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Brazil announces South American meeting on Amazon, takes Chile's help

In an indication that Bolsonaro, a far-right conservative, is forging closer ties with neighbouring countries than European nations, he also accepted Chile’s offer of four aircraft to help fight the fires sweeping through the world’s largest rainforest.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera in Brasilia, Bolsonaro said a meeting with regional neighbours except Venezuela to discuss a common policy in defence of the Amazon will be held on Sept. 6 in the Colombian city of Leticia.
In a statement released by Chile, the two leaders said environmental challenges must be met while respecting “national sovereignty,” and that each country should have control over the “rational and sustainable use of their natural resources, in line with their environmental obligations and needs of their citizens, including indigenous peoples.”
It also highlighted as “valuable and important” the use of bilateral cooperation and international financial support to deal with the crisis.
Pinera, who has a close relationship with Bolsonaro, is an increasingly important figure in the environmental crisis triggered by the Amazon fires, and visited Brasilia on his return from a G7 summit in France where he attended as the rotating representative for Latin America.
Chile will also hold the COP25 climate summit in December, having taken it over from the original host - Brazil - after Bolsonaro was elected.
Bolsonaro waded back into a spat with France, saying Brazil’s sovereignty had “no price, not even $20 trillion,” a reference to an offer of $20 million aid announced by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Group of Seven wealthy nations summit over the weekend. Bolsonaro dismissed the offer as an insulting attempt to “buy” Brazil’s sovereignty.
Macron has accused Bolsonaro, a longtime sceptic of environmental concerns, of lying about climate change.
“Only after it (the French government) has recanted what it said about my person, which represents Brazil, ... can we talk again,” Bolsonaro said.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, who shares Bolsonaro’s scepticism of environmental concerns and has been at the forefront of the government’s response to the Amazon crisis, remained in the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasilia on Wednesday.
Salles, 44, was admitted to the hospital’s emergency unit on Tuesday after complaining of not feeling well, the hospital said in a statement. Hospital staff opted to carry out “routine examinations,” and he is in stable condition, it said.
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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