Brazil: Senate votes to put president Dilma Rousseff on trial

On the eve the Olympic opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro a senate impeachment committee voted on Thursday to put suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on trial in the full chamber for breaking budget laws, opening the way for her to be removed from office.

The 21-member committee voted 14-5 to try Ms Rousseff for allegedly manipulating government accounts to allow more public spending in the run-up to her 2014 re-election.

The senate will vote next Tuesday whether to accept the charges and begin the trial that should reach a verdict at the end of the month.

– (Reuters)