Brazil lawmakers authorize Rousseff impeachment trial

Brasília (AFP) - Brazilian lawmakers authorized impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff in a rowdy, circus-like showdown that plunged Latin America's biggest country into profound political crisis and sparked claims that democracy was under threat. Opposition deputies in the lower house of Congress needed 342 of the 513 votes, or a two thirds majority, to send Rousseff to the Senate, which will now decide whether to open a trial. Wild cheering and a burst of confetti erup