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By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on June 28th, 2010
Photo of Jailson Alves da Silva, by Channtal Fleischfresser, Al Jazeera

For the past six days we have been in Alagoas state, in northeast Brazil, reporting on the devastating flooding that has killed over 50 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

Needless to say, there haven’t been many happy stories here.

Given the scenes of absolute destruction, in many ways it's amazing more people didn’t die.

Perhaps it’s a credit to the will and quick action of many of these humble, working class people from the smallest municipalities hit the hardest.

We recently met Jailson Alves da Silva in the town of Santana do Mundaú, a municipality of 12,039 people that was 70 per cent destroyed by the floods.

All public services in the town (mayor's office, health clinic, education office etc, have been wiped out).

Silva saved five people during the flooding.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on June 24th, 2010
Photo by Channtal Fleischfresser/Al Jazeera

Over 40 dead, hundreds still missing, tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes due to some of the worst flooding in over a decade in the northeast of Brazil.

These are just a few of the images and personal snapshots encountered by Al Jazeera during the course of the day in villages hardest hit in Alagoas state.

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Humberto Cristiano lives in Rio Largo, a town that suffered massive destruction, but we found him in the town of União dos Palmares, helping his relatives, whose house was demolished. He said keeping spirits high in such desperate times has been a challenge. "Now is the time to believe in the saying that ‘I am Brazilian, and I never give up',” he told us.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on June 23rd, 2010
AFP photo

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(Photo: Channtal Fleischfresser/Al Jazeera)

We arrived in the state capital of Maceió, in Brazil’s northeast state of Alagoas around 2 am this morning.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on June 17th, 2010
AFP photo

Brazil football fans have a singular focus on the World Cup in South Africa, Sunday’s game against the Ivory Coast, and next Friday’s match against Portugal.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on June 6th, 2010
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AFP)

A new poll was released Sunday in Brazil that shows the race to see who will replace Lula as Brazil’s next president is as close as ever.

The two front runners - Jose Serra, the Sao Paulo governor; and Dilma Rousseff, Lula’s chief of staff - are exactly tied at 37% of the vote, according to the poll conducted by Ibope on behalf of O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper and Rede Globo.

By Marwan Bishara in Imperium on May 17th, 2010
Photo by EPA

In the days ahead, western diplomats will weigh every word in the final Iranian, Brazilian, Turkish communiqué looking for ways to evaluate whether its is sufficient to end or at least freeze efforts to obtain another UN Security Council resolution that hardens sanctions against the Islamic republic.

But I won't do any such analysis of the text, rather I will leave it to those searching for faults that might allow Iran off (or on) the hook.

No such short statement will ever be sufficient to ensure serious long term verification of Iran's compliance..

Neither is it meant as a substitute for the relevant parties getting their hands dirty on the details of any long term arrangements. Nor is it sufficient to defuse the political tensions between the US and Iran. Let alone satisfy Israel.

But it is an excellent declaration of principle.

By Lucia Newman in Americas on May 17th, 2010
Photo by AFP

Whether or not the Iranian uranium swap deal just bartered by Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (with Turkey's co-operation) lays the grandwork for an ultimate solution to the conflict, it is worth noting those who were laughing at President Lula last week are not laughing anymore.

The US state department and others in the G8 and in Brazil, had been ridiculing President Lula for even attempting to mediate in the conflict.

"He's letting Brazil's emerging power status get to his head" and "He thinks he's playing in the majdor leagues!", a top level US state department official recently mocked.

In Brasilia, respected analysts such as Andre Cesar told me that he thought Lula's "inflated ego" was the driving force for his involvement in messy issues like Iran and Palestine, adding that he risked making a fool of himself.

"What makes Lula think that he can succeed where the United States, Russia and France failed?" critics asked.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Middle East on May 16th, 2010
Photo by Ricardo Stuckert/PR

As I type this post it is about 7pm Sunday in Sao Paulo, shortly after 2am Monday in Tehran.

I just spoke on the phone with a source within Brazil's diplomatic delegation currently in Iran who tells me that after 18 hours of negotiations the Brazilians are "very optimistic" and that talks on Sunday went "very well" on a negotiated solution to the Iran nuclear standoff.

The Brazilian member of the diplomatic corps said there was hope that an agreement could be announced as early as Monday morning.

Brazil's foreign minister, Celso Amorim, who is spearheading Brazil's negotiating team, apparently returned to his Tehran hotel room shortly after 11pm.

The news from the Brazilians seems to back up a late Reuters report on Sunday night in which Turkey Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was asked by a reporter whether there would be an agreement and he allegedly said: "Yes, it has been reached after almost 18 hours of negotiations."

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on May 15th, 2010
Photo from EPA

 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is making a visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 15-17 for meetings with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others. The trip comes on the heels of Ahmadinejad’s visit to Brasilia in November of last year.

Lula has been outspoken in his belief that Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear energy, and his desire that the international community avoid new sanctions against Iran. Lula’s trip to Tehran could represent for the international community its last, best shot at a negotiated solution before the UN takes up a vote on new sanctions.

Brazil is taking a leading diplomatic role in a dicey international issue that sits outside its normal sphere of diplomatic influence.

By Gabriel Elizondo in Americas on May 14th, 2010

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His mom and dad know him as Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri. Most everyone else knows him simply as Dunga, the Brazilian national team football coach. Like many other Brazilian's his nickname has just become his name. Call him what you want, but don’t call Dunga a softy. The guy sticks to his convictions.

If you heard the news this week that Ronaldinho Gaucho – two-time FIFA world player of the year – was not invited to play in the 2010 World Cup and you still can’t believe it, you can blame Dunga.

The Brazilian coach had been under enormous pressure for weeks in the run up to the selection of his team for South Africa. There was rampant speculation he was going to do the unthinkable not invite Ronaldindo to the 23 man squad, but few people could really believe it until it actually happened.

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