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NEWS ABOUT: Rio de Janeiro

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11 Feared Dead in Rio Buildings Collapse

Two high-rises fall, witnesses suspect gas

(Newser) - At least 11 people are feared dead after the collapse of two high-rise buildings in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Emergency rescue workers were scrambling to dig out any survivors, and managed to free five people. The buildings, one 20 stories tall, crushed a four-story construction site nearby, and buried the... More »

Brazil Raids Rio's Largest Slum

Rocinha slum called vital for World Cup, Olympic security

(Newser) - Upwards of 2,000 members of the Brazilian police and military, backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, swept through Rio's biggest slum before dawn today, in the biggest anti-gang action since last November , reports the AP . But unlike the previous raid, which was precipitated by a rash of gang... More »

Rio de Janeiro Racks Up 60K Unsolved Murders

...and that's just in the last 10 years

(Newser) - Looks like we won't be seeing Law & Order: Rio de Janeiro anytime soon. The Brazilian state has racked up 60,000 murders over the last decade that have gone unsolved and unprosecuted. The number came to light as part of a departmental investigation related to a national plan... More »

2 Detained in Rio School Shooting

Pair sold the gun to the shooter who killed 12 kids

(AP) - Two men have confessed to illegally supplying a gun to the man who entered a Rio de Janeiro school, opened fire and killed at least 12 children before taking his own life, a police official said today. Charleston Souza de Lucena, 38, and Isaias de Souza, 48, said that they... More »

Brazil Gunman Lined Kids Up, Shot Them in Head

Families bury victims of Brazil school shooting

(Newser) - Grieving families today buried the 12 children shot and killed in a Rio de Janeiro elementary school , as horrifying details emerged about their final moments. Most of the victims, between the ages of 12 and 15, were shot in the head at point blank range. The gunman, 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira,... More »

Gunman Kills 12 at Brazil Elementary School

A fire department rep says at least 20 were wounded

(Newser) - Tragedy in Brazil: A former student killed at least 12 people at an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro this morning. Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, 24, brought two loaded 38-caliber revolvers into the school and opened fire before shooting himself, say police. He reportedly left a note outlining his desire... More »

Rio Cops Storm Gang Haven

Crackdown on longtime crime center

(Newser) - Hundreds of Brazilian police stormed a Rio slum today in a war-zone scene aimed at reclaiming longtime gang turf ahead of the city's 2016 Olmpiad, reports the AP. Backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, the police said they quickly overran several hundred gang members and seized huge stashes of guns... More »

Rio Cops Try to Reclaim Gang-Ruled Slums

City begins long cleanup ahead of 2016 Olympics

(Newser) - Now that Brazil has won its bid for the 2016 Olympics, the housecleaning has begun. Police mounted intense raids on shantytowns that have been co-opted as operating bases by gangs. Ten suspected criminals were killed in gunfights with police, the AP reports. The overall plan is to push the gangs... More »

Google Street View Comes to Brazil, Finds Bodies

Company has to take down several images

(Newser) - Google's Street View has come to Brazil, but only a week after its debut in South America, the tech giant has been hit with complaints of grisly images available on the service, the Telegraph reports. It seems the world at large is not quite ready for an unadulterated look at... More »

Brazil Soccer Star's Lover 'Fed to Dogs'

'He was angry she decided to have their baby'

(Newser) - The former lover of a popular Brazilian goalkeeper was "fed to dogs," according to police. The body of Eliza Samudio, 25, hasn't been found, but traces of her blood were discovered in soccer star Bruno Fernandes de Souza's car, say authorities. Samudio was kidnapped from a hotel, beaten,... More »

Priest With 'Erotic Dungeon' Runs From Police

Brazil seeks Polish-born cleric accused of sexually abusing minors

(Newser) - A priest who was allegedly sexually abusing minors in his "erotic dungeon" is wanted by Brazilian police but has gone missing. A 16-year-old boy accused the Polish-born cleric of handcuffing and assaulting him, and an arrest warrant has been issued, CNN reports . The judge in the case says Marcin... More »

200 Buried, Feared Dead in Rio Mudslide

Slide hits shantytown perilously built on top of landfill

(AP) - At least 200 people, buried under the latest landslide to hit a slum in Rio de Janeiro's metropolitan area, are feared dead, authorities said today. If confirmed, the deaths would raise the toll sharply from the 153 people already known to have died this week in slides triggered by record... More »

Scores Killed in Rio Flooding

City on brink of collapse in biggest storm in decade

(Newser) - At least 100 people have been killed in Rio de Janiero state as the most torrential rains in a decade flooded homes and triggered deadly landslides. The government has declared a state of emergency as rescuers dig through mud burying Rio shanty towns in a desperate bid to unearth survivors... More »

Baby Samba Queen Finishes Last

7-year-old's breakdown knocks group down into 2nd division

(Newser) - The Brazilian samba group that sparked intense controversy by choosing a child as its sexy drum corps queen has finished the Rio de Janeiro carnival in last place. After 7-year-old Julia Lira broke down crying in the heat of the spotlight, Viradouro placed so badly in both the drum corps... More »

Carnival Samba Queen, 7, Breaks Down

Rio spotlight too much for youngest drum corps queen

(Newser) - In the end it wasn't the angry child welfare advocates or the family court judge that hampered seven-year-old samba queen Julia Lira from carrying out her controversial role at the Rio de Janeiro carnival: It was Lira herself. Lira broke down in tears just 10 minutes into last night's parade,... More »

Rio Gets Party Started at Dawn

First full day of Carnival is nothing to mess around with

(Newser) - Carnival's biggest bash took to the streets at dawn today, proving that if there is one thing citizens of Rio de Janeiro take seriously, it's partying. Organizers expected up to 1 million people at the Bola Preta street party, or "bloco"—one of Rio's oldest. Dressed in black... More »

Samba Queen, 7, Sparks Uproar

Critics say child shouldn't be used for sex symbol's role

(Newser) - Rio de Janiero's famous carnival has been hit by controversy over plans to give a role usually reserved for a sex symbol to a 7-year-old girl. Julia Lira has been chosen to head the drum corps from the samba school her father owns, but the move has drawn protests from... More »

Millions Without Power in Brazil

Problems at huge hydroelectric dam spread beyond border

(Newser) - Trouble at the world’s largest hydroelectric dam has millions in Brazil without power tonight. Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro—the nation’s largest cities, with combined metropolitan populations well beyond 20 million—are affected, as are many smaller towns. An official at the Itaipu dam tells the BBC... More »

Gangs Down Police Chopper as Rio Burns

But Brazil says it's working on security issues for 2016 Games

(AP) - Brazilian officials are insisting security won't be a problem for its just-won 2016 Olympics despite drug-gang violence that plunged Rio de Janeiro into a day of bloody chaos that saw gangs shoot down a police helicopter, killing two cops and injuring four. The hourslong turf war between rival gangs in... More »

IOC OKs Golf, Rugby for Rio Games

Golfers, ruggers seek Olympic gold in 2016 for first time in 100 years or more

(Newser) - Medals for golf and rugby will be awarded at the 2016 Olympics for the first time in a century or more. The IOC voted today to reinstate the sports for the Rio de Janeiro games and provisionally accepted them for the 2020 Olympiad. Golf has not been played at the... More »

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