INTERNATIONAL

Rights group says Bolsonaro gives ‘green light’ to Amazon illegal loggers

9:15 am September 18, 2019

Sao Paulo: Human Rights Watch has accused Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro of giving a “green light” to illegal loggers to destroy the Amazon and failing to protect those defending the world’s largest rain forest. Bolsonaro, whose anti-environment rhetoric and policies have been widely blamed for a spike in fires and land clearing in the Amazon this […]

Brazil’s burning ban takes effect as Amazon fires rage

11:56 pm August 29, 2019

Porto Velho (Brazil): A 60-day ban on burning in Brazil takes effect Thursday after a global outcry over fires raging in the Amazon and data showing hundreds of new blazes in the rainforest. The decree issued by President Jair Bolsonaro comes after escalating international pressure over the worst fires in the Amazon in years that […]

US ready to fight Amazon fires only in cooperation with Brazil

12:42 pm August 29, 2019

Washington: The US is ready and willing to help Brazil fight forest fires in the Amazon, an aide to President Donald Trump said Wednesday, but only if it involves working with the Brazilian government. On Monday the countries of the G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — pledged 20 […]

Respiratory ailments rise in Brazil as Amazon fires rage

9:04 pm August 28, 2019

Porto Velho, Brazil: Lingering smoke in the Amazon is reportedly causing increased respiratory problems — particularly among children and the elderly — as fires in the region rage. “The kids are affected the most. They’re coughing a lot,” said Elane Diaz, a nurse in the Rondonia state capital of Porto Velho, as she waited for […]

G7 unity under stress as it wrestles with Iran, Amazon fires and trade

3:20 pm August 26, 2019

Biarritz (France): G7 leaders close their summit on Monday with discussion of world problems including the fires ravaging the Amazon rainforest, but overshadowed by President Donald Trump’s trade wars and questions over the group’s unity. The summit in Biarritz, a high-end surfers’ paradise in southwestern France, saw a dramatic shift of focus Saturday when Iranian Foreign Minister […]