The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro has confirmed that he had tested positive for the coronavirus disease. In a live broadcast on television, the 65 year-old leader said he got to know of his status after his fourth test.

President Bolsonaro is one of the most vocal world leaders who have repeatedly brushed off the severity of the ongoing pandemic which has infected close to twelve million people and culminated in more than 540,000 deaths.

He refused to impose a lockdown on the country and labelled the pandemic as a tiny flu which could not derail his economic decisions.

He also condemned state governors who unilaterally imposed lockdowns calling for its truncation since it hurt the country’s economy. President Bolsonaro also attended large rallies without any form of protection against the deadly disease.

At his age, he falls within the higher-risk bracket who are very susceptible to the disease due to a weaker immune system.

Brazil is the second most-affected country in the world after United States in coronavirus cases and deaths. It has so far recorded over 1.6 million cases with a death toll of more than 66,000.

SOURCE: AfricaCelebrities.com

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Brazil’s government has told G7 leaders that it will reject the $20 million (€17.9 million) pledged to combat the fires that are currently raging in the Amazon.

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The chief of staff to President Jair Bolsonaro, Onyx Lorenzoni, told Brazilian media that rather than send the money to Brazil, the resources should be used to “reforest Europe”.

He went on to accuse French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to tackle the blaze that hit the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in August.

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The money was pledged on the final day of the G7 in Biarritz, which brought together the leaders of the world’s industrialised nations, Canada, Japan, the U.S., France, Germany, the UK and Italy.

Macron said that the cash could be used to pay for planes to put out the fires and that France could also provide military support.

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The French president’s intervention riled Bolsonaro, who accused France of treating Brazil like a colony. The Brazilian leader also insulted Macron’s wife.

Bolsonaro has openly rejected the greater enforcement of environmental regulations in the Amazon, and pledged to increase development in the region. Data from Brazil’s space agency suggests that deforestation has increased by 90% over the past 12 months.

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He has also slashed funding for Brazilian environmental protection agency IBAMA by 95%.

Experts have blamed the increase in deforestation for the fires raging in the Amazon and argued that extinguishing them was less important than preventing more fires from starting.

Source: Euronews

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As the country prepares itself for census and political leaders fight for positions in what might be another dysfunctional government in 2022, several miles away in Brazil, the Amazon forest burns and many Kenyan citizens are not even aware of this. The Amazon forest which is often referred to as the planet’s lungs is said to produce 20% of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere.It is considered vital in the fight against global warming, and it is home to uncountable species of both plants and animals. These fires are therefore catastrophic to the planet.

Brazil’s Amazon forest which is half the size of the United States is the largest rain forest on earth and has in the past been struck by forest fires. However, the recent fires are raging at a record rate and scientists predict devastating consequences to the fight against climate change. With the fires burning at the highest rate since the country’s space research centre INPE began tracking them in 2013, it is unfortunate that only celebrities and Brazil residents seem to be talking about this.

On social media, images and videos show the fire in it’s unfiltered nature with giant plumes of smoke rising from the greenery and blackened waste left in it’s wake. The smoke even reached as far as Sao Paulo which is more than 1,700 miles away. However, rains have also just began which has given many people especially in Brazil a reason to feel less worried over the disaster.

Several hash tags have come up on Twitter to share this news with the world, with the most current and trending being #PrayforAmazonia. Keeping the hash tag trending has ensured that the word of these tragic fires is spreading worldwide. We probably can’t do much to stop any more forest fires in the Amazon from the comfort of our homes or discomfort of our jobs but we can plant trees and spread awareness. Let’s save the planet for our future generations.

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