No arrest for Zuckerberg over child exploitation because he connives with governments – Musk 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will never be arrested by Western governments despite the massive child exploitation problem on his platforms, since he has already “caved in to censorship pressure", explained tech mogul, Elon Musk, commenting on a post by Naomi Seibt, a German conservative political activist. 

In obvious reference to Telegram founder Pavel Durov's detainment in France, Naomi Seibt wondered why Zuckerberg walks free despite the “child predators” problem. She attached a news report on how a New Mexico Attorney General accused Meta-controlled social media of child abuse and trafficking. 

“Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data,” stressed Elon Musk. 

Netizens agreed with Musk's astute observation, commenting that from the liberal-left perspective, “free speech is more harmful than child porn”.

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Telegram CEO Durov's arrest serves as red flag for those speaking truth to power, warns analyst

"There is actually an oppression of journalists and freedom of speech in the West and especially in the EU," Angelo Giuliano, a Hong Kong-based political and financial analyst, told Sputnik, commenting on Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's detainment in France.

The founder of the encrypted messenger is accused of allegedly enabling of criminal activities through insufficient moderation of the platform, the French press claims, adding that Durov faces up to 20 years in prison.

In his April interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov suggested that he is a target for Western intelligence services. He said that US cybersecurity officials previously attempted to create a backdoor in his app. Durov stressed that such a backdoor would enable greater government control over social media platforms.

"I wouldn't be surprised that they would try to get their hands on Telegram, to strike a deal with Telegram saying, well, we release you, you give us a price and maybe we can buy you," Giuliano said.

Freedom of speech has become very "inconvenient" for the West, according to the pundit: "What they say clearly at the EU is that they need to control the narrative, because that's everything. The narrative you control controls the mind of the people."

The pundit suggests that Durov's arrest raises alarm bells for people like X owner Elon Musk: "Keep in mind that Elon Musk hasn't actually complied with EU regulation, and in reality he would be de facto also another target."

The Telegram CEO’s arrest is "really a red flag overall for journalists and for whoever is actually spilling the truth, [the] inconvenient truth," Giuliano concluded.

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The strike hit a temporary deployment point of Ukrainian forces in Kharkov, killing approximately 40 soldiers, the pro-Russian underground told Sputnik.

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The Lebanese-based Shia movement Hezbollah has launched retaliatory strikes against Israel, but the attacks have not achieved their intended goals, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee told Sputnik.

"Hezbollah's attacks in response to the assassination of one of their commanders, Fuad Shukr, did not achieve their goals, but they caused minor damage in some civilian areas," Adraee said.

Most of the targets were intercepted, including by the use of aviation, naval and air defense systems, preventing the destruction of targets, primarily those listed in the Hezbollah statement.

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Hezbollah delayed its response to Israel's killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr on Sunday in order to allow time for negotiations regarding Gaza, according to the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah emphasized that the appropriate response to this act of violence is the very anticipation of retaliation. This expectation, he asserted, compelled both Israel and the supporting US forces to resort to "full mobilization."

He also pointed out that Hezbollah targeted the headquarters of Israel's Military Intelligence Unit 8200 in northern Tel Aviv, as well as the air defense system in Glilot.

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‘Backdoor for Telegram in exchange for freedom’: Why French cops really arrested Telegram’s creator Durov

French authorities charging Pavel Durov with claims that his messaging app Telegram is being used by criminals is merely "cynical." As investigative journalist Lucy Komisar pointed out to Sputnik, "the real facilitator of international criminality is the offshore bank[ing] and corporate secrecy system dominated by the US and the UK."

“Western law enforcement officials say the offshore system is the way drug traffickers, fraudsters, big-time tax cheats and other criminals move their money. It makes their operations possible. It’s how the US moved money in the corrupt Iran-Contra deal. It’s how the CIA moves cash,” she elaborated.

“The UK’s Jersey, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, the Caymans, British Virgin Islands and other venues, the US states of Delaware and Wyoming, as well as European countries Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland, not Telegram, are the real criminal platforms of the world.”

Yet, the US and its European allies who are eager to crack down on “free platforms on the Internet” are not so keen to take on the offshore system because the latter is “their platform,” Komisar explained.

The real purpose of Durov’s arrest, she suggested, is an attempt to blackmail him “into opening a backdoor to Telegram in exchange for his freedom.”

“The broader implications are an attempt to tighten control of the platforms of the Internet that allow views that challenge the collective West. The European Union is already doing this against X/Twitter, demanding censorship,” she mused. “Durov might give in to a backdoor or censorship to get his freedom. That depends on how draconian the French (and their American sponsors) will be. And it certainly concentrates the minds of other non-compliant internet executives.”

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Just business? Arrest of Telegram CEO possibly meant to elbow out WhatsApp competitor

Though Pavel Durov’s arrest in France is first and foremost a “political action,” it is also an “economic action,” said Valentin Makarov, president of the Russoft association.

“There is WhatsApp and there is Telegram. Lately, Telegram has been beating WhatsApp. So this is a normal reaction from [WhatsApp’s] American owners to stamp out a competitor using political motivation, only via France,” he elaborated during an interview with Sputnik. “And as for France, as [Edward] Snowden said, shame on France.”

Makarov further suggested that, although the French prosecution is currently riding on a "wave of political Russophobia" and may pursue a wide range of charges against Durov—potentially escalating to attempts to imprison him for as long as 20 years—it remains uncertain whether they will ultimately succeed.

"I don't believe it will happen, as there are attorneys present who will vigorously contest their efforts for an extended period," he said, referring to the odds of French prosecutors securing a conviction against Durov.

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❗️US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered an extension of the deployment of two US Navy carrier strike groups in the Middle East, according to the US Department of Defense.

The Pentagon stated that these carriers are positioned in the region to provide support for Israel.

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▪️Is US State Department behind Durov's detention?

▪️‘Backdoor for Telegram in exchange for freedom’ – investigative journo shares her take on Durov’s detention

▪️Telegram CEO’s arrest ‘serves as red flag for those speaking truth to power’

▪️Hezbollah explains why it delayed response to Israel’s killing of its commander

▪️What are Ukraine’s losses during its latest attempts to attack Russia’s Kursk region?

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Durov won’t bend to Western governments like Zuckerberg, that’s why he faces charges - scholar

"The French justice system has deliberately twisted the spirit of the law to formulate excessive charges against Durov. It is clear that this is a pretext," Jacques Sapir, director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, told Sputnik.

The charges brought by the French authorities against Pavel Durov stem from his refusal to censor his Telegram instant messaging service, according to the pundit. Sapir contends that it is unjust to accuse the Telegram founder of complicity in terrorism, drug trafficking, and child pornography - particularly in light of the content that permeates other social networks.

"His case is similar to all the measures that are currently being taken in Western countries that are infringing on freedom of expression," he said.

Sapir suggests that the main difference between Durov and Mark Zuckerberg, whose Instagram* "has a massive child exploitation problem", is that Zuckerberg censors free speech and apparently provided Western governments with a backdoor access to user data, as Elon Musk implied on August 25.

"This is one more step, after the long prosecutions against Julian Assange and those against Snowden, in a long list of attacks on freedom of expression in Western countries," Sapir said.

According to the pundit, what should be regarded as mere administrative offenses are being reclassified as serious crimes based on dubious motives and reasoning. Consequently, he stated, social networks are now facing criminalization.

The French scholar believes this trend will further elevate the significance of social networks that originate outside the Western world and may uphold freedom of expression.

*banned for extremism in Russia

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Telegram team issues first statement on its founder’s arrest, calls out absurdity of accusations against Durov

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the statement published on the official Telegram channel said.

“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe,” the channel said.

“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all,” the statement concluded.

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Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is detained in France, had his detention extended on Sunday evening, French media reported.

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Gaza ceasefire talks have concluded without reaching an agreement as both Israel and Hamas rejected several proposals put forward by mediators, British media reported citing Egyptian security sources.

Hamas claimed Israel has reneged on its promise to withdraw troops from the Philadelphia Corridor and has introduced additional conditions, such as screening displaced Palestinians as they return to the more densely populated northern areas of the enclave when the ceasefire begins.

“We will not accept discussions about retractions from what we agreed to on July 2 or new conditions,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the group’s al-Aqsa TV outlet Sunday.

The Hamas delegation departed from Cairo Sunday after holding discussions with mediators, according to senior official Izzat El-Reshiq. He claimed the group reiterated its demand that any agreement must include a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

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📹 A possible meteorite fell from the sky and broke into pieces near the city of St. Francis Bay in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, with users on social media sharing video of the object.

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Ukraine desperately begs Belarus to move troops further away from border

Belarus is “concentrating a significant number of personnel, in particular special operations forces, weapons and military equipment ... in the Gomel region near Ukraine's northern borders,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website, citing the country's intelligence service.

The ministry claimed Kiev was not going to take any hostile action just two weeks after Ukraine launched drones towards Belarussian territory. The Kiev regime called on Minsk to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border “at a distance exceeding the range of fire systems available to Belarus.”

On August 9, “about ten” Ukrainian drones were shot down over the territory of Belarus while other ones were destroyed by Russia over its territory, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said. The Belarusian leader called the attack a provocation, noting that it would not go unanswered. To strengthen the border Lukashenko ordered Belarus's Defense Ministry to increase its military presence in the country’s southern regions bordering Ukraine.

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