Brazil

The slow, discreet spread of participatory democracy to almost every country in the world should give us hope.

"Since 2010, mile upon mile of rainforest has been replaced with a wide range of commercial developments, including cattle ranching, logging and the palm oil industry."

President Jair Bolsonaro made the homophobic comments on Friday when asked by a journalist from media outlet Globo about the ongoing investigations into his son, Flávio Bolsonaro.

President Donald Trump boasted about his "strong" relationship with scandal-plagued Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Friday, after cancelling plans to reinstate steel tariffs on the country.

"The precious Amazon is teetering on the edge of functional destruction and, with it, so are we," the editors of a leading scientific journal wrote.

Significant fire outbreaks in the Amazon, Australia and the Arctic Circle—among others—made headlines around the world this year.

Dante Mantovani released a video on his YouTube page in which he connected rock music to the "abortion industry," and also referenced "satanism"

Without providing any evidence, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro had claimed DiCaprio had funded non-profit groups that he alleges are responsible for the fires that have ravaged the Amazon rainforest this year.

According to the scientists, there are three main types of fire in the Amazon—all of which are caused my human activities.

Brazil's religious right, bolstered by conservative president Jair Bolsonaro, are pushing cuts to sex education amid skyrocketing rates of HIV and syphilis.

Authorities announced the Thursday arrest of Saifullah Al-Mamun, who they allege smuggled large numbers of people into the U.S. by way of a network operating in Brazil and Latin America.

After a report linking Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro with a high-profile murder in 2018, Bolsonaro threatened not to renew the network's license.

More than 1,250 people have been killed by police this year under the watch of the far-right president, who came to office promising a zero-tolerance approach to crime.

A profile on Maria Firmina dos Reis, a Brazilian abolitionist writer and educator, who campaigned to end slavery.

The oil spill has affected roughly 932 miles of coastline, accounting for approximately 100 beaches and 46 cities.

Fires still blaze across the Amazon rainforest at a rate that continues to surpass the number of fires in 2018. But while August saw a nine-year high in fires, September—a dry month which the number of fires has historically tended to increase— saw a sharp drop. Scientists are not sure why.

There is a clear path forward to saving the Amazon—one that includes governments, companies, civil society, scientists, indigenous people and consumers with the support of the international community.

"The Amazon is a carbon sink, which slows the rate of carbon dioxide build up in the atmosphere, and thus climate warming," said James Randerson from the University of California, Irvine.

After Marcelo Crivela ordered copies of "Avengers: Children's Crusade" banned because of a gay kiss, Brazil's largest newspaper, Folha de S.Paulo, put the smooch on its front page.

Renzo Gracie also attacked Macron's wife, Brigitte, by saying, "the fact that he is sleeping with the dragon does not make him a fire expert."

"Limiting the temperature increase during the 21st century will help to avoid it," an expert told Newsweek.

"These fires are now not just an environmental catastrophe, they're also potentially genocidal," Survival International Director Stephen Corry said in a statement.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took a swipe at Jair Bolsonaro's rhetoric and environmental policies and referred to the president's adviser, Olava de Carvalho.

Experts say the fires are effectively endangering and eliminating the animals of the Amazon.

Onyx Lorenzoni said Macron and other leaders should focus on their own domestic issues rather than involve themselves in the ongoing campaign against the wildfires.

"The US has spent over $100 million on Trump's golf trips," journalist Jordan Uhl tweeted.

The Amazon rainforest is vital in that it not only provides so much oxygen, but that the burning of the forest is also a roadblock in the battle against global warming.

Recently released figures from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research showed an 83 percent increase in fire outbreaks in Brazil in comparison to the same period in 2018.

"I regret that president Macron seeks to take advantage of what is a domestic Brazilian issue and of other Amazonian countries for personal political gain," Bolsonaro tweeted.

"When forest land is cleared by fire for agricultural production, we lose it forever," said Meg Symington of the World Wide Fund for Nature.