Brazil fires drive acceleration in Amazon deforestation: report / Photo: MICHAEL DANTAS - AFP/File
-
Putin trip aims to show China ties unshakeable after Trump pomp
-
Hanoi hits the brakes on petrol bike ban
-
Japan economy grows faster than expected in first quarter
-
World Cup glory attracts superstar coaches into international battle
-
Stuttering Sabalenka seeks to set down marker at Roland Garros
-
'Little' Freiburg chasing glory in debut European final
-
Villa inspired by former heroes as they target Europa League glory
-
Irrepressible Sinner primed for career Grand Slam at Roland Garros
-
China market for Nvidia AI chips to open 'over time': Huang
-
Asian markets cautious, oil dips after Trump holds off on Iran attack
-
Three killed in San Diego mosque shooting, both suspects dead
-
Love, lust and gnomes as top UK flower show bursts into bloom
-
Fans of historic DC park wary of Trump plan to 'beautify' city
-
As bee population collapses, US apiarists fear research cuts
-
Lights out for Cuban students as blockade bites
-
Campaigners warn Italy's gutted rape bill could help assailants
-
Libyan ex-prison boss faces ICC war crimes hearing
-
Argentine scientists lay first traps in hantavirus hunt
-
Star of Rome's 'sexy priest' calendar admits: 'I was never a priest'
-
Harry Styles fans to splash over £1 bn on London concerts: Barclays
-
Bolivia protest sees violent clashes, looting in La Paz
-
Trump says held off on new Iran attack, upbeat for agreement
-
Los Angeles World Cup workers vow strike over ICE guarantees
-
Three killed in San Diego mosque shooting, two attackers dead
-
US to screen for Ebola at airports, one American in DR Congo infected
-
Aussie Scott officially set for 100th straight major at US Open
-
Pep Guardiola to leave Man City at end of the season - reports
-
Neymar back in Brazil squad for fourth World Cup
-
Arsenal on the brink of Premier League title after nervy Burnley win
-
Oil rises, global stocks mixed as markets track Iran developments
-
World Cup winner Pavard confirms Marseille exit
-
Trump says holding off on new Iran attack
-
Cuba warns of 'bloodbath' if US attacks; Washington adds sanctions
-
Trump says delaying Iran attack at request of Gulf leaders
-
Cuba warns of 'bloodbath' if US attacks and Washington issues sanctions
-
After mayor's murder, Mexico battles to bring peace
-
Trump admin creates $1.7 bln fund to compensate allies prosecuted under Biden
-
Pelicans name Mosley as coach, two weeks after Magic firing
-
Hyderabad qualify for IPL play-offs along with Gujarat
-
'Girl in the River Main' identified 25 years on, father arrested
-
Musk loses blockbuster OpenAI suit as jury says too late
-
SNC Scandic Coin and Biconomy: Regulated real-world assets meet global trading infrastructure
-
Judge allows gun as evidence in Mangione healthcare exec murder trial
-
First attack on Arab nuclear site sends warning to Gulf, US
-
Oil rises, bond yields weigh on stocks
-
Hormuz tanker traffic edges higher after wartime low
-
Andalusia setback highlights weakness of Spain's ruling Socialists
-
India's Adani to pay $275 mn settlement to US over alleged Iran sanctions violations
-
Middle East tourism pain is Europe's gain
-
UK Labour leadership hopeful reopens Brexit debate
Brazil fires drive acceleration in Amazon deforestation: report
A record fire season in Brazil last year caused the rate of deforestation to accelerate, in a blow to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's pledge to protect the Amazon rainforest, official figures showed Friday.
The figures released by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which tracks forest cover by satellite, indicated that deforestation rate between August 2024 and May 2025 rose by 9.1 percent compared to the same period in 2023-2024.
And they showed a staggering 92-percent increase in Amazon deforestation in May, compared to the year-ago period.
That development risks erasing the gains made by Brazil in 2024, when deforestation slowed in all of its ecological biomes for the first time in six years.
The report showed that beyond the Amazon, the picture was less alarming in other biomes across Brazil, host of this year's UN climate change conference.
In the Pantanal wetlands, for instance, deforestation between August 2024 and May 2025 fell by 77 percent compared to the same period in 2023-2024.
Presenting the findings, the environment ministry's executive secretary Joao Paulo Capobianco chiefly blamed the record number of fires that swept Brazil and other South American countries last year, whipped up by a severe drought.
Many of the fires were started to clear land for crops or cattle and then raged out of control.
Y.AlMasri--SF-PST
