Brazilian Workers Sue Starbucks Over Alleged Forced Labor in Coffee Production

A beauty influencer in Brazil, Luna Ambrozevicius Abrahao, was stabbed nine times by her boyfriend, Alex Olievira, during a live stream on May 23. The attack occurred shortly after Abrahao, 22, announced their breakup while broadcasting from her São Paulo apartment. Eyewitness footage captured the horrific incident, showing her screams and the subsequent chaos. According to The New York Post, viewers alerted emergency services as the attack unfolded. Abrahao received immediate medical attention and underwent emergency surgery; she remains in critical condition, having sustained severe injuries to her head, back, hand, and foot. Olievira fled the scene and is currently wanted by the police, facing charges of attempted murder and domestic violence. Authorities noted that the couple had a history of arguments, as reported by neighbors. This incident follows another recent tragedy involving a Mexican influencer, Valeria Marquez, who was shot dead during a TikTok livestream. These events raise concerns about the safety of influencers as they navigate their personal and public lives on social media platforms.

A recent report highlights the alarming destruction of tropical rainforests, with over 67,000 square kilometers—an area twice the size of Belgium—lost in 2024, primarily due to wildfires exacerbated by climate change. This represents an 80% increase in deforestation compared to the previous year, according to data from Global Forest Watch. Co-director Elizabeth Goldman described the situation as a "global red alert." The fires accounted for nearly half of the forest losses, surpassing agriculture as the main driver of destruction for the first time. Notably, these events generated more than three billion tonnes of CO2, exceeding India's fossil fuel emissions during the same period. The blazing infernos were fueled by extreme conditions that made them more intense and harder to control, driven by climate change and a historic El Nino phenomenon. Brazil was significantly impacted, losing 2.8 million hectares of primary forest, mainly due to agricultural expansion for soybeans and cattle. As countries prepare for the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil this November, the urgency to address forest protection becomes increasingly critical.

The year 2024 marked the most severe loss of forests globally, driven primarily by unprecedented fire activity exacerbated by global warming, according to alarming findings from the University of Maryland. This loss equates to an area equivalent to Italy, with tropical regions experiencing the most dramatic changes, where fires have now overtaken agriculture and logging as the primary cause of deforestation. In Brazil, over 25,000 square kilometers of primary rainforest—more than 42% of total tropical loss—were destroyed, significantly surpassing rates recorded under former President Jair Bolsonaro. In Bolivia, forest loss surged nearly fivefold since 2020, reaching 14,000 square kilometers only. Both nations faced severe drought conditions, compounding the effects of fire and government policies promoting agricultural expansion. Experts, including Prof. Matt Hansen, emphasize the dire implications of these trends, warning that rising global temperatures could lead to a "dangerous feedback loop" of more intense wildfires and worsening climate change. Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of Global Forest Watch, called this data a “global red alert,” reiterating the critical role forests play in sustaining life on Earth.