BRAZIL: Federal police raided the homes of suspected smugglers today who authorities say have brought in 2,000 assault rifles from Miami to supply a criminal organisation in Rio de Janeiro.

Police said they carried out 14 search and seizure warrants in Rio de Janeiro. One man was arrested after shooting at an officer when police attempted to enter his home for the search, they said.

Courts also froze 50 million Brazilian reals (£6.8m) in assets belonging to the group under investigation.

NORTH MACEDONIA: Funeral services were held across North Macedonia today for dozens of victims of last weekend’s devastating nightclub fire, as grieving communities gathered for burials.

The March 16 fire claimed 59 lives, mostly young people, including several members of pop band DNA, who were performing when flames engulfed the venue in the eastern town of Kocani. 

CHINA: Beijing demanded protections for Chinese students in the United States today after a congressional panel asked six US universities to hand over detailed information on their Chinese students, citing national security concerns.

A letter sent to the universities, including Stanford and Carnegie Mellon, alleged that the Chinese government was embedding researchers in top US institutions to gain direct access to sensitive technologies.

SLOVAKIA: A fire that hit a poor Roma settlement in eastern Slovakia has killed five people, four of them children, officials said today.

The town hall in Velky Saris said the fire, which broke out shortly before midnight, destroyed eight houses where 30 people lived.

The cause had not been identified as the Star went to press.