11 die in Venezuela shootout:

Lat/Am

Eleven people died in an exchange of gunfire with soldiers in Venezuela’s southeast, where criminal gangs dispute control of gold mines, the national prosecutor’s office said on Monday.

The gunfight occurred on Sunday in the town of Tumeremo when a patrol following up reports of an “armed organization” in the area were “surprised by a group of unidentified individuals,” the office said in a statement.

“That caused an exchange of gunfire. As a result of the clash, 11 men died and an army officer was wounded,” it said, adding an investigation had been opened into the incident.

The violence followed a similar confrontation on Aug 14 between a suspected gang and a mixed patrol of soldiers and police, in the nearby town of El Callao. Eight people died in that incident. (AFP)

Guatemala police nab 170:

Guatemalan police and prosecutors on Monday arrested at least 170 people suspected of belonging to gang-linked groups that extorted money from shopkeepers and bus companies under threats of violence and murder, officials said.

The swoops took place across the country, including in the capital, under the codename “Operation Shield,” Interior Minister Francisco Rivas told reporters.

Brazilian billionaire flown to jail:

Brazilian meatpacking billionaire Joesley Batista was flown by police Monday to detention in the capital Brasilia in a corruption scandal centered