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[Translation of an article from Página/12 of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for January 14. See original here.]

By Eric Nepomuceno
In Río de Janeiro

It rains, and it rains hard. In several parts of Minas Gerais, in different regions of the Brazilian southeast and in the mountains neighboring Río, it is only with the help of the gods that one gets through the daily threat of being eliminated because nothing is to be expected from the government.

Exactly one year ago, the summer storms washed away two cities in the neighboring mountainous region – Teresópolis and Nova Friburgo – and caused heavy damage in a third, the most beautiful and important, Petrópolis. The tally of destruction was 918 dead and 215 missing, who surely are dead as well. It was the greatest disaster provoked by climate change ever recorded in Brazil. (more…)

[Abridged translation of an article from Correio da Cidadania of São Paulo for December 17. See original here.]

by Luciana Araujo

At a seminar held December 7 through 9 in a lecture hall at the law school of the University of São Paulo, dozens of human rights organizations denounced the existence of a penal state in Brazil. The close to 450 participants in the event approved a statement of repudiation of police violence against the poor population of Rio de Janeiro and called for the establishment of a people’s tribunal in the Complexo do Alemão [a group of favelas in northern Rio de Janeiro] in January of next year.

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[Translation of an article from Folha.com of Brazil for May 29.]

by Samantha Lima

An accidental stage for Brazil’s recent response to US criticism of approaches to Iran, the Third Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations ended today in Rio , having “re-established the urgent need to face global diversity”

That’s the opinion of the UN representative to the Alliance, Jorge Sampiao, former president of Portugal. He failed to comment, however, on the the differences between Brazil and the United States on the issue. (more…)