Relatives demand answers after Venezuela jail fire kills 68; NEWS BRIEFING; Staff and news services; U.S. ends release of pregnant women in detention policy shift; Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan for the first time since she was shot; Wisconsin Democrats blast GOP effort to leave seats vacant; New adult set for life after buying 1st lottery ticket ; Egyptian media say vote turnout was around 40%

VALENCIA, Venezuela - A fast-moving fire swept through a Venezuelan police station where prisoners were being kept in crowded cells, killing 68 people in one of the worst catastrophes involving the nation's prison system, authorities and relatives said.

Varying versions of what happened inside the police station's crowded jail cells circulated Thursday among relatives and human rights groups on the outside amid frustrating silence from officials, who have yet to provide a full account.

Prosecutor Tarek William Saab said four prosecutors had been named to determine what happened and who is responsible for the tragedy in Valencia, a town in Carabobo state 100 miles west of Caracas, the capital.

Human rights groups criticized Venezuelan authorities for failing to address the rapidly declining conditions in the nation's jails.

As Venezuela plummets into an economic crisis worse than the Great Depression, prisoners in often crowded jails are going hungry and have staged protests in recent months. Inmates also frequently obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards and prison gangs.

The death toll in Wednesday's disaster surpasses nearly every recent mass casualty event at Venezuelan prisons and jails on record. A fire at a prison in the western state of Zulia killed more than 100 inmates in 1994.

One family said they received a call from an incarcerated inmate him shortly before the fire claiming that guards were pouring gasoline in the cellblock, prompting them to rush to the police station detention center.

However, other accounts from survivors and victims' relatives indicated it was inmates who set the blaze in order to escape.

U.S. ends release of pregnant women in detention policy shift

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era policy that ordered immigration officials generally to release pregnant women from federal custody, officials said Thursday.

Immigrant organizations immediately blasted the policy change as an example of human rights abuses under President Donald Trump.

Under the Obama administration, some pregnant women also were subject to mandatory detention if they had committed certain crimes or had arrived illegally and were subject to a fast-paced expulsion process called expedited removal.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the new policy follows Trump's executive order last year that reversed President Barack Obama's orders to mainly detain and deport criminals and those who recently crossed the border.

Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan for the first time since she was shot

ISLAMABAD - Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Thursday said she was excited to be back in Pakistan for the first time since she was shot in 2012 by Taliban militants angered at her championing of education for girls.

Yousafzai, now a 20-year-old university student, said at a ceremony that she will keep campaigning for the education of girls and asked Pakistanis to support better health care and education.

Covering her tear-filled eyes with her hands, Yousafzai said it was hard to wait for more than five years to return home.

Yousafzai has led the Malala Fund, which she said has invested $6 million in schools and to provide books and uniforms for schoolchildren. She became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

Wisconsin Democrats blast GOP effort to leave seats vacant

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Democrats on Wednesday blasted a Republican-backed bill that would ensure that two vacant seats in the Legislature will remain open until next year, calling the proposal a blatant attempt to avoid adding to a string of recent GOP losses.

A Madison judge last week ordered Gov. Scott Walker to call special elections by noon Thursday to replace two Republican state lawmakers who quit in December to join Walker's administration.

Walker has been trying to get around the order. He asked the 2nd District Court of Appeals on Wednesday to consider killing the order and rule immediately that he has until April 6 to call the elections, which would give the Legislature time to pass the bill. The appeals court denied the request Wednesday.

New adult set for life after buying 1st lottery ticket

On Charlie Lagarde's 18th birthday this month, the Canadian teenager out to celebrate her entry into adulthood bought a bottle of sparkling wine and a $4 scratch lottery ticket at a store in Couche-Tard, Quebec - and, just like that, her future was off to a very nice start.

Loto-Quebec officials said in a statement that after buying her first lottery ticket, Lagarde won the grand prize March 14 in the Winner for Life game.

Her first major decision as an adult? The 18-year-old had to decide whether she wanted the $1 million lump sum (U.S. $773,800) or $1,000 per week (U.S. $773.80) for the rest of her life.

Lagarde decided that, based on her age, she would accept the lifetime annuity.

The teen said she intends to invest in her education as well as do some traveling - one of her passions.

Egyptian media say vote turnout was around 40%

CAIRO - The initial results of Egypt's presidential election show a landslide win for President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who faced no serious challenge, and a turnout hovering around 40 percent, pro-government media reported Thursday

Counting began after polls closed late Wednesday, wrapping up three days of voting. Egyptian authorities went to great lengths to bolster turnout in a bid to give the election legitimacy. Official results are expected Monday.

Provincial governors and other officials promised incentives and financial rewards, and in some cases resorted to threats to get people to the polls. The National Elections Authority threatened fines of around $30 for anyone boycotting the election, but similar warnings have been made in the past without being widely enforced.

Pope Francis on Thursday urged priests to be spiritually close to their flocks and not insist only on preaching laws when they sin.

Francis issued the guidance during Holy Thursday Mass, which is meant to show the unity of the Catholic Church during its most solemn, pre-Easter period.

Croatia's government has approved the purchase of 12 used Israeli F-16 fighter aircraft in a package worth $500 million that also includes training of pilots in Israel.

The deal affirmed Thursday is Croatia's largest single military purchase since it split from the Yugoslav federation during the 1991-1995 war.

Caption: Grieving relatives gather Thursday outside a jail in Valencia, Venezuela, where a fast-moving fire the day before in the crowded facility killed 68 people, authorities said.

Ariana Cubillos/AP