World IN BRIEF : BRAZIL : 277 Slain During Carnival Holiday

At least 277 people were killed in two major Brazilian states during this year’s Carnival holiday, officials and news reports said. The number was higher than the toll during last year’s Carnival, a festival best known for revelry and samba dancing. At least 163 people were slain in metropolitan Sao Paulo and 56 were killed throughout Sao Paulo state during the five-day festival that began Feb. 16, a spokeswoman for the Public Safety Secretariat said. In Rio de Janeiro state, 58 people were killed. A total of 154 slayings occurred during the Carnival holiday last year, the spokeswoman said.