Brazil crisis talks over protests
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff holds an emergency cabinet meeting, a day after more than a million people joined nationwide protests.
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Dilma Rousseff summons Brazil cabinet over protests
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Brazil protests
Brazil's
President Dilma Rousseff has held an emergency cabinet meeting to
discuss the country's most widespread unrest in two decades.
Protests began more than a week ago over transport fare
rises, but they are now also directed at corruption and the cost of next
year's football World Cup.More than a million people are reported to have taken part in demonstrations on Thursday in about 100 cities.
One man died when a car drove through a barricade in Sao Paulo state.
A woman died of a heart attack after collapsing during demonstrations in the northern city of Belem.
Rubber bullets President Rousseff called off a trip to Japan to deal with the crisis.
The emergency meeting in the capital, Brasilia, ended after about two hours with no official statement.
However, correspondents say there is speculation Ms Rousseff will make a national radio address.
Ms Rousseff initially praised the demonstrators, saying she was proud so many people were fighting for a better country.
She has since sought to distance herself from the protests.
On Thursday night, protesters tried to storm the foreign ministry in Brasilia. They were driven back by police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas.
In Rio de Janeiro, at least 29 people were reported injured after clashes between riot police and groups of masked young men trying to approach city hall.
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TV footage showed gangs looting
shops in the city centre - although many shopkeepers and banks had put
up wooden hoardings to protect their premises.
There were also clashes in the north-eastern city of
Salvador; in Porto Alegre, in the south; and in Campinas, north of Sao
Paulo. The protests, originally triggered by an increase in bus fares on 2 June, have since grown into a much wider movement.
Protesters are angry at corruption and poor public services, as well as the huge cost of next year's football World Cup, saying the government should also invest in education and healthcare.
Sao Paulo, Rio, Recife and Joao Pessoa are among the cities to have reversed the fare increases.
However, Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad warned the move was a "big sacrifice", which meant investments would have to be cut.
Some of the protests have targeted the Confederations Cup, the eight-team tournament which is considered a dry run for next year's World Cup.
Demonstrators have expressed their anger at steep ticket prices and the money spent on both tournaments, as well as the 2016 Olympic Games, which Rio de Janeiro is hosting.
Football's world governing body, Fifa, has strongly rejected Brazilian media speculation that the Confederations Cup could be cancelled.
No matches are for scheduled for Friday. Play is due to resume on Saturday with Italy facing Brazil in Salvador and Japan playing Mexico in Belo Horizonte.
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