Philippines: Mayon Volcano Eruption Kills Five

Five climbers have been killed after one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes erupted - leaving more than a dozen others trapped.

Ash rises after the eruption of Mayon volcano

Rescue teams and helicopters were sent to the centre of the country as huge rocks and ash began pouring out of Mayon volcano early on Tuesday morning.

Albay provincial Governor Joey Salceda said at least seven people from a group of around 20 mountaineers were injured after being caught by surprise by the sudden eruption.

Clouds have cleared over the volcano, which was quiet later in the morning.

Guide Kenneth Jesalva told ABS-CBN TV network the climbers who died - including a German, an Austrian and a Filipino - were struck by huge rocks.               

He said he was in the group that spent the night on the picturesque mountain, known for its almost-perfect cone, when the volcano rumbled back to life and rocks "as big as a living room" came raining down on them - before he rushed back to the base camp to call for help.

Eduardo del Rosario, chief of the national disaster agency, said the injured included foreigners and Filipino guides, with some in a critical condition.

The head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Renato Solidum, said the eruption was normal for the restive Mayon, about 212 miles southeast of the capital Manila.

It has erupted around 40 times during the last 400 years.

It last erupted in 2010, when thousands of residents moved to temporary shelters when the volcano ejected ash across a five-mile zone surrounding the crater.

Mr Solidum said no alert was raised for the volcano following the latest eruption and no evacuation was being planned.

Climbers are not allowed when an alert is up, and it is thought the recent calm may have encouraged this week's trek.

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Cleveland: Women Missing For Decade Rescued

Three women who disappeared separately about 10 years ago have been found alive in a house in Cleveland, Ohio - just a few miles from where they went missing.

Police said they thought Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight had been tied up in the property - and had been there since they vanished.

The trio, who went missing in their teens or early 20s, have been taken to a hospital for checks and were being reunited with relatives.

They are said to be in good health after being found in a residential area just south of the city.

A poster with images of Amanda Berry on

Three brothers were arrested. One of the men, 52-year-old Ariel Castro lived at the home, while the others, aged 50 and 54, lived elsewhere.

Ms Berry disappeared aged 16 on April 21, 2003, when she called her sister to say she was getting a lift home from her job at a Burger King.

Ms DeJesus went missing aged 14 on her way home from school about a year after Ms Berry.

The third woman, Ms Knight, had been missing since 2002 when she was believed to have been 20.

Cheering crowds gathered on the street near the home, where the women were found.

Gina DeJesus went missing on her way home from school

The long nightmare for the trio ended when Ms Berry reached her arm through a crack in the front door and called for help.

Neighbour Charles Ramsey heard her screaming, tried to get her out through the door but could not pull it open.

So he kicked the bottom open and she crawled through "carrying a little girl".

Another neighbour Anna Tejeda said Ms Berry was nervous and crying, and dressed in pyjamas and old sandals.

Ms Tejeda said she gave her telephone to the woman who called then police.

In a recording of the 911 call, she told the emergency dispatcher: "I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped. I've been missing for 10 years. I'm free. I'm here now."

Ms DeJesus' father wants a change in Amber Alert rules

She said she had been taken by someone and begged for officers to arrive at the home on Cleveland's west side "before he gets back".

When police arrived, she said two other women were being held captive.

They were also rescued and police said a six-year-old also was found in the home, but the child's identity or relationship to anyone in the home was not revealed.

Mr Ramsey told how he rescued Ms Berry. He said: "I hear this girl screaming and she's going nuts.

Police at the house where the three missing women were being held

"So I come outside and I know there's nobody supposed to be screaming next door to my house because there's no girl that lives in that house.

"When I came to the front door and looked at her she said: 'My name is Amanda Berry - please get me out of this house'."

Kayla Rogers, a childhood friend of Ms DeJesus told The Plain Dealer newspaper: "I've been praying, never forgot about her, ever.

"This is amazing. This is a celebration. I'm so happy. I just want to see her walk out of those doors so I can hug her."

Ms Berry's cousin Tasheena Mitchell told the newspaper: "I'm going to hold her, and I'm going to squeeze her and I probably won't let her go."

Age-progressed images of Gina DeJesus (L) and Amanda Berry

In January, a prison inmate was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after admitting he provided a false burial tip in the disappearance of Ms Berry.

Two men arrested for questioning in the disappearance of Ms DeJesus in 2004 were released from the city jail in 2006 after officers did not find her body during a search of the men's house.

No Amber Alert was issued the day Ms DeJesus failed to return home because no one witnessed her abduction.

That angered her father, Felix DeJesus, who said in 2006 he believed the public will listen even if the alerts become routine.

"The Amber Alert should work for any missing child," he said then.

"It doesn't have to be an abduction. Whether it's an abduction or a runaway, a child needs to be found. We need to change this law."

Cleveland police said then that the alerts must be reserved for cases in which danger is imminent and the public can be of help in locating the suspect and child.

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North Korea 'Has Removed Missile Threat'

North Korea has moved two missiles that last month sparked worldwide fears over a possible test firing, according to the US.

An anonymous US Defence official told the AFP news agency that the Musudan missiles are no longer considered an imminent threat.

South Korea has not confirmed they have been moved from their launch site but says it is closely "tracking" all activity in the area.

The easing of tensions comes ahead of a US-South Korea summit in Washington, thought to be intended as a strong signal of unity to the North Korean regime.

President Obama and new South Korean leader Park Geun-Hye, the country's first female leader, are scheduled to hold a joint press conference on Tuesday.

The situation on the Korean peninsula has been at boiling point since December when North Korea test-launched a long-range rocket. In February, it conducted its third nuclear test, which drew fresh UN sanctions.

North Korea's Kim Jong-Un then ramped up his rhetoric in April, warning foreigners to leave his country to avoid getting caught up in "thermonuclear war" and causing neighbouring countries such as Japan to deploy defensive missiles.

The US also sent Stealth bombers to the region in a show of solidarity with South Korea.

South Korean leader Park Geun-Hye is visiting the US this week

Despite the tensions, many analysts view the North's actions as a ruse intended to secure a loosening of sanctions and make Kim Jong-Un appear strong in the eyes of his people.

But the threat in the region is still being taken seriously amid concern that any misunderstanding could have serious consequences.

Pyongyang's rhetoric continued again this week as it issued a fresh warning over a smaller, joint anti-submarine exercise by the US and South Korea.

North Korean troops near the disputed Yellow Sea border have been ordered to strike back if "even a single shell drops" in their territorial waters.

US officials admit the situation is far from resolved.

"It's premature to make a judgement about whether the North Korean provocation cycle is going up, down or zigzagging," said Danny Russel, senior director for East Asia on Obama's National Security Council.

In an interview with US broadcaster CBS ahead of her summit with Obama, President Park said any attack by the North would be met with a harsh military response.

"Yes, we will make them pay," she said, adding that Seoul would no longer engage in a "vicious cycle" of automatically meeting the North's provocations and threats with negotiations and assistance.

"It is time for us to put an end to that cycle," said Park.

Despite the President's comments, experts believe talks with the North are still the most likely way to defuse the crisis.

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Boston Bomb: Cemeteries Refuse Suspect's Body

Cemeteries are refusing to take the body of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

A funeral director handling the burial says he has not been able to find a cemetery in Massachusetts willing to accept the 26-year-old ethnic Chechen's remains.

As a result, Peter Stefan said he plans to approach Cambridge, the city next to Boston where Tsarnaev lived.

But officials there have already said they are not prepared to help.

Cambridge City manager Robert Healy urged Mr Stefan to look elsewhere because the town would be "adversely impacted" by the resulting protests and media coverage.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev is yet to be buried

He suggested federal agencies should take the lead in the burial.

A handful of protesters gathered outside the funeral home holding signs and American flags and chanting: "USA!"

One sign read: "Do not bury him on US soil."

Tsarnaev's uncle has visited the facility to prepare his body for burial.

Ruslan Tsarni and three other men went there to help wash and place a shroud on the body, according to Muslim tradition.

Ruslan Tsarni (r) speaks to reporters outside the funeral home

Tsarnaev died after a shootout with police days after the Boston Marathon attack on April 15, which killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.

He had appeared in surveillance photos wearing a black cap, alongside his younger brother Dzhokhar, who was later arrested.

Mr Tsarni told reporters he was arranging his elder nephew's funeral because religion and tradition call for him to be buried.

But he added that he understands why "no one wants to associate their names with such evil acts".

Three people were killed in two explosions at the end of the marathon

Mr Stefan said he had received calls from people criticising him and calling him "un-American" for being willing to handle Tsarnaev's funeral.

"We take an oath to do this. Can I pick and choose? No. Can I separate the sins from the sinners? No," he said.

"We are burying a dead body. That's what we do."

Meanwhile, Georgia's president has denied suggestions that Tsarnaev was given extremist training in his country.

Reports in Russia had claimed he attended a seminar in Georgia where students were allegedly encouraged to commit terrorist acts.

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Bangladesh: Deadly Clashes At Islamist Protest

At least 28 people have been killed after Bangladeshi police clashed with Islamists demanding a new blasphemy law.

Police officials said that about 200,000 people had marched to the centre of the capital Dhaka on Sunday, where fierce clashes erupted between thousands of rock-throwing protesters and security officials.

Witnesses said rioting broke out after police tried to intercept stick-wielding protesters, most travelling from remote villages, in front of the country's largest mosque. Trouble then spread to central districts of Dhaka.

"This government does not have faith in Allah. This is an atheist government, we will not allow them to live in Bangladesh. Muslims are brothers, we must protect Islam," one protester was seen chanting.

Thousands took to the street of Dhaka

Police fired rubber bullets from armoured vehicles at protesters, who went on the rampage, torching a police office, scores of vehicles and shops, attacking government offices and beating policemen.

Dozens of small bombs exploded, leaving smoke hanging in the air around the mosque.

The bodies of 11 victims, including a policeman, were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Mozammel Haq, a police inspector based at the hospital, told the AFP news agency.

Officials at three private clinics in Dhaka confirmed that they had received the bodies of 11 other victims.

At least six others were killed in violence in Kanchpur, on the southeastern outskirts of the capital, where more than 5,000 Islamists clashed with police and border guards, prompting security forces to respond with live rounds, local police chief Abdul Matin said.

The protests were staged as the country was recovering from its worst industrial disaster, which saw at least 620 people killed when a factory building collapsed just outside the capital on April 24.

It said it staged the mass protest to push a 13-point list of demands, which also include a ban on men and women mixing freely together and the restoration of pledges to Allah in the constitution.

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Neo-Nazi Gang Member On Trial Over Murders

The surviving member of a neo-Nazi cell blamed for a series of racist murders in Germany has gone on trial in Munich.

Thirty-eight-year-old Beate Zschaepe is charged with complicity in the murder of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007.

She is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings in immigrant areas of Cologne and 15 bank robberies carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt.

Both men died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011.

Uwe Mundlos (L) and Uwe Boenhardt

There were scuffles between the police and protesters outside the court where Zschaepe is appearing.

She faces life imprisonment if she is convicted.

Four other men are also on trial, accused of assisting her National Socialist Underground (NSU) group, which had gone undetected for more than a decade.

Zschaepe handed herself in to police in November 2011

The chance discovery of the gang has forced Germany to acknowledge it has a more militant and dangerous neo-Nazi fringe than previously thought - and it also exposed serious intelligence failings.

The existence of the gang only came to light with the deaths of Mundlos and Boenhardt following a botched bank robbery.

In their charred caravan in Eisenach, police found the gun that was used to murder all 10 victims.

Officers also found a DVD presenting the NSU and claiming responsibility for the killings.

In it, the bodies of the murder victims are pictured while a cartoon Pink Panther tots up the number of dead.

Beate Zschaepe in court

After her companions' deaths, Zschaepe is believed to have set fire to a flat she shared with them in Zwickau and gone on the run. She handed herself in to the police four days later.

Prosecutors say the gang chose people running small businesses or shops as easy targets in an attempt to terrify migrants and hound them out of Germany.

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Belgium: One Dies In 'Toxic Train' Crash Fire

One person has died and 17 others have been injured after a train carrying highly toxic chemicals derailed in Belgium, causing a major fire.

The blaze erupted and spread along a drainage ditch

The accident and blaze prompted authorities to evacuate nearly 300 people from their homes.

Jan Briers, governor of eastern Flanders, had earlier said there were two dead and 14 injured, but late Saturday authorities announced that 17 injured people have been hospitalised and officials were investigating the cause of one fatality.

Flammable liquid caught alight and explosions occurred

Some of the injured were people living well away from the scene of the accident. Interior Minister Joelle Milquet blamed toxic fumes from the highly flammable liquid chemicals.

The accident happened at around 2am local time, between the towns of Schellebelle and Wetteren, on the Belgian railway network.

Once daylight arrived the extent of damage could be seen

Six of the train's 13 cars derailed and two were thrown on to their side by the force of derailment. The blaze led to a series of explosions in the railway cars.

Fire then spread over hundreds of yards, prompting authorities to evacuate residents living more than 500 yards from the site of the accident.

The train crash, near Ghent, occurred near a set of track crossing points

But Ms Milquet said toxic fumes reached much further through the drainage system.

"There is a problem of poisoning linked to the smoke," she said.

"But there is also another reaction, since some of the chemical product went into the drains and caused a kind of chemical reaction with gases that are toxic and escaped into certain streets beyond the perimeter that had already been evacuated due to the fire."

Smoke and fumes were subdued by spraying water across the scene

Firefighters decided to let the cars burn out in a controlled manner as water could have released further toxic chemicals.

The causes of the accident remained unclear. The cars derailed as the train changed tracks and observers said it might have been travelling too fast.

The train came from the Netherlands and was bound for Ghent's seaport, Gent-Zeehaven.

Officials said the tracks would be shut for days

Train services were disrupted and problems were expected for several days, with buses laid on to transport passengers.

Two similar accidents involving trains carrying tanks of toxic products occurred in Belgium in May 2012.

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Tornado Smashes Through Northern Italy

Dramatic footage has emerged of a tornado that ripped through northern Italy, damaging hundreds of buildings and injuring at least 12 people.

Amateur video showed the twister as it struck towns and villages close to Emilia Romagna's regional capital Bologna.

Footage on YouReporter, a web portal for citizen journalists, showed the tornado directly over the small village of Bentivoglio.

Franca Fantuzzi was away from home when the storm hit.

Amateur footage shows the huge twister passing over rooftops

"Fortunately, I and my children had taken a holiday so we weren't here," she said, gazing at the damage.

Many farmers were out on their land and were caught up in the twister, like Sandro Roversi, who took shelter under his tractor.

Pointing to his vehicle, covered in debris, he said: "I couldn't move, it came so quickly, I was inside. I threw myself underneath, and I was OK. It was an enormous force, enormous."

Huge hailstones hit cars as the storm passed

The governor of Emilia Romagna, Vasco Errani, asked the central government to declare a state of emergency.

Italy's agricultural watchdog Coldiretti warned of millions of euros of damage to farms and crops.

The same area was devastated by an earthquake in May 2012.

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'Israel Rocket Strike' On Syria Military Site

Israeli missiles have struck a military research centre near the capital Damascus, setting off explosions, Syrian state television has said.

The rockets were said to have hit a military research centre in Jamraya on the outskirts of the capital in the early hours of this morning.

The building was the target of an earlier Israeli strike in January.

Israeli radio is reporting the latest attack has been confirmed by a senior security official.

A Western intelligence source said "stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah" were the target.

Video footage uploaded online by activists claims to show a huge ball of fire rising into the night sky.

More of the unverified footage uploaded by activists

Iran has condemned the Israeli attack and urged countries in the region to stand against the action, the Fars news agency reported.

Meanwhile, hundreds of families are fleeing a Syrian coastal area where activists say government troops have massacred nearly 200, many of them women and children.

Opponents of Bashar al Assad's regime say that fighters loyal to the President carried out two massacres on Saturday night and on Thursday in a Sunni Muslim area driven by a policy of ethnic cleansing.

Activists posted a video online of the bodies of 10 people it said were killed in Ras al Nabaa in the city of Banias, in an overnight attack.

The activists said half of the victims were children and that the number of deaths could be as high as 60.

Protests in Banias at the beginning of the uprising in 2011

It comes just two days after pro-Assad militias are alleged to have killed as many as 100 Sunnis in the nearby village of Baida.

Amateur video showed a man and at least three children dead inside a room.

A baby had burned legs and its body was covered in blood. Next to him was a young girl whose face had been deformed after apparently being hit with sharp metal.

Other footage from activists showed entire families killed in their beds. A dead woman is seen cradling a child in her arms and two toddlers lying next to them.

The videos have not been independently verified.

The crisis in Syria, which began in March 2011 with pro-democracy protests and later turned into a civil war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people, has largely evolved along sectarian lines.

Syria's crisis has claimed the lives of an estimated 70,000 people

The Sunni majority forms the backbone of the rebellion, while Mr Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, anchors the regime's security services and the military's officer corps.

Other minorities, such as Christians, largely support Mr Assad or are standing on the sidelines, fearing the regime's collapse would bring about a more Islamist rule.

It has been estimated as many as 4,000 people are fleeing from the predominantly Sunni southern parts of the Mediterranean city of Banias amid fears of further large-scale killings.

The US has condemned the attack on Thursday. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said: "We strongly condemn atrocities against the civilian population and reinforce our solidarity with the Syrian people."

She added: "The United States is appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2 in gruesome attacks on the coastal town of Bayda, Syria.

"Regime and Shabiha forces reportedly destroyed the area with mortar fire then stormed the town and executed entire families, including women and children."

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Italy: Baggage Handlers In Airport Bust

Italian police have arrested 29 baggage handlers from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport after an investigation into the theft of valuable objects from passengers' luggage.

Those arrested are accused of stealing items, including cameras and mobile phones, from passengers' bags.

The arrests took place after hidden cameras were installed in plane cargo holds to capture footage of the alleged thefts.

Images from the cameras released by Italian authorities show baggage handlers rifling through people's possessions and stealing a number of items, including cash.

Police captured footage of the alleged thefts on hidden cameras

Italian national carrier Alitalia said it cooperated with police at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport and in Lamezia Terme, where the investigation began in 2011 and spread to a half-dozen airports across the country.

Lamezia Terme airport deputy police chief Ferruccio Martucci said investigators were stumped as to where the loot was being stolen and theorised that the only place where handlers could be assured of secrecy was in the cargo holds.

He said police installed temperature and pressure-resistant cameras in the holds and identified the thieves.

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