Rio De Janeiro Creates 500-Member Police Battalion For World Cup, Other Large Events

Rio de Janeiro "has created a special police battalion to help control violent demonstrations expected during the upcoming World Cup and other large sporting and cultural events held in the city's public venues," according to the AP. The battalion "will be composed of about 500 specially trained officers recruited from police units statewide." Rio's Maracana stadium will host seven World Cup games including the July 13 final (AP, 1/7). The AP also reported the head of World Cup projects for Brazil's far-western Mato Grosso state "has acknowledged a light rail system in the city of Cuiaba meant to help football fans move around the city during World Cup matches there won't be ready in time for the tournament." Mauricio Guimaraes has said the 13 mile-long train lines "won't be completed until December, more than five months after the end of the World Cup" (AP, 1/7).