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Telegram CEO Going To Face France Charges In Criminal Probe

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Telegram CEO

Telegram CEO and founder, Pavel Durov, is going to face France charges against criminal activity on the app. A criminal probe is launched against the CEO who is now banned from leaving France.

Pavel Durov, 39, is under formal investigation in France and would remain in custody which is placed by the French judiciary. He has to pay a fine of $5.6 million.

Telegram Chief Executive Officer is a Russian-born businessman who currently lives in France. During the ongoing investigation, he has to show up at a French police station twice a week. He is not allowed to leave the country till the matters are resolved.

Reason for Telegram CEO detention

The reason for Mr Durov’s detention is the first catch on his arrival at Le Bourget Airport under the charges of offenses on the app. He was stopped by the police in the north of Paris last Saturday.

The allegations summing up to become France charges against the Telegram CEO were mentioned in a statement released on Wednesday. The Paris prosecutors pointed them out as:

  • Illicit transactions are formally organized by a gang over Telegram
  • The CEO’s refusal to communicate with the authorities over the matter
  • Systematic criminal distribution of sexual images of children over the app

In France, it does not necessarily mean that a detention would lead to a trial. However, a formal investigation does guarantee that the matter is taken seriously and would be proceeded with proof by the judges.

Mr Durov has not commented on the proceedings as yet. His lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, said that the app company complied with every rule and policy in this regard that came under the European digital regulations. The same moderations are used for the overall handling of the app, he explained.  

His lawyer clearly stated that “it was absurd” to have mentioned that his client would be involved in such criminal acts, either “directly or indirectly”.

The headquarters of Telegram Company is in Dubai and they say that their moderation policies are all in line with the industry standards.  

Telegram and its users

The issue has created a stir over social media as well as the app users. The mishandling of the app has generated an unprecedented wave of debate online. People are concerned about their freedom of speech and how far it could go when it comes to online content.

People have seen big tech CEOs facing a grilling in court over content regulation on online platforms. However, facing such charges after just having landed at the airport was new to the common public.

Tech giants defending Telegram Chief Executive Officer

Elon Musk, CEO of X, came in defense of Mr Durov. He said content regulation is a “propaganda word” for censorship. He should be released immediately, he demanded.

The founder of the controversial video-sharing app named Rumble, Chris Pavlovski stated he had vamoosed Europe after the detention of Mr Durov.

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said that France is committed to providing freedom of speech to its citizens. Still, the actions carried out on Telegram are “in no way… political”.

Social media app compliance

Even if the social media company is one of the biggest app firms in the world, they have to comply with certain rules and regulations, particularly for the region they are operating in. They could be charged with serious criminal offenses such as Telegram Chief Executive Officer for sharing child sexual images over the app. The judiciary cannot ignore this.

The groups as big as 200,000 people can see and comment on the content shared over Telegram. On the contrary, WhatsApp has a limitation of group formation of 1000 people at maximum.

Telegram does provide the option of encrypting the messages which keeps the messages private to the sender and the receiver only. However, the option needs to be switched manually by one of them as it is not activated by default.

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Elon Musk Earth to Earth: SpaceX’s Plan to Revolutionize Travel with Starship

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Elon musk earth to earth

Elon Musk Earth to Earth project is about to take shape after Trump wins US Elections in 2024. Now in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk has announced to make SpaceX Earth to Earth flights possible.

Earth to Earth travel includes SpaceX’s Starship reinventing long-distance travel by taking passengers and freight between cities at unimaginable speeds.

Details of Elon Musk Earth to Earth travel

Elon Musk confirmed on 6 November via his video message on X that SpaceX rapid transportation would be possible after receiving Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. The post mentioned that Earth to Earth Starship travel is expected in the upcoming Presidential term, which is now under Trump.

The video message said,

“Most long-distance trips are less than 30 minutes. Anywhere on Earth in under an hour. This is now possible”.

It was first suggested almost a decade ago that SpaceX high-speed travel would be able to take a maximum of 1,000 passengers, which would be the Earth’s most powerful rocket able to travel to space.

Instead of traveling deep into space to shorten the travel time, rocket-based Earth travel would travel along the surface of the Earth. It would assist in cutting hours-long journeys into minutes. Reaching destinations around Earth would remain no more a hassle with Musk’s Earth to Earth and its intercontinental rocket travel.

SpaceX Earth-to-Earth flights

According to SpaceX’s official website, the details of intercity rocket travel times are enlisted as follows:

RouteCommercial flight timeEarth to Earth travel time
Los Angeles to New York5 hours 25 mins25 minutes
Bangkok to Dubai6 hours 25 mins27 minutes
Tokyo to Singapore7 hours 10 mins28 minutes
London to New York7 hours 55 mins29 minutes
New York to Paris7 hours 20 mins30 minutes
Sydney to Singapore8 hours 20 mins31 minutes
London to Hong Kong11 hours 50 mins34 minutes

What would be the cost of rocket-based Earth travel?

The cost of rocket-based passenger travel might not be affordable to everyone since it would cost thousands of dollars for one ticket.

Besides, travelers might experience the Starship G-forces effect that makes the body of passengers weightless. They would be strapped tightly and safely when they would experience the phenomenon, particularly during the middle of the flight.

Moreover, it would be advised to the passengers to clench their muscles during take-off and landing. There might be unusual challenges for new travelers, however, once the guidelines are fully comprehended, the flight would become time-contracting and enjoyable.

As Earth to Earth would not require a toilet break, Musk himself claims, there could be a ‘tactical toilet break’ before the launch of the rocket to maximize comfort and thrill during a luxury Earth to Earth travel in SpaceX.

The experts are still skeptical about its affordable rocket travel challenges. Although Musk declared that one day, it would be as affordable as an economy plane ticket. The current fare of a 90-minute trip to space costs half a billion dollars per person that companies like Virgin Galactic charge at present.

How SpaceX Starship would be like for Earth to Earth travels?

SpaceX Starship features include the combination of the Starship aircraft and Super Heavy rocket. It would utilize reusable rocket technology specially designed for the purpose of orbiting the Earth, the Moon, and beyond. It could be imagined as if SpaceX Earth orbit missions are repurposed.

Since it is predicted to be the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, it is able to carry around 150 metric tonnes when it is performing in its reusable configuration and 250 metric tonnes when in expendable feature.  

It was originally designed to travel from moon to moon with a speed of 16,700 miles per hour but now it can take a flight from New York to Shanghai easily in 39 minutes.

How Trump would support Earth to Earth project?

Elon Musk invested more than $130 million in Trump’s Presidential campaign, now is Trump’s time to pay back. With Trump’s second term, Musk is positive that it is possible.

US presidential term aviation innovations are expected to skyrocket since Trump shares the same vision as Musk. With Mars colonization and more of a futuristic America agenda on mind, the Trump and Musk collaboration is anticipated to become a near-future reality.  

With Trump now in power, SpaceX FAA approval might not remain a big deal since SpaceX is ready to show its engineering prowess, for which it has recently made a sixth launch trial for Starship where Donald Trump was a special guest.

Elon musk earth to earth
Elon Musk Earth to Earth: Would Trump administration help?

What is the future of high-speed transportation?

According to a Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) report in 2019, the high-speed travel market might grow to $29 billion per year by 2030. It would gain pace as Musk’s proposed technology improves.

More than 150 million passengers take flights when they need to travel 10 hours each year. UBS estimated that this market could reach billions of dollars if only 5 percent of the flights are catered and switched to rocket trips costing $2,500 per trip.

Musk has pledged several point-to-point travels but hasn’t said much about the prices. Since rockets are subjected to stricter regulations, approvals from the FAA are desperately required for the project’s successful launch.  

The approval is highly subjected to some of the skeptic rocket technology’s testing. However, several SpaceX tourism innovations like Polaris Dawn, Inspiration 4, Starship, and sending tourists around the Earth without an airlock are here to initiate a debate.

FAQs

1. What is Elon Musk’s Earth-to-Earth travel project?

The Earth-to-Earth travel project is a SpaceX initiative aimed at using Starship rockets for high-speed intercontinental travel. It envisions transporting passengers and cargo between cities worldwide in under an hour by utilizing suborbital spaceflight technology.


2. How fast is Earth-to-Earth rocket travel?

Starship is expected to achieve speeds allowing most long-distance trips to be completed in 30 minutes or less. For example:

  • Los Angeles to New York: 25 minutes
  • London to New York: 29 minutes
  • Sydney to Singapore: 31 minutes

3. How many passengers can Starship carry for Earth-to-Earth travel?

Starship is designed to carry up to 1,000 passengers per trip, making it the most powerful rocket for large-scale transport.


4. What are the potential costs of Earth-to-Earth travel?

Currently, the ticket price for such travel is projected to be in the thousands of dollars, making it accessible primarily to affluent travelers. Elon Musk has indicated a long-term goal of making the trips as affordable as economy-class airfares.


5. What are the challenges of Earth-to-Earth travel?

  1. Cost: The current pricing is prohibitive for most travelers.
  2. G-forces: Passengers may experience weightlessness and intense G-forces, which could be uncomfortable.
  3. Regulations: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval is required for commercial operation.
  4. Safety: Ensuring passenger safety during suborbital flight is a significant challenge.

6. How does Earth-to-Earth travel differ from traditional space missions?

Unlike missions to deep space, Earth-to-Earth flights stay close to Earth’s surface in a suborbital trajectory. This approach minimizes travel time between cities without venturing into outer space.

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Elon Musk Donald Trump at SpaceX Launch Event: Trump as Special Guest at Sixth Starship Test Flight

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Elon Musk Donald Trump collaboration has been evident to everyone openly since Elon Musk was seen in his election campaigns. He has even given huge financial aid to help Trump win the elections.

However, it is now time for Donald Trump to reciprocate. On Tuesday, he was seen on SpaceX Starship’s sixth launch event. It was a flight specially hosted by Elon Musk himself near the Mexican border.

With the richest man in the world, the technology and artificial intelligence plans are high as Trump is regularly seen with Elon Musk. Now after becoming the 47th President, Trump wants to stay close as he thinks the collaboration would work wonders for America’s stability.

Elon and Trump at SpaceX launch event

Before SpaceX Starship launch, Trump listened to Elon Musk during the flight that how the test would be useful and what consequences it could bring to the technology world. Musk demonstrated the model and Trump imagined how this could benefit America’s technological landscape in the future.

The reusable rocket booster test did not go well and it did not return to the launch pad. It was something that it had done perfectly well in its last attempt last month. The Starship rocket fell in the Gulf of Mexico with a splashdown.

Musk and Trump: A Growing Alliance

At SpaceX Starship launch, Trump and Elon Musk collaboration was a remarkable display though. It showed an intimacy between the two giant personalities and each one of them had a direct implication for the government, technology, foreign policy, even when it comes to Mars colonization plans with SpaceX.

Political Contributions and Influence

Musk’s financial and advisory support throughout Trump’s presidential campaign is manifested in Trump SpaceX event presence. Musk political donations to Trump have given him unparalleled access to closeness to Trump.

Trump campaign rallies have spotted Musk several times rubbing shoulders on stage. Musk’s advisory role was seen when he counseled Trump about the selection of nominees for top positions in his government.

Elon Musk Donald Trump

It would not be wrong to say in bureaucracy reform, Musk is at the forefront with Trump. Trump and Musk foreign policy might be in the brewing when Musk was there during the President-elect phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is now even asked to co-chair an advisory panel that would look upon cutting the size of federal bureaucracy.

How Elon Musk rebranded Trump? Where does Elon Musk Donald Trump collaboration stand?

What is Elon Musk doing for Trump is remarkable. He seems to be rebranding Trump and his vision, especially in technology, which has shown results.

Trump is now eyeing to change government policies regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and its dangers. Trump had pledged to “slash excess regulation” of AI and requested Musk, the greatest critic of government policies, to help in this regard.

Despite Musk’s own investments in AI, like Tesla and a humanoid robot Optimus that can do any everyday task, it is hard to discern how Musk would direct Trump in doing so. Still, Musk Tesla and SpaceX synergy, and Elon Musk Trump collaboration in every possible way within the government is surely paving the way for a better technological future in America.

Why does Elon Musk support Trump? SpaceX and Tesla’s stakes in the relationship

Why does Elon Musk support Trump- this is the question that everyone is seeking answers for since it is a dilemma whether Trump wants Musk on his side or vice versa. The presence of the Trump SpaceX event would benefit Elon Musk in return. His several government contracts and the goal of starting a new colony on Mars would be assisted by Trump, particularly through his rocket company SpaceX.

Now that Trump has asked for Musk’s views on AI and would shape government policies for technology, Musk is likely to benefit from the decision-making that would take place at top levels. With him in the process now, Musk could influence autonomous driving regulations since his electric vehicles company Tesla has faced regulations over safety concerns related to autonomous driving.

William Glaston, a senior person in governance studies at the Brookings Institution said,

“Trump has the biggest possible regard for people who break the rules and get away with it. Musk has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishment in doing that”.

Social Media as a Political Tool

Musk’s social media platform X was used vigorously as an influential perch to promote Trump and his agenda throughout the electoral campaigns.  He posted in September,

“There is no quid pro quo”.

By this, he meant that after Trump’s administration gets in the running, they would be able to execute major government reform and remove bureaucratic paperwork that would unveil a new age of prosperity for the country.

Now, by bringing him to SpaceX Starship launch Trump would be able to see what Musk is up to and why he should change the government policies, probably to benefit Musk. It would not only give a new outlook for Trump-Musk media dynamics but also an overall boost to the Trump-Musk policy impact.

Trump’s Shift in attitude toward Musk

Before the election, Musk kept rejecting the idea that he would do anything in return as favor from Trump. However, it is now an undeniable fact that Musk is Trump’s ally, especially in the last two weeks.

Trump has not gone anywhere without Musk during these weeks. At a meeting with the House of Republicans, Musk was even found in government gatherings. Not only public but private meetings were visible when Musk sat next to Trump at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match in New York.

Elon Musk Donald Trump
Elon Musk and Donald Trump at UFC

The SpaceX Starship launch was Trump’s third time meeting Musk when he was a high-profile guest for Musk outside Florida after the election.

Wrapping Up

Elon Musk has a dream of Mars colonization and expects transporting humans to the said planet under the Trump administration. If NASA uses SpaceX Starship rocket for its Artemis program, the government regulations would help Elon Musk unscrew missions that had been pending under strict limitations.

During the election campaign, Musk danced on stage wearing an “Occupy Mars” t-shirt and spent $119 million on Trump’s White House bid, now is the time for Trump to pay back.

FAQs

1. What is the nature of the relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump?

Elon Musk and Donald Trump have built a growing alliance based on mutual interests in technology, governance, and space exploration. Musk has supported Trump’s political campaigns, offering financial aid and advisory support, while Trump has attended Musk’s events, like the recent SpaceX Starship launch.


2. Why did Donald Trump attend the SpaceX Starship launch event?

Donald Trump attended the sixth SpaceX Starship launch to showcase his support for Elon Musk and their collaboration. The event also symbolized their shared vision for advancing technology and fostering innovation in the United States.


3. What benefits does Musk gain from his relationship with Trump?

Musk benefits from proximity to the administration, potentially influencing policies on artificial intelligence, autonomous driving regulations, and government contracts for SpaceX and Tesla. His goals, including Mars colonization and easing bureaucratic red tape, align with Trump’s deregulatory agenda.


4. How has Musk supported Trump politically?

Musk provided substantial financial contributions to Trump’s campaign and served as an advisor on key issues. He has also used his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), to promote Trump’s policies and agenda during the election.


5. What implications does the Musk-Trump alliance have on U.S. politics?

The partnership impacts multiple facets of governance, including foreign policy, technology regulations, and federal bureaucracy reform. Their collaboration could shape policies in artificial intelligence, space exploration, and transportation innovation.

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Microsoft AI Ambitions Cannot Be Activated Immediately With US Nuclear Plants

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Microsoft AI ambitions

To fulfill Microsoft AI ambitions, the company plans to transform the Three Mile island nuclear reactor into data centers for its tech industry’s rising needs. The need for expanding its data centers is now on top for which Microsoft hopes nuclear energy would be a great rescue.

Microsoft contemplates that the US nuclear plan would serve to be an excellent climate-friendly answer to its massive electricity needs. However, the company knows that Microsoft AI ambitions would be challenged with high regulatory hurdles, possible fuel supply obstacles, and sometimes resistance from local environmental organizations.

Constellation helps to bring back data center for Microsoft AI ambitions

The plan to meet the quick needs of data centers along with artificial intelligence for new nuclear reactors would be a huge restart in the industry. For this, Microsoft and Constellation Energy (CEG.O) made a deal to restart the plant in Pennsylvania on Friday.

It is claimed to be the first-ever data center restart in the tech industry. Constellation’s CEO, Joe Dominguez, claimed the US nuclear plants would be a huge source of energy along with being a reliable as well as climate-friendly solution to address Microsft AI ambitions. Weather-dependent wind and solar energy would not be such issues for the said task, he added.

Amazon’s deal for nuclear plant

This announcement came soon after Amazon locked a deal for the purchase of a nuclear-powered data center from Talen Energy (TLN.O). Several other nuclear contracts are in line, which was confirmed by the sources of the power industry.

The need to fulfill the aims of these contracts is immense. The expected data center power for the new US plant in Pennsylvania is roughly triple between 2023 and 2030. It would require approximately 47 gigawatts of new capacity generation. The estimates are generated by Goldman Sachs, besides those of natural gas, wind, and solar energy to fill in the gaps within.

Climate concerns and greenhouse emissions

The local climate-conscious organizations and investors are already on the alert that with these estimates, the spike does not skyrocket further, which could give rise to greenhouse emissions later.

Currently, it seems that for Microsoft and Constellation, the deal is going to be more challenging than fruitful in the near future.

A global nuclear energy leader for Marsh, and a risk advisor regarding Three Mile Island’s project, Kate Fowler said, “Nobody has done this before…There’s going to be challenges that pop up”.

The Three Mile Island plant

Previously, the Three Mile Island plant made waves in the news back in 1979 but it was not pursued with dedication after the worst nuclear incident in US history.

Therefore, Microsoft has taken extra measures for crafting the current plan where the Unit 1 reactor at the Pennsylvania plant would be active. Unit 1 has been operating safely for decades, although it was closed five years ago.

It would take 1.6 billion to restart Unit 1 till 2028 in order to break even Microsoft’s data center plan revenues as well as consumption estimates in the region.

The regulators have not yet confirmed the key permits that Microsoft needs at the moment to bring the plant to a new life. Local opponents could prove to be a major hurdle in doing so since their partial meltdown in 1979.

More challenges

Another challenge could be putting the equipment and infrastructure to use again after having closed down for five years. This information was affirmed by a nuclear safety expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Edwin Lyman.

Lyman said, “Constellation should expect to encounter problems that will be costly and time-consuming to fix”. He was of the view that such problems are bound to happen and dealing with them would remain part of their initial launching phases.

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