Gallery: Feel the beat of Rio

In the background is the Copacabana Beach coastline.

Every Sunday, the Rio city council shuts down the main road next to Copacabana beach so residents can take full advantage of it through cycling, jogging and music performances.

The scramble to finish construction on the eve of the World Cup has created the potential for snags in a system with little margin for error.

Mercury news editor Philani Mazibuko and his wife Zimbili on top of Sugarloaf Mountain, which is accessible via cable car.

Brazil's cramped concrete airports are a dramatic example of the outdated infrastructure that has choked economic growth for the past three years.

Mercury news editor Philani Mazibuko and his wife Zimbili in front of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Cocorvado, Brazil. Thousands of tourists visit the statue every day.

Mercury news editor Philani Mazibuko and his wife Zimbili next to a sand castle at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.