Amazon fires: President Jair Bolsonaro suggests NGOs to blame

Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro says non-governmental organisations may be setting fires in the Amazon to embarrass the Brazilian government after it cut their funding, despite offering no evidence to support the claim.

A record number of fires were recorded in the Amazon this year, according to The National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).

But conservationists have blamed Mr Bolsonaro for the Amazon's plight, saying he has encouraged loggers and farmers to clear the land.

Marcio Astrini from Greenpeace said that the increased deforestation and burning are a "result of his [President Bolsonaro] anti-environmental policy."