The Brazilian judiciary allows Flavio Bolsonaro to visit his father, who is under house arrest
Quick Look
The campaign of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused the "Meta" group of interfering in the elections after blocking its content on the Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms, while a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Panama and sparked tsunami warnings in several Central and South American countries.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In Brazil, a runoff of the presidential elections is taking place between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, while Panama is located in a seismically active area near the borders of Central and South American countries.
On Saturday, the election campaign of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused the “Meta” group of interfering in the elections, after blocking its content on its platforms.
The leftist president is seeking to win a fourth, non-consecutive term in the runoff scheduled for October 25, during which he will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
According to Agence France-Presse, Lula’s campaign reported in a statement that there were cases in which the platforms affiliated with Meta: Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram restricted the publication of his content.
The campaign claimed that, in recent days, Meta had “prevented President Lula’s personal profile from promoting posts on his Instagram Feed,” while a post issued by his official account had witnessed “a drop in the number of views, which affected the extent of its spread.”
She also mentioned that before the first round of voting, which took place last Sunday, in which Bolsonaro came in first place, the accounts of Lula and other left-wing leaders suddenly disappeared from the search feature on Instagram.
The statement added, "A series of technical problems... raise strong suspicions that Meta's practices constitute an attempt to interfere in the Brazilian electoral process on behalf of Flavio Bolsonaro."
Meta's office in Brazil denied the accusations, describing them as "incorrect... and not based on facts."
Meta told Agence France-Presse in an email: “Many of the technical problems mentioned were not limited to Brazil or specific accounts,” adding: “We adhere to the electoral rules, and are keen to provide equal opportunities regarding the use of our platforms.”
A strong earthquake struck Panama on Friday, with the US Geological Survey estimating its magnitude at 7.6 on the Richter scale, sparking a state of panic in the capital, coinciding with the issuance of a warning of the danger of a tsunami.
The earthquake's magnitude was initially estimated at 8 magnitude, before the estimate was revised.
The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake was detected at 17:56 GMT, and that its epicenter was located ten kilometers from the small town of Petalosa Arriba in central and southern Panama, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
The Panama Canal Authority reported that the waterway is operating normally.
The earthquake prompted the American tsunami warning system to warn of the possibility of dangerous tsunami waves reaching parts of the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico during the next three hours.
The system also said that there was a potential threat of a tsunami in Hawaii, according to Reuters.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Lula's campaign will continue to pressure Meta to explain the reasons for blocking the content
Likely · Within days
The tsunami alert will be raised in Central and South American countries in the coming hours
Very likely · Within hours
Open Questions
- Will Brazilian authorities investigate Meta's accusations of electoral interference?
- What measures will Central and South American countries take to prepare for the possible arrival of tsunami waves?
- Will these events affect the outcome of the runoff in Brazil?
