Sadr Freezes Militia Activities

Radical Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, says he is freezing the activities of his Mehdi Army militia for up to six months in order to re-organize it. He has also called on all its offices to co-operate with the security forces and exercise self-control. Analysts see the move as an attempt by him to regain control over his increasingly divided militia. The order was read out at a news conference in Karbala, where fighting on Tuesday killed more than 50 people. Police blamed the Mehdi Army for the violence, but it denied involvement.

Brazilian Prisoners Die In Blaze

At least 25 prisoners have died in Brazil after fellow inmates set fire to mattresses in a cell, police and local media report. Police said the incident appeared to be a setting of scores between rival gangs in the Ponte Nova jail in the central state of Minas Gerais. Brazil is notorious for its overcrowded prisons and the presence of organized criminal gangs within their walls. There have been several mass prison riots in recent years.