Drug-related violence leaves 22 dead in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO • Twenty-two people were murdered over the weekend in Natal, a north-east Brazilian city renowned for its fine beaches, in what police said on Monday was drug trade-related violence.

"The murders took place between Saturday and Sunday and could have been connected to a power struggle after the arrest of gang leaders," secretary for security Kalina Leite, for the state of Rio Grande, told Agence France-Presse in a statement.

Last Thursday, 13 people were arrested in a major police swoop against a narcotics and money laundering gang in the Mosquito slum in the north of Natal, police said. An investigation was underway into the latest violence.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Swiss politician wants ban on face veils

ZURICH • A right-wing politician who brought about the demise of minaret construction in Switzerland is now trying to get voters to ban face veils, echoing an earlier move in neighbouring France.

Mr Walter Wobmann and his allies are set to launch their "yes to the veil ban" initiative, a measure they say is to preserve Swiss culture and quell a rising tide of radical Islam.

If they get 100,000 signatures, the measure will come up for a popular referendum under the Swiss system of direct democracy.

"In our culture, you don't cover your face, you show it. That's our culture, that's our society," he said.

REUTERS