Archive

Rio Wakes Up to Violence

Olympic City

After celebration, Brazil confronts danger and fear.

Two weeks after being named host of the 2016 Olympics, Rio de Janeiro is confronting an outburst in violence. This weekend, police say drug traffickers wielding a large-caliber weapon shot down a police helicopter, a mere mile from the stadium where opening ceremonies for the games will be held. The violence comes at completely the wrong time for Brazilian leaders, as they tour the world looking for investors and the spotlight shines brightly on their troubled city. “We never hid our problems during the candidacy process,” Rio’s mayor said. “We always said to people that we were still facing problems."

Read it at The New York Times

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.