Brazil corruption scandal rocks ruling coalition

Rio de Janeiro - Investigations ordered into dozens of politicians linked to a massive corruption scandal at state oil giant Petrobras is sending shock waves through Brazil's governing coalition and South America's largest economy.

After a day of high suspense, Brazil's Supreme Court on Friday greenlighted investigations into a who's who of the country's politics.

The list encompasses 49 politicians, headed by Senate president Renan Calheiros and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha, both leaders of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB, a key component of President Dilma Rousseff's ruling coalition.