Page 4 - Brazil

Amid drought in Brazil, wildfires rage, Amazon level falls to record low

Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress an area roughly half the size of the U.S. Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows, and uncontrolled manmade wildfires have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, plummeting air quality. This is the first time that a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country's Southeast, Ana Paula Cunha, a researcher at the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters, said in a statement Thursday. It is the most intense and widespread drought in history. Smoke on Monday afternoon caused Sao Paulo, a metropolitan area of 21 million people, to breathe the second most polluted air in the world after Lahore, Pakistan, according to data gathered by IQAir, a Swiss air technology company. About 1,100 kilometers (683 miles) to the north, a wildfire is sweeping through Chapada dos Veadeiros .

What will be India's position at G20 on proposal of 'billionaire tax': Cong

The Congress on Monday asked the government to spell out what will be India's position on Brazil's proposal of a two per cent wealth tax on dollar billionaires when it is debated at the November G20 Summit. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said India has been conspicuously silent on the matter which is not irrelevant for it since according to one new report, the country has 334 dollar billionaires worth over USD one billion. "Exactly a year ago, the annual G20 Summit began in New Delhi. The Presidency of the G20 rotates among its member countries every year. Two months from now the next G20 Summit will take place in Brazil, which has chosen to not create the hype and self-glorifying publicity like the non-biological PM did," Ramesh said in a post on X. "And what a difference a year has made. In September 2023 He was riding super high. Now he is still reeling from his personal, political, and moral defeat of June 4 2024," the Congress leader said. Fo

Brazil's X ban drives Bolsonaro supporters to rally for 'free speech'

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro began flooding Sao Paulo's main boulevard for an Independence Day rally on Saturday, buoyed by the government's blocking of tech billionaire Elon Musk's X platform, a ban they say is proof of their political persecution. A few thousand demonstrators, clad in the yellow-and-green colours of Brazil's flag, poured onto Av. Paulista. References to the ban on X and images of Musk abounded. Thank you for defending our freedom, read one banner praising the tech entrepreneur. Saturday's march is a test of Bolsonaro's capacity to mobilize turnout ahead of the October municipal elections, even though Brazil's electoral court has barred him from running for office until 2030. It's also something of a referendum on X, whose suspension has raised eyebrows even among some of Bolsonaro's opponents all the while stoking the flames of Brazil's deep-seated political polarisation. A country without liberty can't celebrate anything this day, ...

Elon Musk dares the world to take on X as he scoffs at Brazil's ban

Musk's feud with controversial Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over the order barring X intensified an ideological war

Trial for free speech: Wikipedia, Telegram, X controversies reshape debate

Since they are ongoing in large democracies, they will be taken more seriously by everyone than blanket bans in autocracies

Why 'lonely' Brazilian men are turning to plastic surgery for six-pack abs

In Brazil, more men are seeking six-pack abs through plastic surgery due to social media, isolation, and advanced techniques. Men now make up one-third of surgery patients, a report reveals

Brazil blocking Elon Musk's X costs millions of users, little in sales

While sales from Brazil would likely represent a small piece of X's overall business, any revenue is important for the company, which is still fighting to win back advertisers

Brazil vs Elon Musk: SpaceX warns employees not to travel to the country

It's standard for companies to review their security protocols and caution employees from traveling to certain areas depending on changing dynamics with customers and foreign governments

Meta to inform Brazilians how it uses their personal data to train AI

Meta's users in Brazil will receive the warnings starting on Tuesday by email and notifications on Facebook and Instagram, and will be able to reject the use of their data

Starlink backtracks, to comply with judge's order to block X in Brazil

Elon Musk's satellite-based internet service provider Starlink backtracked Tuesday and said it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice's order to block the billionaire's social media platform, X. Starlink said in a statement posted on X that it will heed Justice Alexandre de Moraes' order despite him having frozen the company's assets. Previously, it informally told the telecommunications regulator that it would not comply until de Moraes reversed course. Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil," the company statement said. "We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre's recent order violate the Brazilian constitution. De Moraes froze the company's accounts last week as a means to compel it to cover X's fines that already exceeded $3 million, reasoning that the two companies are part of the same economic group. Starlink filed an appeal, its la

Brazil's Supreme Court upholds ban imposed by justice on Elon Musk's X

All five judges in Brazil's Supreme Court have unanimously voted to uphold a ban imposed on Elon Musk's social media platform 'X' by one of its justices last week, Al Jazeera reported.

Brazil SC panel upholds decision to block X nationwide as Musk feud deepens

A Brazilian Supreme Court panel has upheld the decision of one of its justices to block billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X nationwide, according to the court's website. The broader support among justices deals a blow to Musk and his supporters who have sought to characterize Justice Alexandre de Moraes as a renegade and authoritarian censor of political speech. The panel is comprised of five of the full bench's 11 justices, including de Moraes, who last Friday ordered the platform blocked for having failed to name a local legal representative, as required by law. X will remain blocked until it complies with his orders and pays outstanding fines that as of last week exceeded $3 million, according to his decision.

Elon Musk vs the world: Fights the tech titan has been picking up globally

Maduro to Zelensky: Here are all the world leaders Elon Musk has clashed with

Explained: Why Brazil's Supreme Court banned Elon Musk's X platform

Brazil's Supreme Court has banned the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after Elon Musk refused to comply with orders to block accounts spreading 'fake news'.

X ban will make Brazil an 'uninvestable market': Hedge fund billionaire

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered internet service providers in Brazil to block its users from accessing X

With X blocked, Brazilian residents find new homes for their thoughts

Some customers of few internet providers that had not yet complied with ban posted excitedly on X that they could still use the service, and the phrase 'it didn't go down' began trending

On day 1 of X ban in country, Brazilians feel disconnected from world

The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence. The shutdown of Elon Musk's platform started early Saturday, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps after the billionaire refused to name a legal representative to the country, missing a deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The blockade marks an escalation in a monthslong feud between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. Brazil is one of the biggest markets for X, with tens of millions of users. I've got the feeling that I have no idea what's happening in the world right now. Bizarre, entertainment writer and heavy X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads on Saturday. Threads is a text-based app developed by Instagram that Barney was using as an alternative. This Threads algorithm is li

Why did Brazil suspend Elon Musk's X operations? The legal ruling explained

The Brazilian Supreme Court's ruling mandates X to meet legal requirements, settle fines, and appoint a legal representative before resuming operations

Top Brazilian judge orders suspension of X platform amid feud with Musk

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered the suspension of Elon Musk's social media giant X in Brazil after the tech billionaire refused to name a legal representative in the country, according to a copy of the decision seen by The Associated Press The move on Friday further escalates the monthslong feud between the two men over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. Justice Alexandre de Moraes had warned Musk on Wednesday night that X could be blocked in Brazil if he failed to comply with his order to name a representative, and established a 24-hour deadline. The company hasn't had a representative in the country since earlier this month. In his decision, de Moraes gave internet service providers and app stores five days to block access to X, and said the platform will remain blocked until it complies with his orders. He also said people or companies who use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access X will be subject to daily fines of 50,000 reais ($8,900). El

Musk's clash with Brazil deepens, risking shut down of X and Starlink

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is spearheading efforts to combat fake news and hate speech in Brazil