Iracambi, an environmental organization, is working with the indigenous Puri people to restore biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil, an area experiencing higher rates of deforestation than the Amazon.

São Paulo

Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, once nearly twice the size of France, has been reduced to fragmented patches due to agricultural expansion, with over 85% of its original area cleared. The IRACAMBI organization, founded in 1999 by Robin and Benka LeBreton, is working to restore the forest by planting native species and connecting forest fragments, while also running educational programs for both local and international participants.

The initiative has led to the establishment of 5,000 hectares of protected forest and the planting of 250,000 native trees. Community members, including indigenous farmers, are involved in seed recovery and agroforestry, aiming to balance ecological restoration with economic benefits for local people.

Restoring Brazil’s Atlantic Forest

Stretching along Brazil's east coast and inland to parts of Paraguay and Argentina, the Atlantic Forest is one of the oldest in South America. In Brazil alone, the once-vast carpet of green covered an area almost twice the size of France. But today, more than 85% has been cleared, according to the Nature Conservancy. And what remains is a fragmented patchwork split apart by coffee, cattle and dairy farms. For nearly three decades, Robin and Benka LeBreton have been working to restore this threatened paradise, and passing along their knowledge to future generations. If you had come here when the time when your grandfathers were your age, this was all forest. There was then, at that time, a sudden increase in coffee prices and everybody went crazy and cut down all the forest and planted coffee. As the years go by, the same thing happens with milk production as happened with coffee. So what do they do? They cut down the forest in order to make more cow pasture. It doesn't produce results either, so they cut down more forest, more forest, until there's no forest left. In 1999, they launched IRACAMBI, an organization that strategically plants native flora back into the surrounding hillsides. So what we're doing here, with the whole business of collecting the seeds, making the seedlings, planting the trees, by restoring and connecting the forests, we're creating wildlife corridors and corridors for plants. Key to their success is an education program that brings in people from all over the world and also from nearby communities. Five years ago, Juliana Vital was one of them, learning about planting and cultivation techniques. Here we have a jatobá tree, my favorite, but we plant a lot of jussara too. Jussara is a plant that's endangered. Over here we've got a yellow araçá, a jacaré wood tree. Now she's in charge of nursing all these seedlings until they're ready to go in the ground. She came and was part of the group and mixed with the foreign students. And it must have been then that she got this dream. That dream, to run her own agroforest, is now a reality. My grandparents were some of the remaining indigenous farmers here. My mother is indigenous Puri, and I grew up in this environment, so I had a really strong connection with some plants I saw my grandfather grow. Unfortunately, I didn't, and he didn't save any of his seeds. So now I'm trying to connect with local farmers, especially indigenous ones, to try to recover those seeds and start from scratch. This is cotton, a type that's been grown here a long time. I feel grateful to have this opportunity. We've come to understand that we're really taking care of ourselves. To plant something and then wait for the seed to grow, for it to bear a new seed that we can save, I don't think I fully grasp yet how much this is shaping me as a person. As they like to say at Irakambi, every forest starts with a seed. Just a few years ago we started working with agroforestry, and that's an easier sell because people can get some kind of economic benefit out of it. We're still experimenting and working with the community to see what they want and how we can make it work for them. To date, the NGO has helped establish 5,000 hectares of protected forest and raised and planted 250,000 native species of trees. It's good for the land and it's good for the people, but you can just see the land is looking so much happier.

A sweeping cyber espionage operation targeting Microsoft server software 'SharePoint' compromised about 100 different organizations as of the weekend, two of the organizations that helped uncover the campaign said on Monday (July 21).

Redmond

Microsoft server hack hit about 100 organizations, experts say

Protestors showed up at the federal courthouse in Boston on Monday amid Harvard's $2 billion legal battle with the Trump administration.

Boston

Protestors gather outside courthouse amid Harvard-Trump hearing

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, an actor and artist who rose to fame as a child as Theodore Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has died in a drowning accident in Costa Rica, where he was on vacation with his family, according to a source close to the actor.

Los Angeles

‘The Cosby Show’ star Malcolm-Jamal Warner dead at 54

An off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was shot after an apparent robbery went wrong in New York, officials say. New York Mayor Eric Adams said a 21-year-old undocumented immigrant was taken into custody. The agent is in stable condition and is expected to survive.

New York

Off-duty Border Patrol agent shot in NYC by undocumented migrant

The jet crashed onto the campus of Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara neighbourhood, where students were taking tests and attending regular classes.

Dhaka

At least 20 killed after Bangladesh Air Force jet crashes into school

An investigation into Jeju Air's fatal plane crash in December has found "clear evidence" that pilots shut off the less-damaged engine after a bird strike in South Korea, a source told Reuters. But a progress report was not released as planned, after families of the bereaved protested some of its phrasing.

Muan-gun

Report says pilot shut wrong engine before Jeju Air crash

Iran, China and Russia will discuss Tehran's nuclear activities and sanctions on Tuesday, with the E3 nations set for talks on Friday amid threats of reimposing sanctions.

Tehran

Iran to consult with Russia, China ahead of European nuclear talks

Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday (July 21) as part of a U.S.-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said.

As Suwayda

Bedouin civilians evacuate Syria's Sweida as tense truce holds

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in office on Monday after his ruling coalition suffered a bruising defeat in upper house elections, prompting some of his own party to deliberate his future as the opposition weighed a no-confidence motion.

Tokyo

Japan PM Ishiba vows to stay on after bruising election defeat

Police say Fernando Ramirez drove onto a crowded sidewalk outside a Los Angeles nightclub early Saturday, injuring dozens. He was later shot by a bystander who fled the scene, prompting a citywide search.

Police search for gunman after car-ramming attack in L.A.

Japan's ruling coalition is certain to lose control of the upper house in election, public broadcaster NHK reported, an outcome that further weakens Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power as a tariff deadline with the United States looms.

Japan's ruling coalition loses control of upper house

Iran's foreign minister has said the country France, Germany and the UK are looking to set a date for a meeting for nuclear talks, in what could be a step toward ending the protracted impasse over Iran's nuclear programme and Western concerns.

Middle East Conflict

Iran and three European powers set to resume nuclear talks

The Trump administration said on Saturday (July 19) it will take action against Mexico under its "America First" policy, saying the Mexican government's earlier decision to cut flight slots in Mexico City, which affects U.S. airlines, violates a bilateral air agreement.

Washington

U.S. threatens Mexican flights over cargo, competition issues

U.S. President Donald Trump has sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners including Rupert Murdoch for at least $10 billion, over the report that his name was on a 2003 birthday greeting for Jeffrey Epstein that included a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to secrets they shared.

Trump sues Wall Street Journal for $10 billion over Epstein report

Over 200 Venezuelans who were deported from the U.S. on allegations of gang membership earlier this year and detained in an El Salvador jail have arrived home to Caracas as part of a coordinated prisoner exchange. Ten Americans held in Venezuela returned to the U.S., officials said.

Caracas

El Salvador sends detained Venezuelans home in swap for Americans

Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday (July 20) in a tightly contested upper house election that could unleash political turmoil, with rising prices, immigration concerns and the emergence of a Trump-style "Japanese-first" party threatening to weaken Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power.

Japan heads to the polls for Upper House elections

The violent clashes between the Druze minority, Bedouins and other armed groups in the southern province of Sweida have left at least 900 people dead. Some reports suggest that fighting may have halted early on Sunday.

Damascus

Syrian interim president urges respect of ceasefire in Sweida clashes

The proposal comes as Russia continues to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukraine, often firing more drones in a single night than it did during some months in 2024.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy proposes new round of peace talks with Russia

Stacey Williams, a former Sports Illustrated model who briefly dated Jeffrey Epstein speaks with CNN’s Brianna Keilar and describes Epstein’s relationship with Donald Trump. She also alleges Trump once groped her in 1993, but he denies the claim.

Epstein’s ex-girlfriend describes alleged incident with Trump

A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter an East Hollywood nightclub, injuring 30, seven of them critically, in Los Angeles on Saturday morning. Authorities say bystanders attacked the driver, who also sustained a gunshot wound.

West Hollywood

Driver crashes into line of people in Hollywood, police say he was shot

A boat full of tourists capsized during a storm in one of the country's most iconic tourist destinations, leaving at least 34 dead and eight missing. Rescue efforts continue as a new tropical storm approaches.

Hạ Long Bay

Dozens drown after tourist boat capsizes in Ha Long Bay

The agreement comes after intense clashes displaced tens of thousands of people and contributed to a worsening humanitarian crisis in a region still recovering from over a decade of brutal civil war.

U.S. says Israel-Syria agree to ceasefire, clashes continue in Sweida

Ukraine has appointed a new prime minister, 39-year-old Yulia Svyrydenko, as part of a sweeping government reshuffle announced by President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy. This marks the most significant political shift since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Yulia Svyrydenko takes charge as Ukraine's new prime minister

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, currently on trial at the Supreme Court, has been ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor. Bolsonaro is accused of leading an alleged attempt to stage a coup to overturn the 2022 election.

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil's Bolsonaro ordered to wear ankle monitor

At least three deputies were killed after an explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility, officials said. Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were at the scene.

Three killed in explosion at L.A. County Sheriff's Department facility

The UK's Labour Party has passed a landmark electoral reform, aligning with Scotland and Wales in lowering the voting age from 18 to 16. The change fulfills a key promise by the ruling party but garnered criticism from the Conservative Party.

London

UK lowers voting age from 18 to 16 in historic electoral reform

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a rescissions package to slash $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding, sending the bill to President Donald Trump's desk.

U.S. House passes $9 billion cut to foreign aid, public broadcasting

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday night ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to help facilitate the release of grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein as the administration faces pressure to share more materials on the case.

Trump orders release of Epstein-related grand jury transcripts

The European Union has agreed to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia, targeting the country's energy and financial sectors in a bid to tighten the screws on the Kremlin's war machine and force a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine.

Moscow

EU imposes new sanctions on Russia's oil and banks

U.S. President Donald Trump denies writing a letter signed 'Donald' beneath a nude sketch in Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday album, details of which were published by the Wall Street Journal. The letter is now under review by the U.S. Justice Department.

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