BRAZIL: GANG ORDER SHUTS RIO

In a show of strength said to be aimed at securing better living conditions
for its imprisoned leader, Rio de Janeiro's most powerful criminal gang has
forced schools, businesses and public transport throughout the city to shut
down. Followers of Fernandinho Beira-Mar, a drug lord with ties to
Colombian guerrillas who has been indicted in the United States, have
issued such orders before in slum areas they control, but this action,
which was successful despite police efforts to encourage shops to stay
open, also affected exclusive neighborhoods, including Ipanema and Copacabana.