Brazil's 200-Year-Old Museum Hit By Huge Fire

A fire has gutted the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, the oldest scientific institution in the country.

Most of the 20 million items it contained, including the oldest human remains ever found in the Americas, are believed to have been destroyed.

The cause of the blaze is not known. No injuries have been reported.

The museum, located in a building that once served as the residence for the Portuguese royal family, celebrated its 200th anniversary this year.


The fire started on Sunday evening, after the facility had closed for the day.

Aerial images broadcast on Brazilian television showed it spreading throughout the building.

400 Escape Libya Prison Amid Clashes In Tripoli

Some 400 prisoners have escaped from a facility near the Libyan capital Tripoli amid deadly violence between militia groups in the city, police say.

"The detainees were able to force open the doors" in order to leave the Ain Zara prison, the local police said.

They added that guards, fearing for their lives, were unable to prevent the breakout following riots at the jail.

Clashes between militias in the city have led Libya's UN-backed government to declare a state of emergency.

The incident on Sunday took place during armed violence between rival factions around the facility, which houses only male inmates.

Many of the prisoners held at the Ain Zara prison in south-east Tripoli were reportedly supporters of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and had been found guilty of killings during the uprising against his government in 2011.