Pope says Brazil has no salvation

the religious of the diocese of Campina Grande (PB) met Pope Francis and asked the Brazilians for a blessing. In a relaxed manner, the pontiff smiled and fired: “You have no salvation. You drink a lot of cachaça and pray little”.

Right-Wing Brazilians Are Up in Arms Over This ‘Obscene’ Sculpture

The sculptor, Juliana Notari wrote that the artwork, titled Diva, “questions the relationship between nature and culture in our western phallocentric and anthropocentric society,” and invites discussion about the “problematization of gender.”

Brazil's Amazon: Deforestation 'surges to 12-year high'

The rainforest lost 11,088km2 of its vegetation between August 2019 and July 2020, marking an increase of 9.5% from previous 12 months, Inpe's data shows.

Four girls are raped every hour in Brazil

In Brazil, four girls under 13 are raped every hour and every two minutes police receive a report of violence against women

Poorly planned Amazon dam project 'poses serious threat to life'

Environmentalists and scientists warned this would devastate one of the world’s most unique biodiversity hotspots. Economists questioned the viability of a scheme paid for with pension funds and tax revenues, but which is designed to run at only 40% of its 11,200MW capacity. Prosecutors involved in the Car Wash corruption investigation found Belo Monte contractors were paid inflated fees in return for kickbacks to political parties.

Brazil: mutant offspring are the opposite of what researchers intended

Deliberate drowning of Brazil's rainforest is worsening climate change

It isn't just Bolsonaro and the fires. Hydroelectric dams in the Amazon are submerging millions of trees, transforming huge carbon sinks into sources of planet-warming gases 

The forest is often burned to make way for cattle ranches, and much of the meat they produce is sold in other countries – Brazil is the world’s biggest exporter of beef. 

Brazil destroying Amazonia

Energy or no energy, Vale would still need environmental approval to prospect for minerals in the region, whether the electricity costs $0 per megawatt or $150. Electric power doesn't override a mining companies need to get environmental permits to operate.  Nevertheless, an abundance of minerals coupled with government interest in expanding their power supply in those areas is ample enough reason to believe that industrial concerns are more important than environmental ones. To groups like Xingu River Vivo, or Amazon Watch, it is clear which way this debate over Amazon protection is tipping.

Nowhere are the stakes higher than in the Amazon basin—and not just because it contains 40% of Earth’s rainforests and harbours 10-15% of the world’s terrestrial species. South America’s natural wonder may be perilously close to the tipping-point beyond which its gradual transformation into something closer to steppe cannot be stopped or reversed, even if people lay down their axes. Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, is hastening the process—in the name, he claims, of development.

Rampant deforestation of Amazon driven by global greed for meat

Investigation exposes how Brazil’s huge beef sector continues to threaten health of world’s largest rainforest

The squadron of ex-military men behind Bolsonaro's rise in Brazil

appalling levels of street crime and entrenched government graft have emboldened former military leaders to get involved in the electoral process. While some Brazilians are wary about what they see as encroachment by the military on sacred civilian space, others welcome the change.

Nearly 64,000 murders were registered last year, but less than 10 percent of homicide cases result in charges, according to government data.

New study raises red flags on tax haven role in environmental destruction

An analysis of Brazilian central bank data from 2000 to 2011 revealed that at least nine of the world’s largest producers of soy and beef, two industries considered to be main drivers of deforestation, use offshore subsidiaries to finance their operations in the Amazon forest, which Galaz called “a sleeping giant” in the climate change system. Scientists agree that deforestation is one of the main causes of global warming as the carbon dioxide that is typically absorbed by trees gets released in the atmosphere when they are cut or burnt.

The Hell with Samba Beat

execution-style murder of a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman who was an outspoken critic of police killings of poor residents.

The death of a Brazilian community leader followed concerns about contaminated water around the aluminium plant.

There were 58,383 violent deaths in Brazil that year (2015), according a report by the Brazilian Forum for Public Security,

Brazilian lawmakers closed ranks to shield President Michel Temer from standing trial on obstruction of justice and corruption charges, sparing him in the second such case in just two months.

IT WAS a moment many Brazilians thought they would never see. On April 7th, after spending three days among his supporters in the headquarters of the metalworkers’ union in São Bernardo do Campo, a suburb of São Paulo, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s former president, handed himself over to the federal police.

Charlatans

Bunch of charlatans that has dried up the country to breaking point

"or some institute doing Christ alone knows what ... organizing costing 50.000 Euros, maybe. I jest not."

It was 250.000 euros (spent by a Public Institute in a private party), not a "mere" 50.000 euros. The Portuguese State Mafia like to enjoy big things... The portuguese are charlatans, corrupts, killers (look at the statistics of the killings in Portugal) and cowers (they mostly kill the women and the weak).


Greece's corrupt "elite" (as the portuguese / as the brasilien)

But it remains an open question whether Greece’s leaders will be able to engineer such a transformation. In the past year, despite numerous promises to increase transparency, the country actually dropped 14 places from the previous year’s corruption survey.

The Amazon is in serious danger

Brazil is on the verge of gutting its forest protection laws - unless we act now, vast tracts of our planet’s lungs could be opened up to clear - cutting devastation.

This threat to the Amazon has sparked widespread anger and protests across the country and tensions are rising. In an effort to stifle criticism, armed thugs, allegedly hired by loggers, have murdered environmental advocates. But the movement is fighting back -- in four days, brave indigenous people are leading massive marches across Brazil to demand action and inside sources say President Dilma is considering vetoing the changes.

79% of Brazilians support a veto of the forest law changes and this internal pressure is leading some in Dilma's administration to back a veto. But we need a global cry of solidarity with the Brazilian people to really force Dilma's hand. Our global petition will be boldly displayed on banners at the front of the massive marches for Amazon protection. Let's reach one million to SAVE THE AMAZON!

Brazil: "Ficha Limpa"

The "clean record" law was a bold proposal that banned any politician convicted of crimes like corruption and money laundering from running for office. With nearly 25% of the Congress under investigation for corruption, most said it would never pass.

Avaaz launched the largest online campaign in Brazilian history, helping to build a petition of over 2 million signatures, 500,000 online actions, and tens of thousands of phone calls.

We fought corrupt congressmen daily as they tried every trick in the book to kill, delay, amend, and weaken the bill, and won the day every time. The bill passed Congress, and already over 330 candidates for office face disqualification. avaaz