Brazilian president undergoes urological surgery

Brazilian President Michel Temer successfully underwent surgery Wednesday to resolve urethral obstruction, the presidency said. The procedure took place hours after his office said Temer, 77, was going to the Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo only for tests. "He underwent a minor surgical procedure which was successful. Recovery time is up to 48 hours," the presidency said in a statement. In October, Temer underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate gland at the same hospital. In November, he had angioplasty in three blocked coronary arteries. The center-right president took over in 2016 after leftist Dilma Rousseff was removed in an impeachment trial for breaking finance laws. Temer himself has been charged with corruption but has enough support in Congress to successfully avoid the case being sent to court. He has been working overtime in recent days on trying to get Congress to approve pension cuts and other unpopular financial reforms aimed at bringing discipline to Brazil's troubled economy by the end of the year. The already uphill task looked as good as over late Wednesday when the government's leader in the Senate said a pension reform vote would have to be put off until February.