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WORLD NEWS Thursday 1 OcTOber 2020
Brazil president calls Biden’s Amazon comments ‘disastrous’

By MAURICIO SAVARESE sity in Sao Paulo, said Bol-
Associated Press sonaro should be worried
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's about Biden's threat.
President Jair Bolsonaro "The U.S. already does that
on Wednesday attacked (impose sanctions) against
U.S. presidential candidate China for a lack of environ-
Joe Biden for saying that mental surveillance. The
the South American nation problems of the Amazon
should suffer "significant are even bigger," she said.
economic consequences" Earlier on Tuesday Brazil's
if devastation of the Ama- environment minister Ricar-
zon rainforest continues. do Salles used Twitter to ex-
Biden said during Tuesday's press doubt about Biden's
debate with President Don- pledge.
ald Trump, an ally of Bolso- "Only one question: those
naro, that foreign countries $20 billion of aid from Biden,
should give Brazil $20 billion is that per year?." Salles
to stop Amazon deforesta- asked, adding that amount
tion, and that the country is "40 times bigger than the
should face repercussions Amazon fund" sponsored
if it fails. mainly by European na-
The Brazilian leader has tions.
insisted on economic de- Under international pres-
velopment of the region, sure for action against fires
drawing condemnation in the Amazon, Bolsonaro
from environmentalists, cli- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends the launch of the Mining and Development Program, at put the army in charge in
mate scientists and foreign the headquarters of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. May. But The Associated
leaders who say the forest Associated Press Press found the operation
is an important carbon sink grettable," as well as "disas- and making sure we had sor of political science at dubbed as "Green Brazil
and must remain standing trous and gratuitous." While the countries of the world the State University of Rio 2" has had little effect and
to achieve climate change Bolsonaro's original tweets coming up with $20 billion, de Janeiro, said the state- prosecution of rainforest
goals. correctly named the Dem- and say, 'Here's $20 billion, ments show that "Bolso- destruction by ranchers,
"The greed that some coun- ocratic candidate, the stop tearing down the for- naro's relationship is with farmers and miners has al-
tries have over the Amazon English translation provided est. And if you don't then Trump, not with the U.S.." He most halted.
is a reality," Bolsonaro said by his office referred to "Mr. you're gonna have sig- said the international isola- But Biden's pledge also
on Twitter. "But the confir- John Biden." nificant economic conse- tion around Brazil's leader rankled some local critics
mation by someone who is "What some have not yet quences.'" could deepen if Biden wins of Bolsonaro, such as bank
fighting for the command understood is that Brazil has Preliminary official data the election. teller Fernando Campana-
of his country clearly signals changed," Bolsonaro said. published on Aug. 7 indi- "If Brazil wants to keep a ti, 40, underscoring the
that he wants to give up a "Its president, unlike left- cated that deforestation in good relationship with a sense of wounded sover-
cordial and profitable co- wing presidents of the past, Brazil's Amazon region over Biden administration it will eignty many Brazilians feel.
existence." does not accept bribes, the past 12 months could have to make many con- "Why can't First World coun-
Bolsonaro has repeatedly criminal land demarcations be at a 14-year high. cessions in the environ- tries control their carbon
accused unnamed imperi- or coward threats toward The Brazilian Amazon lost mental area, beef up the emissions? We are paying
alist forces of trying to take our territorial and econom- 9,205 square kilometers enforcement on defores- the price for industrialized
over the Amazon, which ic integrity. Our sovereignty (3,554 square miles) of veg- tation, wildfires issues, and countries," said Campana-
harkens back to the stance is non-negotiable." etation in the 12 months show that it is taking the ti, who has no favorite in
of the 1964-1985 military During Tuesday's debate, ending in July, according criticism seriously," Santoro the American presidential
dictatorship. Biden said Brazil's rainforests to data from the country's said. elections. "(The Amazon) is
Bolsonaro also labeled are being torn down. space agency. Vitoria Saddi, an economy an internal affair."q
Biden's comments as "re- "I would be gathering up Maurício Santoro, a profes- professor at Insper univer-
In virus boon, Belgian students

graduate at UNESCO site

BRUSSELS (AP) — The coro- emony. On Wednesday, while wearing the same
navirus pandemic has put graduates marched across sweater for weeks."
a massive damper on stu- the 1st-floor balcony of With the U2 song "Beautiful
dent life across the globe. the Gothic city hall as their Day" playing in the back-
But in Brussels it has one names were announced. ground, students stood
boon: graduation at a Pandemic restrictions limit- proudly together on the po-
UNESCO Word Heritage lo- ed guest invitations to only dium in front of the crowd.
cation. two per graduate. There are multiple ceremo-
The Belgian capital has Masters of Engineering nies being held throughout
made its world-famous graduate Saskia Lebegge the week to spread out the Engineering graduates of the Universite Libre De Bruxelles, cheer
Grand-Place square avail- said it was a happy conclu- crowds. Each is limited to after a graduation ceremony at the Grand Place in Brussels,
able as an open-air loca- sion to "a never-ending cir- about 200 graduates. Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020.
tion for nearly 4,000 students cle of getting up, opening Many of these students Associated Press
from two Brussels universi- and closing our computers were supposed to gradu- cancelled and COVID-19 all could manage that in
ties for the academic cer- and going back to sleep ate in June, but with exams regulations in place not time.q