot of -- Obama -- President Obama would not be president, I think, if the (INAUDIBLE) hadn't come out for him, if Carlo (INAUDIBLE) hadn't come out, you know. And I think this is very significant. And it's significant (INAUDIBLE) to the state dinner in England to be.

So I think it's -- it's important. I think this will be viewed as an important visit. And I think that he will come back.

FOSTER: Is there no element of cynicism here, because he wasn't making any major policy statements there, was he?

It was pretty much one long photo shoot.

HARTY: No, but he did reiterate, you know, the ties between Ireland and America and he did kind of basically talk about the trials that we went through with the -- I suppose you can -- you can talk about what the world is going through, what America is going through and -- and what we need to do now to focus.

So, you know, it was -- it was a -- it was a -- it was a nice -- a nice visit.

But I also think that it doesn't -- it doesn't hurt relations between Ireland and America, as you said, there's a lot of exports and imports between the two countries.

FOSTER: OK, Patricia Harty, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us, from "Irish America Magazine".

Well, even as he tours Europe, President Obama's thoughts are with the tornado victims back home. He's promising emergency assistance after a monster storm tore apart a small Midwestern city.

Look at those scenes there. It's almost impossible to comprehend the extent of the damage and the suffering, but the pictures really do tell the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: For the last 30 minutes, some airlines are canceling flights in the UK due to the ash from an Icelandic volcano. It's important to remember, no air space has yet been closed.

So, KLM has canceled 16 flights scheduled to fly to and from four British cities. British Airways says all flights between London and Scotland have been canceled until Tuesday afternoon local time.

Loganair has already canceled most of its flights for Tuesday morning even though the air space is open.

Let's check in again with CNN's Guillermo Arduino. He's at the World Weather Center with all the latest information. Guillermo?

GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, there are two areas that we need to look into. One is from the surface to 10,000 feet, and that's where it's a little bit more complicated. And then, from -- or around 30,000 feet, that's cruise altitude.

So, let me show you how we look at maps from here. We had a volcano here in Iceland. We have the jet stream, that it's winds in the upper levels that would spread those -- that cloud to whatever the jet stream is.

And we think that by Wednesday, it's going to dip down a little bit, so it could drag a little bit of that into northern sections of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and also into Scotland. So, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Now, that's especially true when we go to low levels, 10,000 feet, we see the combination of some winds that are going to bring the cloud if existent into those areas.

Look at what happens at 30,000 feet, and you're going to see that the winds sort of move out northward, and then we wouldn't have a problem. So, basically, we're talking about surface to 10,000 feet probably, and the story's going to continue to change. We are cautiously optimistic, but we have to follow the official forecast.

FOSTER: Guillermo, thank you very much, indeed.

ARDUINO: You're welcome.

FOSTER: Now, cars tossed around like toys, stores and restaurants shredded, homes simply swept off the map. In a flash, life changed forever for residents of a small American city. A monster tornado roared through Joplin in Missouri on Sunday night, killing at least 116 people.

That makes it one of the deadliest tornadoes on record. Randi Kaye shows us the terrifying moments the twister hit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh!

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what the massive tornado looked like as it was bearing down on Joplin, Missouri. But listen to this.

(ROARING)

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

KAYE: This is what it sounded like from inside a convenient store, where terrified customers rode out the storm jammed inside a dark refrigerated storeroom.

We talked to one of those who was crammed inside.

ISAAC DUNCAN, TORNADO SURVIVOR (via telephone): Yes, there were about 20 people in the back, huddled down. And everyone was kind of just deciding what to do, and all of a sudden, the glass in the front of the building just got sucked out. It completely blew out.

And so, my buddy who was with me kind of had the idea that we should all run as fast as we can and get in that cooler.

KAYE: Those people inside, thankful to be alive.

DUNCAN: Basically, the only thing that was left standing was the cooler that we were in.

KAYE: In a matter of moments, the tornado was gone. In a flash, lived changed.

STEVE POLLEY, WITNESSED STORM (via telephone): There were semis laid over on their side. There were several up on the ramp that were laid over. Several people up on the banks that were hurt, bleeding. They were walking wounded, I guess. Best way to put that.

KAYE: One of the hardest-hit places, the hospital.

BETHANY SCUTTI, WITNESSED STORM (via telephone): Every window looks to be blown out. There's debris hanging out of the windows, there are just cars stacked all over the parking lot.

KAYE: The power of the storm sent x-rays flying. They were found as far as 70 miles away.

The tornado was at least half a mile wide and hit residential areas and business alike, including the city's Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

MITCH RANDLES, JOPLIN FIRE DEPARTMENT: I don't think you can single out any one area. The entire path of the tornado it took through town has just basically devastated the central portion of Joplin.

KAYE: Not even rescuers themselves were spared. Also hit, the fire chief's home.

RANDLES: It's been destroyed.

KAYE: Joplin Missouri, literally cut in two. And it may not be over yet. More storms are on the way. Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: This last tornado is only one of a series this year that's killed hundreds of Americans. In fact, this is the deadliest tornado season the US has experienced since 1953.

So far this year, more than 450 people have been killed by 49 deadly tornadoes. That's a dramatic increase and more than the previous seven years combined.

US tornado averages from 2000 to 2010 report around 55 people killed per year by approximately 22 tornadoes.

Many tornado survivors in Joplin, Missouri, have been sharing their images, video, and stories on iReport.com. These videos of the devastation were taken by Jennifer Par. She says her house was struck by the tornado, that she barely made it out of town before it plowed through.

Ryan Atkinson shot this video with his iPhone within an hour of the tornado. You can see the local hospital devastated and hundreds of homes destroyed. Atkinson said he's grown up with tornado warnings and confirmed funnel touchdowns all the time, but this time it struck home.

Meteorologists say yet another round of storms will move into the nation's heartland tomorrow, bringing a possible outbreak of tornadoes again, would you believe. That's certainly unwelcome news for Joplin, Missouri, still shell-shocked from the deadly twister that hit on Sunday night.

Brian Todd toured the devastation there, and he spoke with our Hala Gorani.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here with, actually, a gentleman who survived this tornado. He was inside that building working in admissions, Sergio Gomez is his name. Sergio, first of all, tell us what happened inside. How did you survive?

SERGIO GOMEZ, HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE: We were in the patient's room as soon as we started feeling the pressure drop, is when we started closing all the doors, everything started shaking. So we just stayed on the doors. It was me, a patient, and a couple of nurses.

Once it passed, we opened the door, and saw the ceilings were caved in, there was water everywhere. Two young boys actually ran into that front entrance. They were wet and they were actually bleeding.

We -- they took care of them real soon, and then after that, we just started moving all the patients to safety, and then I started going into that -- the top floors trying to help people out, me and a buddy of mine.

TODD: But you've got -- you've got a victim here. This is your car, you really were attached to this car, you just put new rims on it. How do you feel about losing this thing?

GOMEZ: Well, it broke my heart, really. I still owed money on it. Like you said, it's my baby. And it's gone now. I've got nothing. Yes. It's just my baby.

TODD: I'm sorry, Sergio. We appreciate you talking to us. Good luck in kind of getting back from this devastation and hopefully you can rebound quickly.

GOMEZ: Thank you.

TODD: Thanks very much for joining us. We appreciate it.

Stories like this are all over the city. You've got first responders coming through this neighborhood back here. The weather has complicated things, now. Thunderstorms have been rolling in, lightning strikes have been taking place, really complicated the search and rescue efforts.

They're still hopeful of maybe finding survivors trapped. They've been doing that overnight and into today. But again, the window of time on that is closing as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Brian Todd, there, in Joplin.

Now, a British footballer at the center of a gagging order over a relationship with a reality TV star has been named. What it all means and the important questions it actually raises about privacy ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD.

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FOSTER: Well, the Premier League footballer at the center of a privacy injunction row here in the UK has been named. It's a case that raises all sorts of questions, perhaps most importantly in this internet age, has the nature of privacy changed completely for all of us? Well, Atika Shubert has the story.

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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tens of thousands of tweets about him. Football fans booed his name over the weekend, and the man in question had his face splashed across the cover of Scotland's "Sunday Herald."

But no British media could identify him as the man alleged to have had an affair with a reality TV star until this moment, when MP John Hemming identified Ryan Giggs in the House of Commons.

JOHN HEMMING, LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP: With about 75,000 people having named Ryan Giggs on Twitter, it's obviously impractical to imprison them all.

SHUBERT: Welcome to the surreal world of Britain's injunctions, super injunctions, and hyper injunctions keeping the media from naming names.

How did it get to this point? Well, it's all based on a European human rights law that states, quote, "Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home, and his correspondence."

Based on that, a number of celebrities here in Britain have preemptively filed for and been granted injunctions that prevent Britain's notoriously aggressive media from identifying them in any scandal that pops up.

They can even filed for a so-called super injunction, in which the media aren't even allowed to report that an injunction exists.

And then came Twitter. Earlier this month, an anonymous user posted a list of celebrities alleged to have taken out super injunctions. Within minutes, the microblogging site was swamped with tweets breaking all kinds of injunctions.

But it got downright farcical when that footballer took legal action against Twitter and anonymous users for breaking that injunction. Well, the Twitterverse responded in force with at least 30,000 more tweets breaking the injunction.

The social media problem has gotten so bad that Prime Minister David Cameron issued this comment in an interview.

DAVID CAMERON, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN: It is rather unsustainable, this situation, where newspapers can't print something that everyone else is clearly talking about. But there's a difficulty here, because the law is the law, and the judges must interpret what the law is.

What I've said in the past is the danger is that judgments are effectively writing a sort of new law, which is what parliament's meant to do.

SHUBERT (on camera): So, what happens now? Well, a report last week by Britain's top judges said that MPs should not be using parliamentary privilege to breach a court order. But an MP cannot be prosecuted for naming names in the House of Commons and letting Britain's worst-kept secret out of the bag. Atika Shubert, CNN, London.

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FOSTER: Well, what started out as a gossip story about a footballer and a reality TV star has suddenly become a test case for how privacy extends online. Can anybody stop supposedly secret details about injunctions spreading?

Well, a few legal points here to bear in mind. Twitter says it's not a publisher. Remember the 2009 Google case? Well, a UK court ruled back then that the internet search engine wasn't a publisher and, therefore, couldn't be liable when it came to defamation.

There's no question that the Twitter posts would be considered legal in the US because of the Communications Decency Act and the first amendment's protection for anonymous speech. Furthermore, an injunction to prevent this type of information from being exposed would be unheard of in the US.

But what about actual Tweeters? Well, if you breach a court order, you're guilty of contempt of court under the laws of England and Wales, and liable to a fine or even jail, when in practice, tweeters could well find safety in numbers.

And let's remember social media operates in countries with vastly different laws, and that's one of the key issues at the center of this story.

Earlier, I spoke to Jenifer Robinson, she's a solicitor at Finers Stephens Innocent, about the importance of this case in terms of social media and privacy law. I put it to her, it's very hard to stop people tweeting something that has been outlawed.

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JENNIFER ROBINSON, SOLICITOR, FINERS STEPHENS INNOCENT: In effect, what actually happens is that British media are discriminated against.

So, they are having to spend a fortune in seeking to have injunctions discharged, going before the courts, some went there today, in relation to the footballer who still can't technically be named.

They had to spend a fortune going after this to say exactly the same things that are being reported in the Spanish media, in the Russian media. So, this story's already broken internationally.

FOSTER: So, is it just UK law or international law that hasn't kept up to date with privacy in relation to social networking.

ROBINSON: It's because media law is, essentially -- is domestic -- it's domestic law, which is restricted by the jurisdiction of the court in that particular country.

But the media is international, and with the nature of the internet, it means that, for example, obviously these Twitter users that are outside the jurisdiction aren't subject to the jurisdiction of the UK court, so they can say what they want.

FOSTER: Much has been made about the super injunctions and how ridiculous they are. That's a lot of this story, that's a large part of it, isn't it? The allegation, at least. But privacy rules are there for a reason, but it seems as though the courts can't enforce privacy any longer because of this.

ROBINSON: Well, it's only through pre-publication restraints, such as injunctions. So, what we're -- the talk here in the UK is actually more about having parliament legislate to create a tort for breached privacy that would allow an action to sue for damages.

So, actually, I think we need to get away from injunctions altogether, because one, they're not effective. Social media is undermining them. Parliamentary privilege is an important protection for members of parliament.

And actually, the question is not to have restrictions to prevent people saying things, but actually if they say it and they reveal private details about a person's private life without justification and no public interest, then they ought to be subject to claims for damages.

There's an important rule, which is publish and be damned, in this country. And I think that's the most effective way of dealing with it.

FOSTER: You obviously work in the legal system. Is there some satisfaction that this is creating a level playing field amongst the rich, the poor, anyone that has access to the legal system?

ROBINSON: I think there is certainly a sense in the community that that is the case. You've got very wealthy people spending a lot of money to obtain these super injunctions. Those that are made subject to the injunctions, both the media and individuals that have been made subject to the injunctions, it's incredible expensive to defend these, to seek to have them discharged so you can say what you wish to say.

So, seeing them undermined by social media in this way, I think people do feel like it's sort of getting one back.

FOSTER: And is there a fundamental shift, here, in how privacy is policed? It seems the -- obviously, in centuries past, there have been developments in the media, but this is one where one person has immense power, which they wouldn't have had before unless they were journalists or a politician. Has there been a fundamental shift, do you think, in privacy and how the courts can control it?

ROBINSON: I think with social media, the development of Facebook and other social networking sites, we have seen a big change in concepts of privacy, both in a legal and non-legal sense.

And it's just the nature of international communications that domestic media laws can't keep up. And we have to start thinking more creatively, I think, about how to manage these problems.

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FOSTER: And we'll be hearing about how this works sometime, I'm sure.

We've also been updating you throughout the hour on the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano. Some airlines are canceling flights here in the UK. It's important to remember, no air space, though, has yet been closed.

Here's the situation as it stands right now, developing through the hour. KLM has canceled 16 flights scheduled to fly two and from four British cities.

British Airways says all flights between London and Scotland have been canceled until Tuesday afternoon local time.

Loganair has already canceled most of its flights for Tuesday morning, even though the air space, as we say, is open.

Easy Jet says flight disruption is possible. They're strongly recommending passengers check the status of their flight on their website before traveling to the airport. That's got to be the advice, if you're traveling in the next couple of days, check with the airline first.

Transfer -- package -- transfer people, as well, will be having to look at this because a lot of traffic comes through the UK.

Now, some last-second drama, meanwhile, at the Indianapolis 500 time trials with Danica Patrick. We return to the Brickyard on Sunday.

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FOSTER: This coming Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, and we'll see if the race can match the high drama of yesterday's time trials when American Danica Patrick squeaked into the 33- car field in the qualifying -- the final qualifying run.

Patrick placed fourth at Indy in 2005, the highest finish ever there for a woman. The 29-year-old said of the stress of the weekend, "I skipped my 30s and went straight to my 40s."

Racing fans have something else to look forward to this weekend, the most famous of all Formula One racers, which is, of course, the Monaco Grand Prix. Our Don Riddell spoke to some former Monaco champs to find out what makes this race so special.

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DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT : Every sport has its iconic venues. Hallowed grands where a triumph can define an athlete's career. Golfers have Augusta, tennis players Wimbledon and, if you're a racing driver, then you could do a lot worse than taking a checkered flag just down there on the streets of Monte Carlo.

RIDDELL (voice-over): They've been Grand Prix racing here since 1929, and the narrow streets of Monaco have been staging uninterrupted Formula One races ever since 1955. Many drivers say it's the race to win. And for everyone else, it's the race to be seen at.

STIRLING MOSS, FORMULA ONE CHAMPION, 1956, 1960, 1961: Any driver you go to, say, "Which race would you like to win more than any other?"

I think you'll find they'll say Monaco. It's special because you're so close to the people. I mean, I remember racing down there myself and a very pretty girl outside Ali Baba's, you blow her a kiss.

JACKIE STEWART, MONACO FORMULA ONE CHAMPION, 1966, 1971, 1973: Formula One Grand Prix racing is glamorous, it's colorful, and it's exciting. Monaco embraces that better than any other facility in the world. The jet set come here, the yachts, the super yachts come here.

It's usually at the same time as the film festival of Cannes. The movie stars come. Everybody comes to the Riviera, it's the opening of the Riviera season, they've come from the skiing of the mountains to Latin America's beaches. They come for the Monaco Grand Prix. And it just is magic.

RIDDELL: The glamour is undeniable part of its charm. For the drivers, it's the chance to emulate their heroes, the greats of the sport that have gone before them.

Formula One's most iconic names, like Fangio, Senna, and Schumacher have won here several times over. And many of them, like David Coulthard, live here, too.

DAVID COULTHARD, MONACO FORMULA ONE CHAMPION, 2000, 2002: It's been my home since 95. I was lucky enough to win here a couple of times. You have a nice gala dinner afterwards where you sit with the royal families, Prince Rainier when he was still alive. At my first victory, I sat with him.

Of course, he sat there with people like Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark and Fangio and people like the greats of the sport before us. So it was quite a humbling experience to know that your name goes alongside, not in terms of your overall achievements, but on that day in history, you were able to win the Monaco Grand Prix.

RIDDELL (on camera): Who leads the conversation at dinner? What do you talk about?

COULTHARD: Motor racing, of course. It's a very big part. But, as I've been based in Monaco since 95, price of milk locally and things like that.

RIDDELL (voice-over): Monaco is not a track upon which to make a mistake. There's no runoff areas here, so the slightest misjudgment means game over.

Overtaking is difficult, too. The trick is to get out in front and stay there.

STEWART: Monaco Grand Prix is actually not a very difficult race track to win on. In fact, it might be the easiest. If you do well in qualifying and get an up front on the front row and you get a clean start, it's not that difficult to win.

ANNOUNCER: Looks like he's making his move, now, again, at the Mirabeau turn. He's got them. He's got feds (ph). Graham Hill has taken the lead.

RIDDELL: But not everyone thinks it's so easy. Graham Hill once used words to the effect that it was damned hard. The Englishman virtually owned the track in the 1960s and was so successful that he was called Mr. Monaco.

DAMON HILL, 1996 FORMULA ONE CHAMPION AND GRAHAM HILL'S SON: I think his focus, I think his powers of concentration were quite intense, and I think that he made a special effort. Because it was so difficult, I think he really focused on everything.

Something, perhaps, came out of him at Monaco. It would've been incredibly difficult in those days. And I'm not -- pretty tricky with the kind of cars they were driving. And I think he just managed to get into his rhythm, perhaps. I don't know. He liked it.

RIDDELL (on camera): Did he enjoy it?

HILL: I think that's a lot of it, as well. I think he enjoyed it. I think he enjoyed the circuit, the venue, and his famous gritty determination helped him.

RIDDELL (voice-over): Graham Hill won the Monaco Grand Prix five times, and Senna was a champion here on six occasions. Sadly, neither man is alive today, but their achievements are a part of the fabled Monaco story, a story that will gain another chapter on Sunday afternoon. Don Riddell, CNN, Monaco.

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FOSTER: And he'll be there, of course, bringing it all for you.

Now, it's been compared to everything from a pretzel to a toilet seat. Some say unfairly. But apparently, it's worth than more $100,000 and it's our Parting Shots tonight.

The unconventional headwear Princess Beatrice wore to her cousin's royal wedding last month already had 140,000 Facebook followers. Now, it's been auctioned off for more than $130,000.

The hat, designed by Irish milliner Philip Treacy went up for sale on eBay, and the money raised will be split between two charities, UNICEF and Children in Crisis. Her sister's hat gained some notoriety, as well.

So, for all it may appear absurd, this year's most talked-about accessory is also proving altruistic in a very clever move on Beatrice's part. Turned that one around, I must say.

I'm Max Foster, that is your world connected. Thank you for watching. The world headlines and "BackStory" will follow this short break.

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