Brazil floods displace thousands

The Brazilian authorities say almost 380,000 people still cannot return home because of floods that began last month in the Amazon basin.

The bad weather is forecast to persist for another fortnight.

The Brazilian government has released more than $435m (£273m) in aid for victims of the flooding in the north and north-east of the country.

A BBC correspondent says the damage across the region runs into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Forty-five people are said to have died across eight states and many small farmers say the flooding has devastated this year's crops, the BBC's Gary Duffy reports from Sao Paulo.

Nearly 400,000 children are also missing classes either because roads are blocked, classrooms are under water, or schools are being used as shelters to accommodate the homeless, he adds.

The situation is said to be most critical in the state of Amazonas, where a quarter of all pupils are affected.

Despite the government's emergency aid, there are reports from the worst-affected areas that help is not reaching those who need it most.

In the northern town of Trizidela do Vale, food supplies are said to be insufficient to meet demand, despite pleas from local community leaders, our correspondent says.

Experts say global warming may be behind the wild climate swings that have brought periods of unprecedented droughts and flooding to the Amazon in recent years.