Briefly

PERU

13 die in nightclub crush after raid

Thirteen people were crushed to death or asphyxiated as partygoers tried to flee a Lima nightclub after it was raided by police for hosting a party in violation of coronavirus restrictions. The public prosecutor's office said on Sunday that 11 of the 13 dead tested positive for COVID-19. Fifteen of the 23 people detained by police who broke up the clandestine event on Saturday night also tested positive, President Martin Vizcarra said. At least six others were injured. The interior ministry said in a statement that police did not use tear gas or firearms in the raid. Vizcarra condemned the club's owners and said similar clandestine events were common, and posed a serious threat to public health.

MALI

Mediators, coup chiefs move closer in talks

Meditators from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, on Saturday night concluded a second round of meetings with members of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, or CNSP, which overthrew Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Tuesday. The head of the ECOWAS delegation, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, told the media that they had "reached a number of agreements, but we have not agreed on all the issues". He noted that this is not the first time the military has intervened in Mali's politics, and that the delegation hopes the country will move on from that past. CNSP spokesperson Ismael Wague said that they had reached "some points of compromises on certain aspects" and the negotiations were due to continue on Monday. According to local media, the nature of the transitional government and the release of the ousted president from detention are key issues.

Xinhua - Agencies