Brazil Protests: Clashes Over World Cup Costs

Major protests have been held in cities across Brazil over rising bus fares and the cost of staging the 2014 football World Cup - with Brazilian media putting the number of demonstrators as high as 230,000.

An estimated 50,000 people took to the streets of Sao Paolo, while reports said there were 100,000 on the streets near Rio de Janeiro's Legislative Assembly.

There were clashes outside the building as police used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse small groups of masked youths.

In the southern city of Porto Alegre, a group of protesters set a bus on fire and threw rocks at empty commuter trains amid calls for transparency and fighting corruption.

Students protest outside the National Congress building in Brasilia

Elsewhere, there were peaceful protests through the capital Brasilia where more than 200 youths briefly occupied the roof of the National Congress and some 5,000 later formed a human chain around the building.

Protests also were reported in Curitiba, Belem, Salvador and Belo Horizonte.

"This is a communal cry saying, 'We're not satisfied'," said Maria Claudia Cardoso, in Sao Paolo.

A fire near Rio's state legislative assembly

"We're massacred by the government's taxes, yet when we leave home in the morning to go to work, we don't know if we'll make it home alive because of the violence.

"We don't have good schools for our kids. Our hospitals are in awful shape. Corruption is rife. These protests will make history and wake our politicians up to the fact that we're not taking it anymore."

Sandra Amalfe added: "We need better education, hospitals and security - not billions spent on the World Cup."

A protester against Brazil's hosting of the World Cup

The protests follow the opening games of the Confederations Cup over the weekend, just one month before a papal visit, a year before the World Cup and three years ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

President Dilma Rousseff acknowledged the protests in a brief statement saying: "Peaceful demonstrations are legitimate and part of democracy. It is natural for young people to demonstrate."

She faces re-election next year and her popularity rating recently dipped for the first time in her presidency.

The unrest, which began last week after the announcement of increased bus fares, has rapidly spread with demonstrators focusing their anger not just on the transport fares but also on the £9.5bn the government is allocating for the Confederations Cup and the World Cup.

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Afghanistan: Armed Forces Take Back Control

Afghan armed forces are taking back responsibility for control of the country for the first time in nearly 12 years.

The handover from the US-led Nato coalition was announced at a ceremony in Kabul.

"This is a historic moment for our country and from tomorrow all of the security operations will be in the hands of the Afghan security forces," Afghan President Hamid Karzai said at the ceremony, held at the new National Defence University built to train Afghanistan's future military officers.

President Karzai in Qatar earlier this month

It marks a turning point for US and Nato military forces, which will now move entirely into a supporting role.

It also opens the way for their full withdrawal in 18 months.

Britain's Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the handover was a "hard-fought milestone".

Speaking after visiting Afghanistan last week, he said: "Afghanistan will continue to face challenges as it builds towards becoming a secure and stable state.

"The Afghanistan our combat forces leave at the end of 2014 will not be perfect, but will be able to stand independently and will never again provide a haven for terrorists to attack the West.

"That is why we remain firmly committed to supporting Afghanistan beyond 2014 and into the future."

Alliance training since 2009 has dramatically increased the size of the Afghan National Security Forces, bringing them up from 40,000 men and women six years ago to about 352,000 today.

After the transition, coalition troops will provide training and mentoring, and in emergency situations providing the Afghans backup in combat, mainly in the form of air strikes and medical evacuation.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "Ten years ago there were no Afghan national security forces. Five years ago, Afghan forces were a fraction of what they are today.

"Now you have 350,000 Afghan troops and police. A formidable force. And time and again we have seen them dealing quickly and competently with complex attacks. Defeating the enemies of Afghanistan and defending and protecting the Afghan people," he said.

Foreign forces will continue to support Afghans on the battlefield when they require it, but the Afghan army and police will be responsible for planning and leading military operations against the insurgency.

The handover paves the way for coalition forces - currently numbering about 100,000 troops from 48 countries - to leave.

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G8 Summit: Syria Dominates Lough Erne Talks

A joint statement on the conflict in Syria is set to be agreed by leaders at the G8 summit, officials have said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has become increasingly isolated over his continued support of Bashar Assad's regime in Syria.

And with the other seven members of the G8 keen to push through a communique of sorts on the matter by the end of the two-day summit, it is thought a compromise will be reached.

Differences persist between the US and Russia over Syria

Officials from one western nation told AFP news agency that the statement was likely to focus on less contentious issues such as the need to push for a peace conference in Geneva and on humanitarian aid.

David Cameron and Barack Obama were among those leaders who failed to hide their differences with Mr Putin following a late-night showdown over the Syrian issue, which threatens to overshadow the gathering of leaders in Northern Ireland.

Downing Street welcomed a "very positive" response from Mr Putin at the summit dinner, reviving hopes for a peace conference to pave the way for a political transition in the war-torn Middle Eastern state.

While British officials also said the other seven G8 nations could go as far as issuing their own end-of-conference statement on Syria without Russia, there were signals that Mr Putin was ready to sign up.

The Russian president and his US counterpart met for an hour of talks at Enniskillen's Lough Erne golf resort and in a grim-faced news conference afterwards said they had agreed to push all the parties in the conflict to attend the Geneva conference.

"Of course our opinions do not converge, but all of us have the intention to stop the violence in Syria and stop the growth in the number of victims," said Mr Putin, who has been dismissive of White House plans to begin arming selected rebel groups in Syria.

He said he and the US president agreed that the vicious civil war must end "peacefully" and through peace talks.

"We agreed to push the parties to the negotiating table."

Poles apart? David Cameron meets Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G8

Mr Obama simply acknowledged that they had "different perspectives" on Syria.

Sources suggest Mr Putin is ready to sign up to five key principles discussed at last night's dinner.

The five points include support for a transitional authority that will command the support of all Syria's communities - effectively ruling out a place for Mr Assad.

Mr Cameron, who Downing Street confirmed went for a lone swim in Lough Erne this morning, described last night's discussions on Syria as "encouraging".

But British Chancellor George Osborne told Sky News that divisions remained between Russia and other nations.

Free Syrian Army fighters fire a rocket at Assad forces in Aleppo

"There was the discussion on Syria and no-one's going to pretend that everyone saw eye-to-eye," he said.

"Everyone knows that Russia's got a different position. The Prime Minister told me that at the end of the dinner there was a clear commitment around the table to push for a political solution to this humanitarian tragedy."

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "All they are really saying is 'We are discussing it and it looks like we are actually doing something, it looks as if we're making progress'.

"But, in fact, they're not making any progress at all. We are no further forward on Syria than we were before the G8 started and no further forward than we were two months ago when the idea of a peace conference was first mooted."

The annual gathering of world leaders comes days after Mr Obama suggested the US may send weapons to opposition forces.

Mr Putin has warned that weapons could end up in the hands of extremists opposed to European values, who "eat the organs" of their enemies. He has also said he is ready to supply Mr Assad with anti-aircraft missiles.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron's official spokesman said a "very strong" declaration was expected on ending ransom payments to terrorists.

"It will be around the G8 governments not paying ransoms to terrorist organisations and a commitment to work with businesses and other groups in each country, with the objective of suffocating terrorist sources of financing," said the spokesman.

Mr Cameron hopes to secure consensus today on an international initiative to tackle tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance by sharing information between tax authorities.

But campaigners raised concerns that any agreement on tax information-sharing may be confined only to the rich world, leaving out the developing countries which miss out on billions in tax revenues because of individuals and companies secreting their wealth in offshore bolt-holes.

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Ohio Kidnap: Rescue Recordings Released

Cleveland Police have released recordings of the moments after stunned officers arrived at a house where three women had been held captive for 10 years.

In the recordings one of the first medics arriving at the scene after Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped can be heard telling colleagues in a shaking voice: "This might be for real."

The exchanges over the emergency services radio system came after Amanda Berry escaped and called 911 while alleged captor Ariel Castro was out of the house on Monday. 

An operator is initially heard calmly relaying the details of Ms Berry's call to colleagues, telling them: "I have a call taken on the phone with a female that says her name is Amanda Berry and that she has been kidnapped 10 years ago.

"She's saying that the male is Ariel Castro, 52-year-old Hispanic male that lives at 2207 Seymour, and he's been holding her here for 10 years."

Soon after - with a panicked female voice, thought to be Amanda Berry, in the background - an officer says: "Adam 23, you got a box comin'? This might be for real."

As the distraught woman starts telling her story, the same officer says: "There might be others in the house ... Georgina DeJesus might be in this house also."

The next voice audible on the recording is from one of the first officers to arrive at Castro's house.

With the sound of a woman crying clearly audible over the police radio, the breathless medic tells dispatchers: "We found 'em ... we found 'em."

The next caller from inside the house says: "We got a female called Sabrina (sic), she's got a young child with her."

As the officers move through the house and discover the scale of the crime, they discover a second adult female and radio through to say: "Make it two."

A colleague adds: "We also have a Michelle Knight in the house ...  you wanna look that up in the system ... 32-years-old."

Ariel Castro has been charged with kidnap and rape in connection with the women's imprisonment.

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Jealous Girl Murders And Mutilates Classmate

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

A 12-year-old girl from China has been sentenced to a three year rehabilitation programme after she murdered and dismembered her classmate.

The girl, who has been identified only by her surname Qin, is believed to have murdered her 13-year-old friend, identified only as Zhou, and then cut off her head and arms.

According to the court, the motive was resentment: Qin was jealous of Zhou's looks.

The murder took place in April 2012 in Guangxi Province, southwest China.

The two girls were sixth grade classmates at Nandan County Lihu Yao Elementary School. They are said to have been good friends whose families were neighbours.

According to court documents, quoted by China's Xinhua news agency, Qin had become envious of Zhou because other children were choosing to play with her instead. Qin, it is claimed, was told she was fat and not as pretty as Zhou.

The court's judgement described the shockingly graphic details of the murder.

On the evening of April 10, 2012, Qin invited Zhou to her house to play. As the two watched television together, the court heard how Qin smashed a stool over Zhou's head, knocking her unconscious.

Qin then attacked Zhou with a variety of weapons including a kitchen knife, a beer bottle, a paper knife and a pair of scissors.

The court then heard how Qin cut off Zhou's head and arms, put them into plastic bags and cleaned the blood from the scene.

Because Qin is under the age of 14, Chinese law determines that she cannot be held criminally responsible for the murder.

Instead of being sent to jail, the court ordered that she should undergo a rehabilitation programme. Her parents have also been ordered to pay the parents of the victim a total of RMB108,000 (£11,400) in compensation.

The principal of the children's school, Mr Wu, was interviewed by a local radio station and asked about the two girls' characters and looks.

"Both children had high grades," he said. "Qin was not a confident girl. She was not an ugly girl, but she is a bit chubby. Zhou was tall and slim."

On China's ever-growing social media networks, so-called 'netizens' questioned the sentence as well as Qin's upbringing.

"You kill a person and you only have to compensate RMB100,000? This court sure is kind and merciful," one person wrote.

"With such a strong sense of envy, she will be no good when she grows up either," another wrote.

"This isn't just a tragedy for a 13-year-old girl. This is a tragedy of society," said another.

"How have this girl's parents been raising her?" another asked.

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Bangladesh: Eight Killed In Factory Fire

A fire in a clothing factory in Bangladesh has killed eight people, as the death toll from the building collapse in the capital Dhaka passed 900.

The blaze on Wednesday night engulfed the lower floors of the 11-storey Tung Hai Sweater Ltd factory, also in Dhaka, said Mamun Mahmud, deputy director of the fire service.

The blaze, in which a ruling party politician and a top manufacturing official died, was fed by huge piles of acrylic products used to make jumpers and produced immense amounts of smoke, Mr Mahmud said.

Relatives of factory workers outside the building

The victims died of suffocation as they ran down the stairs, he added. "Apparently they tried to flee the building through the stairwell in fear that the fire had engulfed the whole building."

Had they stayed on the upper floors they would probably have survived the slow spreading fire, Mr Mahmud said.

"We found the roof open, but we did not find there anybody after the fire broke out. We recovered all of them on the stairwell on the ninth floor."

Colleagues comfort a crying company official

The fire comes two weeks after the collapse of the eight-story Rana Plaza building, home to five garment factories, in which at least 930 people are now known to have died.

The disaster has renewed concerns about the often deadly working conditions in Bangladesh's $20bn (£12.8bn) garment industry, which provides clothing for major retailers around the world.

The identities of the victims of Wednesday's fire illustrate the close ties between the industry and top Bangladeshi officials.

Workers in the Philippines light candles and give flowers in solidarity

The dead included the factory's managing director, Mahbubur Rahman, who was also on the board of directors of the powerful Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

A senior police official and another man who was head of a local branch of the ruling party's youth league were also killed.

A local TV company reported that Mr Rahman had been planning to stand as an MP next year and had been meeting friends to discuss his future when the fire broke out.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which began soon after the factory workers went home for the day and took three hours to bring under control.

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Rodman Asks Kim Jong-Un To Free Prisoner

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

In an odd twist of international diplomacy, American basketball superstar Dennis Rodman has called for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to release a US prisoner from custody.

Rodman wrote on his Twitter page: "I'm calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea, or as I call him 'Kim', to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose."

Mr Bae, 44, is an American tour operator who was arrested while hosting a group of tourists in North Korea last November.

He was accused of "hostile acts" against the country after reportedly taking unauthorised photographs.

Dennis Rodman's tweeted request to Kim Jong-Un

Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-Un formed an unlikely friendship when the basketball star toured North Korea earlier this year.

Mr Kim, who is known to be a huge basketball fan, took Rodman to a game and the two were photographed enjoying an evening banquet together.

The trip was criticised by some because Rodman appeared to be completely ignoring North Korea's human rights record by fraternising with one of the world's last remaining dictatorships.

Others said the basketball player could instigate a subtle form of diplomacy: basketball diplomacy.

If Rodman's tweet works and Mr Bae is pardoned from his sentence of 15 years hard labour, it would be a coup and would enable the US to avoid the prospect of sending a senior politician or former president to Pyongyang to negotiate.

In 2009, two American journalists were held in North Korea and sentenced to hard labour.

Former US president Bill Clinton travelled to Pyongyang and negotiated their release with then-leader Kim Jong-Il.

Mr Kim speaks to military commanders while at his desk on some grass

Last week, US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said: "We call on the DPRK to release Kenneth Bae immediately on humanitarian grounds."

Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have been extremely high over the past few months, with rhetoric on both sides at a level not seen for years.

Kenneth Bae's detention is widely seen as being politically motivated and a bargaining chip by Pyongyang in order to gain leverage over the US.

The motivation behind the recent North Korean tension is thought to be twofold. Internally, it is an attempt by the North Korean leadership to shore up its legitimacy.

Internationally, North Korea wants to be taken seriously as a nuclear state. The US has made plain its insistence that it will only talk to Pyongyang on the condition that it gives up its nuclear programme.

North Korea now appears to have pulled back from its recent rhetoric, withdrawing two medium-range missiles from their launch pads.

However, the country's KCNA news agency continues to release unusual images of Kim Jong-Un meeting his military commanders. In the latest, they appear to have moved Mr Kim's office outside.

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Genoa: Four Dead As Ship Crashes Into Port

At least four people have died and six persons are missing after a container ship smashed into a control tower in the port of Genoa.

The incident happened at around 11pm local time

Unconfirmed reports have suggested engine failure of the Jolly Nero ship could have been to blame for the crash after one of the pilots was quoted as saying: "Two engines seem to have failed and we lost control of the ship."

Part of the tower in which about 14 people were present at the time of the accident crashed into the water.

One of the victims was thought to be a woman in her 30s, while at least two of the others are men. Six persons have been reported seriously injured.

Rescuers examine what's left of the control tower

Some of those missing are understood to have been trapped under rubble or in a lift which may have fallen into the sea.

Some rescue workers dived into the water around the port in a frantic search to find survivors while others have been using dogs trained to find people in earthquake zones to see if survivors were trapped under the rubble.

At daybreak a mobile telephone began to ring beneath the wrecked structure raising hopes of locating survivors, but it rang off before rescue workers could locate the sound.

Firefighters inspect the scene of a damaged control tower

Italian emergency workers found one badly injured man in the rubble of the control tower.

The man worked as a telephone operator and was named by locally as 50-year-old Maurizio Potenza. 

An employee of the Messina Line company, based in Genoa which owns the vessel, said: "there was an accident when the ship was leaving the port".

Rescue workers dived into the water in a frantic search for survivors

"It ran into the tower, but we don't know 'why' at this point, nor how many people are hurt," he added.

Claudio Burlando, president of the Liguria region that is home to the northwestern port city, told SKY TG 24 that the ship was being conducted by an on-board pilot and two tug boats, one in front and one behind."

"It was a manoeuvre done hundreds of times. We're all wondering what could have happened," he said.

One man has been found badly injured in the rubble of the tower

"The weather conditions were perfect, there was no wind, there were no other ships on the move," Luigi Merlo, the head of Genoa's port authority, told reporters.

The accident happened during a shift change at the vast metal tower, which meant more people were present.

The tower bent over by 45 degrees before collapsing, leaving only what looked like an emergency staircase standing.

The port control tower before the incident

Roberto, the port's night watch, told La Repubblica newspaper: "I heard a terrible din and rushed out of my cabin. It was an incredible sight: the control tower was leaning perilously."

The Jolly Nero is almost 200m (655ft) long, 30m (98ft) wide, and weighs over 40,500 tonnes.

The ship's owner, Stefano Messina, choked back tears as he said: "We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

The Jolly Nero weighs over 40,500 tonnes

The Jolly Nero's captain is being questioned by police.

Italians are still reeling from the Costa Concordia night-time shipwreck off Giglio island in 2012 which left 32 people dead.

Hearings against six suspects in the cruise liner disaster began in Italy on April 15 2013.

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Ashley Summers: Search For Missing Ohio Girl

Hopes have been raised for the family of another missing girl in Cleveland, Ohio, after three others were rescued from a house in the city.

Ashley Summers was 14 years old when she was reported missing in 2007 in the same neighbourhood from where two of the three women found on Monday - Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus - had vanished.

Michele Knight, Miss Berry and Miss DeJesus were abducted separately in 2002, 2003 and 2004 when they were 20, 16 and 14 respectively.

The trio, along with a young girl believed to be Miss Berry's six-year-old daughter, were found in reportedly squalid conditions at a house in the west side of Cleveland.

Three brothers, Pedro, Ariel and Onil Castro, were subsequently arrested and remain in custody pending charges.

Ashley's family is hoping the investigation into the three women allegedly held captive by the brothers will lead to information about her.

"We're hoping that it's connected, and they knew where she was," her aunt Debra Summers told CNN. "We're hoping for a miracle."

The house where the three women were discovered

At first, authorities believed Ashley had run away from home after an argument with a relative.

However, by 2008 the FBI and law enforcement officials suspected she was possibly being held against her will and classed her as an "endangered juvenile".

The following year FBI agents suspected a possible connection between the disappearance of Miss Summers and those of Miss Berry and Miss DeJesus.

Investigators thought all three girls had been kidnapped by the same man, then-FBI spokesman Scott Wilson said.

The names Berry, DeJesus and Ashley then came up in a Cleveland police training session in August 2010. Instructor George Kwan held up their photographs after his lecture about human trafficking.

Amanda Berry (L) and Gina DeJesus

"What do they have in common?" he said. "They are all attractive, they are all between the ages of 14 and 17, and they are all gone."

Ashley's physical appearance and the proximity of her home to the other disappearances meant investigators had to suspect the cases were linked, said FBI Agent Vicki Anderson.

And investigators continue to hold onto those suspicions as they search and gather evidence at the home in Seymore Avenue.

"We are keeping Ashley in our thoughts as we go every step of the way," Agent Anderson said.

"Whether it is something we find at the house, or someone seeing the stories remembers something, we continue our search for Ashley."

Investigators will speak to the three discovered women to see if they know anything about Miss Summers' disappearance, she added.

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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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