'Brazil president cancels Washington trip'

Brasilia, March 30: Brazil's embattled President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled a trip to attend a summit in Washington this week, a state-run news agency has reported.

Rousseff had been due to visit the US on Thursday, March 31 and Friday, April 1 . Her government is in crisis after the main coalition partner went into opposition.

Agencia Brasil yesterday confirmed media reports that the trip has been scrapped. A government source said that given Rousseff's troubles in the capital Brasilia, "she shouldn't go."

Earlier yesterday, the PMDB party quit the governing coalition, leaving Rousseff ever shorter of allies in Congress as she tries to fight off an impeachment process.

IANS