Rio carnival parade honours President Lula, sparks criticism

A colossal metallic robot depicting Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva towered over Rio de Janeiro's famed Sambadrome avenue on Sunday night, in a Carnival parade that has drawn fire for its tribute to a sitting president in an election year. Samba school Academicos de Niteroi kicked off three days of dazzling parades with the homage to Lula, tracing his life as a boy growing up in poverty in the arid northeast, to a metalworker, union leader and then president. The opposition has slammed the parade as veiled early campaigning ahead of October polls in which the 80-year-old Lula is seeking a fourth term.