Vote on whether to remove president nears

Senators debated the fate of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff into the wee hours of Wednesday, then planned a short break before casting votes that will decide whether to remove her permanently as leader of Latin America's most populous country.

Many of the 81 senators signed up to speak on Tuesday afternoon on the fifth day of her impeachment trial, prompting Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski to announce that they would go as long as it took for everyone to be heard. He said the trial would resume late on Wednesday morning for the final vote on removing her.

Passionate closing arguments by Rousseff's accusers and speeches by her allies appeared to be doing little to tip the balance in her favor on the eve of the impeachment decision. Suspended by the Senate in May, Rousseff faces permanent removal for breaking fiscal responsibility laws in her managing of the federal budget.