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Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with Brazil Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota about the mass protests taking place in that country over corruption and the rising cost of living.

Brazil has become a global powerhouse when it comes to agriculture. Yet there's friction in the country's rural heartland: Cattle ranchers and soybean producers are facing off with indigenous tribes over who has rights to vast tracts of land.

Thursday was marked by violent demonstrations, vandalism and intense clashes with military police. While the demands of demonstrators were broad, they were united in their rejection of politics as usual.

As the demonstrations swamped São Paolo, the government tried appease the them by in some cities lowering the bus fare that sparked the unrest.

In Rio de Janeiro, more than 100,000 people filled the streets calling on the government to concentrate on them and not on international events.

First came the day trips for foreigner tourists to the shantytowns. Now, young Westerners are living in formerly no-go areas — with yoga classes and sushi restaurants following. Business is booming in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, but some residents complain they're being priced out of the market.

New technology is changing the way cities are run, with cutting-edge urban innovations around the globe. Sprawling, chaotic Rio de Janeiro has built a state-of-the-art operations center as it gears up for two major events.

As humans have cut into Brazil's forests, the toucan population has taken a dive. The trees, in turn, have changed, too: Without large-billed birds to eat fruit with big seeds, only trees with small seeds thrive. Eventually, one scientist says, "the impacts on the forest could be quite dramatic."

Brazil has more household workers per capita than any other country. A new law in the South American nation expanded the rights of domestic workers. But despite the law being on the books now for almost two months, there is still a long way to go in changing the social dynamic in Brazil.

Tributes are appearing online for Richard Swanson, the Seattle man whose plan to dribble a soccer ball all the way to Brazil to raise money for charity ended Tuesday after he was struck and killed by a pickup truck in Oregon.