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BBC news 2012-08-03

BBC News with Julie Candler

The international envoy to Syria Kofi Annan is to quit his role as mediator on behalf of the United Nations and the Arab League at the end of the month. Mr Annan said the increasing militarization in Syria and a clear lack of unity at the UN Security Council fundamentally changed the effectiveness of the role he'd undertaken. Imogen Foulkes reports.

When Kofi Annan was first appointed, many within the United Nations and the Arab League were optimistic that he was the man to bring peace to Syria. Mr Annan enjoys a great deal of trust – not only in Washington and Moscow, but crucially in the Middle East itself. But as the weeks and months moved on, and not one of the six points on his plan were implemented, Mr Annan grew frustrated. In his resignation speech, he made it clear he felt the trust in him had never led to a genuine commitment to peace.

The United States said Mr Annan's mission could never have succeeded as long as the Assad government continuously broke pledges to implement his peace plan. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said that by a blocking action at the Security Council, Russia and China had made his mission impossible. The Russian President Vladimir Putin said he regretted Mr Annan's resignation and called him a brilliant diplomat.

US media says President Obama authorized covert to American support for Syrian opposition forces earlier this year. It's been rumored for some time that the CIA has been assisting Syrian rebels from Turkey. Kim Ghattas has more.

Reports have now emerged that President Obama has signed an executive order some time this year, authorizing covert support to help the rebels oust Mr Assad. The details of that support are unknown, but it could include training, communication equipment and intelligence sharing. The American president has been for months resisting being dragged into another war in the Middle East, but while the United States insists it still wants a political transition in Syria, events on the ground are now forcing the US to take in more hands-on approach to conflict in an effort to shape the outcome.

A landmark trial has begun in Brazil with dozens of former officials from the governing Workers' Party facing corruption charges. The case, which dates back to 2005, rocked the government of the then-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Paulo Cabral reports.

This case centers on claims that the governing Workers' Party was paying a monthly allowance of tens of thousands of dollars to members of parliament in exchange for political support. The then-President Lula da Silva avoided an impeachment hearing because there was no evidence of his direct involvement. But the case, which took years to get to the court, is critical for the Workers' Party which is still in power and for Mr da Silva who remains a key figure in Brazilian politics.

World News from the BBC

European markets have fallen after the head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi said the bank would come up with ways to help struggling eurozone countries, but not immediately. The Spanish and Italian stock markets closed nearly 5% down while both countries' borrowing costs rose sharply. Many analysts have been hoping for actions straight away from the ECB.

The Colombian government says it will appeal against a court decision which ruled against the Navy in a land dispute. The constitutional court ordered that the Navy dismantle a training base because it was built on land belonging to indigenous tribes in central Guaviare province.

A woman from northern France who confessed to killing eight of her newborn babies has been released from custody. Dominique Cottrez has been in detention since July 2010 soon after the discovery of the infants. She's told prosecutors she'd been raped by her father and killed the babies for fear that they were his. Her husband said he knew nothing of the births. Christian Fraser has more.

It is possibly the most shocking case of infanticide ever discovered in France. Dominique Cottrez, a loving mother of two grown children, had suffocated eight of her own newborn babies – the first in 1989, the last in 2006. Two baby skeletons were found at a house which had belonged to her parents in 2010; the remains of other six were found at her current home inside plastic bags which she placed in a fuel-storage tank. The probation order requires her to continue with the psychological and psychiatric care she's been receiving in custody.

The American swimmer Michael Phelps, who already holds the record for the highest number of Olympic medals, has added a 20th to his collection – his first individual gold of the London Games. In winning the 200m individual medley, he became the first man to win the same swimming event at three successive Olympics. Britain successfully defended the team's sprint title its cyclists won in Beijing.

BBC News

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