Free Republic

A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people - including world leaders - at the conference in November. The state government touts the highway's "sustainable" credentials, but some locals and conservationists are outraged at the environmental impact. The Amazon plays a vital role in absorbing carbon for the world and providing biodiversity, and many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate...

A group of heavily-armed men — riding on a motorcycle and in three cars — went on a shooting rampage at a bar in Brazil, killing at least 11 people on Sunday, according to officials. Seven men were said to have carried out the 4 p.m. attack, according to Brazilian news outlet G1, which cited Pará officials. Six women and five men were killed. Officials said almost all of them were shot in the head. ... The bar that they targeted is in a high crime area, which had to get police reinforcements earlier this year, according to G1.