Brazilians continue protesting despite government changes

Tens of thousands of Brazilians poured into the streets on Wednesday demanding government reforms, according to Reuters, with violent clashes reported near a Confederations Cup football match in the city of Belo Horizonte. 

The Brazilian government has been scrambling to respond to the protests, which began on June 17 over fare increases on public transportation and have since evolved into the largest mass anti-government demonstrations in the nation's history. 

Lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment criticized by the opposition, but given the number of people demonstrating on Wednesday, such measures have clearly not succeeded in appeasing the angered Latin American nation. 

In Belo Horizonte, Reuters said 50,000 people rallied around the stadium in the midst of a semifinal between Brazil and Uruguay. 

Security forces fired teargas and rubber bullets at the crowds to try to prevent them from accessing the arena, the Associated Press reported.

Some protesters are also frustrated with the amount of money Brazil is spending to host the World Cup there next year.

"We don't need the World Cup,'' 19-year-old protester Leonardo Fabri told the AP. "We need education, we need better health services, a more humane police.''

Meanwhile, Reuters said the government is mulling fresh concessions to ease the unrest, focusing on points of popular frustration — such as corruption and basic public services. 

The Senate will reportedly vote on an anti-corruption bill late Wednesday.