
-
Certain foreign firms must 'self-certify' with Trump diversity rules: US embassies
-
Deutsche Bank asset manager DWS fined 25 mn euros for 'greenwashing'
-
UK drawing up new action plan to tackle rising TB
-
Nigerian president sacks board of state oil company
-
Barca never had financial room to register Olmo: La Liga
-
Spain prosecutors to appeal ruling overturning Alves' rape conviction
-
Heathrow 'warned about power supply' days before shutdown
-
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre 'stable' after car crash
-
Myanmar quake survivors plead for more help
-
Greece to spend 25 bn euros in 'drastic' defence overhaul: PM
-
Maresca non-committal over Sancho's future at Chelsea
-
WHO facing $2.5-bn gap even after slashing budget: report
-
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti tells tax trial did not seek to defraud
-
Chinese tourists pine for Taiwan's return as Beijing jets surround island
-
Singapore detains teenage boy allegedly planning to kill Muslims
-
What is the 'Qatargate' scandal roiling Israel?
-
AI coming for anime but Ghibli's Miyazaki irreplaceable, son says
-
Swedish insurer drops $160 mn Tesla stake over labour rights
-
Hunger returns to Gaza as Israeli blockade forces bakeries shut
-
Rubio heads to Europe as transatlantic tensions soar
-
Like 'living in hell': Quake-hit Mandalay monastery clears away rubble
-
'Give me a break': Trump tariffs threaten Japan auto sector
-
US approves $5.58 bn fighter jet sale to Philippines
-
Tsunoda embracing pressure of Red Bull debut at home Japanese GP
-
'Outstanding' Hay shines as New Zealand seal Pakistan ODI series
-
El Salvador's Bukele flaunts 'iron fist' alliance with Trump
-
Stock markets mixed as uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
China probes for key target weak spots with 'paralysing' Taiwan drills
-
'Top Gun' and Batman star Val Kilmer dies aged 65: New York Times
-
US lawmakers seek to rename street for Hong Kong's jailed Jimmy Lai
-
Greece to spend big on 'historic' military shake up
-
Trump faces first electoral setback after Wisconsin Supreme Court vote
-
Hay shines as New Zealand beat Pakistan for ODI series win
-
Israel says expands Gaza offensive to seize 'large areas'
-
Curry drops 52 as Warriors win, Jokic bags career-high 61 in Denver loss
-
South Korea mobilising 'all resources' for violence-free Yoon verdict
-
Myanmar quake victim rescued after 5 days as aid calls grow
-
Real Madrid coach Ancelotti tax fraud trial set to begin
-
Warner showcases 'Superman' reboot, new DiCaprio film
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors

In Brazil, disinformation deals Lula a bruising defeat
An avalanche of disinformation about a new economic measure proved so tricky for Brazil's government to navigate that they backtracked entirely this week in a rout egged on by the opposition.
The political fiasco centered around the beloved instant money transfer system known as PIX, used tens of millions of times a day by Brazilians for everything from paying bills to giving money to beggars on the street.
It all started when new government rules kicked in on January 1 including PIX in the institutions whose financial transactions would be tracked in a bid to combat tax evasion.
This is nothing unusual for traditional banks, but a communication crisis quickly ensued that engulfed government, forcing it to revoke the rule entirely.
A flood of disinformation reported that PIX transactions would be taxed, and the opposition -- including former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro -- exploited the confusion by pitching the measure as an attack on the poor.
Nikolas Ferreira, 28, a fiery social media star-turned-lawmaker for the right-wing Liberal Party, released a video slamming the measure that racked up more than 300 million views.
He admits that "PIX will not be taxed" but "I don't doubt that it could be."
"The Lula government will monitor your spending," he said, referring to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "The people who will be most affected by this measure will be the workers, who will be monitored as if they were major tax evaders."
- 'Humanity's greatest evil' -
The fake news crisis unfolded as Brazil's government is locked in conflict with social media giant Meta over its weakening of controls on disinformation on its platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Last year, the Supreme Court blocked Elon Musk's X platform for 40 days for failing to comply with a series of court orders against online disinformation.
A survey by the Quaest polling institute published Friday showed that 87 percent of those surveyed had heard that government would tax PIX transactions, and 67 percent of them believed it.
The government tried to fight back, with denials from tax authorities and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, and a video of Lula making a PIX payment to his favorite football team.
But the damage was done. The government not only reversed the measure on Thursday, but issued a provisional measure prohibiting the taxation of PIX.
"If it was fake, why did they revoke it," Ferreira wrote on X, as opposition members praised his role in forcing the government to backtrack.
Disinformation "is humanity's greatest evil" and "can cause profound damage", said new Communication Minister Sidonio Palmeira as he took office Tuesday.
The appointment of Lula's campaign strategist from his 2022 election victory was seen as a bid to boost the government's communication of its political victories after a series of setbacks -- with a focus on fighting fake news.
Highlighting the communication battle, local media reported that a marketing expert in charge of Bolsonaro's failed presidential campaign in 2022 helped strategize the response to the PIX debacle, choosing Ferreira to lead the attack.
- 'Yet another tax' -
Andre Eler, technical director of Bites consultancy, said the government had recognized that "it would not be possible to reverse the extent of the damage caused by this shoddy communication."
"The government in general is poorly informed about what happens on social media. And it took too long to respond," he said.
This allowed the opposition to exploit public fears "that this is a tax-loving government," said Eler.
Lula's government has been battling ballooning public debt, and concerns about spending have pushed the real currency to record lows against the dollar.
"Since taking office, the Lula government has sustained part of the increase in public spending with a rare desire to collect taxes," read a column in Friday's O Globo newspaper.
"In a country with one of the highest tax burdens in the world, fake news about yet another tax quickly gains credibility."
Breno Lima Moreira, a researcher linked to the Central Bank, said that while false content in Brazil was initially very focused on politics, economic issues have seen "the greatest growth" in recent years.
A.Jones--AMWN