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Weekly Report - 21 July 2016 (WR-16-28)

BRAZIL: Security steps up a gear as Rio prepares for Games

Soldiers are already on the streets of many neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro, ahead of the final mobilisation of 85,000 security personnel on 24 July to guard the Olympic Games, which begins on 5 August. Local newspapers are dominated by the coverage of the steps being taken to avoid a terrorist attack, including technology that will allow the security services to shut down mobile phone networks in the event of suspicious activity. A new app, Vigia, is being rolled out among volunteers, public transport workers, and tour agents to allow bystanders to report anything out of the ordinary. Earlier this week, a square in Leblon, one of Rio’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, was cordoned off, after an abandoned rucksack was suspected of hiding a bomb. It was a false alarm.

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