■ Brazil
Deadly rains kill 28 so far
Torrential downpours in northeastern Brazil for the past three days have killed at least 28 people and driven almost 31,000 from their homes. The majority of the deaths were due to heavy flooding and mudslides in the state of Pernambuco, 2,000km northeast of Sao Paulo. Those left homeless were taken to shelters in schools, sports gymnasiums and other public buildings; a state of emergency has been declared.
■ France
Appeal made for hostage
With hot-air balloons and giant-sized photos, well-wishers of reporter Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi guide held commemorations across France Saturday to mark the 150th day since they were taken hostage in Iraq. The foreign ministry said French authorities were "relentlessly pursuing" efforts to win the freedom of Aubenas and guide Hussein Hanoun.France has been gripped by the captivity of Aubenas, a veteran reporter for Liberation, who was taken hostage Jan. 5 along with Hanoun. She was last seen leaving her Baghdad hotel. In hopes of sending a message to the two captives, on Saturday, a total of 150 hot air balloons draped with giant-sized photos of the hostages were to take to the skies across France.
■ Spain
Protesters decry ETA talks
Hundreds of thousands of protestors including conservative opposition lawmakers marched in Madrid Saturday to protest any talks between the Socialist government and the armed Basque separatist group ETA. ,Called by the Association of Victims of Terrorism, the march drew about 850,000 to a million people. The march began at the Lopez de Hoyos intersection, where a 1993 ETA attack killed seven people, and headed for the Republica Dominicana plaza, the site of another ETA attack in 1986 that killed 12 police officers. More than 800 people have been killed in ETA's four-decade campaign to win an independent Basque homeland.
■ Germany
Leaders talk of EU's future
German and French leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the EU's proposed constitution, agreeing that ratification must continue even after its decisive rejection by French and Dutch voters. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's spokesman, Bela Anda, also underlined a new German willingness to show flexibility on the EU's future budget and said that "everyone has to move" on the tricky issue. "We cannot drop the idea of Europe because there are difficulties," Anda said.
■ United Kingdom
Geldof defends decisions
Irish rocker-turned-activist Bob Geldof defended himself Saturday against criticism that few black artists featured in his plans for multi-city concerts to combat poverty in Africa. "It's not a cultural event, it's political," Geldof said when asked about a lack of African artists taking part in the Live 8 concerts which will take place around the globe. "If I have a band that sells 15 million albums I am guaranteed 15 million people minimum watching," he said. "We need to create domestic heat in each of the countries that are having the concert. I would love it if the Africans themselves organized concerts," he added. With the arguable exception of Mariah Carey, none of the headliners for the centerpiece Live8: The Long Walk to Justice concert at Hyde Park in London on July 2 are black, let alone African.
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