The weird weather continues worldwide: Cyclone Cleopatra devastated the Italian island of Sardinia on Monday leaving at least 16 people dead and more still missing. Flash floods – in some areas up to 3 metres (10ft) high – swept away cars and bridges and surged into people’s homes without warning.

The worst-hit area was Olbia in the north-east, where regional governor Ugo Cappellacci told SkyTG24 television that several bridges were down, and that there was a similar situation near the central town of Nuoro.

"The situation is tragic," he said. "The hotels in Olbia are full of people who have had to escape, but there are thousands who have damage to their homes."
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 The assault on the Mid-West by a total of 81 tornadoes has left 8 people dead, and more may be still buried amongst wreckage.

Indiana saw 23 tornadoes and Kentucky 13, but Illinois suffered the brunt of the storm when it was struck by an incredible 43 tornadoes, leaving at least six people dead and seven counties declared disaster zones. The massive weather system rampaged through a total of 11 states including Michigan, where another two people were killed, and Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and western New York were also affected.
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A powerful and dangerous late season storm system has generated more than 50 tornadoes and killed at least 3 people across the US midwest, and will continue to develop over the evening hours. The town of Washington, Illinois has been effectively flattened, and the National Weather Service is warning that millions remain at risk as the system moves east. Chicago is in the range of the enormous system, which stretches from the middle south into the northern Midwest and is expected to sweep into the mid-Atlantic states within hours.

Stay ahead of the weather with the Unknowncountry Climate Watch section, where violent autumn storms were predicted for the US last summer.

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Do animals possess the same level of consciousness as humans? Unknown Country explores the possibility that "dumb animals" may be as sentient – or even more so – than humans. Because we are unable to communicate directly with animal species, the common human perception is that animal intelligence is somehow inferior to our own. Yet there are few ‘animal-lovers’ who cannot relate a tale telling of a connection with an animal, living or dead, which has positively impacted upon their lives in some way, or maybe even saved it.
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