Record rains kill 20 in Brazil

Mudslides triggered by torrential rains have killed around twenty people in north-east Brazil.

The downpours, which began on Saturday, have washed away homes, leaving several thousand people without shelter.

The city of Recife, the state capital of Pernambuco, has been the worst hit, with the floods causing numerous avalanches of mud to fall on shanty towns.

At least four people have also died in the neighbouring state of Alagoas, where the governor has asked the army to help rescue people from the floodwaters.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service