
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree to ban burning throughout the country for two months, government sources said, as the authorities scramble to defuse the Amazon fires which have triggered a global outcry.

Brazil's influential finance minister has convinced President Jair Bolsonaro to consider the once-unthinkable step of privatizing state-owned oil company Petrobras , but stiff political opposition could stifle any effort to sell the country's corporate crown jewel.

Canada will continue its trade negotiations with Mercosur, the South American trading bloc that includes Brazil, despite demands to call a halt to the talks until more action is taken to protect the Amazon rainforest.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he wants French President Emmanuel Macron to retract “insults” against him before he considers accepting aid from the Group of Seven nations who offered US$20 million to help fight forest fires in the Amazon.

Brazil rejected aid from G7 countries to fight wildfires in the Amazon, with a top official telling French President Emmanuel Macron to take care of “his home and his colonies.”

The approval rating of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has plunged to 29.4% in August from 38.9% in February, according to a poll published on Monday that showed a majority of Brazilians are unhappy with his performance.

The G7 will give US$20 million (€18 million) to send firefighting planes to tackle the blazes engulfing parts of the Amazon, the presidents of France and Chile said on Monday.

Hundreds of new fires have flared up in the Amazon in Brazil, data showed on Monday, even as military aircraft dumped water over hard-hit areas and G7 nations pledged to help combat the blazes.

Brazilian women are probably ashamed of President Jair Bolsonaro, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, hitting back after the Brazilian leader mocked Macron’s wife on Facebook.

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.