Dozens die in Brazil prison riot
RIO DE JANEIRO — At least 57 prisoners were killed by other inmates during clashes between organized crime groups Monday in the Altamira prison in northern Brazil, with 16 of the victims being decapitated, according to prison officials.
Para state prison authorities said a fight erupted about 7 a. m., between the Rio de Janeiro- based Comando Vermelho and a local criminal group known as Comando Classe A.
“Leaders of the ( Comando Classe A) set fire to a cell belonging to one of the prison’s pavilions, where members of the ( Comando Vermelho) were located,” a statement read.
State prisons chief Jarbas Vasconcelos said the fire spread rapidly, with inmates held in old container units that had been adapted for the prison while another building is under construction, and prevented police forces from entering the building for several hours.
Johnson pressures EU
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday pushed Britain closer to a no- deal exit from the European Union, insisting he will not hold Brexit talks with EU leaders unless the bloc lifts its refusal to reopen the existing divorce deal.
Mr. Johnson is trying to pressure the EU to give ground by intensifying preparations for the U. K. to leave in three months without a withdrawal agreement. But the pound fell to a two- year low as business groups warned that neither Britain nor the EU is ready for a nodeal Brexit and that no amount of preparation can eliminate the economic damage if Britain crashes out of the 28- nation trading bloc.
Mr. Johnson has promised the pro- Brexit Conservative Party that the U. K. will leave the EU on Oct. 31, with or without a deal.
U. S.- China trade talks
Trade talks between the United States and China resumed Monday with prospects dimming for a transformative deal, as both sides appeared more focused on preventing tensions from escalating before the 2020 presidential election than on making concessions.
Negotiators from both countries are continuing to press for an agreement, but months of meetings have failed to yield consensus on the toughest issues. There is little to suggest that a compromise is within reach. Instead, the U. S. and China appear to be trying to find a path to keep the talks moving forward and to avoid a breakdown that could rattle stock markets and hurt President Donald Trump’s re- election chances.
Mr. Trump and his advisers are playing down the likelihood of reaching an agreement in the short term, and the president suggested Friday that China was trying to drag out the negotiations in the hope that someone else might occupy the Oval Office come January 2021.
Putin foe back in jail
MOSCOW — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was moved back to jail from a hospital Monday even though his physician raised suspicions of a possible poisoning after he suffered facial swelling and a rash while in custody.
Details about Mr. Navalny’s condition were scarce after he was rushed to a hospital Sunday with what authorities said was a suspected allergy attack inside a detention facility where he was serving a 30- day sentence for calling an unsanctioned protest. The political foe of President Vladimir Putin was arrested several days before a rally Saturday that ended with nearly 1,400 people detained.
Tensions are running high in Moscow — dozens of protesters remain in custody, and the opposition called for a new rally Aug. 3.