Tag: Brazil

  • Brazil block on X comes into effect after judge’s order

    Brazil block on X comes into effect after judge’s order

    A block on Elon Musk’s X social network in Brazil started to take effect early Saturday after a Supreme Court judge ordered its suspension, according to AFP.

    Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes on Friday ordered the platform’s suspension following a months-long standoff with the tech billionaire over disinformation in South America’s largest nation.

    Moraes handed down the ruling after Musk failed to comply with an order to name a new legal representative for the company.

    Early Saturday access to X, formerly known as Twitter, was no longer possible for some users in the South American country. They were presented with a message asking them to reload the browser if they were unable to log in successfully.

    Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, reacted with fury to the judge’s order, branding Moraes an “evil dictator cosplaying as a judge” and accusing him of “trying to destroy democracy in Brazil.”

    “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” the billionaire, who has become increasingly aligned with right-wing politics, wrote on X.

    The two have been locked in an ongoing, high-profile feud for months as Moraes leads a battle against disinformation in Brazil.

    Elon Musk has been locked in a months-long feud with the judge, Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading a battle against disinformation in South America’s largest nation. 

    Musk has previously declared himself a “free speech absolutist,” but since he took over the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022 he has been accused of turning it into a megaphone for right-wing conspiracy theories.

    He is a vocal supporter of former US president Donald Trump’s bid to regain the White House.

    Moraes ordered the “immediate, complete and comprehensive suspension of the operation of” X in the country, telling the national communications agency to take “all necessary measures” to implement the order within 24 hours.

    He threatened a fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) to anyone who used “technological subterfuges”, such as a VPN, to circumvent the block.

    The judge also demanded that Google, Apple, and internet providers “introduce technological obstacles capable of preventing the use of the X application” and access to the website, though he later rescinded that order.

    The social media platform has more than 22 million users in Brazil.

    Musk shut X’s business operations in Brazil earlier this month, claiming Moraes had threatened the company’s previous legal representative with arrest to force compliance with “censorship orders.”

    On Wednesday, Moraes told Musk he had 24 hours to find a new representative, or he would face suspension.

    Shortly after the deadline passed, X said in a statement that it expected Moraes to shut it down “simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”

    – ‘Who does Musk think he is?’-

    The standoff with Musk began when Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts belonging to supporters of Brazil’s former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who tried to discredit the voting system in the 2022 election, which he lost.

    Brazilian authorities are investigating whether Bolsonaro plotted a coup attempt to prevent current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming office in January 2023.

    Online users blocked by Moraes include figures such as far-right ex-congressman Daniel Silveira, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2022 on charges of leading a movement to overthrow the Supreme Court.

    In April, Moraes ordered an investigation of Musk, accusing him of reactivating some of the banned accounts.

    On Thursday, Musk’s satellite internet operator Starlink said it had received an order from Moraes that froze its accounts and prevented it from conducting financial transactions in Brazil.

    Starlink alleged that the order “is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied — unconstitutionally — against X.”

    The company said on X that it intended “to address the matter legally.”

    Musk is also the subject of a separate judicial investigation into an alleged scheme where public money was used to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro and those close to him.

    “Any citizen from anywhere in the world who has investments in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and laws,” Lula told a local radio station on Friday.

    “Who does (Musk) think he is?”

    Read more: X to close its operations in Brazil

  • Passenger plane crash in Brazil kills all 61 on board

    Passenger plane crash in Brazil kills all 61 on board

    An airplane carrying 57 passengers and four crew crashed Friday in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, killing everyone on board, the airline said.

    The aircraft, an ATR 72-500 operated by Voepass airline, was traveling from Cascavel in southern Parana state to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos international airport when it crashed in the city of Vinhedo.

    Voepass initially said the plane was carrying 58 passengers, but a statement on the airline’s website later revised the figure to 57.

    Images broadcast on local media showed a large plane spinning as it plummeted almost vertically, while other footage showed a large column of smoke rising from the crash site in what appeared to be a residential area.

    “There were no survivors,” the city government in Valinhos — which was involved in the rescue and recovery operation in nearby Vinhedo — said in an to AFP.

    Vinhedo, with about 76,000 residents, is located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo.

    Recovery of the victims’ remains for “identification” has begun and “will continue throughout the night,” Sao Paulo State Governor Tarcisio de Freitas told reporters at the scene.

    President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared three days of mourning.

    Voepass said it was cooperating with authorities to “determine the causes of the accident,” while giving full assistance to families of the victims on flight 2283.

    The plane, a twin-engine turboprop, took off “without any flight restrictions, with all its systems operational,” the company said.

    Brazil’s CENIPA aviation accident agency has launched an investigation.

    ATR, a Franco-Italian aircraft maker and Airbus subsidiary, said its experts were working to help investigators.

    Truck driver Martins Barbosa, 49, was working when he learned of the plane crash, which occurred 150 meters (500 feet) from his home.

    “I thought it might have fallen on my house, with my son inside,” he told AFP, adding he felt despondent before learning his family was okay.

    Nathalie Cicari, who lives near the crash site, told CNN Brasil the impact was “terrifying.”

    “I was having lunch, I heard a very loud noise very close by,” she said, describing the sound as drone-like but “much louder.”

    “I went out on the balcony and saw the plane spinning. Within seconds, I realized that it was not a normal movement for a plane.”

    Cicari was not hurt but had to evacuate her house, which was filled with black smoke from the crash.

    “I arrived at the scene and saw many bodies on the ground — many of them,” another witness, Ricardo Rodrigues, told local Band News.

    Firefighters, military police and state civil defense were deployed at the scene.

    Military police told local media the accident had not caused any casualties on the ground, and that the fire sparked by the crash had been brought under control.

    The plane’s black box “has already been found, apparently preserved,” Sao Paulo state security official Guilherme Derrite told reporters at the scene.

    The doomed plane recorded its first flight in April 2010, according to the website planespotters.net.

    Air safety has improved dramatically in recent decades, with deadly passenger plane crashes becoming ever-more rare worldwide, though more frequent in developing nations.

    Excluding Friday’s crash, CENIPA data shows Brazil has recorded 108 aircraft accidents so far this year, resulting in 49 deaths. Over the last ten years, 746 people have died in 1,665 accidents in the country.

    In January 2023, another ATR 72 operated by Yeti Airlines crashed after stalling in Nepal, killing all 72 on board.

    Nepalese authorities attributed the incident to pilot error.

  • Rains, mudslides kill 29 in southern Brazil’s ‘worst disaster’

    Rains, mudslides kill 29 in southern Brazil’s ‘worst disaster’

    Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday visited the country’s south where floods and mudslides caused by torrential rains have killed 29 people, with the toll expected to rise.

    Authorities in Rio Grande do Sul have declared a state of emergency as rescuers continue to search for dozens of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads.

    Storm damage has affected nearly 150 municipalities in the state, also injuring 36 people and displacing more than 10,000.

    Governor Eduardo Leite said Rio Grande do Sul was dealing with “the worst disaster in (its) history.”

    “With the deepest pain in my heart, I know it will be even more,” the governor said of the death toll.

    Lula, who has blamed the torrent on climate change, arrived in the town of Santa Maria in the morning with a delegation of ministers and held a working meeting with Leite and other officials to coordinate rescue efforts, the government said.

    The president promised “there will be no lack of human or material resources” to “minimize the suffering this extreme event… is causing in the state.”

    The federal government, he added, “will be 100 percent at the disposition” of state officials.

    Central authorities has already made available 12 aircraft, 45 vehicles and 12 boats as well as 626 soldiers to help clear roads, distribute food, water and mattresses, and set up shelters, a press statement said.

    As the rains continued, forecasts warned the state’s main Guaiba River, which has already overflowed its banks in some areas, would reach an extraordinary level of three meters (9.8 feet) by Thursday and four meters the next day.

    Entire communities in Rio Grande do Sul state have been completely cut off as persistent rains have destroyed bridges and blocked roads, and left towns without even telephone or internet services.

    Rescuers and soldiers have been scrambling to free families trapped in their homes, many stuck on rooftops to escape rising waters.

    “I’ve never seen anything like this… it’s all under water,” said Raul Metzel, a 52-year-old machine operator in the municipality of Capela de Santana.

    A dam collapsed in the town of Cotipora, raising the level of water in the Taquari river.

    “I came here to help people, to get them out of the flooding because it is very dangerous. The current is very strong,” said fisherman Guilverto Luiz, who was helping rescue efforts in Sao Sebastiaio do Cai, about 70 km from Porto Alegre, the state capital.

    Authorities have urged people to avoid areas along state highways due to a risk of mudslides, and those who live near rivers or on hillsides to evacuate.

    Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without access to electricity and drinking water, while classes have been suspended state-wide.

    On Wednesday, the state’s deputy governor, Gabriel Souza, said damages have been estimated at $20 million.

    Mayor Sandra Backes of Sinimbu said the situation in her town was “a nightmare.”

    “Sinimbu is like a war zone, completely destroyed… All the stores, businesses, supermarkets — everything is devastated,” she said in a video posted on Instagram.

    Elsewhere, in Santa Cruz do Sul, lifeguards used boats to transport residents, many of them children, to safety.

    The region’s rivers had already been swollen from previous storms.

    Last September at least 31 people died as a cyclone hit the state.

    South America’s largest country has suffered a string of recent extreme weather events, which experts say are made more likely by climate change.

    The floods came amid a cold front battering the south and southeast, following a wave of extreme heat.

  • Report links H&M, Zara to environmental destruction in Brazil

    Report links H&M, Zara to environmental destruction in Brazil

    Fast fashion giants H&M and Zara have used cotton from farms linked to massive deforestation, land-grabbing, corruption and violence in Brazil, a report by the environmental group Earthsight said Thursday.

    Based on satellite images, court rulings, shipment records and an undercover investigation, the report, titled “Fashion Crimes,” found the companies sourced “tainted cotton” farmed in the fragile Cerrado savanna by two of Brazil’s biggest agribusiness firms, SLC Agricola and the Horita Group.

    Despite abuses linked to its production, the cotton had been labeled as ethical by leading certification scheme Better Cotton, exposing “deep flaws” in the oversight program, said the British environmental group.

    The Cerrado, the most biodiverse savanna on Earth, has been disappearing at an accelerating rate as Brazil’s massive agribusiness industry has increasingly turned to the region in recent decades.

    Earthsight traced at least 816,000 tonnes of cotton exported from 2014 to 2023 to farms run by SLC and Horita, which “have a long record of court injunctions, corruption rulings and millions of dollars in fines related to clearances of around 100,000 hectares of Cerrado wilderness,” it said.

    The cotton in question was farmed in the northeastern state of Bahia and shipped to eight Asian clothing manufacturers whose clients include Sweden-based H&M and Spain-based Zara, the report said.

    Brazil, the world’s top exporter of beef and soybeans, has also emerged as a major cotton producer in recent years, now second only to the United States.

    But that has contributed to environmental destruction in the Cerrado, where “a ruinous mix of corruption, greed, violence and impunity has led to the blatant theft of public lands and dispossession of local communities,” Earthsight said.

    Better Cotton said in a statement it had conducted an independent audit of the “highly concerning issues raised” in the report, and that it would provide a summary of the findings.

    Zara parent company Inditex and H&M said they took the allegations seriously, and urged Better Cotton to release the auditors’ findings.

    The Brazilian Cotton Producers’ Association (ABRAPA) said it had worked with the growers in question to provide records and evidence countering the report’s allegations.

    “Unfortunately, these were largely disregarded,” it said in a statement.

    “ABRAPA unequivocally condemns any practices that undermine environmental conservation, violate human rights or harm local communities.”

  • Fan passes away from cardiac arrest during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Fan passes away from cardiac arrest during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Rio, Brazil, suffered a setback when a fan passed away of cardiac arrest. Ana Clara, 23, had flown in from the centre west region to see her favourite musician perform live. According to People, she fainted before Taylor’s gig began, dying shortly after in the hospital where she was taken for treatment.

    Brazil is in the grip of intense heatwaves. On Friday, the temperature in Rio hit 39.1C. Multiple fans have revealed they were not allowed to take water bottles inside with them during the show. In several videos, Taylor was seen passing out water bottles while performing ‘All Too Well’ when fans began chanting “water, water”.

    Swift released a statement on Friday on her Instagram account, expressing grief on Ana’s passing, writing that she was devastated by the loss.

    “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I sasy we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”

    “I’m not going to be able to speak about this from stage,” Taylor continued, “because I fell overwhelmed with grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her friends and family. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”

    On Saturday, the ‘Anti Hero’ singer released another statement, announcing that she was postponing her Saturday night concert in Rio due to extreme temperatures. The show has now been rescheduled for Monday.

    “I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rip. The safety and well-being on my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and will always come first.”

  • Pakistan to import 100,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil due to high prices, shortage

    Pakistan to import 100,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil due to high prices, shortage

    With the price of sugar skyrocketing in the market, aided by the exploitative practices of the sugar mill cartel, and the commodity facing scarcity, a decision has been reached to import 100,000 metric tonnes of sugar from Brazil.

    The Trading Corporation of Pakistan has formally communicated its intention to procure sugar from the South American nation. This comes as a reversal of trends, considering that sugar had been exported back in June; however, preparations are now underway for its import in September.

    Nevertheless, there are concerns that the price of sugar might surge further in the market following its import. It is anticipated that sugar could reach a staggering Rs200 per kilogramme.

    Insider sources have disclosed that the country is grappling with a significant shortage of sugar after its previous export. In November 2022, sugar was priced at Rs91, but following its export, the price catapulted to Rs180. The impending import of 100,000 metric tonnes is feared to exacerbate the price increase.

    Speaking on the issue, Food Secretary Zaman Wattoo revealed that the recent surge in sugar prices has collectively burdened the masses with an additional cost of Rs47 billion.

    Meanwhile, the price of sugar persistently climbs, now touching the Rs170 per kilogramme mark in the retail sector. Over a span of just four days, the price has gradually escalated by Rs10 per kilogramme.

    At the wholesale level, sugar is valued at Rs16,400 per 100 kilogrammes. Different sugar mills are offering rates ranging from Rs15,800 to Rs16,600 per 100 kilogrammes.

    According to Samaa, despite the ongoing dynamics, there is still no officially defined market rate for sugar, leaving room for potential further spikes in pricing. Furthermore, considering the current market conditions, the export of sugar has been placed under a temporary prohibition.

  • Neymar out of Brazil’s next World Cup match with ankle injury

    Neymar out of Brazil’s next World Cup match with ankle injury

    After suffering an ankle ligament injury in his team’s opening victory over Serbia, Neymar will miss Brazil’s next World Cup match against Switzerland, the team doctor announced on Friday.

    After being replaced during Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Serbia, the Paris Saint-Germain forward was spotted with a swollen ankle.

    he 30-year-old sustained “ligament damage,” according to the Brazilian Football Federation’s (CBF) physician Rodrigo Lasmar.

    Due to an ankle strain, Danilo, the right back for Brazil, will also miss Monday’s game against Switzerland.

    “We will not have these two players for our next match but they continue their treatment with the aim of recovering in time for the rest of the competition,” the doctor said in a video released by the CBF.

  • PM Shehbaz congratulates Lula da Silva on his election as the new Brazilian President

    Brazil has elected leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as President after he beat far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in a tight presidential election on Sunday.

    Following the election, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif extended his wishes to Silva.

    “I extend my congratulations to H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his election as President of Brazil. I wish him great success and look forward to working with him to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. We share consensus on the dangers of climate change,” he said in a tweet.

    According to the country’s election authority, Lula secured 50.8 per cent of the vote compared with 49.2 per cent for Bolsonaro.

    In his victory speech, Lula said, “This country needs peace and unity. This population doesn’t want to fight anymore.”

    This is the first time that the sitting president failed to re-win the elections.

    Bolsonaro has made no public statement on the outcome.

    Lula, a hero for the country’s left, could not run in the 2018 election after being incarcerated on corruption charges which were later annulled.

    Lula left the presidency 12 years ago with record popularity after serving from 2003-2010. His conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to run again for president this year.

  • Brazil polls: Bolsanaro faces off against Lula in tough competition on October 30

    Brazil polls: Bolsanaro faces off against Lula in tough competition on October 30

    Brazil’s top two presidential candidates—incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva— will face each other again in a runoff vote on October 30 after neither of them got a clear majority.

    The polls released a day before the elections had predicted a 14 percentage point gap between Lula and Bolsonaro. However, Lula da Silva is ahead, as he had managed to gain 48.4 per cent of support while President Bolsonaro had 43.2 per cent. Nine other candidates were also competing.

    Bolsonaro had questioned polls that showed him losing to Lula in the first round, saying they did not capture the enthusiasm he saw on the campaign trail. He has also attacked the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system without evidence and suggested he might not concede if he lost.

    It is pertinent to mention that Lula could not run in the 2018 election because he was in prison after being convicted on corruption charges which were later annulled.

    Lula left the presidency 12 years ago with record popularity. His conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to run again for president this year.

    Deforestation and forest fires have soared during President Bolsonaro’s time in office. Climate activists have warned that if he is re-elected, the area could reach a tipping point.

    His popularity has suffered since the coronavirus pandemic, which he called a “little flu” before Covid-19 killed 686,000 Brazilians.

    Voters now have four weeks to decide which of the two should lead the country.

  • Female martial artist beats passenger ‘after he sexually harassed, rubbed himself against her’

    Female martial artist beats passenger ‘after he sexually harassed, rubbed himself against her’

    A martial artist in Brazil beat a man and put him in a chokehold in a bus after he allegedly sexually harassed her.

    As per reports, the woman was going back to her home from the gym on October 20 when she was allegedly harassed in the city of Belem.

    A video recorded by another passenger on the bus showed the alleged victim, who practices Muay Thai and capoeira, placing the man in a rear chokehold. She can be seen grabbing the man around the neck from behind.  

    https://youtu.be/-7RRO8repDQ

    Read More: Student in US harrased for highlighting Palestinians, Uighurs in her graduation speech

    A police report stated that the man had allegedly tried to take advantage of the busy bus to rub his genitals against the woman from behind.

    He even allegedly unzipped his trousers while committing the act, according to the report.