Brazil, Libya, Cuba.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jul 23, 2022

Brazil

Residents reacted furiously after police launched a huge raid on Rio de Janeiro’s biggest favela neighbourhood in which at least 18 people were killed. Police surged into the Complexo do Alemao in what they said was an operation to target a criminal gang that had robbed banks and raided neighboring districts. “It’s a massacre inside,” one resident told the Associated Press news agency. In a video posted by a local news organization, residents can be seen calling out for peace and waving white cloths from rooftops and windows. Brazil’s Supreme Court last year drew up guidelines for favela raids, including only using lethal force when all other options have been exhausted.

Libya

Clashes between rival militias in Libya’s capital Tripoli today killed at least 13 people and wounded at least 27. It can be hard to keep up with the many militias battling for power and influence in Libya as two rival governments vie for supremacy. The country has been mired in conflict and chaos since Muammar Gaddafi was killed in 2011.

Cuba

Cuba’s National Assembly today paved the way for an overhaul of family law that would introduce gay marriage and improve rights for women. The Families Code will go to a referendum on September 25th and, despite opposition from church groups, polling of community organizations put support for the measures at 62 percent. The new laws would legalize gay marriage, allow same-sex couples to adopt, and promote equal sharing of domestic chores. Cuba is already one of the leading countries in Latin America for women’s rights. Women make up 60 percent of the professional classes, have free access to abortion, and can take two years maternity leave.