Brazil Amazon Deforestation Drops 34% in Lula's First 6 Months

RIO DE JANEIRO - After four years of rising destruction in Brazil's Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6% during the first six months of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's term, according to government satellite data released Thursday.

From January to June the rainforest had alerts for possible deforestation covering 2,650 square kilometers, down from 4,000 square kilometers during the same period last year u