President’s bizarre Amazon conspiracy

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has suggested a sharp increase in wildfires in the Amazon Rainforest is an effort by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to make him look bad.

Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency monitoring deforestation and wildfires, said the country has seen a record number of wildfires this year, counting 74,155 as of Tuesday, an 84 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

President Bolsonaro took office on January 1.

“Maybe — I am not affirming it — these (NGO people) are carrying out some criminal actions to draw attention against me, against the government of Brazil,” Mr Bolsonaro told reporters.

When asked if he had evidence of the conspiracy, the president did not provide any.

“There is a war going on in the world against Brazil, an information war,” Mr Bolsonaro said.

Tensions are boiling over in Brazil as residents of Sao Paulo, the country’s largest city, shared photos on social media of apocalyptic scenes, with black smoke from the fires blocking out the sun.

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