- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
Bolsonaro accused of favoring Evangelical ministers
Brazilian opposition lawmakers called Tuesday for an investigation of President Jair Bolsonaro and his education minister over accusations they inappropriately channeled federal funds to the political allies of two influential Evangelical ministers.
The scandal erupted when newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo revealed an audio recording of Education Minister Milton Ribeiro saying he gave priority in deciding school funding requests to municipalities governed by "friends" of the two ministers, at Bolsonaro's request.
"My first priority is to attend to the requests of the municipalities that need it most, and secondly, attend to those who are friends of Pastor Gilmar. That was a special request from the president," Ribeiro said in the recording, according to Folha.
The comment reportedly came at a meeting attended by Evangelical ministers Gilmar Santos and Arilton Moura, who wield outsize influence in the Bolsonaro administration, according to the newspaper.
The scandal triggered calls for Ribeiro -- himself a Presbyterian minister -- to resign, and for investigations of influence peddling in the far-right president's administration.
Ribeiro "has turned the education ministry into a business center for his lowly influence peddling, negotiating favors with public funds in broad daylight," tweeted left-wing Senator Fabiano Contarato, calling for the Supreme Court to order an investigation.
Ribeiro denied influence-peddling, and said in a statement Bolsonaro "did not request preferential treatment for anyone."
Bolsonaro, a conservative Catholic who comes up for reelection in October, won the presidency in 2018 with solid backing from Brazil's powerful Evangelical Christian movement.
P.Queiroz--PC