Brazilian table tennis player Hugo Calderano is the new world No. 2 following the latest update of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings on Monday (Feb. 9). In addition to reaching the highest position of his career, Calderano became the first South American athlete to hold this ranking in a sport traditionally dominated by Asian and European players. The top spot remains with Chinese player C.Q. Wang.

“It is a great pride for me to take Brazil to yet another unprecedented place in the history of table tennis. This achievement is the result of an incredible season - the best of my career so far. The year is just beginning, and I hope to achieve even greater results,” Calderano said in a statement to the Brazilian Table Tennis Confederation (CBTM).

Notícias relacionadas:

• Calderano wins table tennis Americas Cup and secures spot in Macau.

Calderano began 2026 with a bronze medal at the WTT Star Contender in Doha, Qatar. Last season, the 26-year-old put together a string of outstanding results. In April, he climbed from fifth to third in the world rankings after winning the World Cup in Macau, China - a country with the most stars in the sport. A month later, he finished runner-up at the World Championships in Doha; until then, only Asian and European players had reached the final.

Currently ranked world No. 2, the Brazilian signed a contract last Friday (6) with FC Saarbrücken, a German club that competes in the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League. After nearly 10 years with TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, Calderano announced on social media that he will represent his new club in the 2026/27 season.

The dissemination of fake content created with artificial intelligence (AI) more than tripled from 2024 to 2025 in Brazil, representing a 308-percent increase.

The data come from the first Panorama da Desinformação no Brasil (“Overview of Disinformation in Brazil”), an unprecedented study released Thursday (Feb. 5) by fact-checking agency Observatório Lupa that maps trends, targets, and the main tactics of disinformation.

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The report shows that deepfakes and other AI-generated pieces of misinformation rose from 39 cases in 2024, representing 4.6 percent of the total checks carried out by observatory that year, to 159 in 2025, amounting to 25 percent of verifications. This equates to an increase of 120 cases.

According to the debut edition of the study, which will be annual, there is a structural change in the disinformation ecosystem.

The survey shows that, in 2024, AI was mainly used to create digital scams, such as deepfakes of celebrities advertising fraudulent websites, for instance. By 2025, the technology began to be used strategically as a political weapon – almost 45 percent of AI content had an ideological bias, compared to 33 percent in the previous year.

The observatory found that more than three-quarters of AI-generated content circulating in 2025 exploited the image or voice of well-known people, mainly political leaders. The survey points to 36 instances of fake content targeting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 33 targeting former President Jair Bolsonaro, and 30 targeting Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

According to the document, the use of WhatsApp for spreading misinformation plunged from almost 90 percent in 2024 to 46 percent in 2025. In the observatory’s view, this does not mean that fake news has decreased there, but rather that there is now a greater dispersion of platforms.

In addition to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, and X – which were already popular – Kwai and Tiktok, both short video social networks, have also become more relevant in the dissemination of fakes.

World champion in 2025, Brazilian Henrique Marques was elected the best male athlete in the world in taekwondo last season. The award from the martial art’s international federation, World Taekwondo, was presented to the fighter during a ceremony in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Monday (Feb. 2). In addition to the trophy, Marques became the first Brazilian to be honored by the entity, which created the accolade 12 years ago.

“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that all this would come true [to me], a young black man born into a poor family and raised in a slum. Today, he has come to be recognized as the best in the world at what he does!” the 21-year-old athlete posted on social media.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Brazil win 12th title in Copa América Futsal.
• Calderano wins table tennis Americas Cup and secures spot in Macau.

Born in Itaboraí, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, the athlete won six medals in 2025, four of them gold. In October, he won Brazil’s first-ever title at the World Championships in Wuxi, China, in the men’s 80 kg category – a victory that propelled him to the top of the rankings. Henrique also won gold at the Rio Open, the Presidents Cup in Lima, Peru, and the Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand.

Henrique Marques’ peak last season was the result of his persistence and dedication. In 2023, Henrique Marques was about to represent Brazil at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, when he was surprised with a diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia during an exam right before departing. After undergoing surgery, he spent five months away from the mats to recover.

Back in training, Henrique secured a spot in April for the Paris Olympics. Before the start of the Games, his father passed away. Still grieving, the Brazilian star competed in Paris 2024 until he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Brazilian futsal maintained its hegemony in the Copa América Futsal by winning its 12th title in 15 editions of the tournament without losing a single game. On Sunday night (Feb. 1), the team defeated Argentina 2–1 with a goal by Dyego in the final minute of the match, held in Luque, Paraguay. João Victor scored the first Brazilian goal and Mathias netted for the opponents.

“It was a great final, a match with a lot of commitment. We had a game plan and we managed to put it into practice. We deserved the title. It’s great to defend the shield of this beloved country, this shirt that carries enormous weight. We did our duty,” Dyego celebrated.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Calderano wins table tennis Americas Cup and secures spot in Macau.

By reaching the final, both Brazil and Argentina secured their places in the Finalíssima in November, at a venue yet to be decided. The tournament will be contested against the European champions and runners-up. It will be the first time that the Brazilian team, the most successful team in the Copa América, will participate in the Finalíssima.

Brazilian table tennis player Hugo Calderano, ranked number three in the world, lived up to expectations and won the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Americas Cup, held in San Francisco, California, on Sunday (Feb. 1). In addition to the continental trophy, he secured a place in the World Cup in Macau, China, where he was champion last year. Undefeated in the Americas Cup, Calderano beat host Kanak Jha (ranked 21st) in the final by 4 sets to 1.

“It was a good match. Kanak had a great year last year; he is one of the best players in the world. I knew it would be a difficult game, especially playing at home, where he knows the place better than I do. I’m happy to win this title, win the Pan American Cup, and go home with the trophy,” Calderano stated.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Table tennis: Calderano wins Pan American singles title.

In the women’s competition, Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi (ranked 20th) lost in the semifinals to home favorite Amy Wang (39th), losing the match by a score of 4 sets to 1. Despite her elimination, Takahashi secured a spot in the World Cup in Macau by qualifying for the semifinals of the Americas Cup. The World Cup will take place from March 30 to April 5.

Siblings Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia won the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album on Sunday (Jan. 1) for Caetano e Bethânia ao Vivo.

Presenter Dee Dee Bridgewater accepted the award on their behalf at the ceremony in Los Angeles, United States.

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The award-winning production is a recording of the artists’ tour. The achievement crowned an artistic moment marked by affectionate reunions with audiences and a reaffirmation of the strength of Brazilian song on the international stage.

The album, recorded during a tour that spanned several Brazilian cities with sold-out shows, brings together hits from the two artists’ individual careers, such as “Reconvexo” and “Vaca Profana,” as well as a previously unreleased version of “Fé,” a composition by Brazilian singer Iza reinterpreted by the siblings.

Celebrating the victory on social media, Caetano and Bethânia wrote:

“What joy to win the @grammys for ‘Best International Album’ together! In particular, we would like to thank the musicians who, alongside us, made this album happen. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who listened to the album, went to the shows, and shared this story with us.”

For Maria Bethânia, her first Grammy represents international acclaim after decades of career.

For Caetano, this was his sixth Grammy nomination and third award. The artist has already won twice: with Livro (1998) and João Voz e Violão (2000), an album by João Gilberto that he produced.

The feature film by director Kleber Mendonça Filho, starring Wagner Moura, will compete for a César, French cinema’s highest award, in the Best Foreign Film category. The nomination comes a day after The Secret Agent was announced as a contender in two categories at the BAFTAs, in the UK.

At the Césars, the Brazilian production competes with Sirāt, One Battle After Another, Black Dog, and Sentimental Value. The ceremony will take place on February 26 in Paris.

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The Secret Agent is nominated in four categories at the 2026 Oscars. Kleber Mendonça’s production competes in the categories of Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Casting, and Best Actor (Wagner Moura).

The award ceremony will take place on March 15.

This year, the film has won two Golden Globe awards – Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor in a Drama.

Brazil’s Supreme Court Chief Edson Fachin said on Monday (Jan. 26) that democracy in Brazil and across the Americas is facing “challenging times.”

The justice’s statement was made during the inauguration of Rodrigo Mudrovitsch, a Brazilian judge, as president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica.

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Fachin cited the convictions of those involved in the January 8, 2023, coup attempts and stated that the three branches of the Brazilian government faced “dark forces” seeking a coup d’état.

“The democratic rule of law is going through challenging times. Later this month, we will mark three years since an episode occurred that tested the strength of our democratic institutions and constitutional justice,” Fachin noted.

The justice also said that the erosion of democratic institutions represents a new form of attempt to undermine democracy.

“Authoritarian movements that seek to supplant democracy do not always show themselves in their most strident and explicitly violent form. Today, we are witnessing a movement with a new guise, although equally harmful in its effects. Erosion of democracy corrodes institutions from within,” he added.