Egypt: Police Beat Protester Outside Palace

Bloody Scenes Expected In Port Said

Updated: 11:11pm UK, Thursday 31 January 2013

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in Port Said

This city has always prided itself on resistance to invaders.

The people of Port Said believe they saw off the British in the 1950s and the Israelis in the 1960s.

Now they're rolling up their sleeves to take on Egypt's president, Mohammed Morsi, promising a second round of bloodletting in as many weeks.

A beach resort city that guards the Mediterranean entrance to the Suez Canal, Port Said, was torn by violence last weekend.

Thirty people and two policemen were killed in running street battles.

Locals deny that any of them shot at the police. But there are bullet holes in the walls of the partly burned officers club on the sea front that say otherwise.

Still, there is no hiding the violence that the city met when protestors attacked the prison.

Dozens of market stalls and tiny homes were razed during the fighting – local businesses were riddled with bullets.

The prison was attacked because it housed 21 men condemned to death for their parts in the killing of 74 football fans during a riot on February 1 last year.

Some 59 others, among them nine police, are still waiting for their verdicts in the jail.

The killings last week have fuelled what was already going to be an incendiary brew on the day marking the first anniversary of the riot in which supporters of the Cairo team Al Ahly were beaten and crushed to death.

Ansaf Mousa's son Osama el Sherbiri, 23, an IT graduate was killed last week during the demonstrations.

"Morsi has blood on his hands. Osama el Sherbini exploded the whole world. His death will fuel an explosion.

"There will be a protest against Morsi like none before. This will be the nuclear explosion that blows up the whole place."

Her anger is shared by families across the city.

The bullet that killed Osama wounded his friend Mohammed.

"The youth will be on the streets (on February 1), they have to be to take revenge for Osama and all the others. This isn't going to end here."

A state of emergency was declared in Port Suez, Ismailia and Port Said last week. Curfews imposed for most of the night hours have since been cut back to a token regulation of the small hours of the morning as they were entirely ignored anyway.

General Abdel Fatteh al Sisi, the commander of the Egyptian armed forces, has warned that he fears the nation may fall apart .

He singled out the Suez City as especially troubling – promising to ensure the security of the canal as his top priority.

The region, though prosperous and benefiting from tax free zones and $5.2bn (£3.3bn) in revenues to Egypt for transit fees for shipping, is not associated with the secular middle class that had driven so much of the revolution in Cairo.

Osama's family are deeply religious. Many of the men have callused foreheads from years of prayer.

Yet they object to the Muslim Brotherhood's domination of Egypt's constitutional process and presidency.

"The Muslim Brotherhood are not Muslims – they are just after power," said Osama's mother.

That, in Port Said, seems to be the dominant view.

In a downtown coffee house clattering with domino players El Badry Farghali, a veteran MP who has opposed the military governments which were swept away two years ago and the new Muslim Brotherhood regime ever since, held court to a new generation of young protestors.

"The Muslim Brotherhood will not give up power. They will only manoeuvre. They are backward. They do not have the capacity to run the country on their own. And they will not make concessions. But the Egyptian people will force them to back down," he said.

Port Said has chosen the anniversary of the football chaos to drive home a political message. The odds are that it will be written in blood.

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Twitter Hacked: Up To 250,000 Passwords Taken

Around 250,000 Twitter users may have had their accounts compromised by computer hackers.

The social networking site said usernames, email addresses and encrypted passwords may have been taken during an "extremely sophisticated" attack on its systems.

It said one attack was shut down moments after it was detected, adding that the passwords of users who may have been affected had been reset.

In a blog posting, Bob Lord, director of information security at Twitter, said there had been "a recent uptick in large-scale security attacks aimed at US technology and media companies", with the New York Times among those targeted.

He said: "Our investigation has indicated the attackers may have had access to limited user information - usernames, email addresses, session tokens and encrypted/salted versions of passwords - for approximately 250,000 users.

"As a precautionary security measure, we have reset passwords and revoked session tokens for these accounts."

"This attack was not the work of amateurs and we do not believe it was an isolated incident," he added. "The attackers were extremely sophisticated and we believe other companies and organisations have also been recently similarly attacked."

One expert said the hackers may have gained access through an employee's home or work computer by exploiting vulnerabilities in Java, a widely-used computing language.

Ashkan Soltani, an independent privacy and security researcher, said such a move would give attackers "a toehold" in Twitter's internal network, potentially allowing them to track user information as it travelled across the company's systems or break into specific areas, such as the authentication servers that process users' passwords.

Although the hackers are unlikely to have gained any confidential information, Mr Soltani said the stolen credentials could be used to access other services for which a person has signed up using the same username and password.

Mr Lord said that although "only a very small percentage" of users were potentially affected, everyone who uses the site should ensure their password is secure.

He said passwords should be at least 10 characters long, contain upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, and be different to passwords used for other online accounts.

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Pakistan: Deadly Attack On Army Checkpoint

Militants have attacked an army checkpoint in Pakistan's northwest, killing at least 23 people - including 10 members of one family.

The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the attack on the isolated post at Lakki Marwat was in response to a US drone strike in neighbouring North Waziristan last month, which killed two commanders.

Officials said nine soldiers and four members of the Frontier Constabulary that polices the area died during the initial assault and subsequent crossfire.

Ten civilians - including three women and three children - were killed in a rocket attack on a house next to the camp. Twelve militants also died.

Friday's mosque attack

"Pakistan has been co-operating with the US in its drone strikes that killed our two senior commanders, Faisal Khan and Toofani, and the attack on military camp was the revenge of their killing," a Taliban spokesman said.

He said four suicide bombers targeted the camp in the town of Serai Naurang in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and blew themselves up. More than a dozen soldiers were killed, he added.

The raid followed a suicide bombing at a Shiite Muslim mosque in the northwest on Friday that killed 24 people.

It was the latest in a rising number of sectarian attacks in the country.

Since 2009, the military and pro-government militias have regained territory from the Taliban, who once controlled land a few hours' drive from the capital Islamabad.

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Arizona Office Shooting: Gunman On The Run

Police are still searching for a gunman after three people were shot - one fatally - during a dispute at an office complex in Phoenix, Arizona.

The suspect has been named as 70-year-old Arthur D Harmon.

Police reportedly served a search warrant on Harmon's house seven miles from the office park, but found nobody inside.

The shooting victims were taken to hospital after the incident on Wednesday morning where one man, 48-year-old Steve Singer, later died.

The other two victims, a 43-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, remain in critical condition.

Emergency crews were at the scene

Fire Captain Scott McDonald said all the victims had sustained life-threatening wounds.

Officer James Holmes said police believe there is only one suspect, but witnesses gave conflicting information about how he left the scene.

The shooting did not appear to be a random act, said Sergeant Tommy Thompson.

He said a dispute with someone at the building became heated, and the suspect pulled out a gun and started shooting. He said he did not know what type of gun had been used.

The shooting happened as the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on gun control issues, and former astronaut Mark Kelly broke news of the shooting during his testimony.

Mr Kelly is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head two years ago. Ms Giffords also testified on Wednesday, appealing to her former colleagues for stricter gun laws.

The office building, in central Phoenix, was evacuated as police searched for the suspect and any additional victims.

Vanessa Brogan, who works in an insurance office in the three-storey complex, said she heard a loud bang that she first thought had been made by someone working in or near the building.

She said other people thought they heard multiple loud noises. She said people locked themselves in offices until police evacuated the business park.

The complex houses insurance, medical and law offices.

Becky Neher, who also works in the building, said she heard two gunshots and saw two victims lying on the ground outside the back of the building.

"Someone yelled 'We have a shooter', " she said.

Ms Neher said medical workers who have offices in the complex came out to help the victims.

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Brazil Club Fire: Owner Blames Whole Country

The co-owner of a Brazilian nightclub where more than 230 people died in a fire is blaming "the whole country" for the disaster, his lawyer said.

Jader Marques said his client Elissandro Spohr "regretted having ever been born" because of his grief over the inferno, but that he blamed the tragedy on "a succession of errors made by the whole country".

Police have said a country music band performing at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria lit a flare that ignited flammable soundproof foam in the ceiling.

Those trying to flee were further hampered by a catastrophic lack of fire alarms and sprinkler systems. The club also had only one working door and a faulty fire extinguisher.

Mr Marques said: "My client's responsibility is having trusted too much in the inspectors and in those responsible for the construction."

A woman urges changes to the law so the tragedy can not be repeated

He also claimed public officials had signed off on the club's layout.

Brazil's Health Minister Alexandre Padilha has urged survivors to be on alert for symptoms of "chemical pneumonia" after the number of people injured rose to 143 following 22 new hospital admissions for the condition.

The blaze has also claimed another life - a 21-year-old man with burns covering 70% of his body whose brother was also killed in the club.

The G1 internet portal quoted their mother Eliane Goncalves as saying: "When they went out at night, I blessed them.

"I asked myself how I would be able to sleep with both my boys out. But what could I do, follow them? God bless them."

Police have detained Spohr, the club's other co-owner and two musicians who were playing in the club when the fire broke out, and are holding them for five days as part of the investigation.

Spohr is recovering from a respiratory infection and is said to be suffering from depression in police custody at a hospital in a nearby town.

Large crowds have gathered near the nightclub's charred exterior

Mr Marques denied reports that overcrowding helped cause Sunday's tragedy, insisting there were only 600 to 700 people in the club at any one time. 

Capacity for the 615 square metre nightspot stood at less than 700, though the band's guitarist told media that the space was packed with an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 people. Police have given similar estimates.

Authorities have said that of the 143 people still in hospital, more than 70 are still in life-threateningly critical states.

The governor of Sao Paulo has responded to calls for tighter regulation by ordering more thorough inspections of venues including nightclubs, cinemas and theatres.

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South Africa Train Crash Injures 150

At least 150 people have been injured in a collision between two passenger trains in South Africa during the peak morning commute.

Many children were among those injured in the crash, which left the driver of one of the engines needing to be rescued from his cab.

The accident occurred when a train collided with a stationary locomotive near Attridgeville, a suburb west of Pretoria.

"Many are walking wounded and already left. There are 20 people in serious condition and one, the driver of the second train, is in a critical condition," local emergency services spokesman Johan Pieterse said.

Train services have been interrupted as a result of the accident, whose cause was being investigated, he added.

Lillian Mofokeng, spokeswoman for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, told AFP: "There are two trains that have collided this morning. At this stage, we do not have any loss of life."

The trains were on the same line toward the capital Pretoria when one train rear-ended the other one from behind.

Ms Mofokeng told the state television station it was not a head-on collision.

The trains were operated by Metrorail, the country's rail system in cities.

South Africa signed a $5.8 billion contract with France's Alstom in December to supply 3,600 new train cars as part of a 10-year programme to overhaul its ageing rail network.

In 2011, 857 commuters were injured in Johannesburg's Soweto township when a passenger train smashed into a stationary train during the peak rush hour period.

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Mali: Footage Shows Militants' Brutal Tactics

Footage showing the scale of the jihadist reign of terror in Timbuktu has been obtained by Sky News as residents of the ancient city come to terms with their ordeal.

The images show heavily armed al Qaeda-linked radicals travelling round the city in trucks and carrying out public floggings of those deemed to have broken strict Islamic laws.

The militants' disdain for Mali's history and culture is also displayed as they are seen demolishing tombs that have been part of Timbuktu's landscape for 800 years.

Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, who is in the city, said: "Some of the pictures show just how heavily-armed the al Qaeda militants were as they took over Timbuktu's streets.

"The piles of weapons stored in houses across the town indicate the militants had plenty of access to them."

Ammunition left by fleeing militants shows they were heavily-armed

Grainy mobile phone footage showing the harsh street justice meted out to those who got on the wrong side of the law during the extremists' 10 months in charge is also emerging.

Noam Sissi was twice subjected to a public lashing for stealing and warned that his right hand would be cut off if he was caught again.

He fled to the relative safety of southern Mali soon after his brutal punishment was captured on film.

Some residents of the city were prepared to take huge risks to preserve what they could of their heritage.

This man fled Timbuktu after he was flogged twice for breaking Islamic law

Abdullah Sissi smuggled books out of a library, saving them from the same fate as manuscripts housed at the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Islamic Studies and Research, which was burned by the Islamists as they fled.

He spelled out the repercussions for anyone caught trying to save books or valuable papers.

"They imprisoned people for this and amputated limbs. This was their punishment," he told Sky News.

French troops continue to airlift vehicles and supplies into Timbuktu as the hunt begins for any militants still hiding there and an international operation gets underway to embolden the Malian army against their possible return.

Some 500-year-old manuscripts were saved, others are lost forever

David Cameron travels to Algeria later as he further outlines how Britain will play its part in tackling the growing terrorist threat in northern Africa.

The visit comes after Britain announced that up to 330 British troops would help out in the battle against rebels in neighbouring Mali.

The Prime Minister is to hold talks with counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal and pay his respects to victims of the hostage crisis that left six Britons dead.

Some 37 foreigners, at least 10 Algerians and dozens of terrorists died in the attack on the In Amenas gas plant, which is jointly operated by BP, earlier this month.

David Cameron will hold talks in Algeria after the gas plant terror attack

The Algerian government took the controversial decision to storm the site in the Sahara desert, with Mr Cameron and other world leaders protesting about not being notified in advance.

During talks with Mr Sellal and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algiers, the premier is expected to stress the need for a "tough, patient and intelligent response" to extremism in the region.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was forced on Tuesday to deny "mission creep" in the intervention to bolster the government in Mali as he boosted the UK's role.

It is feared the region could become a new base for Islamic terrorists

Up to 240 troops could be deployed to train the Malian military and prepare soldiers from other African countries, while another 90 personnel could provide air support.

A roll-on-roll-off ferry has also been offered to transport French equipment to Africa.

In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Cameron said: "I believe we are in the midst of a long struggle against murderous terrorists and a poisonous ideology that supports them.

"We need to close down the ungoverned space in which they thrive and, yes, we need to deal with the grievances that they use to garner support."

Mr Cameron will also be attending an international development conference in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

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Syria Is Being Destroyed, Says UN Envoy

The war in Syria has reached "unprecedented levels of horror" after evidence emerged of the massacre of dozens of men, the UN envoy for the country has said.

Lakhdar Brahimi told the divided UN Security Council it must act now to prevent further atrocities like the apparent execution of at least 65 men found dumped in a river in Aleppo.

Syrian rebels blamed president Bashar al Assad's government for the killings, but state media said an Islamist opposition faction was to blame.

"Syria is breaking up before everyone's eyes. Only the international community can help, and first and foremost the Security Council," Mr Brahimi told the council's 15 ambassadors.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in 22 months of conflict, according to the UN, which will seek £950m in humanitarian funding for beleaguered Syrians at a conference in Kuwait.

Mr Brahimi said Mr Assad's government's legitimacy has been "irreparably damaged" but warned that it could still cling to power as both state and rebel forces commit "equally atrocious crimes".

Fighting has devastated Aleppo since summer 2012

He also warned of growing conflict "contamination" in neighbouring countries.

The Security Council has been paralysed on Syria for more than a year. Russia and China have vetoed three western-drafted resolutions which would simply have threatened sanctions.

Russia accuses the West of seeking regime change through force and insists it cannot make Mr Assad stand down. The US and its allies back the opposition stance that there can be no talks with the president.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights opposition group said the Aleppo victims were found with their hands bound and a single bullet wound to the head - and that the death toll could climb to 80.

Aleppo - Syria's most populous city - is far from Assad's Damascus base

Hundreds of distressed people watched as muddied corpses were dredged from the Quweiq river.

"The regime threw them into the river so that they would arrive in an area under our control, so the people would think we killed them," rebel fighter Abu Seif said.

A government security official blamed "terrorists" - the regime term for the rebels - for the carnage.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the official SANA news agency said the jihadist Al Nusra Front carried out the executions.

Al Nusra, which has gained notoriety for its suicide bombings, has become a key fighting force, leading rebel attacks throughout the embattled country.

Its suspected affiliation to the al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq have seen it added to the US list of terrorist organisations.

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Spain GDP Shrinks For Sixth Straight Quarter

Spain has sunk even further into recession, according to newly released figures.

The struggling eurozone country saw its gross domestic product (GDP) shrink by 0.7% in the fourth quarter.

The contraction was worse than expected and means Spain has now suffered six straight quarters of negative growth.

Last week the National Statistics Institute (NSI) said the jobless rate for the last three months of 2012, for those aged 16 to 24, had soared to 55.13%.

The unemployment figure for young people was up from 52.34% in the previous quarter.

Overall, Spain's unemployment rate has risen to its highest level since measurements began in the 1970s, as a prolonged recession and deep spending cuts have left almost six million people out of work at the end of last year.

The nationwide jobless total rose 1% to 26.02% in the fourth quarter of 2012, or 5.97 million people, according to the NSI.

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Berlusconi 'Defends' Dictator Mussolini

Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has triggered outrage from the country's political left with comments defending fascist wartime leader Benito Mussolini at a ceremony commemorating victims of the Nazi Holocaust.

Speaking at the event in Milan, Mr Berlusconi said Mussolini had been wrong to follow Nazi Germany's lead in passing anti-Jewish laws but that he had in other respects been a good leader.

"It's difficult now to put yourself in the shoes of people who were making decisions at that time," said Mr Berlusconi, who is campaigning for next month's election at the head of a coalition that includes far-right politicians whose roots go back to Italy's old fascist party.

"Obviously the government of that time, out of fear that German power might lead to complete victory, preferred to ally itself with Hitler's Germany rather than opposing it," he said.

"As part of this alliance, there were impositions, including combating and exterminating Jews," he told reporters.

Benito Mussolini

"The racial laws were the worst fault of Mussolini as a leader, who in so many other ways did good," he said, referring to laws passed by Mussolini's fascist government in 1938.

Although Mussolini is known outside Italy mostly for the alliance with Nazi Germany, his government also paid for major infrastructure projects as well as welfare for supporters.

Mr Berlusconi's comments overshadowed Sunday's commemoration of thousands of Jews and others deported from Italy to the Nazi death camps of eastern Europe.

They were condemned as "disgusting" by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is leading in the polls ahead of the February 24-25 election.

"Our republic is based on the struggle against Nazi fascism and these are intolerable remarks which are incompatible with leadership of democratic political forces," said Marco Meloni, the PD's spokesman for institutional affairs.

Antonio Ingroia, a former anti-mafia magistrate campaigning at the head of a separate left-wing coalition, said Mr Berlusconi was "a disgrace to Italy".

Faced by the onslaught of criticism, Mr Berlusconi later issued a statement saying he had always condemned dictatorships and regretted not having spelled that out in his earlier remarks.

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Barack Obama 'Will Miss' Hillary Clinton

Barack Obama has stoked speculation about the 2016 presidential race in a joint interview with Hillary Clinton, during which he heaped praise on the outgoing Secretary of State.

In the interview, aired on Sunday on CBS' 60 Minutes programme, Mr Obama called Mrs Clinton one of his closest advisers and said they share a vision for America's role in the world.

The president called her a friend and an extraordinary talent, and praised "her discipline, her stamina, her thoughtfulness, her ability to project".

The former political rivals laughed as they described their partnership, leaving room for speculation that the president may prefer Mrs Clinton to succeed him in the White House.

There was no mention of a potential run by Vice President Joe Biden.

Both Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton deflected questions about future aspirations, but the interview - the first the president has done with anyone other than First Lady Michelle Obama - is likely to increase the fascination with Mrs Clinton's future.

"You guys in the press are incorrigible," Mr Obama said when pressed on another Clinton presidency.

"I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you're talking about elections four years from now."

Mrs Clinton has had to answer for security failings in Benghazi, Libya

Mrs Clinton added: "The president and I care deeply about what's going to happen for our country in the future.

"And I don't think, you know, either he or I can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next year."

Mrs Clinton is set to leave her post soon but has given no hints as to her next move, aside from a well-deserved break.

The pair's close working relationship has been a stark turnaround from the bitter political rivalry that developed during their hard-fought Democratic primary battle in 2008.

But they ultimately reconciled, with Mrs Clinton agreeing to be Mr Obama's top diplomat abroad while he dealt with the shattered domestic economy.

She has gone on to become the most travelled Secretary of State in US history.

And despite some blemishes on her record - notably the State Department's handling of security in Benghazi, Libya - she has become an immensely popular figure in the US.

"It has been a great collaboration over the last four years. I'm going to miss her. Wish she was sticking around. But she has logged in so many miles, I can't begrudge her wanting to take it easy for a little bit," Mr Obama said.

The president has nominated Massachusetts Senator John Kerry to succeed Mrs Clinton.

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Nightclub Blaze: Brazil Mourns The Dead

Security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting a nightclub in Brazil where more than 230 people were killed in a fire, survivors and rescuers have said.

As the city of Santa Maria prepares to bury the victims, a preliminary investigation into the fire also found that the club's single exit was blocked by the bodies of those already dead.

The fast-spreading blaze raged through the crowded Kiss nightclub, with a cloud of toxic smoke enveloping the locale and setting off a panic as party-goers gasping for air rushed to the exit.

Witnesses said a flare or firework lit by members of a band onstage started the blaze in Santa Maria, a university city of about 260,000 people.

Men try to break through a wall to help the victims

Police inspector Marcelo Arigony confirmed survivors' accounts that security guards initially tried to block people from exiting the club.

Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they are allowed to leave.

But Mr Arigony said the guards did not appear to block fleeing patrons for long.

"It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," he said.

Officials say 233 people died, and around 117 others were injured.

The blaze broke out while the band, called Gurizada Fandangueira, was performing in the club, which was overcrowded with some 1,500 people.

Some of those who escaped the building tried to smash a hole in the wall to allow other trapped people out.

Fire chief Guido de Melo said there was panic after the fire started and many revellers were trampled. He said the main cause of death was asphyxiation.

Mr Melo said that firefighters had a hard time getting inside the club because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance".

"Security guards blocked their exit and did not allow them to leave quickly. That caused panic," he said.

Within hours, the bodies of the victims were lined up in a community gym, partially covered with black plastic as desperate family members identified their relatives.

Many of those who died were under 20 years old, including some children.

The packed club had only one exit

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Mr Melo said the club was authorized to be open, though its permit was in the process of being renewed.

But he pointed to possible safety violations - from the flare that went off during the show to the locked door that kept people from getting out.

"The problem was the use of pyrotechnics, which is not permitted," Mr  Melo said.

Police inspector Sandro Meinerz told the Agencia Estado news agency the band was to blame for a pyrotechnics show and that manslaughter charges could be filed.

The club's management said in a statement that its staff was trained and prepared to deal with any emergency. It said it would help authorities with their investigation.

Television images showed black smoke billowing out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who had attended a university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at windows and pink exterior walls to free those trapped inside.

Bodies of the dead and injured were strewn in the street and panicked screams filled the air as medics tried to help.

"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic, and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.

The fire took place in Santa Maria

Another survivor, Michele Pereira, told the Folha de S Paulo newspaper that she was near the stage when members of the band lit flares that started the fire.

"The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward," she said. "At that point, the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak, but in a matter of seconds it spread."

Guitarist Rodrigo Martins told Radio Gaucha that the band had started playing at 2:15am.

"We had played around five songs when I looked up and noticed the roof was burning," he said.

"It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks. It's harmless, we never had any trouble with it.

"When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working."

He confirmed that accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, had died, while the five other members made it out safely.

Mr Martin told Radio Gaucha that the band was already seeing hostile messages.

"People on the social networks are saying we have to pay for what happened," he said. "I'm afraid there could be retaliation".

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff arrived to visit the injured after cutting short her trip to a Latin American-European summit in Chile.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," Ms Rousseff said.

Britain's Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire said he was "deeply saddened" by "tragic accident" and sent his condolences.

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

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Adrian Donohoe Killing Condemned By Irish PM

The Irish leader Enda Kenny has described the fatal shooting of a Garda detective during a botched hold-up as "cold blooded violence".

Adrian Donohoe was with a colleague escorting a cash delivery to a credit union in Dundalk, County Louth, when he was killed.

Several shots were fired during the attack at the Lordship Credit Union, on the Cooley Road in the town at around 9.30pm on Friday.

Mr Kenny said: "This was an outrageous act of cold blooded violence that has left a family without a husband and father and the Garda Siochana without a brave and valued member.

"On behalf of the Government and of the people I would like to express my condolences to Adrian's wife and children and to all his extended family at this unbearably sad time."

It is believed the force is hunting four men who fled the scene in a grey Volkswagen Passat.

The shooting happened in Cooley Road, Dundalk

Sky's Ireland correspondent David Blevins said: "The Irish police set up checkpoints on the southern side of the Irish border and the Police Service of Northern Ireland have checkpoints on the northern side of the Irish border."

The officer, who was based at Dundalk Garda station, was shot in the head without warning. He had not drawn his garda-issued weapon.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of my colleague Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

"Detective Garda Donohoe died as a result of injuries sustained in the course of his duty following a shooting incident in Dundalk.

"At this time my thoughts and prayers and those of the entire force are with the family, friends and close colleagues of Adrian."

Det Donohoe had two children and his wife Caroline was also in the police service. He lived in the Lordship area, half a mile from the credit union where he was killed.

Local councillor Jim Loughran described him as a quiet, decent family man.

"I just spoke to him last week on the street in town. I can't believe this has happened," he said.

The Sinn Fein councillor, who knew the detective through their local GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) club St Patrick's, also condemned those responsible for the shooting.

"This was not just an attack on a Garda detective, it was an attack on the whole community," he said.

It is believed staff at the credit union were locking up when the shooting occurred.

Gardai have appealed for people in the Belurgan, Jenkinstown and Dundalk areas between 6pm and 9.30pm on Friday night to get in touch. They are also appealing for anyone who may have seen the car driving towards Dundalk or on to the M1.

:: Anyone with information should call police on 042-9388400.

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Egypt: Death Sentences Spark Deadly Riots

Two football players are among 30 people killed in riots in the Egyptian city of Port Said following the sentencing to death of 21 fans.

Violence erupted after a judge sentenced the 21 people to death over a post-match riot in February last year that killed 74 fans of the Cairo-based Al Ahly team.

All of the people sentenced to death were fans of Port Said's main team, Al Masry.

Minutes after the Cairo court handed down the sentences, protesters rampaged through Port Said, attacking police stations and setting tyres alight.

Fans of Al Ahly football club celebrate the verdict in Cairo

Relatives tried to storm the prison in Port Said where those convicted were being held, leading to fierce clashes with security forces that killed two policemen.

The two players were shot to death as they were apparently on their way to practice near the prison.

The director of hospitals, Dr Abdel Raham Farah, said Mahmoud Abdel Halim al Dizawi, a football player in the city's Al Marikh club, had been shot three times and died.

He said Tamer al Fahla, who used to play for the Al Masry team, had also been shot dead on his way to the Al Marikh club.

Shops in Port Said were closed and armoured personnel vehicles deployed as fighting raged in streets around the prison.

Al Ahly fans were considered by many to be the victims of the riot

Unidentified assailants used automatic weapons against police, who responded with tear gas, witnesses said.

Both inside and outside the Cairo court, there were explosions of joy at the verdict, which was broadcast live on Egyptian TV.

Relatives of those killed hugged each other and shouted "God is greatest".

A man who lost his son in the February clashes wept outside the court and said he was satisfied with the sentences.

Football fans from both teams hold the police at least partially responsible for the deaths and criticised Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi for doing little to reform the force.

Doctors treating the victims of the February riots said some had been stabbed to death. One player caught up in the rioting described it as "a war".

Joy: Families of fans killed shouted 'God is great' after the verdict

Witnesses said most of the deaths involved people who had been trampled in the crush of panicked crowds, or who fell from terraces.

The post-match riot - the world's deadliest football violence in 15 years - also sparked days of protests in the capital, in which another 16 people were killed.

The judge said in his statement that he would announce the verdict for the remaining 52 defendants on March 9. Among those on trial are nine security officials.

As is customary in Egypt, the death sentences will be sent to religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for approval.

Executions in Egypt are usually carried out by hanging.

The latest violence came a day after nine people were killed in protests against the president on the second anniversary of Egypt's uprising against the former president, Hosni Mubarak.

Some of the defendants accused of involvement in the violence

Violence also broke out in Suez on Saturday night after hundreds of masked militants stormed a police station and set fire to the building. All prisoners being held at the station were also freed.

There have been hours of clashes in Suez, with police firing tear gas to try to hold back the demonstrators.

Britain's Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said such violence "can have no place in a truly democratic Egypt".

"We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that all protests remain peaceful. I offer the condolences of the UK to the families of all the victims," he said.

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Mali: US Offers Refuelling Services To France

US military aircraft will be used to refuel French warplanes fighting Islamist militants in Mali, the Pentagon has confirmed.

The offer of assistance to the French-led effort to push al Qaeda-linked fighters out of the north of country came as the 16-day offensive enjoyed its biggest success, recapturing the city of Gao.

In an overnight assault backed by French warplanes and helicopters, French special forces seized the town's airport and a key bridge over the River Niger while, killing a number of Islamist fighters without suffering any casualties, the French army said.

"The Malian army and the French control Gao today," Malian army spokesman Lieutenant Diaran Kone said.

Fighting was, however, reported to be continuing in the city, which was seized by a mixture of al Qaeda-linked fighters over nine months ago, into the night.

Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford, travelling with French troops, said the latest offensive was the biggest push into jihadist-held territory since the operation began.

"There are at least five militant groups waiting for them in and around this desert region.

"Clearly the militants have spotted this huge convoy coming. It is not hard to spot, there are nearly 100 vehicles in the convoy and it takes up more than 1km of space in this pretty barren landscape."

French troops and fighting alongside the Malian army

Malian army officers said the Islamist insurgents were pulling back to avoid French air strikes.

"They are all hiding. They are leaving on foot and on motorcycles," Malian Army Captain Faran Keita said in Konna, about 310 miles southeast of Gao.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed the US would offer its support to the operation "to deny terrorists a safe haven in Mali" after speaking to French Minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said: "Secretary Panetta informed Minister Le Drian that US Africa Command will support the French military by conducting aerial refuelling missions as operations in Mali continue."

They also discussed plans for the US to transport troops from African nations, including Chad and Togo, to support the international effort in Mali, he added.

A total of 7,700 African troops are expected to be sent to Mali under a UN mandate, according to regional army chiefs.

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