Stories for August 26th 2019

Monday, August 26th 2019 - 20:35 UTC
Hamas condemns Paraguay for designating the group as an “international terrorist organization”

In its press statement on the Paraguayan decision, the group said: “This decision runs against international law which ensures peoples’ right to resist the aggression and occupation with all possible means including the armed struggle”
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 20:13 UTC
Record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest coincides with a sharp drop in fines for environment violations

The record number of fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has coincided with a sharp drop in fines for environmental violations, BBC analysis has found. Official data from Brazil's environment agency shows fines from January to 23 August dropped almost a third compared with the same period last year.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 19:13 UTC
Brazilian warplanes dumpling water on the Amazon forest, but will it be enough?

Brazilian warplanes are dumping water on the burning forest in the Amazon state of Rondonia, responding to a global outcry over the destruction of the world's largest tropical rainforest, according to a government video.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 19:02 UTC
Trump to hold off from a further tariff escalation in the trade war with China, admits “second thoughts”

President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that his trade war with China is causing friction at the G7 summit, but indicated he will hold off from a threatened further escalation for now. “I think they respect the trade war. It has to happen,” Trump told reporters in Biarritz, France, where he was meeting with other leaders of the G7 group.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 18:51 UTC
Tens of thousands march in support of Macri in Buenos Aires and other cities

Tens of thousands of Argentines jammed streets in the capital Buenos Aires and other cities on Saturday to show support for conservative President Mauricio Macri, who is facing a tough fight heading into general elections in October in a country beset with economic challenges.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 18:42 UTC
EU divided on ratification of trade pact with Mercosur, warns Donald Tusk

The European Union Council president Donald Tusk said it was hard to imagine the bloc ratifying its trade pact with Mercosur as long as Brazil fails to curb the fires ravaging the Amazon rainforest. The EU “stands by the EU-Mercosur agreement”, Tusk told reporters at a G7 meeting in Biarritz in southern France.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 18:18 UTC
Morales suspends re-election campaigning and calls for aid to fight blazes in the Bolivian Amazon

Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Sunday he is open to international aid to fight the blazes that have engulfed rural villages and doubled in size since Thursday. Morales is also suspending his campaign for re-election for at least a week, just two months from election day, to focus on the wildfires.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 18:07 UTC
IMF mission in Argentina looking into the books and trying to sort out the future

An IMF mission is in Argentina and is going over the country's accounts with government top officials, to assess future disbursements of the US$ 57bn standby credit granted to the country, currently facing financial and political uncertainty, and on Monday are scheduled to meet with representatives from the opposition.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 17:56 UTC
New fires raging in the Amazon; agriculture sector warns Bolsonaro: “nationalistic bravado will not win the game”

Hundreds of new fires are raging in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, official data showed, as thousands of troops were made available to help fight the worst blazes in years following a global outcry. Multiple fires billowing huge plumes of smoke into the air were seen across a vast area of the northwestern state of Rondonia.
Monday, August 26th 2019 - 17:48 UTC
Pope Francis calls for the protection of “the lung of forests vital for our planet”

Pope Francis on Sunday called for a global commitment to put out the fires in the Amazon, saying the area was essential for the health of the planet. “We are all worried about the vast fires that have developed in the Amazon. Let us pray so that, with the commitment of all, they can be put out soon.”