SPOTLIGHT: D-DAY FOR DILMA'S IMPEACHMENT
After weeks, months even, of political chaos, the Brazilian Senate will vote to impeach President Dilma Rousseff later today. That is the scenario Brazil's top media outlets are predicting, barring any last-minute twists. Of course in the mess that has become the impeachment process and criss-crossing corruption probes that have affected virtually the entire political class, twists can never be ruled out. In a desperate attempt to survive what she repeatedly described as a "coup d'Etat," Rousseff and Brazil's Attorney General has asked the Supreme Court to halt the impeachment process.
The latest reports from Folha de S. Paulo and other media outlets suggest that at least 50 out of 81 Senators will vote to impeach Dilma, nine more than the required majority, with 10 still undecided. In all likelihood, the Brazilian president will be suspended for a maximum period of 180 days, during which she will be tried for allegedly manipulating budget figures to boost her chances of being reelected in October 2014. At the end of the trial, a new vote will be held and Rousseff will be irrevocably impeached if more than two-thirds of Senators decide so.
In the meantime, her vice-president and rival Michel Temer will take over. Temer, whose name translates as "to dread," has already prepared a drastically slimmed down and pro-business government in a bid to halt a devastating economic crisis that has sent unemployment and inflation soaring, even as Rio de Janeiro prepares to host this summer's Olympic Games.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR TODAY
- World Economic Forum on Africa kicks off in Rwanda
- Cannes Festival opens
CAR BOMB IN BAGHDAD SHIA NEIGHBORHOOD
At least 50 people were killed this morning in Baghdad after a car bomb exploded in a predominantly Shia neighborhood of the Iraqi capital, Reuters reports. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.
OBAMA TO VISIT HIROSHIMA
Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. President to visit Hiroshima on May 27 as part of a weeklong Asian trip from May 21, The New York Times reports. The White House insisted Obama wouldn't apologize for the two nuclear bombs dropped in August 1945 on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the president is expected to use this historical visit to defend the vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
— ON THIS DAY
Find out why May 11 is a special day for Salvador Dali, the Monty Python and the Knights Templar in your 57-second shot of history.
SANDERS, TRUMP WIN WEST VIRGINIA
Bernie Sanders easily captured the West Virginia primary yesterday in what The Washington Post sees as "the first of a string of potentially strong showings this month" that could delay, though not prevent, Hillary Clinton's eventual nomination. The Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump meanwhile had comfortable victories in West Virginia and Nebraska.
— WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
Analyzing the rise of protectionism in America, Les Echos' geopolitical expert Dominique Moïsi explains why a large part of the world's most powerful country is turning against 70 years of foreign policy. "What's new, even revolutionary, in the 2016 election is that a character so profoundly anachronistic in terms of strategic thinking could become the GOP's candidate, despite or perhaps thanks to the outrageousness of his remarks.
The underlying reason for this evolution is connected to America's relationship to globalization. As the 20th century came to a close, we used to say that the U.S. was the great beneficiary of a globalized world. And objectively speaking, this was true. But a significant number of American citizens no longer agree, even viewing themselves as victims of globalization. In rallying behind Trump's isolationist and protectionist stance, they aim to protect themselves from a process they can longer seem to control."
Read the full article: Why Trump's America Rejects Globalization
VERBATIM
"During a trip to Davos in January 2015, amid about 20 people, I made a comment to a journalist about her clothing and put my hand on her back," France's Finance Minister Michel Sapin told Reuters, two days after the vice-president of the lower house of parliament was forced to resign amid accusations of multiple sexual harassment. Sapin had previously denied the claims, published in a recent book, that he had "twanged the panties" of a journalist in Davos and this time stopped short of confirming them. "There was no aggressive or sexual intent in my conduct but the mere fact that the person was shocked shows that those words and this gesture were inappropriate, and I was, and still am, sorry," he said.
PHILIPPINES' DUTERTE WEEPS
The Philippines' likely next president Rodrigo Duterte has been compared to Donald Trump. But after his apparent victory this week, he paid a visit his parents' tomb in his hometown of Davao, in a public scene that was not very Trumpesque. See our Extra! feature.
11
Rising sea levels have swallowed five of the Solomon Islands and at least six more are headed for a similar fate, according to an alarming new study.
— MORE STORIES, EXCLUSIVELY IN ENGLISH BY WORLDCRUNCH
- An End To Ideology? The Hidden Rise Of Political Pragmatism — Clarín
- New "Profiling" Software Aims To Detect Extremism In Youth — LeTemps
- The Real-Life Health Benefits Of Studying A Year Abroad — Die Welt
THE QUEEN'S GAFFE
Queen Elizabeth II thought that Chinese officials "were very rude to the ambassador" during Xi Jinping's state visit last year and she was caught saying so on camera. In keeping with traditions, the Chinese censored the BBC mid-report.
