A Brazilian court overruled a judge's order on Thursday cancelling a friendly to be held on Sunday between Brazil and England in Rio's Maracana Stadium, saying safety concerns at the recently renovated facility – built in the 1940s – were unfounded.
Rio de Janeiro’s famed Maracana stadium reopened on Saturday after nearly three years of renovation. The Brazilian sporting venue will play host to the 2014 World Cup final and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Guns and drugs are everyday currency in parts of Rio de Janeiro, which is set to welcome the world for the next World Cup and Summer Olympics. The authorities claim to have made progress in making previous no-go zones into places of relative safety. But the gangs are still in power. France 24's Nicolas Ransom in Brazil, embedded with drug traffickers, reports.
Activists in Brazil protest against forced evictions. Women in Sweden take a stand against cyber bullying. And strangers across the world drawing each other’s Facebook profile pics…
Silver medallists at the London Olympics, the Montenegrin handball team tells us about their European destiny; while in Brussels we look at the stereotypes of Montenegro. Meanwhile, we find out why the EU is asking Podgorica to make more efforts to integrate Roma people. We conclude with a walk in the company of a visual artist, who shows us her Montenegro.
Republican Mitt Romney names Paul Ryan as his running mate in the US presidential contest. It's a choice that's set to please Tea Party voters, as the economy dominates the debate. Next, in Colombia, a children's sticker album has enraged local authorities. Youngsters are indeed being encouraged to collect images of some of the country's most notorious criminals. Finally, it’s time to say “Bye Bye London, Hello Rio de Janeiro”, as the curtain comes down on the 2012 Olympics.
The value of property is rising inexorably in Rio as the Brazilian city prepares to host the 2016 Olympic Games. But some of the city’s poorest residents are paying a heavy price for this enforced metamorphosis.
In the US, we profile a heated competition between two Republican candidates in the race for the White House. Next to Argentina, where a strong performance in a landmark primary leaves Cristina Kirchner flying high. Finally, local authorities are trying to make the favelas of Rio de Janeiro safer ahead of the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), meeting in Copenhagen, has announced that golf and rugby union sevens will be included as sports at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
In this edition: a portrait of president Lula, who helped Brazil become the first South American country chosen to host the Olympics; the bursting of the property bubble in Miami; and the death of legendary folk singer Mercedes Sosa.
