Latin America & Caribbean: Rio de Janeiro Favelas Occupied After Major Operation

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
6 October 2013 Last updated at 19:53 GMT
Rio de Janeiro favelas occupied after major operation

Hundreds of Brazilian security officers, backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters, have occupied 12 shanty towns in Rio de Janeiro. The major operation is part of an ongoing drive by authorities to push drug gangs away from poor areas. Two new police pacification units (UPP) will be set up in Lins de Vasconcellos, home to about 15,000 people. Since 2008, another 34 UPP have been set up across the state but there have also been reports of police brutality. Rio will host the 2016 Olympics and matches of next year's football World Cup. 'Step towards peace' Hundreds of police officers backed by at least two armoured vehicles and three helicopters moved into the slums at dawn on Sunday. The gangs in the area offered no resistance, authorities said. "This is another step towards peace," Rio state governor Sergio Cabral Filho told reporters. He said the government would now invest $225m (140m) in public works to improve the living conditions in the area. At least one man was arrested, and guns and drugs were confiscated, police said. Governor Cabral Filho said the pacification programme would soon be extended to the Mare area - a series of interlinked shanty towns that are home to more than 130,000 people. The occupation of the Mare slums is seen as one of the most challenging by Rio authorities. Earlier this year, police occupied the shanty towns of Complexo do Caju and Barreira do Vasco without trouble. But 10 police officers of a UPP in one of Rio's largest slums, Rocinha, were accused of torturing and killing a resident. Bricklayer Amarildo de Souza disappeared in July and was never seen again. The officers reject the accusations.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to have surgery

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will undergo surgery on Tuesday to treat bleeding on her brain, doctors have said. Ms Fernandez, 60, was earlier ordered to rest for a month after doctors discovered the subdural haematoma. It was diagnosed as she was undergoing tests for another condition on Saturday. This means Ms Fernandez will have to suspend campaigning for congressional elections. The break from campaigning is considered awkward for the president as some opinion polls have suggested the government could lose control of Congress in the poll on 27 October. While her party has done well in the primaries on a nationwide level it has failed to win a key seat in the province of Buenos Aires, where her rival and former cabinet chief Sergio Massa beat Ms Fernandez's candidate. Medical experts say recovering from this type of surgery is a long process, and her lay-off is now likely to be longer than a month. It has not yet been officially announced whether Vice-President Amado Boudou, who is facing a corruption investigation, will be in charge of the country during her leave. Headaches The president's spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, issued a statement on Sunday saying her doctors had carried out a brain scan in August after a previously undisclosed trauma thought to have been caused by a fall. They found nothing untoward, but on Saturday, she went to hospital for checks for an irregular heartbeat and headaches, and a further scan revealed the subdural haematoma bleeding between the brain and the skull. The hospital treating her said on Monday she had experienced a slight loss of muscular strength in her left arm, and recommended surgery to drain the subdural hematoma. President Fernandez was first elected in 2007 and then returned to power by a comfortable majority in 2011. Her health has been followed closely since the sudden death of her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, from a heart attack in 2010. She has been admitted to hospital on a number of occasions while serving as president. She has low blood pressure and had to have a thyroid gland removed in 2012.

Rio de Janeiro favelas occupied after major operation

security officers 12 shanty towns police pacification units (UPP) 2016 Olympics Step towards peace invest $225m arrested pacification programme armoured vehicles helicopters drug gangs poor areas police brutality slums Next year's football World Cup no resistance public works improve living conditions guns and drugs confiscated extended to interlinked shanty towns challenge

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to have surgery

undergo surgery 60 suspend campaigning poll primary elections recovery Amado Boudou Headaches irregular heartbeat slight loss of muscular strength death low blood pressure bleeding rest for a month congressional elections 27 October rival Sergio Massa long process corruption investigation brain scan bleeding between brain and skull left arm former President Nestor Kirchner thyroid gland removed brain subdural haematoma lose control of Congress her party
caused by a fall? drain heart attack 2012

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LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

6 October 2013 Last updated at 19:53 GMT

Rio de Janeiro favelas occupied after major operation