BRAZIL - The Brazilian government has appointed an army general to oversee security in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in response to growing gang violence.  President Michel Temer compared the violence to "a cancer" and said organised criminals had all but seized control of the state.  Rio's governor issued an appeal for help after the annual carnival celebrations were marred by violence. 

MEXICO - An earthquake of magnitude of 6.1 has struck the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca, triggering Pacific Ring chaos after an aftershock was felt in California - just days after worried Mexico residents were rocked by a powerful 7.2 magnitude quake. The earthquake sent panicked locals into a frenzy, wandering the streets in despair in the early hours of this morning. The magnitude 6.1 quake hit 43km (27 miles) east of Oaxaca at a depth of 10km at 6.56GMT, the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre was close to the city of Pinotepa Nacional, which has a population of 26,000. The earthquake woke residents of Mexico City, with many people running into the streets, according to Reuters.

GERMANY - Germany is “on the verge of political chaos” which could hurt Britain’s Brexit negotiations and future trade deal with the European Union, a top British economist has warned. Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) suffered badly in last September’s election and economist Liam Halligan believes it has “not been good for Brexit”.

GERMANY - The Munich Security Conference is expected to be dominated by US President Donald Trump's ambivalence toward traditional alliances, leaving Europe no choice but to step up its defense initiatives.

GERMANY - If you want to know what’s on the minds of the diplomats, politicians and generals who have assembled this week at the Munich Security Conference, you should pay more attention to bar room conversations than the predictable plenary speeches. Behind the scenes, the hottest topic will be Germany’s government – or the lack of one. With the international order in comparative chaos, German leadership has been absent, due to the political deadlock in Berlin. Calls are now coming from inside and outside the country: Stop the navel gazing and get back to work.

GERMANY - Early plans for a European army failed in the wake of World War II. EU states have since taken numerous small steps to integrate their armed forces, bringing the idea of a Europe-wide military ever closer to reality. EU countries are increasingly recognizing the need to accelerate closer military cooperation within the bloc. This not only applies to smaller nations like the Netherlands, but also to EU heavyweights like France and Germany.

USA - In 3 Years, Cops Have Killed 450% More Citizens Than 4 Decades of Mass Shootings combined. As American citizens call for disarming the public, they conveniently ignore the most deadly group of people who will be the only ones with guns — the government.

USA - The US Army training program will be overhauled with a focus on discipline and physical exercises after multiple complaints about new recruits. The Army will drop hand grenade throwing and land navigation qualifications. The existing Basic Combat Training (BCT) program will be redesigned, Maor General Malcolm Frost, head of the US Army Center of Initial Military Training, told Military.com. The expected overhaul, scheduled to go into effect this summer, is the result of multiple commanders complaining about new soldiers demonstrating undisciplined behavior as well as overall sloppy performance.

USA - Mad about Los Angeles' air quality? Blame common products like hairspray and paint, not just cars. When it comes to air quality, the products you use to smell nice or keep your kitchen clean could do just as much damage as the car you drive. A new study of the air around Los Angeles finds that consumer and industrial products now rival tailpipe emissions as a source of harmful atmospheric pollutants. The findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, reveal a shift in the balance of polluting power in cities — one that may prompt researchers and regulators to step up their focus on a wide range of goods such as hairspray, paint and deodorant. "As we control some of the biggest sources in the past, other sources are emerging in relative importance, such as the use of these everyday chemical products," said study leader Brian McDonald.

USA - The opioid crisis is ravaging the ranks of the tiniest Americans every day. Thousands of babies are born addicted to opioids and are suffering withdrawal after birth, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). By 2014, one infant was born almost every 15 minutes [35,000 per year] with signs of drug withdrawal, according to Dr Stephen Patrick, pediatrician and neonatologist at the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.

MEXICO - The epicentre was close to the Pacific coast in the southern state of Oaxaca and had a depth of 26.7 miles (43 km), according to the US Geological Survey. The area is already reeling from an earthquake that caused widespread damage in September. Oaxaca's civil protection service said no damage had been reported so far.

UK - A minor earthquake with a 4.4 magnitude has affected parts of Wales and England. The quake was felt over all of Wales, most of western England, as far east as London and as far north as the southern edge of the Lake District, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said. The epicentre was approximately 20km north-north-east of Swansea and at a depth of 7.4km, it added. Roger Musson, from the BGS, said it was the largest earthquake in mainland Britain for the last 10 years - since one with a magnitude of 5.2 struck in 2008 in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. “Well this confirms it! 4.4 magnitude earthquake and we felt it during a talk on continental rifting up in Liverpool. What a place to feel it… in a room full of geologists! It’s like being around children at Christmas”.

AUSTRALIA - A red alert has been issued in Australia as Cyclone Kelvin hammers the Western coast with deadly winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour, as emergency services warn people are “in danger”. The alert was issued at 6.44am (local time) and warned people in or near Bidyadanga to Sandfire including Bidyadanga to look for shelter immediately. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said there was a threat to lives and homes, and people were in danger and needed to act immediately. A yellow alert remained in place for people between Broome and Pardoo Roadhouse.

GERMANY - Something strange is happening in the land of boredom. Until last Friday, German politics seemed neat and orderly. The next "grand coalition" (or GroKo) was to be formed - with familiar faces, modest projects, no surprises. The planned third edition of the pact between the conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) under Angela Merkel's chancellorship didn't promise Germany, Europe and the rest of the world much, but at least it seemed to guarantee stability.

ISRAEL - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Israel will not accept any limitation on its activities in Syria and will continue to defend its citizens, ahead of a visit to the Munich Security Conference, which he called “the most important security convention in the world.”