RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Amid global concern about raging Amazon fires, Brazil on Thursday said it was the target of a smear campaign by critics who contend President Jair Bolsonaro is not doing enough to curb widespread deforestation.

The growing threat to what some call "the lungs of the planet" has ignited a bitter dispute about who is to blame during the tenure of a leader who described Brazil's rainforest protections as an obstacle to economic development.

The president's defiance came as Brazilian federal experts reported a record number of wildfires across the country this year, up 84 perc...