Police in Brazil fire tear gas at strikers

Brazilian police and striking subway workers clashed in a central commuter station, with union officials threatening to maintain the work stoppage through the World Cup opening match on Thursday.

Authorities are deeply worried about the strike because the subway is the main means of transportation for World Cup fans who will attend the opening match when Brazil takes on Croatia. The stadium is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of central Sao Paulo, where most tourists stay.

Riot police firing tear gas forced about 100 striking workers out of the station as the strike threw Sao Paulo’s normally congested traffic into chaos for a fifth day. About half of the city’s subway stations were operating, but with greatly diminished service.