Brazil's Supreme Court confirms X suspension / Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT, EVARISTO SA - AFP/File
-
Fearless Konstas slams 60 as Australia take upper hand against India
-
Bridges outduels Wembanyama, Celtics lose again
-
Hungry Sabalenka ready for more Slam success
-
Mass jailbreak in Mozambique amid post-election unrest
-
Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38
-
Bridges outduels Wembanyama as Knicks beat Spurs
-
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: what to know 20 years on
-
Asia to mourn tsunami dead with ceremonies 20 years on
-
Syrians protest after video of attack on Alawite shrine
-
Russian state owner says cargo ship blast was 'terrorist attack'
-
38 dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
-
Crisis-hit Valencia hire West Brom's Corberan as new boss
-
Suriname ex-dictator and fugitive Desi Bouterse dead at 79
-
35 feared dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
-
Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' in Christmas appeal
-
Syria authorities say torched 1 million captagon pills
-
Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' across world
-
32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
-
Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan, Kabul says
-
Liverpool host Foxes, Arsenal prepare for life without Saka
-
Japan FM raises 'serious concerns' over China military buildup
-
Pope's sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war
-
Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
-
Sweeping Vietnam internet law comes into force
-
Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war
-
Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold
-
Japan's top diplomat in China to address 'challenges'
-
Thousands attend Christmas charity dinner in Buenos Aires
-
Demand for Japanese content booms post 'Shogun'
-
As India's Bollywood shifts, stars and snappers click
-
Mystery drones won't interfere with Santa's work: US tracker
-
Djokovic eyes more Slam glory as Swiatek returns under doping cloud
-
Australia's in-form Head confirmed fit for Boxing Day Test
-
Brazilian midfielder Oscar returns to Sao Paulo
-
'Wemby' and 'Ant-Man' to make NBA Christmas debuts
-
US agency focused on foreign disinformation shuts down
-
On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launches holy Jubilee year
-
'Like a dream': AFP photographer's return to Syria
-
Chiefs seek top seed in holiday test for playoff-bound NFL teams
-
Panamanians protest 'public enemy' Trump's canal threat
-
Cyclone death toll in Mayotte rises to 39
-
Ecuador vice president says Noboa seeking her 'banishment'
-
Leicester boss Van Nistelrooy aware of 'bigger picture' as Liverpool await
-
Syria authorities say armed groups have agreed to disband
-
Maresca expects Man City to be in title hunt as he downplays Chelsea's chancs
-
Man Utd boss Amorim vows to stay on course despite Rashford row
-
South Africa opt for all-pace attack against Pakistan
-
Guardiola adamant Man City slump not all about Haaland
-
Global stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas trade
-
Bethlehem marks sombre Christmas under shadow of war
NYSE - LSE
Brazil's Supreme Court confirms X suspension
Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday ratified the decision by one of its judges to suspend Elon Musk's X social network for alleged judicial transgressions.
Access to the network in the country has been blocked since Saturday morning, hours after judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the platform.
Moraes's ruling came after Musk failed to comply with an order to name a new legal representative for the company in Brazil -- a requirement X has rejected as "illegal."
Moraes and Musk have been locked in a high-profile feud for months as the judge has vowed to fight disinformation and Musk claims the supremacy of free speech.
On Monday, five Supreme Court judges, including Moraes himself, voted in a virtual session to uphold his ruling.
"Elon Musk demonstrated his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, the judiciary, positioning himself as a true supranational entity, immune to the laws of countries," Moraes said in the new ruling.
His colleague Flavio Dino added that "freedom of expression does not excuse repeated violations of the legal system."
Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, reacted with fury to last Friday's order, branding Moraes as an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge" and accusing him of "trying to destroy democracy in Brazil."
The standoff began when Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts belonging to supporters of Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro had tried to discredit the voting systems used during the country's 2022 elections, which he lost.
Brazilian authorities are investigating whether Bolsonaro plotted a coup attempt to prevent his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from assuming office in January 2023.
Online users blocked by Moraes include 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.
Musk is also the subject of a separate investigation into the alleged use of public money to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro and those close to him.
The suspension of X came just over a month before municipal elections are to be held in Brazil.
In August, X announced it was shuttering its offices in Brazil due to the Moraes's actions, but assured clients they would still have access to its services.
Until Friday, X counted about 22 million users in Brazil, according to the site DataReportal.
D.Sawyer--AMWN