Clashes Erupt Around Aleppo Prison

Syrian government troops and rebels have clashed around a prison in the flashpoint northern city of Aleppo. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates. Activists said government forces had counter-attacked using tank shells and air raids. Meanwhile, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) vowed to punish criminals after a video appeared apparently showing a rebel biting a dead soldier's organs. In Aleppo, rebels appear...

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Brazil Paves Way For Gay Marriage

The authorities in Brazil have ruled that marriage licences should not be denied to same-sex couples. The council that oversees the country's judiciary said it was wrong for some offices just to issue civil union documents when the couple wanted full marriage certificates. Correspondents say the decision in effect authorises gay marriage. However full legalisation depends on approval of a bill being examined by the Congress. Tuesday's resolution by Brazil's National Council of Justice was based on a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that...

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Mayan Pyramid Destroyed In Belize

Officials in Belize say a construction company has destroyed one of the country's largest Mayan pyramids. Head of the Belizean Institute of Archaeology Jaime Awe said the Noh Mul temple was levelled by a road-building company seeking gravel for road filler. The Mayan temple dates back to pre-Columbian times and is estimated to be 2,300 year old. Only a small core of the pyramid was left standing. Police said they were investigating the incident. Archaeologists said this was not the...

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Manila Sends Envoy Over Taiwan Row

Philippine President Benigno Aquino has sent a representative to apologise for the death of a Taiwanese fisherman, his spokesman said, amid a deepening row. The envoy would convey "deep regret and apology" over the incident, spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. The move came hours after Taiwan suspended hiring Filipino workers and recalled its envoy from Manila. Taiwan said the move showed President Ma Ying-jeou's "strong dissatisfaction" with Manila's handling of the case. Taipei had...

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Bangladesh Orders Cyclone Evacuation

Hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated from coastal areas of Bangladesh threatened by Cyclone Mahasen. The Bangladeshi authorities have raised the danger level to seven out of 10 for low-lying areas around Chittagong and the coastal district of Cox's Bazar. The cyclone, heading north-east through the Bay of Bengal, is estimated to reach land on Thursday. Burma is also threatened and evacuation efforts are under way there. Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims living...

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Nigeria President Declares Emergency

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a series of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups. The military will take "all necessary action" to "put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists" in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, he said. Mr Jonathan also ordered more troops to be sent to the north-eastern states. Militants from Boko Haram have been blamed for most of the violence, which has left 2,000 people dead since 2010. The...

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EU To Pledge 520m Euros For Mali

The European Union will pledge 520m euros (£442m; $673m) to help rebuild Mali, at a conference of international donors in Brussels. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the money would help the West African state become "stable, democratic and prosperous". The conference is the first since France sent troops to oust Islamist rebels from northern Mali in January. Mali's government has a 4.3bn-euro plan for "a total relaunch of the country". It includes rebuilding...

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France Back Into Recession

Official figures show France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of the year. Its economy shrank by the same amount in the last quarter of 2012. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. France has record unemployment and low business and consumer confidence. German figures, also released, showed its economy, the eurozone's strongest, grew by just 0.1% in the first quarter. France entered its worst recession since World War II in 2009. Although...

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Cubans March Against Homophobia

Hundreds of Cubans have staged a protest against homophobia and for gay rights, in the capital, Havana, The march was led along Havana's central streets by Cuban gay rights campaigner Mariela Castro. Ms Castro is the head of Cuba's National Sexual Education Centre - an organiser of the march - and daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro. Before Raul Castro came to power in 2008, no gay rights marches had been allowed in Cuba. Forming a long line and dancing the conga, the marchers wound their way through Havana. Many were carrying...

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WHO Says New Coronavirus May Be Passed Person To Person

The World Health Organization says it appears likely that the novel coronavirus (NCoV) can be passed between people in close contact. This comes after the French health ministry confirmed a second man had contracted the virus in a possible case of human-to-human transmission. Two more people in Saudi Arabia are also reported to have died from the virus, according to health officials. NCoV is known to cause pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure. World Health Organization (WHO) officials...

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Pope Francis Proclaims 800 Saints

Pope Francis has proclaimed the first saints of his pontificate in a ceremony at the Vatican - a list which includes 800 victims of an atrocity carried out by Ottoman soldiers in 1480. They were beheaded in the southern Italian town of Otranto after refusing to convert to Islam. Their names are unknown, apart from one man, Antonio Primaldo. Within two months of taking office, Pope Francis has proclaimed more saints than any of his predecessors. Among those canonised on Sunday were...

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Syria Denies Role In Turkey Blasts

Syria has denied being responsible for two car bombs which killed 46 people in a Turkish border town. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi told a news conference on Sunday his country "did not commit and would never commit such an act because our values would not allow that". Turkish police say that nine people have been arrested in connection with Saturday's attacks in Reyhanli. Ankara has said that it suspects the involvement of Syrian intelligence. Turkish Prime Minister Recep...

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Sharif In Pakistan Government Talks

Pakistani ex-PM Nawaz Sharif has been holding talks with party colleagues on forming a government, after claiming victory in parliamentary elections. Unofficial results suggest a big lead for Mr Sharif's Muslim League (PML-N), though he may need support to govern. Former cricketer Imran Khan, who could be the main opposition leader, said he was pleased with the high turnout but disappointed about reports of rigging. US President Barack Obama and India's prime minister congratulated Mr Sharif. The ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP)...

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Ghanaian Held After Italy Pickaxe Rampage

An illegal immigrant has gone on the rampage with a pickaxe in the Italian city of Milan, killing a passer-by and wounding four others, police say. A suspect has been arrested and named as Mada Kabobo, a 21-year-old Ghanaian. A 40-year-old man was killed in the attack in a northern suburb of the city. Two of the four people injured are said to be in a critical state. Correspondents the incident has revived a long-running debate over illegal immigrants in Italy. Milan is located in...

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Gunmen Lift Libyan Ministry Siege

Gunmen demanding the expulsion of Gaddafi-era officials from Libya's new government appear to have lifted their siege of two ministries in Tripoli. Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said the siege had ended at both his ministry and the foreign ministry. The gunmen blocked the buildings two weeks ago, parking pick-up trucks with anti-aircraft guns outside. Parliament passed a law last week barring Gaddafi-era officials from political office. About 1,000 civilians came to demonstrate...

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Africa Plundered By Secret Mining Deals

Tax avoidance, secret mining deals and financial transfers are depriving Africa of the benefits of its resources boom, ex-UN chief Kofi Annan has said. Firms that shift profits to lower tax jurisdictions cost Africa $38bn (£25bn) a year, says a report produced by a panel he heads. "Africa loses twice as much money through these loopholes as it gets from donors," Mr Annan said. It was like taking food off the tables of the poor, he said. The Africa Progress Report is released every...

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Bangladesh Workers Find Survivor In Factory Rubble

A woman has been pulled alive from the ruins of an eight-storey building that collapsed in a suburb of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 17 days ago. Rescuers said the woman, named Reshma, was found in the remains of the second floor of the Rana Plaza after they heard her crying: "Please save me." She has been taken to hospital, but is not thought to have serious injuries. The dramatic news came after the army said more than 1,000 people were now known to have died in the disaster. The death...

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Tunisian Held In New York Over Canada Train Bomb Plot

A Tunisian man who allegedly met one of the men suspected of plotting to bomb a Canadian train was charged with visa fraud in New York, prosecutors say. Ahmed Abassi allegedly met Chiheb Esseghaier and attempted to radicalise him, New York prosecutors said. He came to the US in March and kept contact with an undercover FBI agent before his 22 April arrest, they said. Mr Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, are charged with conspiracy to carry out an attack and kill people. An indictment...

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Sailor Dies As America's Cup Boat Capsizes

A sailor has died after a Swedish catamaran capsized during a practice session for the America's Cup in San Francisco Bay, local media report. The San Francisco Fire Department said the man was one of two people injured when the Artemis Racing catamaran capsized near Treasure Island. They were brought ashore and one was pronounced dead a short time later. Artemis is a Swedish team due to race two boats in the America's Cup being held in San Francisco this summer. Reports said one...

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Gunmen Abduct Pakistan Ex-PM's Son

The son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen during an election rally. Mr Gilani told the BBC his son Ali Haider - a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) - was seized in the central city of Multan. He accused his political opponents of being behind the attack, which came ahead of Saturday's elections. One person was reportedly killed when the attackers opened fire at the rally. No group has so far claimed responsibility...

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Nigeria Cult Ambush Kills Police

At least 30 police officers in Nigeria have been killed in an ambush by a local militia in the central Nasarawa state, officials have said. They were on their way to arrest the leader of the outlawed Ombatse "cult" when gunmen opened fire, a state spokesman told the BBC. Sani Musa Mairiga said they were forcing local villagers to swear an oath of allegiance to the group. The state police chief said that 17 officers were still missing. One source at the hospital where the bodies were taken told the BBC dozens more policemen were killed...

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Ohio Kidnapper Could Be Executed

Ohio prosecutors have said they plan to seek aggravated murder charges that could carry the death penalty, against the man suspected of imprisoning three women for about a decade. The charges relate to alleged forced miscarriages suffered by one victim. Ariel Castro, 52, was arraigned in court earlier for the kidnap and rape of Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Michelle Knight, 32. Ms Berry escaped on Monday and was able to raise the alarm. Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the murder charges were based on evidence from...

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