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Rio de Janeiro

A performer in elaborate, feathered costume dances energetically in front of a brightly lit Carnaval float, surrounded by vibrant, colorful decorations including large bird figures. The scene is illuminated with purple and pink lights, creating a festive atmosphere with a crowd watching in the background.

Glitter makes Rio sparkle at Carnival. It also pollutes the environment.

Environment

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hundreds of thousands of people cover themselves in glitter for the biggest party in the world, Carnival. However, most of that glitter is made from plastic, which pollutes the environment. The World’s Host, Marco Werman, spoke with the researcher Juan Diego Rodriguez-Blanco about the problem with glitter and the alternatives available.

people wear white in a circle

Afro Brazilian religious groups are under attack

Sacred Nation
dancers in flouncy dresses

Samba schools at Carnival take a stand against the racism and violence that Black Brazilians face

A friend of 24 year-old Congolese immigrant Moïse Mugenyi Kabagambe, holds up a sign during a protest to demand justice for his violent death, at Barra da Tijuca beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022.

‘African. Worker. Killed’: Thousands demand justice for killing of Congolese refugee in Brazil 

Justice
Commuters wear protective face masks as they walk through a subway station, in São Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil joined the widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant. 

Brazil heads into latest COVID surge amid public health information blackout

COVID-19
Olympic athletes, from left, archer Marcus Vinicius D'Almeida, Paralympic rower Michel Pessanha, swimmer Marcela Cunha and swimmer Larissa Oliveira pose for a photo with the mascot of the vaccination campaign, named "Zé Gotinha," or "Droplet Joe," after t

Brazil’s COVID vaccination campaign picks up thanks to a 1980s public health mascot

COVID-19

After a slow start, more than 73% of Brazilians have gotten the jab. Many Brazilians credit the unexpectedly successful campaign in part, to Zé Gotinha, a beloved cartoon character. 

The Atlantic rainforest in Brazil is a beacon for global forest restoration.

The Atlantic rainforest in Brazil is a bright spot for restoration

The Big Fix

As the largest restoration effort in the last 20 years, the Atlantic Forest project provides a blueprint for the rest of the world.

Residents walk near a doorway scared with bullet holes after a police raid against alleged drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 6, 2021. 

‘This is a war scene’: Rio residents grieve, protest against deadly police raid

Police

At least 25 people were killed on Thursday in a police raid on a poor community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now, residents and local officials are demanding answers — and accountability.

Several police officers are shown wearing dark colored fatigues and climbing out of a black armored vehicle carrying weapons.

Bloody police raid in Brazil leaves at least 25 dead

Top of The World

Top of The World: Police in a Rio de Janeiro slum engaged in an hourslong gunbattle Thursday targeting drug traffickers and leading to the death of at least 25 people. And, for the third time in May, health officials in India reported more than 400,000 coronavirus infections in a 24-hour period. Also, a discarded section of a Chinese rocket is set to fall back to Earth as early as Saturday in an uncontrolled reentry.

A woman receives a plate of food donated by the Leao Xlll Foundation amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 7, 2021.

Hunger, unemployment, health care inequity: The pandemic’s devastating impact on Brazil’s Black communities

Three-quarters of Brazil’s poor are Black or multiracial. And they have felt the brunt of the pandemic more than any other population in the country.

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