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☆ Brazil courts private sector help to reforest the Amazon, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows trees as the sun rises at the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File PhotoBRASILIA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's government wants the private sector to help reforest large swathes of the Amazon, the country's Environment Minister Marina Silva said in an interview, using concessions to replant some 12 million hectares (120,000 square km) of forest by 2030. The plan's outlines were sketched out in a briefing last week by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has vowed to end Amazon deforestation by 2030. Concessions could also be granted to generate other products, like oilseeds, fibers and resins, along with potential carbon credit schemes. The vast Amazon rainforest is a key buffer against climate change.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Marina Silva, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Silva, Andre Lima, Jair Bolsonaro, Lisandra, Gabriel Stargardter, Brad Haynes, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, country's, Reuters, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil, BRASILIA, Brasilia, Colombia, Peru, Belem

☆ Protesters oppose Petrobras oil exploration plan at mouth of Amazon river
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Brazil's state-run Petrobras oil company is seen on a tank in at Petrobras Paulinia refinery in Paulinia, Brazil July 1, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File PhotoBELEM, Brazil, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Environmental demonstrators protested on Sunday against plans by Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) to drill for oil at the mouth of the Amazon river. Petrobras has appealed against a decision by Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, to deny it permission to drill an exploratory well at the mouth of the Amazon, saying the request lacked an environmental assessment of the project. It reaches a technical opinion that must be obeyed," said the minister, who has opposed the plan to drill at the mouth of the Amazon. Lula said Guyana's president would like Petrobras to explore for oil off-shore from his country.

Persons: Paulo Whitaker, Luis Barbosa, Marina Silva, Ibama, Silva, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Leonardo Benassatto, Leslie Adler Organizations: Petrobras Paulinia, REUTERS, Environmental, Petrobras, PETR4, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Paulinia, Brazil, BELEM, Amazon, Suriname, Guyana, Amapá

[1/5] Brazil's indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire poses for a photo during an interview before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations at the Igarape Park, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 5, 2023. "I will ask the presidents to commit to guaranteeing the preservation of the forest," he told Reuters. Raoni, an unmistakable figure with his large lip plate and yellow feather headdress, is a chief of the Kayapo people, an Indigenous group that lives along the Xingu River where savannah plains meet the Amazon rainforest. "The deforestation of the Amazon's forests is not good for us Indigenous peoples, and white man needs to rethink and preserve what remains of the Amazon," he warned. Reporting by Leonardo Benassatto and Ueslei Marcelino; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Raoni Metuktire, Ueslei Marcelino, Raoni, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Sting, Leonardo Benassatto, Anthony Boadle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Reuters, Brazilian Congress, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Ueslei Marcelino BELEM, Belem, U.S, France

☆ Amazon nations to set up rainforest science panel, Brazilian minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A woman passes in front of a graffiti before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations at the Igarape Park, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoBRASILIA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Amazon countries meeting next week for a summit on cooperation to save the rainforest aim to set up a scientific body like the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to share research, Brazil's environment minister told Reuters. The panel would help produce sustainable development policies for the countries of the region while remaining independent of governments, and monitor the impact of climate change on the Amazon rainforest and ecosystem, she said. Lula has overhauled Brazil's environment policies since taking office in January, succeeding far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who relaxed protection the environment and encouraged development of the Amazon, where deforestation soared. Preliminary government figures showed on Thursday that deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell in July to its lowest level since 2017, boosting Lula's credibility on environmental policy ahead of the summit.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino BRASILIA, Marina Silva, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair Bolsonaro, Lisandra Paraguassu, Anthony Boadle, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Reuters, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Belem

Nearly 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) of rainforest were cleared in July, a significant fall from the 1,487 square kilometers (574 square miles) cleared last July. There has been a sharp decline in deforestation since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president in January. Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, said government policies, including increasing surveillance and fining perpetrators, has played a big role in bringing rates of deforestation down. The reduced rate of deforestation is positive news at a time when the Amazon remains critically vulnerable. In 2022 an area of global tropical forest the size of Switzerland was lost as forest destruction rose by 10% compared to the previous year, according to a recent report from the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair, Marina Silva, ” Silva, Moraes Almeida, Nelson Almedia Organizations: CNN, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Getty, Resources, Watch Locations: Brazilian, Para, Brazil, AFP, Belem, Switzerland

☆ Colombia hopes Amazon summit will be deforestation 'turning point'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Colombia's government is hopeful that an upcoming regional summit in Brazil will represent a turning point in the deterioration of the Amazon, Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Thursday. The eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), which include Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru, will meet Aug. 7-8 in the Brazilian city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon River. The summit - which follows a meeting in Colombia's Amazon city of Leticia a month ago - is aimed at finding ways to prevent further degradation of the Amazon rainforest, the preservation of which scientists say is vital for curbing the effects of climate change. Talks will also include the complicated issue of hydrocarbon exploration, Muhamad said. While Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has voiced concern over oil and gas exploration in the Amazon, Muhamad said the situation was "much more complex" than other topics.

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Amazon, Colombian, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazilian, Belem, Amazon, Leticia, Bogota

☆ Brazil's Lula: Amazon countries summit to build common policy for first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File PhotoBRASILIA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said that next week's summit of Amazon region nations will seek to draw up a common policy for the first time to protect the rainforest. For the first time we are going to have a common policy for the Amazon, for preservation, security, borders," Lula said. The eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) will meet Aug. 7-8 in the city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon river. ACTO was created in 1978 to promote the preservation of the Amazon basin and regulate Amazonian development through cooperation. Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Mark Porter and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Johanna Geron, Lula, ACTO, Lisandra Paraguassu, Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: EU, LAC, European Union, of, Caribbean, REUTERS, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Caribbean States, Brussels, Belgium, BRASILIA, Brazil, Amazon, Belem, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

[1/8] Pope Francis speaks as he meets with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the Cultural Centre of Belem during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneLISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves on with reforms and changes that could leave a lasting legacy. The 86-year-old pope is making his first trip since intestinal surgery in June and uses a wheelchair and cane. A huge billboard raising awareness of clerical sexual abuse was put up overnight in Lisbon hours before Francis' arrival. Francis will also visit Fatima, the town north of Lisbon where the Church believes that the Virgin Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children in 1917.

Persons: Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane LISBON, Francis, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Filipa Almeida, Almeida, Coracao Silenciado, Fatima, Virgin Mary, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alexandra Hudson, Alison Williams Organizations: Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Catholic Church, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Rome, Brazil, Ukraine, Europe, Western

Francis was speaking in Lisbon at the start of a five-day visit to the country in which he hopes to energize young Catholics during World Youth Day, the world's largest Catholic festival. The Vatican added the victims were accompanied by some representatives of institutions of the Portuguese Church responsible for the protection of minors. YOUNG CATHOLICS CONVERGE ON LISBONThe pope landed in Lisbon to a sea of young Catholics who have poured into the city from around the globe for the World Youth Day festival, held every two or three years in a different city. In Lisbon, young believers jumped and sang as they proudly waved their country's flag outside the Vatican embassy, where the pope is residing. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneWorld Youth Day "is a sign of faith and union in which all of us get together for a cause," said 20-year-old Carlos Hernandez.

Persons: Pope, Francis, Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Carlos Hernandez, Australian Andrew De Santos, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alison Williams, Conor Humphries, Grant McCool Organizations: Catholic, Wednesday, Catholic Church, Vatican, Bishops, Conference, Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, LISBON, Lisbon, Portuguese, Vatican, Australian, Brazil, Rome, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Behold, the Orb: I can't stop thinking about Sam Altman's dystopian eyeball-scanning device
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The orbs, shiny sculptural spheres that scan the eyeballs of new members, seem to have become the company's dystopian symbol. But Worldcoin's Orbs look more like inscrutable machines than something mythological. Worldcoin has said it has emphasized privacy in designing a system based on extracting eyeball scans. And the eyeball scans get erased, according to Worldcoin. Worldcoin has said that "World IDs" don't contain any eyeball scans or iris data.

Persons: Sam Altman's, Worldcoin, Sam Altman trumpeted, Alex Blania, Donald Trump, Tim Sweeney, It's Organizations: Twitter, Epic, pitchfork, MIT Technology Locations: Lisbon, Singapore, Sands, Miami, Tokyo

☆ Paris 2024 flame to be lit on April 16, relay to visit overseas territories
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It's going to be spectacular and will showcase all our territories," Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said at a ceremony at the French capital's Sorbonne university. Following a brief domestic relay in Greece the flame is then handed over to the host city. Paris organisers have said they will use a three-masted ship the 'Belem' to take it the port city of Marseille, where the sailing competitions of the Olympics will take place. Usually the flame, held in a safety lantern, is flown by plane to the Olympic Games host city. Paris 2024 organisers have been planning to install the Olympic flame on the Eiffel Tower, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters last month.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq PARIS, Armel Le, Tony Estanguet, Laure, Florent Manaudou, Dimitri Pavade, Anne Hidalgo, Julien Pretot, Kirsten Donovan, Toby Davis Organizations: Sorbonne University , Paris, Michel, French, Sorbonne, National Assembly, Senate, Olympic Games, Eiffel, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Marseille, Paris, France, Olympia, Athens, Montpellier, Corsica, Bordeaux, Brest, Strasbourg, Reims, Ville, Greece, Belem, Phocaea

☆ Exclusive: -Olympics-Paris 2024 Olympics flame to be lit on April 16, 2024-source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 8 (Reuters) - The Paris 2024 Olympic Games flame will be lit on April 16 next year, marking the countdown to the July 26-Aug. 11 games in the French capital, an Olympic movement source said on Thursday. Following a brief domestic relay in Greece the flame is then handed over to the host city. Paris organisers have said they will use a three-masted ship the 'Belem' to take it the port city of Marseille, where the sailing competitions of the Olympics will take place. Usually the flame, held in a safety lantern, is flown by plane to the Olympic Games host city. Paris 2024 organisers have been planning to install the Olympic flame on the Eiffel Tower, according to sources.

Persons: Karolos Grohmann, Jon Boyle, Toby Davis Organizations: Olympic Games, Eiffel, Thomson Locations: Olympia, Athens, France, Greece, Paris, Belem, Marseille, Phocaea

☆ Exclusive: Olympics-Paris 2024 hoping for Olympic flame on Eiffel Tower -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, May 22 (Reuters) - Paris 2024 organisers have been planning to install the Olympic flame on the Eiffel Tower, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday. "It's been a work in progress for the last two years now," the source said. The flame cannot be at the top of the tower because of the antennas already installed there, they added. "The venue for the lighting of the flame on the Opening Day of the Olympic Games has not yet been decided," a Paris 2024 spokesperson told Reuters. They did not deny working on installing the flame at the Eiffel Tower and would not disclose when any announcement would be made.

☆ Call Them Dissidents. But Don’t Call Them Feminists.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jill Langlois | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Brazilian artist Berna Reale sits atop a horse painted scarlet, a cage-like muzzle covering her face. As the animal clops down the empty street at dawn, Reale guides it with black leather reins, her hands in gloves that match. She wears a black military uniform and a serious expression on her face. “When you perform for people on the street you don’t know how they’ll react,” says Reale, 57, who also works with the police as a forensics expert. They have the right to be bothered by it, just like I have the right to be there performing it.”

☆ A fost inaugurat cel mai lung pod pietonal suspendat din lume: Câți metri are și unde se află
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-30 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

Sursa foto: ProfimediaA fost inaugurat cel mai lung pod pietonal suspendat din lume: Câți metri are și unde se aflăPortugalia a inaugurat joi cel mai lung pod pietonal suspendat din lume iar locuitorii orașului aflat în apropiere speră că noua atracție turistică va contribui la revigorarea industriei turismului din regiunea a cărei economie a fost devastată de pandemia de Covid-19, potrivit Mediafax. Hugo Xavier a fost prima persoană care a urcat pe pod. „Mi-a fost puțin frică, dar a meritat”, a spus Xavier, ușurat, după traversare. „Locuiesc aici și când am auzit prima dată despre proiectul podului, nu prea am crezut”, a spus Macio Soares. Arouca 516 bate recordul pentru cel mai lung pod pietonal suspendat, deținut din 2017 de Podul Charles Kuonen de la Randa, în Alpii Elvețieni.

Persons: Hugo Xavier, Xavier Organizations: Mediafax, UNESCO, Elvețieni Locations: Portugalia, Arouca

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