SYRIA
Blast at refugee camp kills six
A large explosion rocked a camp for displaced Syrians along the Syrian-Jordanian border Saturday, killing at least six, and wounding many others, opposition activists said. The explosion near the border came despite the fragile Dec. 30 cease-fire, sponsored by Russia and Turkey who back opposite sides of the conflict. Talks between government officials, rebel representatives and attended by Russian, Turkish and U.N. officials are scheduled Monday in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to discuss reinforcing the cease-fire and ensuring humanitarian access.
BRAZIL
Police take control of prison
Military police entered a prison in northeastern Brazil on Saturday, establishing tenuous control after a week of chaos and fighting between rival gangs that left 26 inmates dead. The unrest was the latest in a spate of violence in the country’s penitentiaries, in which at least 126 people have been killed since the beginning of the year. A week after inmates first rioted at Alcacuz prison, riot police and other forces moved into the complex outside the city of Natal on Saturday. A few hours after the operation began, Maj. Eduardo Franco, a military police spokesman, said the complex was again under police control.
ROMANIA
Nightclub fire injures dozens
Fire engulfed a popular nightclub in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, early Saturday, sending 44 people to the hospital, including one who was seriously injured, officials said. The fire erupted in the early hours at the upscale Bamboo nightclub, which was burned to the ground. Most people suffered from smoke inhalation, according to the Romanian capital’s ambulance service, while others were injured as they reportedly leapt from the upper level of the lakeside club to escape the flames. Officials said by Saturday evening only five people were still hospitalized.
PAKISTAN
22 dead in market bombing
A bomb exploded Saturday in a market in a northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killing 22 people and wounding at least 50, officials said. Shahid Khan, an assistant tribal administrator, said the explosion took place when the market was crowded with retailers buying fruits and vegetables from a wholesale shop. He said the attack was being investigated. Lashker-e-Jhangvi, a banned sectarian militant group that has attacked minority Shiite Muslims in the past, claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Compiled from wire reports