Football mourns as plane crash kills Brazilian players

Yahoo – AFP, Rodrigo Almonacid, November 29, 2016

Rescuers and aviation authorities said the survivors of the LAMIA plane crash were
three players, two crew members and a journalist (AFP Photo/Raul ARBOLEDA)

La Unión (Colombia) (AFP) - The football world was plunged into mourning Tuesday after a plane carrying a Brazilian team crashed in the mountains in Colombia, killing 75 people with six survivors, officials said.

Football legends Pele and Maradona as well as current superstar Lionel Messi led tributes to the players of Chapecoense Real.

Having risen only recently from obscurity, the team was on its way to play in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's second-biggest club tournament when the accident took place.

"The pain is terrible. Just as we had made it, I will not say to the top, but to have national prominence, a tragedy like this happens," club vice-president Ivan Tozzo told Globo SportTV.

"It is very difficult, a very great tragedy."

Colombia's civil aviation authority said in a statement that 75 people were killed in the crash and six survivors were being treated in hospital.

'Electrical failures'

The charter plane of Bolivian company LAMIA, which left from the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz, declared an emergency at around 10:00 pm Monday (0300 GMT Tuesday).

It reported "electrical failures" and crashed a short time later near the city of Medellin, its destination, officials said.

The British Aerospace 146 airliner was first sold as new in 1999 and was used by two other airlines before being eventually acquired by LAMIA, a spokesman for the manufacturer told AFP.

Aircraft tracking website Planespotters said it was sold to LAMIA in 2013.

Specialist sites revealed that the same plane was used two weeks ago to fly the Argentine national team with Messi on board to San Juan, Argentina for a World Cup qualifying match.

Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was sending investigators along with representatives of the plane's manufacturer BAE Systems to Colombia to help with investigations.

Map showing the flightpath of the LAMIA airlines plane that crashed late Monday 

with 81 people on board. (AFP Photo/Vincent LEFAI, Jean Michel CORNU)

'Disastrous scene'

Scores of rescuers picked through the wreckage of the white fuselage which was plastered over a remote hillside in northwestern Colombia.

The plane went down about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Medellin, the country's second largest city, in an area called Cerro Gordo.

Elkin Ospina, the mayor of the town of La Ceja near the crash site, said the mountainous terrain was some 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) above sea level and very difficult to access.

"We found ourselves faced with a disastrous scene. The plane was completely destroyed," fire service captain Elkin Gonzalez told AFP.

In all, there were 72 passengers and nine crew on board, including the team and numerous journalists going to cover the game.

Rescuers and aviation authorities said the survivors were three players, two crew members and a journalist.

"I have just seen the plane and given the state it is in, it is a miracle that six people survived," said the governor of the surrounding Antioquia region, Luis Perez.

The survivors included three players: defenders Helio Neto and Alan Ruschel and another goalkeeper, Jakson Follmann.

The other known survivors were two crew members and a journalist.

The team's goalkeeper Marcos Danilo Padilha, 31, died on the way to hospital, the civil aviation authority said.

His last-minute save in the semi-final had ensured the team made it through to the Copa Sudamericana final.

Brazil's Chapecoense Real players were on the plane and were to have played in

 the Copa Sudamericana finals on Wednesday against Atletico Nacional de Colombia 

(AFP Photo/Nelson Almeida)

Game suspended

The cup final first-leg had been scheduled for Wednesday against Atletico Nacional of Colombia.

In an emotional gesture, Nacional called in a statement for the title to be handed to its Brazilian opponents in tribute.

It asked of CONMEBOL "that the Copa Sudamericana title be handed to Chapecoense Football Association as an honorary trophy for its great loss, and as a posthumous homage to the victims of the fatal accident that has put our sport in mourning."

Regional football confederation CONMEBOL suspended the game. It had yet to announce how the title would be settled.

A source close to CONMEBOL told AFP it was "very unlikely" that the final would ever be played.

Brazil's President Michel Temer declared three days of mourning for the victims.

Dashed dreams

Chapecoense is seen as one of the minnows of Brazilian club football.

It was founded in 1973 in the city of Chapeco in southern Santa Catarina state.

After decades in the lower divisions, Chapecoense returned to Brazil's top flight Serie A in 2014 for the first time since 1979.

The mayor of Chapeco, Luciano Buligon, described the city's despair, in tearful comments to TV Globo.

"We have moved from a dream to a true nightmare," he said.

Related Article:

Bolivia shuts down Colombia crash airline

Brazil's president to block any corruption amnesty

Yahoo – AFP, Eugenia Logiuratto with Sebastian Smith in Rio de Janeiro, November 27, 2016

Brazilian President Michel Temer arrives to offer a press conference at
Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on November 27, 2016 (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

Brasília (AFP) - Brazil's President Michel Temer, together with congressional leaders, vowed on Sunday to block any attempt by legislators to grant themselves a corruption amnesty as he sought to defuse a series of scandals.

 

In a rare weekend news conference, the president sought to reassure Brazilians that he is fighting corruption among the political elite and working to restore an economy that he predicted will see an upturn in the second quarter of 2017.

Temer -- a center-right veteran politician who took power after the bruising impeachment of his leftist predecessor Dilma Rousseff -- has stated his mission is to save Brazil from its worst recession and corruption scandal in decades.

However, the country's would-be savior is now beset by controversy himself just as the Senate prepares to vote Tuesday on a 20-year spending freeze that would be the first of several deep reforms billed as measures to restore the economy's health.

Seated alongside the speakers of the Senate and lower house of Congress, Temer said he would veto any attempt by the legislature to grant itself an amnesty on undeclared campaign donations.

"It would be impossible for the president of the republic to approve something of this nature," he said. "We all agreed there isn't the slightest basis... for going ahead with this proposal."

He was responding to public outrage over an attempt in the lower house on Thursday to vote in a bill apparently including an amnesty for the previous acceptance of undeclared funds -- often suspected to be bribes -- in political campaigns.

Temer, who took office vowing to end the paralysis and infighting of the Rousseff presidency, was also forced to respond to the latest crisis within his own cabinet.

It involves a powerful minister, government secretary Geddel Vieira Lima, who forced to resign on Friday after the former culture minister accused him of pressuring him to intervene in a business deal. The ministerial resignation was the sixth since Temer took over in May.

The former culture minister has claimed that Temer also pressured him over the business deal and that he had secretly recorded the president, according to local media reports.

Temer said he had never misused his influence and blasted the use of secret recordings.

"For a minister to record the president of the republic is extremely serious," Temer said.

Brazilian Lower House's President Rodrigo Maia speaks during a press 

conference held along with Brazilian President Michel Temer (L) and Senate's

 President Renan Calheiros at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on November 27, 

2016 (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

Storm on the horizon

The televised show of unity between Temer and the two congressional leaders suggested the president retains enough political capital for now to proceed with his economic reforms.

He promised recession-weary Brazilians that they would notice positive changes.

"We're not standing still, we're working to build growth, and this will come little by little," he said, predicting "results" in the second quarter.

"We will propose reforms so that Brazil can exit the recession," he added. "We will boost industry, business and agribusiness."

But the 20-year spending ceiling -- to be followed by proposed cuts to social security, pensions and other politically sensitive areas -- is already prompting small but angry street demonstrations.

Meanwhile, Temer and the elite in Brasilia face a potentially devastating new storm on the corruption front.

Numerous members of Congress and political parties have already been linked to the alleged receipt of bribe money and campaign slush funds as part of the giant Petrobras state oil company embezzlement scandal.

That could soon expand with accusations stemming from a mass plea bargain struck with dozens of executives at the construction giant Odebrecht, the company at the core of the Petrobras scheme.

Odebrecht systematically bribed politicians and parties, partly to win inflated contracts with Petrobras.

Now, Brazilian media reports indicate that the executives may name as many as 150 politicians in the plea bargains struck with investigating prosecutors.

Temer said it would be "naive" not to be worried about the coming revelations.

"When you're talking about... 150 people from the political class, of course there's concern, in an institutional sense."

Brazil President Michel Temer (right) speaks to key ally Geddel Vieira Lima

during a cabinet meeting in June 2016 (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

Related Article:

Influence-peddling case fells Brazil president's ally

Castro's Cuba, beacon in Latin America's leftist tide

Yahoo – AFP, Alexandre Grosbois, November 27, 2016

A billboard depicting Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and reading "The
 Revolution Will Go On," is seen in Havana, on November 27, 2016 two days after
his death (AFP Photo/Yamil Lage)

Havana (AFP) - Beyond his native Caribbean island, Fidel Castro's revolutionary fire set alight much of Latin America, helping drive numerous leftist allies to power in a tide that is now turning.

"Cuba was a model, a beacon for the left in Latin America," said Gaspard Estrada, head of the Latin America Observatory at the Sciences Po politics institute in Paris.

Over the decades, Cuba became a mecca for Latin American leftist dissidents. Thousands of men trained at the Punta Cero military camp near Havana and took up arms against the US-backed right-wing regimes that prevailed in the region.

Here are some of Castro's most prominent friends and admirers across the continent over the years.

Venezuela's late socialist leader Hugo Chavez (L) possibly shared the most 

similarities with Fidel Castro's revolutionary fervor (AFP Photo/Pablo Porciuncula)

Chavez

Venezuela's late socialist leader Hugo Chavez possibly came closest to matching Castro's revolutionary fervor and charisma in recent times.

Castro had backed guerrillas in Venezuela in the early 1960s, as in various other countries.

But it was not until 1998 that Chavez was elected, ushering in what he called "21st-century socialism" strongly influenced by the Cuban revolution.

Often appearing in public with his friend Fidel, Chavez became the Latin American left's provocateur-in-chief with respect to the United States.

Chavez died in 2014 and his protege Nicolas Maduro was elected to replace him. Maduro is now facing pressure to quit over a grave economic crisis.

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) became Cuba's second

most prominent ally after Chavez (AFP Photo/Roberto Stuckert Filho)

Lula

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva became Cuba's second most prominent ally after Chavez.

A working class union leader, Lula came to power in 2003 and presided over a boom in Latin America's biggest country, winning international plaudits.

But Brazil plunged into recession in 2015 under Lula's successor Dilma Rousseff. She was impeached this year, when conservatives came to power.

Kirchner

Castro allies dominated politics in Argentina from 2003 under Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina, who succeeded him in 2007.

Reacting after Castro's death, Cristina Kirchner called her friend Castro and Cuba "an example of dignity and sovereignty."

She became one of the most outspoken anti-US figures in the so-called "pink tide" of leftist governments that swept Latin America from the late 1990s.

She left office a year ago, replaced by conservative Mauricio Macri in another shift to the right.

Bolivia's president Evo Morales (L) hailed Fidel Castro as "the master of

revolutionaries" after his death (AFP Photo/Adalberto Roque)

Morales

Bolivia's president Evo Morales is a confessed admirer of Castro, whom he has called "wise grandfather."

A former farmer and unionist, Morales became the first indigenous person to become Bolivia's president in 2006.

He hailed Castro after his death as "the master of revolutionaries."

"He guided us to raise our voices against those who tried to impose policies of domination to rob us of our natural resources," Morales said in a speech.

Morales lost a referendum in February on whether he should be allowed to stand for a fourth term in office.

Ortega

Castro backed the 1979 Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, a staunch ally of its guerrilla leader, Daniel Ortega.

Unlike some leaders in the "pink tide," Ortega is hanging on. He won re-election this month to a third consecutive term. His opponents say the poll was rigged.

Castro also helped the rebel groups that formed the Farabundo Marti front in nearby El Salvador in the 1980s. One of its former commanders, Salvador Sanchez Ceren, is currently president.

Castro "is mourned in Cuba, across Latin America and in other places because of what he symbolized for the independence of his country and national pride, as a fighter for self-determination," said Geoff Thale of the Office on Latin America, a Washington-based NGO.

Related Articles:

World reacts to death of Cuba's Fidel Castro

Kryon Q&A

QUESTION (2005): Dear Kryon: I read in a spiritual article that Fidel Castro's mission is to show how to do things without money, that this is the reason why he and the tropical revolution have been kept alive. Is that true? If not, then why didn’t Cuba change when Eastern Europe changed? Has Fidel Castro been working for the light or is he a part of the old energy?

Answer: This leader is of the old energy, but was needed for the time. The real reason was to bring the Soviet Union close to your shores in order to help with the year 2000 Armageddon scenario that didn’t happen. His earthly masters would have played a very important part in Cuba with the nuclear war you didn’t have.

That’s the whole reason, and now he exists as a relic of what didn’t happen. His society is poor, and the culture is not elevated or pleased with itself. This energy will change soon… sooner than you think. Then you will see a Cuba that has been “hiding” for a very long time, and also realize the unbalance and cultural richness that has been there all along.

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa, Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

"... I want you to watch some countries. I don't have a clock [this statement is Kryon telling us that there is no time frame on his side of the veil, only potentials]. I'll just tell you, it's imminent [in Spirit's timing, this could mean as soon as a decade]. I want you to watch some countries carefully for changes. You're going to be seeing changes that are obvious, and some that are not obvious [covert or assumptive]. But the obvious ones you will see sooner than not - Cuba, Korea [North], Iran, of course, and Venezuela. I want you to watch what happens when they start to realize that they don't have any more allies on Earth! Even their brothers who used to support them in their hatred of some are saying, "Well, perhaps not anymore. It doesn't seem to be supporting us anymore." Watch the synchronicities that are occurring. The leaders who have either died or are going to in the next year or so will take with them the old ways. Watch what happens to those who take their place, and remember these meetings where I described these potentials to you.

The Old Energy is Alive, But Not Happy

I want to tell you something: Old energy dies kicking and screaming. Old energy does not surrender, ever. Old energy simply dies hard and slow. There will be hold-outs for a long time. There will be those who are convinced that the only way to get what they want is to create drama, war, and fear. They continue to want to spring up in places you felt were safe, and to pull you backwards with them. They hate the fact that the earth is going soft on them, and they continue to rattle their sabers, make threats, and make news doing it. They're not the majority, Human Being, but often they are the loudest. When you walk around in perfect health and you are feeling great except for your sore toe, what do you think about? Your SORE TOE! So then you watch your media talk about sore toes for endless hours, and you get depressed. I know you understand the metaphor. ..."

World reacts to death of Cuba's Fidel Castro

Yahoo – AFP, November 26, 2016

Castro's ashes will be buried in the southeastern Cuban city of Santiago on
December 4 after a four-day procession through the country, a statement from the
state executive said (AFP Photo/Adalberto Roque)

Paris (AFP) - The death of Cuba's Fidel Castro prompted reaction across the spectrum Saturday with some world leaders describing him as a friend and ally, while rights groups recalled his repression of basic freedoms.

Here are some responses to the death of the 90-year-old Cold War icon, whose life was defined by his resistance to the capitalist United States.

Barack Obama

"History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," said the US president, who made a landmark visit to Cuba in March after diplomatic ties between the two nations were restored.

Donald Trump

The US president-elect called Castro a "brutal dictator", but made no overt mention of earlier threats to roll back a historic rapprochement.

"Fidel Castro's legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights," Trump said in a statement.

Vladimir Putin

"The name of this distinguished statesman is rightly considered the symbol of an era in modern world history," the Russian president said.

"Fidel Castro was a sincere and reliable friend of Russia."

Xi Jinping

China's president hailed Castro in a message read out on state television. "The Chinese people have lost a good and true comrade," he said.

"Comrade Castro will live forever. "

Nicolas Maduro

The Venezuelan president, Cuba's main ally in the region, said on Twitter: "It is up to us to continue his legacy and carry his flag of independence."

Bashar al-Assad

"The great leader Fidel Castro led his people's and his country's struggle against imperialism and hegemony for decades," said the Syrian president, hailing Castro's "legendary resistance" to the US embargo against Cuba.

Syria has faced a barrage of US and EU sanctions over its brutal civil war.

Pope Francis

The Catholic world leader sent a message saying he was "praying to the Lord that he may rest in peace".

Ban Ki-moon

"Under former president Castro, Cuba made progress in the areas of education, literacy and health," the UN secretary-general told journalists.

Mikhail Gorbachev

"Fidel stood up and strengthened his country during the harshest American blockade, when there was colossal pressure on him and he still took his country out of this blockade to a path of independent development," Interfax news agency quoted the former Soviet leader as saying.

Jacob Zuma

The South African president gave one of the warmest tributes, saying: "President Castro identified with our struggle against apartheid. He inspired the Cuban people to join us in our own struggle.

"As a way of paying homage to the memory of President Castro, the strong bonds of solidarity, cooperation and friendship that exist between South Africa and Cuba must be maintained and nurtured."

Francois Hollande

Castro embodied Cuba's revolution in both its "hopes" and its later "disappointments", the French president said in a statement.

Narendra Modi

India's prime minister sent his "deepest condolences" to Cuba.

"Fidel Castro was one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century. India mourns the loss of a great friend," Modi tweeted.

Mohammad Javad Zarif

Castro was "a unique figure who fought against colonialism and exploitation" and was "a model of the fight for independence by oppressed nations", said Iran's foreign minister, the Fars news agency reported.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Brazil's once hugely popular leftist president Lula mourned Castro's death as equivalent to losing a brother.

"His spirit of combativeness and solidarity nourished dreams of liberty, sovereignty and equality," he said.

Rodrigo Duterte

For the Philippines' president, Castro distinguished himself by "standing up against the West and imperialism".

Communist Vietnam

Vietnam's official Communist news agency hailed Castro as "a great leader" who was "the shining reflection of the independence and revolutionary movements of countries in Latin America and around the world".

Mahmud Abbas

"He was a fierce defender ... of justice in the world," said the Palestinian president.

Diego Maradona

The Argentine football legend lamented Castro's death saying, "I'm terribly sad as he was like a second father."

Amnesty International

The London-based human rights organisation said the state of free expression in Cuba was Castro's "darkest legacy".

"Castro's achievements in improving access to public services for millions of Cubans were tempered by a systemic repression of basic freedoms," Amnesty said.

Updated world reactions to the death of Fidel Castro (AFP Photo/Sophie 

Ramis, Iris Royer de Vericourt, Nicolas Ramallo)

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Kryon Q&A

QUESTION (2005): Dear Kryon: I read in a spiritual article that Fidel Castro's mission is to show how to do things without money, that this is the reason why he and the tropical revolution have been kept alive. Is that true? If not, then why didn’t Cuba change when Eastern Europe changed? Has Fidel Castro been working for the light or is he a part of the old energy?

Answer: This leader is of the old energy, but was needed for the time. The real reason was to bring the Soviet Union close to your shores in order to help with the year 2000 Armageddon scenario that didn’t happen. His earthly masters would have played a very important part in Cuba with the nuclear war you didn’t have.

That’s the whole reason, and now he exists as a relic of what didn’t happen. His society is poor, and the culture is not elevated or pleased with itself. This energy will change soon… sooner than you think. Then you will see a Cuba that has been “hiding” for a very long time, and also realize the unbalance and cultural richness that has been there all along.

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa, Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

"... I want you to watch some countries. I don't have a clock [this statement is Kryon telling us that there is no time frame on his side of the veil, only potentials]. I'll just tell you, it's imminent [in Spirit's timing, this could mean as soon as a decade]. I want you to watch some countries carefully for changes. You're going to be seeing changes that are obvious, and some that are not obvious [covert or assumptive]. But the obvious ones you will see sooner than not - Cuba, Korea [North], Iran, of course, and Venezuela. I want you to watch what happens when they start to realize that they don't have any more allies on Earth! Even their brothers who used to support them in their hatred of some are saying, "Well, perhaps not anymore. It doesn't seem to be supporting us anymore." Watch the synchronicities that are occurring. The leaders who have either died or are going to in the next year or so will take with them the old ways. Watch what happens to those who take their place, and remember these meetings where I described these potentials to you.

The Old Energy is Alive, But Not Happy

I want to tell you something: Old energy dies kicking and screaming. Old energy does not surrender, ever. Old energy simply dies hard and slow. There will be hold-outs for a long time. There will be those who are convinced that the only way to get what they want is to create drama, war, and fear. They continue to want to spring up in places you felt were safe, and to pull you backwards with them. They hate the fact that the earth is going soft on them, and they continue to rattle their sabers, make threats, and make news doing it. They're not the majority, Human Being, but often they are the loudest. When you walk around in perfect health and you are feeling great except for your sore toe, what do you think about? Your SORE TOE! So then you watch your media talk about sore toes for endless hours, and you get depressed. I know you understand the metaphor. ..."

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“ … Spirituality (Religions)

Number one: Spirituality. The systems of spiritual design on your planet are starting to change. This is not telling you that certain ones are going to go away. They're simply going to change. Some of the largest spiritual systems, which you would call organized religion on the planet, are shifting. They're going to shift away from that which is authority on the outside to authority on the inside. It will eventually be a different way of worship, slowly changing the rules while keeping the basic doctrine the same.

The doctrine of the Christ has always been to find the God inside. The teachings were clear. The examples of the miracles were given as an example of what humans could do, not to set a man up for worship as a God. So when that has been absorbed, the teaching of the Christ can remain the teaching of the Christ. It simply changes the interpretation. 

The teachings of the great prophets of the Middle East (all related to each other) are about unity and love. So once the holy words are redefined with new wisdom, the Human changes, not the words of the prophets. In fact, the prophets become even more divinely inspired and their wisdom becomes even more profound.

You're going to lose a pope soon. I have no clock. Soon to us can mean anything to you. The one who replaces him may surprise you, for his particular organization will be in survival mode at that point in time. That is to say that fewer and fewer are interested in starting the priesthood. Fewer and fewer young people are interested in the organization, and the new pope must make changes to keep his church alive. That means that his organization will remain, but with a more modern look at what truly is before all of you in a new energy. It is not the fall of the church. It is instead the recalibration of the divinity inside that would match the worship that goes on. It's a win-win situation. The new pope will have a difficult time, since the old guard will still be there. There could even be an assassination attempt, such is the way the old energy dies hard. That is number one. Watch for it. It's a change in the way spiritual systems work. It's a realignment of spiritual systems that resound to a stronger truth that is Human driven, rather than prophet driven.…”

Influence-peddling case fells Brazil president's ally

Yahoo – AFP, Damian Wroclavsky, Nov 25, 2016

Brazil President Michel Temer (right) speaks to key ally Geddel Vieira Lima
during a cabinet meeting in June 2016 (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

Brasília (AFP) - A prominent Brazilian government minister resigned on Friday in a scandal over alleged influence-peddling reportedly implicating President Michel Temer.

Government secretary Geddel Vieira Lima, 57, is the sixth minister to quit in Latin America's biggest country since Temer took office in May.

A string of scandals has snared numerous top politicians and threatens to engulf the conservative president himself. He has denied wrongdoing.

Brazilian newspapers reported another ex-minister telling police that Temer had pressured him to intervene in a business deal involving Vieira Lima.

Former culture minister Marcelo Calero said Temer and Vieira Lima asked him to approve a building project in the seaside city of Salvador de Bahia, where Vieira Lima has an apartment, Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said.

News website G1 reported that Calero recorded the conversation with Temer.

Temer denied the allegation.

"The president treats all his ministers equally and never induced any of them to take any decision that might go against internal norms or his own convictions," presidential spokesman Alexandre Parola said in a statement.

Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office on charges

of illegally manipulating the government's accounts (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

"That is how he dealt with the culture minister."

Temer's Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said Calero "went too far."

Calero contrived the meeting and recorded it, "which what's more is a crime," Jungmann said in an interview Friday with AFP.

Counter-impeachment

Temer, 76, took over as acting head of state in May before becoming full president in August after his leftist rival Dilma Rousseff was impeached.

Three of his ministers resigned after being named in a major corruption scandal involving the state oil firm Petrobras. Another quit over internal irregularities.

Calero quit last week and Vieira Lima became number six on Friday, resigning in a letter to Temer published in the media.

He was a key driver of Temer's policies, including unpopular austerity measures the government says are needed to fix Brazil's finances.

A key suspect in the Petrobras affair has reportedly made allegations against Temer but the president is not under any formal investigation so far.

Rousseff was impeached over unrelated allegations that she fiddled state accounts while in office.

Her allies have now threatened a motion to try to impeach Temer himself.

Rousseff's leftist Workers' Party said it had demanded to see a full copy of Calero's testimony.

"If it is found that there was a crime by officials, then an impeachment trial should be opened against Temer," said the party's leader in Congress, Afonso Florence.

Brazilian centre-right President Michel Temer was sworn in on

August 31 to serve out the rest of Dilma Roussef's term (AFP Photo)

Spilling the beans

Brazil entered a boom under Rousseff's predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from 2003 to 2010. But it plunged into recession last year.

Jailed construction tycoon Marcelo Odebrecht has reportedly implicated Temer in testimony to investigators over the Petrobras affair.

Now he is reported to be preparing to sign a plea bargain that could spill the beans about numerous politicians.

Congress was accused Thursday of seeking to rush into law an amnesty that would let lawmakers off the hook from the probe.

The Sao Paulo stock exchange dipped in early trading on Friday. It was virtually stable in the early afternoon.

The real currency weakened 0.7 percent against the dollar, recovering a deeper earlier loss.

"It is all a consequence of this political situation. There is seen to be much instability," market analyst Claudio Oliveira said.

"How will investors react if the Brazilian government falls again?"