- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
Brazil judge, Musk standoff intensifies as Starlink assets frozen
A standoff between a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and Elon Musk intensified Thursday as the billionaire's Starlink company said its assets had been frozen in the country amid a feud over the fate of his social media platform X.
The episode began Wednesday when Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes threatened to suspend X, formerly known as Twitter, unless Musk named a new legal representative for the company in Brazil within 24 hours.
Then on Thursday, Musk's satellite internet operator, Starlink, said it had received an order from Moraes that "freezes Starlink's finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions" in the country.
Starlink, which operates in Brazil, particularly in the Amazon, 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 it intended "to address the matter legally."
Moraes, who also presides over Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal, has spearheaded a battle against disinformation in South America's largest nation, clashing with Musk along the way.
Several of the X accounts he ordered suspended belonged 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.
Moraes's Wednesday decision escalated the months-long feud.
Already in April, Moraes ordered an investigation of Musk, accusing him of reactivating some of the banned accounts.
Musk and other critics accuse Moraes of stifling free speech.
In the order made public Wednesday, Moraes told Musk "to appoint the company's new legal representative in Brazil within 24 hours."
"In the event of non-compliance with the order, the decision provides for the suspension of the social network's activities in Brazil," it said.
Following the order, the hashtag "O Twitter morreu" ("Twitter is dead") went viral in Brazil, and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva posted a message on the platform with the addresses of his other social media accounts.
Musk responded to the order by accusing Moraes of having "repeatedly broken the laws he has sworn to uphold."
He also posted a sarcastic message and doctored photo depicting Moraes as "Voldemort and a Sith Lord," an allusion to the villains of the Harry Potter and Star Wars sagas.
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."
Brazilian users have meanwhile continued to be able to access the social media site.
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.
H.E.Young--AMWN