Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff ordered the Army, which already occupies several of the favelas (shanty towns) in Rio do Janeiro to move in and take responsibility for airports and hotels that will be hosting the 32 national teams competing for the World Cup.
Brazil faced new protests and strikes Friday as bus drivers continued their walkout in Sao Paulo's suburbs and Rio de Janeiro braced for demonstrations 20 days from the World Cup.
Rio de Janeiro bus drivers on Tuesday began a 48-hour strike that left tens of thousands of people without transportation and caused huge problems in Brazil's second-largest city. Participation in the strike was greater than in the 24-hour effort staged last Thursday when on the streets of Rio scarcely a single bus was to be seen.