Anti-govt protests fail to maintain momentum

Demonstrations held in major cities amid corruption scandal, sputtering economy

Brazilians took to the streets of cities and towns across the country for anti-government protests being watched as a barometer of discontent with President Dilma Rousseff.

Called mostly by activist groups via social media, the demonstrations on Sunday assailed Rousseff, whose standing in the polls has plunged amid a corruption scandal that has embroiled politicians from her Workers' Party as well as a sputtering economy, a weakening currency and rising inflation.