World IN BRIEF : VENEZUELA : Army Raids Illegal Jungle Gold Mines

Soldiers raided illegal gold mines in the Amazon jungle and arrested more than 300 people, mostly foreigners, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Reinaldo Figueredo said. Most of the illegal miners apprehended were taken to Puerto Ayacucho, a jungle outpost on the Orinoco River, where they are to be tried on charges of damaging the environment, authorities said. Since last year, officials have made more than 1,000 arrests in attempting to staunch an invasion of miners crossing the unmarked jungle border between Brazil and Venezuela.