International
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon continues to decline and falls another 31% in the last year

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 30.6% between August 2023 and July 2024, after another 22.3% in the previous period, the Government reported on Wednesday.
The area affected by the deforestation was 6,288 square kilometers, the lowest result in nine years and a reduction compared to the 9,001 square kilometers destroyed in the previous period, according to the most accurate measurement of deforestation released annually by the National Institute of Space Research.
Retreat in the felling in the Amazon
If the last two results are added, which mainly correspond to the mandate of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a 45.7% decline was recorded in looting and 7,900 square kilometers of jungle were saved.
In the Cerrado, as the rich tropical savannah located in central Brazil is known, deforestation was reduced by 25.7% in the last year and the area that was affected was 8,174 square kilometers.
This is the first fall after five years of increases in an ecosystem that lives under the constant pressure of the agricultural sector.
With the reduction in looting in both the Amazon and in the Cerrado, the Executive estimates that in the last two years there has been a decrease in greenhouse emissions of 400 million tons of CO2 compared to the previous period.
Government hard hand
The Government attributed the fall in deforestation to the hard hand exercised in the application of environmental standards, with a 98% increase in sanctions and embargoes imposed by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment on offenders.
At the same time, in the last two years with Lula as president, indigenous lands were expanded by 8,100 square kilometers and conservation areas by 3,030 square kilometers.
These actions contrast with the lax environmental policy of former far-right Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), who opposed the creation of new indigenous reserves and natural parks and emptied the bodies responsible for the application of the rules.
The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, pointed during the presentation of the results to the “immense effort” and the “integrated” work undertaken by federal authorities and security forces to combat deforestation.
The Government also improved this year the resolution of satellite images used to monitor looting and incorporated radar technology, which allows tracking the territory when the sky is covered with clouds.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking

Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing

Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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