- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
Brazil stars protest Bolsonaro environmental policy
Iconic Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso led a star-studded protest Wednesday against President Jair Bolsonaro's environmental policy, seeking to block a series of bills activists say would be devastating for the Amazon rainforest and beyond.
Veloso, 79, one of Brazil's most celebrated musicians, led a rally outside Congress in Brasilia, set to be followed by a concert that will also feature stars such as singer Daniela Mercury, rapper Emicida and musician and actor Seu Jorge.
Protesters are pressuring lawmakers to vote down a series of bills backed by Bolsonaro that would pardon illegal seizures of public land, restrict the amount of territory eligible to be designated as indigenous reservations and open existing indigenous land to mining, among other measures.
Dubbed the "destruction package" by the more than 200 groups sponsoring the protest, the legislation has been condemned by environmentalists.
They say it will accelerate the destruction of the Amazon, where deforestation has surged since Bolsonaro took office in 2019.
The Brazilian Amazon lost 13,235 square kilometers (5,110 square miles) of forest cover from August 2020 to July 2021, a 15-year high, according to government figures.
Bolsonaro has been pushing particularly hard to pass legislation to allow mining on indigenous reservations, arguing the conflict in Ukraine has made it vital for agricultural powerhouse Brazil to reduce its dependence on imported fertilizers, which it notably sources from Russia.
The far-right president's allies in the lower house are pushing to pass the bill under special emergency provisions, bypassing committee discussions.
"We must use our reserves of potassium (a key fertilizer ingredient) and guarantee enough fertilizer for our farmers," said the administration's leader in the lower house, Ricardo Barros.
Opposition lawmaker Rodrigo Agostinho said the administration was trying to use the Ukraine crisis as an "excuse."
"This bill will damage Brazil's image, the environment and the health of those who live in the Amazon," he told AFP.
"This is about giving free reign to illegal mining, not fertilizers," he added, saying Brazil's potassium reserves were largely outside the Amazon.
Brazil, the world's top exporter of soy and beef, imports around 80 percent of its fertilizers, and 96 percent of those using potassium.
T.Resende--PC