Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) issued an orange storm warning on Monday (Jan. 12) for the coastal areas of the states of São Paulo, in the Southeast, and Paraná and Santa Catarina, in the South.

The increased rainfall is still an effect of the passage of an extratropical cyclone, which caused damage in cities in both the South and the Southeast over the weekend.

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The cyclone has begun to move away from the continent toward the ocean, but the alert remains in place for heavy rainfall, which could reach up to 100 millimeters (mm) per day, and intense winds with gusts of 60 to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h).

The extratropical cyclone formed last Friday (9), affecting the Southern states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.

In Rio Grande do Sul, 18 cities were affected by increased precipitation and strong winds that caused trees to fall, areas to be flooded, and roofs to be blown off houses. In Santa Catarina, the Civil Defense reported that, by Monday, 15 municipalities had registered damage affecting 91 houses and five public structures.

Last Saturday (10), the municipality of São José dos Pinhais, in Paraná, recorded a tornado with winds reaching 180 km/h. The phenomenon was classified by the authorities as category F2 on the Fujita scale, which goes up to five.

The tornado is said to have affected 1,200 people and damaged 350 homes. Two people were slightly injured.

Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has consolidated 2024 data for all Brazilian biomes. Analysis of the images from previously released alerts confirmed a reduction in the loss of natural vegetation in most monitored biomes compared to 2023.

The figures a shrinkage in deforestation from 2023 to 2024 in the following biomes:

• Amazon – 28.09%;
• Non-forest area in the Amazon – 5.27%;
• Cerrado – 25.76%;
• Atlantic forest – 37.89%; and
• Pampa – 20.08%.

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The caatinga and the pantanal were the only ones with a higher suppression of native vegetation. The rates were 9.93 percent for the caatinga and 16.5 percent for the pantanal.

According to a technical note from the institute, only the removal of native vegetation cover is seen as suppression, regardless of the characteristics of the vegetation and the future use of the area. The analysis is based on satellite images of areas with suppression – which are automatically identified and classified using vegetation indices, then subjected to visual interpretation.

Silvana Amaral, deputy coordinator of the institute’s program for Brazilian biomes, notes that the decline in deforestation in most biomes from 2023 to 2024 confirms the effectiveness and role of command and control public policies, as well as regulatory tools such as agreements and terms of conduct signed between society and the agricultural trade and export sectors.

The consolidation of data serves to gauge medium- and long-term trends in deforestation in Brazil, complementing preliminary results. It provides support for the development and implementation of public environmental policies.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday morning (Dec. 24) was admitted to Brasília’s DF Star Hospital, where he will undergo surgery to treat an inguinal hernia. The procedure is slated to take place on Thursday (25), following recommendations from private doctors and experts from the Federal Police.

Bolsonaro, who is serving a sentence of 27 years and three months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government, was authorized to undergo the procedure by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court.

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Escorted by officers from the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília to the hospital, the former president was admitted around 9:30 am, accompanied by former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

During the day, Bolsonaro is expected to undergo preoperative tests, his defense attorneys said.

Throughout his hospitalization, surveillance will be maintained 24 hours a day, with two agents stationed at the door of his room, in addition to other teams inside and outside the hospital, as determined by the Supreme Court justice.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has signed the Christmas pardon decree – a decision that grants amnesty to convicts who meet certain legal requirements, such as having been sentenced to up to eight years and having served at least one-fifth of their sentence. The document also covers the reduction of penalties in some cases.

The decision does not apply to those convicted of violent crimes, for instance. In this year’s pardon, among the crimes not covered are those that threaten the democratic rule of law – as perpetrated by the people convicted of participating in the attempted coup of January 8, 2023.

Individuals convicted of abuse of authority, drug trafficking, and sexual crimes are also barred from clemency, in addition to those who have benefited from plea bargaining deals or members of criminal rings, and individuals serving sentences in maximum-security prisons.

For custodial sentences, pardons can also be granted to people with severe disabilities – such as blindness and quadriplegia – people with HIV in its terminal stages or with serious illnesses, women with high-risk pregnancies, and people with severe autism spectrum disorder. Individuals over 60, parents of children with serious illnesses or disabilities, and people indispensable to the care of dependents are also eligible.

For fines, the decision applies to convicts who do not have the financial means to pay them or when the amount is below the minimum threshold for tax enforcement by the National Treasury.

The measure is a legal and exclusive power of the Brazilian president under the Constitution and can be signed each year. Once the decree is published, convicts who meet the rules can go to court to claim their right to the benefit.