Sao Paulo - Off-form Brazilian superstar Ronaldo is set to play football again in 2009, with the Brazilian club Corinthians, his agent confirmed Tuesday.

"There is a verbal agreement which will, within the next two days, be reflected in a contract so that Ronaldo's presence can be confirmed as soon as possible. Corinthians is led by very serious, determined people, and we are very happy about that," agent Fernando Farah told the website GloboEsporte.

Sao Paulo/Bras

Florianopolis, Brazil  - The death toll from heavy rains in southern Brazil reached 112 by the end of the week, as fears grew of possible health epidemics among more than 1 million people affected by the storms.

The epidemiology division of Santa Catarina province said it was monitoring at least 10 suspected cases of leptosirosis, a bacterial disease transmitted from rodents via unclean drinking water or pets. It said other illnesses such as hepatitis and tetanus are also common during flooding crises.

Provincial authorities said an estimated 80,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to flooding. Weather reports showed the rains would likely continue with the arrival of a new cold front into the area.

Rio de Janeiro  - At least 110 people have died in flooding and subsequent landslides in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, the state news agency said Saturday.

An estimated 80,000 have been evacuated from the area, in one of the worst weather-related catastrophes to hit the South American country in decades.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who freed up more than 850 million dollars for reconstruction and support for the victims, said the disaster was the worst he had ever seen in the country, as he flew by helicopter over the towns that were devastated, state-run Agencia Brasil reported.

Rio de Janeiro  - The rains that devastated 30 towns in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina could be an early consequence of global warming, a climatologist from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said Friday.

At least 99 people died and 80,000 had to be evacuated because of the rains and subsequent flooding. Santa Catarina was hit by a hurricane in 2004 and is frequently affected by tornadoes.

Climatologist Carlos Nobre told Globo TV that heavy, persistent rains in southern Brazil usually coincide with the climate phenomenon known as El Nino, which warms up the Pacific Ocean. However, this was not the case this year.

Rio de Janeiro  - On the Avenida Atlantica, the magnificent avenue on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, minors offer sex for just a few dollars.

Participants at the third World Congress Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children (ECPAT), which ended Friday in the Brazilian city, could witness the extent of the problem almost first-hand.

Near Rio's poshest hotels, girls and boys seek out clients even in the presence of police. "Poverty feeds the sexual exploitation of children," said federal police superintendent Ismar Ferreira.