IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Guatemala

Prison clash leaves one dead

One prisoner died and five were injured in a clash involving some 50 inmates in Guatemala, state prison authorities said. Special forces of the Pavon Prison, located just outside the country's capital, intervened to regain control of the institution that houses some 4,000 inmates, prison system spokesman Rudy Esquivel told journalists. He said the cause of the clash was under investigation, adding that victims showed signs of blows and wounds "presumably" caused by knives.

Mauritania

Nation awaits result of vote

Counting began on Saturday in Mauritania after a referendum on constitutional changes sought by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who derided the efforts of a boycott movement that has galvanised mass protests during the campaign. Aziz is pushing to abolish the country's Senate and several other state bodies and to make a small alteration to the national flag, measures that have galvanized boycotters hoping to sap the vote's credibility by forcing a low turnout.

Italy

Tourist bus runs off the road

Italian media reports say a bus with tourists from the Czech Republic ran off a road in northern Italy, killing the driver and injuring 18 passengers. La Repubblica daily's website reported that the driver was also from the Czech Republic. The ANSA news agency said that the bus was traveling between towns in the Alta Non valley near the city of Trento when it veered off the road on a curve and ended on its side in a grassy field. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Mali

UN finds mass graves in north

The United Nations' peacekeeping mission has uncovered mass graves in a region of northern Mali beset by conflict between rival groups, the mission said on Saturday. Fighting between Tuareg groups has intensified in recent weeks in the north, threatening to derail a 2015 peace agreement. The UN mission, known as MINUSMA, has investigated reports of human rights abuses, including in the village of Anefis, about 100 kilometers southwest from the town of Kidal.

Mexico

Court forbids US potato imports

A Mexican federal court has made an unusual ruling that bans imports of US potatoes on the grounds the imports violate Mexicans' right to food sovereignty and a healthy environment. A group of Mexican potato growers had sought a constitutional injunction on the imports, claiming they threaten to spread agricultural diseases. The court said Mexican agricultural authorities had failed to use methods like radiation treatment of imports to prevent diseases.

(China Daily 08/07/2017 page12)