Brazil
Thirty-one inmates killed
Thirty-one inmates were slain Friday in northern Brazil, some with their hearts and intestines ripped out, during a prison killing spree led by the country’s largest gang, authorities said. The bloodshed comes just days after 60 inmates were killed during rioting at two prisons in a neighboring state and it increases fears that violence could spread, including to the streets of major cities, as gangs vie for influence and territory both inside prisons and in slums where trafficking operations are often based. It’s also becoming a flashpoint for the government of President Michel Temer, whose administration is already struggling with an economic crisis and mounting corruption allegations.
Russia
Military presence scaled back
Russia said Friday it is withdrawing its aircraft carrier and other warships from the waters off Syria, following orders from President Vladimir Putin to scale back his forces as he casts himself as a peacemaker for the Middle Eastern country. Russia’s military support changed the course of the 6-year-old civil war in favor of the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, bolstering his forces with long-range missile attacks and precise airstrikes, military advisers and a beefed-up naval base on the Mediterranean coast.
Mexico
Looting, protests turn deadly
The death toll in protests and looting fueled by anger over gasoline price hikes in Mexico rose to six Friday when authorities confirmed that two men died in a confrontation between protesters and police in the central state of Hidalgo. There were four previous deaths in looting-related incidents and over the course of the week, at least 300 stores were looted and more 1,000 people were detained, officials said.
Germany
Police investigate explosives
Police say they have found 220 pounds of explosive material in a home in southwestern Germany and are investigating if two suspects were planning a far-right attack. Police told the dpa news agency Friday an 18-year-old and a 24-year-old were taken into custody on suspicion of breaking German explosives regulations and planning an act of violence. They say both men deny the accusations and said they were trying to make fireworks. The confiscated materials included a mix of fireworks and home-made explosives. They were found in the basement of the 18-year-old’s parent’s home in the town of Lauterecken, about 60 miles southwest of Frankfurt.
Compiled from wire reports
