Billionaire property tycoon Donald Trump has announced plans for the largest office complex in Brazil as part of the controversial redevelopment of Rio de Janeiro ahead of the 2016 Olympics.
The 66-year-old entrepreneur announced his first foray into the Brazilian market with plans for five luxury 38-storey office blocks in a run-down former port area on the eastern coast of the city.
<snip>
But the Porto Maravilha makeover, which is backed by the Mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, has been criticised over its displacement of hundreds of families in the city's first favela, which borders the area.
Residents have reportedly returned from work to Morro da Providencia to find their homes marked with spray paint for demolition to allow a cable car to be built over the slum as part of the works. More than 1,000 people are expected to be evicted by the authorities. One resident, Jailce Felix dos Santos, whose house was one of those marked with the initials of the Municipal Housing Secretariat, told IPS news agency last week: "It's depressing. Many people have fallen ill. Arriving home and seeing those letters and knowing that your house is marked for demolition is terrible."