'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Showered in confetti and flanked by sequined samba queens, Rio's mayor symbolically relinquished control of the city to its rotund Carnival king on Friday to kick off the five-day festivities, a time of joyous excess when the streets fill with roving percussion bands and throngs of dancing, drinking revelers.
Enormous buildings suddenly collapse in this Olympic city's center, killing 17.
"I am giving over a city at the height of its rebirth," said Mayor Eduardo Paes, handing the key to the city to Milton Junior, who is serving this year as King Momo, the mythical jester who reigns over the extravaganza.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes argues that last month's unexplained building collapse and other infrastructure woes are not directly related to preparations for the World Cup or the Olympics because none of the accidents occurred at the sites planned for either event.
