:00:00. > :00:10.This is BBC World News Today with me Zeinab Badawi.
:00:11. > :00:14.Brazil's moment to shine as host of the World Cup is eclipsed by public
:00:15. > :00:21.sector strikes just three days before the first match kicks off.
:00:22. > :00:25.Protests on the streets of Sao Paulo - police use tear gas to disperse
:00:26. > :00:38.I live in Rio de Janeiro where here, at least they are getting ready to
:00:39. > :00:42.party. Police in Pakistan are back
:00:43. > :00:45.in control of the country's largest airport after Taliban fighters storm
:00:46. > :00:47.a terminal leaving 31 dead The row over infiltration of schools
:00:48. > :00:52.in England by militant Islamists. The Government places six schools in
:00:53. > :01:01.Birmingham under special measures. And Rik Mayall, one of Britain's
:01:02. > :01:04.most popular and talented comedy We start in Brazil where riot police
:01:05. > :01:29.in the country's biggest city Sao Paulo have fired tear gas
:01:30. > :01:32.at protesters who are demanding The subway strike has unleashed
:01:33. > :01:39.transport chaos in the city which hosts the opening match
:01:40. > :01:57.of the football World Cup Not quite the suspicious start to
:01:58. > :02:02.the World Cup that the authorities might have been hoping for?
:02:03. > :02:07.Everywhere else in Brazil it seems they are getting ready to celebrate
:02:08. > :02:11.the start of the World Cup, but that is still one outstanding industrial
:02:12. > :02:16.dispute. For supporters lucky enough to go to that first match on
:02:17. > :02:20.Thursday evening, there is a fair chance that they are going to
:02:21. > :02:24.struggle to get to the ground, unless they leave a very long time.
:02:25. > :02:30.Maybe this is just brinksmanship on the part of the unions. They know
:02:31. > :02:34.that this is their moment of maximum leverage over the governments, over
:02:35. > :02:39.a strike that has been declared illegal. There where clashes today.
:02:40. > :02:45.Gridlock in Brazil's biggest city just three days before the World Cup
:02:46. > :02:56.Striking Metro workers continuing to demand pay rises in excess of 10%.
:02:57. > :03:00.Military police again try to break up the protests and yesterday
:03:01. > :03:07.But these workers voted overwhelmingly to stay out
:03:08. > :03:10.until their demands are met and say they don't care
:03:11. > :03:19.It's a new stage for the Brazilian situation since the last year
:03:20. > :03:23.and the World Cup is just the beginning of a new wave
:03:24. > :03:28.The Government insists that these strikes and protests will not be
:03:29. > :03:33.allowed to disrupt the World Cup and will use whatever force they deem
:03:34. > :03:37.necessary, but if the riot police, as in the past, move in too hard, it
:03:38. > :03:40.may exacerbate tensions even further and lead to more delays
:03:41. > :03:47.for fans trying to get to World Cup games across Brazil.
:03:48. > :03:49.Sao Paulo's chronic transport problems are notoriously bad
:03:50. > :03:52.at the best of times and if these protests continue
:03:53. > :03:58.the impact for World Cup schedules and fans could be enormous.
:03:59. > :04:01.The protesters? mood is upbeat for now but things could turn ugly
:04:02. > :04:04.if there is no last-minute deal or the Government tries to resolve
:04:05. > :04:23.Here in Rio de Janeiro one of the principal concerns for the parties
:04:24. > :04:33.has been the security situation. There have been attempts at what is
:04:34. > :04:47.called pacification. I went to one of the first places to be pacified.
:04:48. > :04:56.This favela used to be a place where drug dealers openly carried guns.
:04:57. > :05:07.That has changed. There are no streets, just steps. This policeman
:05:08. > :05:15.is now in charge of that favela. He told me of the dramatic difference
:05:16. > :05:23.that the pacification unit had made. When was the last homicide in the
:05:24. > :05:32.favela? For more than five years there has not been a homicide.
:05:33. > :05:37.Pacification is relative. We ran into this police squad, guns drawn,
:05:38. > :05:43.looking tense. One of duty officer told us about an encounter he had
:05:44. > :05:52.had in a nearby favela. How many shots did the drug dealer fire? It
:05:53. > :06:03.was very difficult to count. Lots. Very dangerous. The drug dealers
:06:04. > :06:10.shot from all directions. Before this favela was pacified over three
:06:11. > :06:15.murders per month in the community of just 7000 people. The figures
:06:16. > :06:21.speak for themselves. And the scars of the battles are everywhere. For
:06:22. > :06:29.all the problems and frustrations of daily life this favela is getting
:06:30. > :06:40.ready to party. Yellow, blue and Green paint must surely be in short
:06:41. > :06:44.supply. The World Cup is very important to us. Everybody is
:06:45. > :06:48.excited about the games. Regardless of everything that is happening, the
:06:49. > :06:55.important thing is that we participate and celebrate.
:06:56. > :06:59.Everything is going to be all right. The beautiful game has never been
:07:00. > :07:04.played more beautifully done by Brazilians. These favela children
:07:05. > :07:09.dream that one day it will be them representing the national side. On
:07:10. > :07:19.the question of who will when they speak with one voice. Brazil.
:07:20. > :07:26.Brazil. Brazil. I think we will hear people chanting Brazil quite a lot
:07:27. > :07:30.over the next few weeks. The weight of expectation is high on the
:07:31. > :07:37.national side. Just beyond where we are broadcasting, just down there,
:07:38. > :07:42.that is the supporters all that is still under construction. They will
:07:43. > :07:50.be welcoming tens of thousands of supporters. There will be a huge
:07:51. > :07:54.screen. Their workers are tried to get everything in place for the
:07:55. > :08:00.opening match of which takes place on Thursday, less than three days
:08:01. > :08:04.from now. You really do see that football is
:08:05. > :08:10.in the DNA of Brazil. It is a leveller and an equaliser. It is a
:08:11. > :08:19.country that is not equal in many ways.
:08:20. > :08:25.Yes, a flippant point first. One of the coaches said, if you watch a
:08:26. > :08:28.Brazilian dance their feet move at an incredible pace. That is what
:08:29. > :08:36.these young kids bring to the football. It is dazzling. It is
:08:37. > :08:40.Samba football. But it is a great leveller. It is the source of
:08:41. > :08:47.peoples dreams. The national side, with the exception of one player, is
:08:48. > :08:52.drawn from favelas. It is the kids who kick around on a dirt track
:08:53. > :08:57.outside shantytowns tuning that one day they will be picked up by one of
:08:58. > :09:01.the big teams and then eventually gets picked up by a big European
:09:02. > :09:07.team and then shine on the national stage. Football is something where
:09:08. > :09:12.everyone is equal. Except maybe that in the favelas they are better
:09:13. > :09:18.footballers than they are in the wealthy suburbs.
:09:19. > :09:26.Nice to see you so animated. Clearly a big football supporter yourself.
:09:27. > :09:28.Pakistan's largest airport has reopened
:09:29. > :09:31.after an overnight battle between Taliban gunmen and police that left
:09:32. > :09:35.Witnesses living nearby said it sounded like war had broken
:09:36. > :09:40.On Sunday evening ten attackers stormed Jinnah International
:09:41. > :09:46.They entered an area used mainly for cargo and private flights,
:09:47. > :09:49.hurling grenades, firing automatic weapons and rocket launchers.
:09:50. > :09:50.Pakistan's Taliban has claimed responsibility,
:09:51. > :10:12.Turned into a virtual war zone, Pakistan's biggest airport,
:10:13. > :10:15.in a battle that lasted all night until Government troops finally
:10:16. > :10:22.As the wounded were evacuated, burning cargo buildings lit up
:10:23. > :10:26.the night sky, an eerie site in what is normally
:10:27. > :10:32.Just how heavily armed the ten attackers were is clear
:10:33. > :10:38.Grenades, rocket launchers and suicide belts.
:10:39. > :10:42.Also food and water, suggesting they were planning a siege, or to hijack
:10:43. > :10:52.Pakistan's Government praised its troops for their swift response.
:10:53. > :10:55.Our forces have done a tremendous job.
:10:56. > :11:02.We saw how quickly they controlled the situation.
:11:03. > :11:11.Our army and police tackled the situation nicely and killed all
:11:12. > :11:15.the terrorists involved in the incidents.
:11:16. > :11:18.In claiming responsibility a spokesman for the Pakistan
:11:19. > :11:21.Taliban said the attack was in revenge for the death of this leader
:11:22. > :11:26.But he also warned more attacks were planned.
:11:27. > :11:38.They are not the same as Afghanistan's Taliban, but there
:11:39. > :11:41.are links. The Islamic insurgency is against Pakistan's Government.
:11:42. > :11:45.Recent attempts at peace talks by Pakistan's prime minister caused
:11:46. > :11:49.a split in their ranks and it is possible this attack was to try to
:11:50. > :11:53.It would have caused a lot of material damage
:11:54. > :11:57.if they had hit commercial airliners and it would have provided them with
:11:58. > :11:59.the iconic images that they need in their campaign.
:12:00. > :12:02.The attack was less devastating than it might have been,
:12:03. > :12:09.but it still raises questions about Pakistan's security.
:12:10. > :12:12.In the UK, a political row has broken out over schools in England's
:12:13. > :12:19.England's education watchdog says six schools in Birmingham have been
:12:20. > :12:23.Those schools have now been placed under what's been described
:12:24. > :12:26.as special measures, and the Prime Minister David Cameron
:12:27. > :12:29.is calling for snap inspections of all schools in the country.
:12:30. > :12:33.Birmingham schools have endured months of leaks and rumours
:12:34. > :12:37.Today, a damning verdict for five of them, with Ofsted condemning
:12:38. > :12:41.a culture of fear and intimidation that was quite shocking.
:12:42. > :12:45.Some headteachers, including those with a proud record of raising
:12:46. > :12:49.standards, have been marginalised or forced out of their jobs.
:12:50. > :12:55.This has left a vacuum in which schools previously rated good or
:12:56. > :12:59.outstanding have suffered enormous staff turbulence, a collapse
:13:00. > :13:03.in morale, and a rapid decline in their overall effectiveness.
:13:04. > :13:06.Ofsted said there had been a deliberate attempt to change
:13:07. > :13:09.the ethos of the schools, with the curriculum being narrowed,
:13:10. > :13:14.and an exclusively Muslim culture in non-faith schools.
:13:15. > :13:17.Outside one of them today, Park View, opinions were sharply
:13:18. > :13:25.In 2001, people achieving A* to C was any five to 7%.
:13:26. > :13:29.Now, it's 76%, it is a huge achievement.
:13:30. > :13:33.So, the haters, the people who are against the school, don't want us
:13:34. > :13:36.We do have Islamic assemblies but they just teach lessons like,
:13:37. > :13:38.being nice to one another, being nice to your parents.
:13:39. > :13:45.It's not like we have courses on how to make bombs.
:13:46. > :13:48.You can, you can, but you can't have a girlfriend or boyfriend,
:13:49. > :13:54.And in Islam, you can't have an girlfriend or boyfriend either.
:13:55. > :13:56.Yeah, but it's not an Islamic school.
:13:57. > :14:01.Yeah, it does feel like an Islamic school, but it's not supposed to be.
:14:02. > :14:05.There is something wrong that two years ago, a school that has been
:14:06. > :14:07.rated as outstanding in all the different sections
:14:08. > :14:10.of the report, 18 months later, has been classed as inadequate.
:14:11. > :14:13.There is a failing in the process of Ofsted or,
:14:14. > :14:17.they have come back here with a political agenda to look for certain
:14:18. > :14:18.Earlier, their teachers expressed anger that
:14:19. > :14:22.their school, which was found to be outstanding by inspectors two years
:14:23. > :14:27.Ofsted inspectors came to our schools looking for extremism,
:14:28. > :14:30.looking for segregation, looking proof that our children
:14:31. > :14:34.have religion forced upon them as part of an Islamic plot.
:14:35. > :14:36.Excuse me. The Ofsted reports found absolutely
:14:37. > :14:42.because this is categorically not what is happening in our schools.
:14:43. > :14:45.At this school, Oldknow, Ofsted says a small group
:14:46. > :14:49.of governors has been promoting a narrow faith-based ideology,
:14:50. > :14:56.But the school principal, curently on sick leave,
:14:57. > :14:59.said she had been targeted by a hostile governing body.
:15:00. > :15:02.I'm upset, because I am the principal of Oldview academy and
:15:03. > :15:05.I have been treated in this manner. It's disgraceful.
:15:06. > :15:09.The Education Secretary today said he would take decisive action.
:15:10. > :15:12.Schools that are proven to have failed will be taken over,
:15:13. > :15:18.put under new leadership and taken in a fresh new direction.
:15:19. > :15:20.On today's evidence, schools in Birmingham have been
:15:21. > :15:23.subject to an organised attempt in some cases to entrench
:15:24. > :15:32.But whether or not that amounts to extremism will be hotly debated.
:15:33. > :15:35.Now a look at some of the day's other news.
:15:36. > :15:39.Syria's President, Bashar al-Assad, has announced a general amnesty for
:15:40. > :15:42.prisoners in the country, but it's not clear if opposition activists or
:15:43. > :15:48.The announcement comes just days after Assad won a third term
:15:49. > :15:52.in elections that the opposition and Western nations
:15:53. > :15:58.India's new government has set out its plans for rapid economic reform.
:15:59. > :16:01.President Pranab Mukherjee says the government will provide water,
:16:02. > :16:05.power and a toilet to every home within the next eight years.
:16:06. > :16:11.He's also promised a zero tolerance approach to violence against women.
:16:12. > :16:14.And Egypt's Interior Ministry says seven men have been arrested
:16:15. > :16:18.on suspicion of sexually assaulting women at celebrations for
:16:19. > :16:22.President Abdul Fattah al Sisi's inauguration on Sunday.
:16:23. > :16:25.The arrests come amid growing outrage over a graphic
:16:26. > :16:29.video that shows a woman being sexually assaulted, allegedly during
:16:30. > :16:51.Japan says it intends to resume its international whale hunt. The Prime
:16:52. > :16:55.Minister told a Parliamentary hearing that his government is
:16:56. > :16:59.committed to the eventual resumption of commercial whaling.
:17:00. > :17:03.In just over 100 days, Scotland will decide whether to stay part of the
:17:04. > :17:07.Opinion polls suggest the No campaign is maintaining
:17:08. > :17:11.its lead with 58% of voters wanting to stay in the union.
:17:12. > :17:15.But Scotland's First Minister says the credibility of its Yes
:17:16. > :17:22.For more on this, let's go to the BBC's Rob Watson who
:17:23. > :17:33.First of all, give us a brief assessment of the two campaigns.
:17:34. > :17:41.I think there is no doubt that the yes campaign has been very vibrant,
:17:42. > :17:44.they are after all campaigning for their lifetime ideal. The no
:17:45. > :17:49.campaign, if you like, has been set by some of the problems that you
:17:50. > :17:54.would get from parties that are often at odds with each other, the
:17:55. > :17:57.political party that favour union. Overall it has become rather
:17:58. > :18:01.distilled. We know what the yes campaign stands for, they believe
:18:02. > :18:04.that there is a logical proposition that Scotland would be best
:18:05. > :18:08.governed, purely, from this building behind here in Edinburgh. The no
:18:09. > :18:13.campaign is founded on this fundamental idea that the union has
:18:14. > :18:16.been incredibly successful for 300 years, why would you risk damaging
:18:17. > :18:20.it? You get those in the no camp we
:18:21. > :18:25.say, we might end up sleepwalking into independence because their
:18:26. > :18:28.voters are less inclined to go out and vote in that referendum. The
:18:29. > :18:36.pro-independence voters armour motivated. -- are more motivated. I
:18:37. > :18:40.do not think there is any doubt that there is a lot of gaming and has
:18:41. > :18:44.been going on about how you interpret the polls, harmony people
:18:45. > :18:47.are really undecided to come and what about turnout. The yes campaign
:18:48. > :18:52.is try to put out the line that this will be so momentous that when
:18:53. > :18:55.Scottish people have been given this chance on September 18, they are
:18:56. > :19:00.going to think, I do not want to throw away this industry --
:19:01. > :19:04.opportunity to go independent. I think the no campaign are basing
:19:05. > :19:07.their hopes on this idea that the Scottish people are inherently quite
:19:08. > :19:13.conservative with a small fee, and while they might be tempted into the
:19:14. > :19:17.idea of independence, the majority will say at the last minute, not
:19:18. > :19:23.sure about this, too much uncertainty. How much influence does
:19:24. > :19:27.outside in -- opinion have? For example, President Obama saying last
:19:28. > :19:33.week he thinks the UK would be better off staying united. Well, far
:19:34. > :19:38.be it from me to downplay the influence of President Obama, but I
:19:39. > :19:42.think the sense is here in Scotland that intervention such as that, they
:19:43. > :19:47.very much make a splash on the day that they are made, but I think to
:19:48. > :19:51.try and give some context to those outside of Scotland, the people here
:19:52. > :19:55.have been listening to the arguments for and against since 2011, since
:19:56. > :20:00.the Scottish National party won the parliamentary elections here. So
:20:01. > :20:04.people are really steeped in this stuff. I think interventions from
:20:05. > :20:08.outside the United Kingdom probably don't have much effect. Have some of
:20:09. > :20:12.the interventions from London had an effect, such as the government
:20:13. > :20:16.saying, we are not keen to have you using the pound? There may be other
:20:17. > :20:22.convocations? I suspect they will have. Even amongst voters who do not
:20:23. > :20:30.like that sort of message, it leaves an impression somewhere. Thank you
:20:31. > :20:33.very much indeed. The referendum is 100 days away.
:20:34. > :20:35.The post of President of the European Commission is
:20:36. > :20:38.the most high profile job in the European Union and there is
:20:39. > :20:43.The British Prime Minister David Cameron is in the thick
:20:44. > :20:45.of the behind the scenes negotiations to try to
:20:46. > :20:48.prevent an arch federalist like the front runner Jean-Claude Juncker
:20:49. > :20:52.In the next few hours, Mr Cameron will be meeting
:20:53. > :20:54.his counterparts from Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden in
:20:55. > :20:59.Stockholm to try to influence the race for the Commission President.
:21:00. > :21:01.Joining me from Brussels is the Europe analyst
:21:02. > :21:11.and senior adviser to the European Policy Centre, Jacki Davis.
:21:12. > :21:15.Commission president, not officially on the agenda on these talks, but
:21:16. > :21:20.hard to imagine it is not going to be discussed. Absolutely, as you
:21:21. > :21:23.say, responsibly what they are there to talk about is not the
:21:24. > :21:28.personalities for the next five years, who will run the EU, but the
:21:29. > :21:32.programme. This is a group of economic liberals, they want to
:21:33. > :21:36.focus on the reform agenda for Europe, from measures to boost
:21:37. > :21:39.economic growth, job creation, make Europe more competitive. They are
:21:40. > :21:45.discussing the programme but given the battle royal that is developing
:21:46. > :21:48.over who should be the next commission president, personalities
:21:49. > :21:52.are important. It is an imaginable that they will not discuss this in
:21:53. > :22:01.the margins. And John Claude Junker seems to be the man that the man
:22:02. > :22:04.that a lot of people want to stop, an arch federalist. There have been
:22:05. > :22:08.a lot of fluid allegations about him, it has become quite personal
:22:09. > :22:13.and nasty according to his own aides. Absolutely, it is not just
:22:14. > :22:18.about his views on Europe, there is a sense that he is part of the
:22:19. > :22:22.European old guard. The former Luxembourg Prime Minister, chair of
:22:23. > :22:26.the Euro group, the Eurozone finance ministers. Seen as a traditional
:22:27. > :22:30.European integrationist. There are those like the four who are meeting
:22:31. > :22:34.tonight and tomorrow who really wants to focus on a new agenda and
:22:35. > :22:38.say we need fresh faces and thinking. That is the personality
:22:39. > :22:43.element of it. There is also a process argument. There is a battle
:22:44. > :22:46.between EU leaders, governments, and the newly elected European
:22:47. > :22:49.Parliament. They say Jean-Claude Juncker was the candidate of the
:22:50. > :22:53.biggest group in the Parliament, that emerged with the most votes,
:22:54. > :22:57.and therefore he should get the job. Government leaders are saying,
:22:58. > :23:02.that is not your job. We choose who we would like to run the UV #
:23:03. > :23:07.executive and you get to approve it. This is being played out on so many
:23:08. > :23:13.different levels. Some object to the man, some object to his approach on
:23:14. > :23:16.policies, and many object to the process. Some predicting this
:23:17. > :23:21.argument will be resolved by June but it could run into autumn. Where
:23:22. > :23:24.is the all-powerful Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany on this? She
:23:25. > :23:31.has supported him but it seems a bit tepid now. She has got a nightmare
:23:32. > :23:34.problem. She is not that enthusiastic about him but she went
:23:35. > :23:38.along with the process of him being the candidate of the party that her
:23:39. > :23:42.group belongs to in the European Parliament. She is now being told to
:23:43. > :23:45.honour that and has come under huge pressure in the German media from
:23:46. > :23:51.her coalition partners, and also people saying, do not back David
:23:52. > :23:55.Cameron, he is bullying the rest of Europe in his refusal to accept John
:23:56. > :24:00.called Junker. But she will want consensus, she is caught between a
:24:01. > :24:02.rock and a hard place. One of Britain's best known
:24:03. > :24:05.comedy actors Rik Mayall has He starred in some
:24:06. > :24:10.of the most successful comedy series of the Eighties and Nineties,
:24:11. > :24:13.like The Young Ones and Blackadder. Police and paramedics were called to
:24:14. > :24:15.Rik Mayall's house in South West London at lunchtime
:24:16. > :24:19.but he died at the scene. His death is not thought
:24:20. > :24:21.to be suspicious. Here's our arts correspondent
:24:22. > :24:24.David Sillito. Will you stop making that
:24:25. > :24:28.revolting noise, Vyvyan? You know I'm ill!
:24:29. > :24:31.Stop shouting, Neil! Desperately right on,
:24:32. > :24:33.more than a little tragic. If you want to hear shouting, matey,
:24:34. > :24:37.this is it. Aaargh! Rick in The Young Ones wasn't just
:24:38. > :24:40.a funny character. If you were a student in the 80s,
:24:41. > :24:44.you probably met someone a bit Oh, now, how ruddy considerate,
:24:45. > :24:49.Vyvyan, thank you very much! Alternative comedy had landed
:24:50. > :24:51.on television. Over the next 15 years,
:24:52. > :24:57.Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson took that template...
:24:58. > :24:59.Aargh! And just turned up the volume, with
:25:00. > :25:03.a hyperactive cartoon violence. They had met university
:25:04. > :25:07.in Manchester in the 70s, and became part of the new world
:25:08. > :25:09.of the comedy club. Shut up!
:25:10. > :25:14.But it was his idea for a sitcom about four students
:25:15. > :25:16.that made his name. You haven't got an MP, Rick,
:25:17. > :25:21.you're an anarchist. Oh, well,
:25:22. > :25:24.then I shall write to the lead If you needed comic swagger,
:25:25. > :25:28.he was your man. Hooray!
:25:29. > :25:35.Hooray! Where haven't I been?
:25:36. > :25:39.Woof! But in 1998, Rik Mayall suffered
:25:40. > :25:43.very serious injuries Copy that, Sergeant,
:25:44. > :25:50.I can report the Batnet has just He did, though,
:25:51. > :25:54.return to our screens. Last year, he appeared on Jonathan
:25:55. > :25:57.Creek. David Walliams, Bob Mortimer,
:25:58. > :26:01.Helen Lederer, Eric Idle, have all this afternoon spoken of their
:26:02. > :26:04.sadness, the loss of a great talent, whose place in comedy history will
:26:05. > :26:09.always be that moment back in the early 80s when a Cliff loving
:26:10. > :26:13.anarchist led the charge of a new generation of comedians and a new
:26:14. > :26:17.way of making us laugh. Who's been tampering with
:26:18. > :26:19.my question cards? Three days before the start
:26:20. > :26:31.of football World Cup in Brazil, protests are continuing
:26:32. > :26:34.in the country's largest city, Sao Paulo, despite riot police
:26:35. > :26:37.earlier firing tear gas to force one The demonstration began as a show
:26:38. > :26:41.of support for metro workers, who've been on strike since last
:26:42. > :26:59.Thursday demanding higher pay. Hello. Whilst the sun it has been
:27:00. > :27:04.hot and humid today, others have had some torrential downpours. Through
:27:05. > :27:06.the night we will keep some showers around and still