Elon Musk slammed by Israel for offering to send Starlink to Gaza
Elon Musk has been slammed by the Israeli government after offering to send SpaceX’s Starlink to Gaza. The tech mogul said over the weekend that he would send Starlink to “internationally recognised aid organizations” in Gaza after a telephone and internet blackout in the city. He added that it was not clear who has authority for ground links in Gaza, but “no terminal has requested a connection in that area”. Responding to Musk’s post on X, Israel’s communication minister Shlomo Karhi hit out at the tech mogul, claiming that Hamas militants would use Stralink technology for “terrorist activities” and vowing that Israel will fight the move. “Israel will use all means at its disposal to fight this,” Mr Karhi wrote. “HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities. Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them! By then, my office will cut any ties with starlink.” Mr Musk has insisted that SpaceX will take “extraordinary measures” to ensure the technology is only used for humanitarian reasons. It is unclear what those measures are. “Moreover, we will do a security check with both the US and Israeli governments before turning on even a single terminal,” he added on X. It comes after telecommunications were cut in Gaza over the weekend, leaving millions of residents without power or means of contact as Israel widened its air and ground assault. International humanitarian organisations said the blackout, which began late on Friday, was worsening an already desperate situation by impeding life-saving operations and preventing contact with their staff on the ground. Following the blackout, Palestinians appealed to Mr Musk to send Starlink satellites to Gaza. “Gaza is under bombardment, the internet and telecommunications have been cut off. They need Starlink immediately,” Anastasia Maria Loupis, a doctor, wrote on X. It comes after Mr Musk was widely praised for providing Ukraine with Starlink following Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Starlink satellites were reported to have been critical to maintaining internet connectivity in some areas despite attempted Russian jamming. But since then, Mr Musk has come under scrutiny after declining to extend coverage over Russian-occupied Crimea, refusing to allow his satellites to be used for Ukrainian attacks on Russian forces there. Mr Musk allegedly feared doing so would trigger a nuclear response from Moscow. Since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October in which 1,400 people died, Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, leading to the deaths of more than 8,000 Palestinians. Read More Suella Braverman hits out at pro-Palestinian ‘hate marches’ Suella Braverman attacks pro-Palestine protests as ‘hate marches’ Chant ‘from the river to the sea’ deeply offensive to many, says Downing Street Oil prices could reach 'uncharted waters' if the Israel-Hamas war escalates, the World Bank says Live updates | Israel deepens military assault in the northern Gaza Strip Israel expands ground assault into Gaza as fears rise over airstrikes near crowded hospitals
2023-10-31 00:21
Meta launches paid-for version of Instagram and Facebook
Meta will launch a paid-for, subscription-based version of Facebook and Instagram. The company will allow people to pay up to €13 to have no ads appear on those apps. The change has been made to comply with European Union regulations, it said. As such, it will only be available to people in the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. The monthly subscription plans for users in the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland, will cost 9.99 euros ($10.58) for web users, while iOS and Android users will have to shell out 12.99 euros a month. The difference is to account for the fees taken by Apple and Google for payments on its platforms, Meta said – a move that follows a similar price difference for Twitter’s premium offering. The EU regulations threaten to curb Meta’s ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source. Users across the world will continue to be able to use the site for free, and will see no change to their experience as a result, Meta said. But offering the paid-for subscription version allows Meta to comply with “the requirements of European regulators”, the company said, after a recent ruling. Having the option of paying for a version of Facebook and Instagram with no ads means that people will have more clearly consented to having their data used for marketing, Meta suggested it in its announcement. That in turn means it will better comply with European regulations, it said. The world’s most popular social media network has been under antitrust pressure in the EU. In July, it lost its fight against a German data curb order as Europe’s top court backed the German antitrust watchdog’s power to also investigate privacy breaches. Offering a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and an ad-free paid subscription might lead to users opting for the former, helping Meta to comply with the regulations without affecting its ad business. Meta was fined 390 million euros earlier this year by Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner, and was told it cannot use the so-called “contract” as a legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity. The company later said it intended to ask users in the EU for their consent before allowing businesses to target ads in order to address evolving regulatory requirements in the region. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Threads is not dying, Mark Zuckerberg insists Letitia James and 32 other attorneys general sue Meta for ‘harming youth’ People’s Instagram posts are showing where they are not expected
2023-10-30 23:54
How to Pre-Load MW3 Campaign
To pre-load MW3 Campaign starting on Nov. 1, players must pre-order a Modern Warfare 3 digital edition and then pre-load the 50 GB file to get early access.
2023-10-30 23:47
EA Sports FC 24 Team of the Week 7 Looks Massive Based on Predictions
EA Sports FC 24 Team of the Week 7 should feature big name players like Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and more.
2023-10-30 23:25
Ford to add more Tesla EV chargers to its network
(Reuters) -Ford Motor said on Monday it would add more of Tesla's Superchargers to its electric-vehicle charging network, higher than
2023-10-30 23:18
White House unveils wide-ranging action to mitigate AI risks
By Jeff Mason U.S. President Joe Biden will take wider-ranging action on artificial intelligence (AI) on Monday by
2023-10-30 22:49
Elon Musk Took Over X a Year Ago. How Things Have Gone Since.
The Tesla CEO has brought in huge changes at the former Twitter with mixed success but is still hoping to disrupt a swathe of social-media platforms.
2023-10-30 22:17
Western Digital to Separate Flash-Memory Business. The Stock Is Rising.
Western Digital stock surged on Monday after it said it intends to split its disk-drive and flash memory businesses into two independent companies.
2023-10-30 20:58
ON Semiconductor Issues Soft Fourth-Quarter Guidance. The Stock Drops.
ON Semi expects fourth-quarter earnings of between $1.13 and $1.27 a share, which is below analysts' consensus.
2023-10-30 20:57
Broadcom, VMware Stocks Gain Despite Apparent Delay to Merger Closing
The groups said in a statement that their merger, expected to close Monday, will complete "soon."
2023-10-30 20:49
Marvel's Wolverine game set in same universe as Marvel's Spider-Man games
The 'Wolverine' game will be set in the same universe as the 'Marvel's Spider-Man' series.
2023-10-30 20:29
Biden Alaska Oil Plan Seen as Major Threat to Future Drilling
A century after the US set aside a broad swath of northwest Alaska to be used as an
2023-10-30 20:29
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