Tag: Brazil

Rio’s reporters risk death to reveal criminal ties between police, politicians and mafia

NB: The elephant in the drawing room: the criminalisation of the state, all over the world. DS Why do highly trained police officers embrace a life of crime?… The killing of councillor Marielle Franco has inspired a generation of journalists to probe the city’s dangerous underworld… “There is no separating crime, police and politics.” Tom… Read More Rio’s reporters risk death to reveal criminal ties between police, politicians and mafia

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Amazon deforestation continues to plummet

By TIK ROOT August was another month of relatively good news for the Amazon rainforest: The rate of deforestation has continued to decline significantly. Earlier this week, Marina Silva, Brazil’s environment minister, announced a 66.1 percent decrease in Amazon deforestation compared to last August. That amounted to a loss of about 217 square miles, according to… Read More Amazon deforestation continues to plummet

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Driving out the rainforest invaders: crackdown on illegal mining brings hope after Bolsonaro

 Jonathan Watts in Altamira Like mechanised Valkyries, nine helicopters filled with armed men and women in camouflage uniforms swoop over dense forests and remote rivers – but this is not a scene from Apocalypse Now, it is a Brazilian government mission to forestall catastrophe in the Amazon rainforest. The aircraft from the country’s two main environmental agencies,… Read More Driving out the rainforest invaders: crackdown on illegal mining brings hope after Bolsonaro

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Lula accuses Bolsonaro of genocide against Yanomami in Amazon

Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has accused Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right administration of committing genocide against the Yanomami people of the Amazon, amid public outrage over a humanitarian catastrophe in the country’s largest Indigenous territory. Lula visited the Amazon state of Roraima on Saturday to denounce the plight of the Yanomami, whose supposedly protected… Read More Lula accuses Bolsonaro of genocide against Yanomami in Amazon

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Brazil: A dangerous cocktail of violence and lies

Philipp Lichterbeck Repairing the physical damage following the rampage of the Bolsonarist fanatics will likely cost millions, which will have to come from Brazil’s taxpayers. The harm done to Brazil’s democracy and to the country’s collective psyche, however, is far greater. A fanatical and violent minority went on a rampage in the capital, Brasilia, on camera. While the… Read More Brazil: A dangerous cocktail of violence and lies

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Victory Speech of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party, President-Elect of Brazil

(Translated from Portuguese) “No one is interested in living in a divided country, in a permanent state of war“ “Now, let’s fight for zero deforestation of the Amazon. Brazil and the planet need a living Amazon” “When an Indigenous child is murdered by the greed of the exploiters of the environment, a part of humanity… Read More Victory Speech of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party, President-Elect of Brazil

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Jair Bolsonaro’s assault on the Amazon rainforest

First posted January 2, 2019 NB: Two things arise from these and related developments for us to think about: 1./ The nation-state as an institution is detrimental for the health of the environment. Environment and ecological issues are global, but nationalism makes us think that natural resources like clean air, water and forests are somehow the… Read More Jair Bolsonaro’s assault on the Amazon rainforest

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Brazil’s Indigenous peoples mobilise against encroachment on their lands

Deni Farm, owner Edilson Pereira Duarte”; “Mato Grosso Farm, owner Vanderlei Martins de Oliveira”. These two signs, incorporating the Brazilian flag, are nailed to trees on either side of the road leading to Kapot village, in the Capoto/Jarina Indigenous Land, northern Mato Grosso state. A barrier spans the road leading into Kapot. Drivers must get… Read More Brazil’s Indigenous peoples mobilise against encroachment on their lands

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Large parts of Amazon may never recover, major study says

Andrew Downie Environmental destruction in parts of the Amazon is so complete that swathes of the rainforest have reached tipping point and might never be able to recover, a major study carried out by scientists and Indigenous organisations has found. “The tipping point is not a future scenario but rather a stage already present in… Read More Large parts of Amazon may never recover, major study says

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The great Amazon land grab: how Brazil’s government is turning public land private

Imagine that several state legislators decide that Yellowstone National Park is too big. Also imagine that, working with federal politicians, they change the law to downsize the park by a million acres, which they sell in a private auction. Outrageous? Yes. Unheard of? No. It happens routinely and with increasing frequency in the Brazilian Amazon. The most… Read More The great Amazon land grab: how Brazil’s government is turning public land private

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