Brazil's "Rainforest" Condoms

Thanks to the natural rubber produced by trees in the Amazon, the Brazilian government will manufacture more than 100 million condoms this year in a state-run factory in the northwestern state of Acre. Given the name Natex, these contraceptives will benefit at least 500 families and provide 150 jobs in Xapuri, as well as help fight AIDS. "The Brazilian government has one of the biggest programs in the world to distribute free condoms," a practice often criticized by the Catholic Church. [BBC]