RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil wrapped up its spectacular Carnival parades on Tuesday, winding down colourful festivities that this year were tarnished by controversy over a child samba queen and crime. Rio de Janeiro, the focus of the partying with 730,000 Brazilian and foreign visitors, saw off the last of the processions in its purpose-built Sambodromo stadium throughout the night. The three days of parades in the city attracted Madonna and a clutch of other international celebrities, including Paris Hilton and actors Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler. For most of Brazil, it was another superlative Carnival season with imaginative floats featuring everything from Moses atop a Bible to Batman skiing and a Michael Jackson impersonator accompanied by extraterrestrials. today, organisers are to announce which samba school put on the best parade, an honour here akin to a football team winning a national championship. One of the most talked-about aspects of the Rio shows was the inclusion of the youngest samba queen ever: a sevenyear- old girl who controversially filled the sexually charged role despite protests from child welfare groups. The girl, Julia Lira, broke down in tears and had to be comforted by her father, who headed the Viradouro school she danced for, as her parade started amid a glare of cameras. Wearing a modest outfit unlike the scant bikinis of her adult rivals, she made it to the end, but was mostly hidden from view by a scrum of photographers and cameramen. "She was a bit surprised" by all the attention, her mother, Monica Lira, explained to reporters. Viradouro was generally seen lagging behind other schools that put on a better overall show in terms of floats and execution. Many Brazilians said they were impressed in particular with the Unidos de Tijuca school, which Sunday overnight deployed the Batman on skis, Spider-Man and other superheros as well as the surprisingly convincing Michael Jackson lookalike. The final night saw parades that included sci-fi robots and …quot; in a nod to Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup …quot; a footballthemed number with a dancing player and a samba queen wearing a soccer bra. Officials hoping to show Rio was a safe city for the World Cup, and for the 2016 Olympic Games, were disappointed by a surge in crime during Carnival. The body of a young Brazilian girl aged between eight and 10 was found Sunday, apparently the victim of a rapemurder. The Carnival disguise she had been wearing was half torn off. In a separate incident, an off-duty Brazilian policeman was arrested the same day for shooting dead a fellow offduty officer in a Carnival club party.
