Twenty-two people lay dead and hundreds of homes were in ruins today in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.

Hurricane Ivan slammed ashore in the US early today with winds of 130 mph, packing deadly tornadoes and a powerful punch of waves and rain that threatened to swamp communities from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

An associate of two men who murdered abortion doctors in the 1990s has gone on trial accused of molesting a teenager from Northern Ireland at a home he ran for troubled girls and women.

A man accused of molesting children may travel to Northern Ireland with his lawyer to question a girl who was his alleged victim, but only if authorities in the UK allow the visit.