vulnerable

to being hit by rocket-propelled grenades or heavy machine-gun fire and can't stay in the air as long as fast jets, so they need to be deployed carefully to reduce those risks.

The Syrian government has reacted

defiantly

to the European Union's decision to include President Bashar al-Assad among those subject to sanctions. The Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said he was confident that Syria would emerge stronger and Mr Assad would remain as leader. The EU announced the new sanctions, which include a travel ban and asset freezes,

in response to

the violent suppression of anti-government protests over the past two months.

At least 116 people are now known to have been killed by a tornado which struck the American city of Joplin in Missouri on Sunday evening. Adam Brooks reports from Washington.

The tornado's progress can be seen in a

swathe

of destruction nearly 10km long and 0.5km wide. It hit the centre of Joplin, Missouri, a city of 50,000 people, with winds estimated at more than 200km/h. Rescuers dug through hundreds of homes that have been

pulverise

d by the storm, searching for survivors. Severe storms are expected throughout this week, and there are warnings that more tornadoes could appear in Missouri and in Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma in the coming days.

World News from the BBC

Ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland has begun disrupting air traffic in Britain. Several airlines have cancelled services in and out of Scotland, and some flights over the Atlantic have also been delayed. Meteorologists say the future course of the ash cloud is difficult to forecast because of rapidly changing weather patterns. Last year, ash from another Icelandic volcano forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, causing travel chaos across Europe.