Rio de Janeiro

Madonna will perform a free mega-concert in May on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach to close out her "Celebration" tour, the singer and organizers announced on March 25.

Calling it her "biggest show yet," a statement on the pop icon's website said the concert is meant as a "thank you to her fans for celebrating more than four decades of her music."

RIO DE JANEIRO - Serbian tennis player Dusan Lajovic is through to the quarter-finals of the Rio de Janeiro ATP tournament after a 6-2, 7-5 victory over compatriot Laslo Djere.

World number 58 Lajovic, who won after an hour and 50 minutes of play, is now 3-2 head-to-head against Djere, who is 35th in the ATP rankings.

Some 200 protesters gathered beneath Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain to protest the ongoing construction of ziplines aimed at boosting tourism, alleging it will cause unacceptable impacts.

Rio de Janeiro state's government has confirmed 94 deaths from floods and mudslides that swept away homes and cars in the city of Petropolis. But even as families prepared to bury their dead, it was unclear Thursday how many bodies remained trapped in the mud.

People heading to the beach in Rio de Janeiro will now be required to reserve a spot on the sand via an app.

The new measures were announced on Monday by the city's mayor as part of social distancing rules put in place to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Forensic investigators and researchers awaited access Sept. 3 to the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, gutted in a fire, to find out how the blaze began and what remains of the 20 million artifacts that made the museum one of the most important in Latin America.

AFP - A massive fire on Sunday ripped through Rio de Janeiro's treasured National Museum, one of Brazil's oldest, in what the nation's president said was a "tragic" loss of knowledge and heritage.

The majestic edifice stood engulfed in flames as plumes of smoke shot into the night sky, while firefighters battled to control the blaze that erupted around 2230 GMT.

A massive fire on Sunday ripped through Rio de Janeiro's treasured National Museum, one of Brazil's oldest, in what the nation's president said was a "tragic" loss of knowledge and heritage.

Eight people were killed during a police operation March 24 in the violent Rio de Janeiro favela of Rocinha, authorities said.

Former football star and Brazilian senator Romario has launched a bid to become governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, putting tackling violence at the forefront of his campaign.