Business
BREAKING: Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested in France
From LifeSiteNews
By Peter Martin
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday at a French airport as part of an investigation into lack of moderation on the popular social media platform, which is known for opposing censorship and protecting users’ privacy.
Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, was arrested at an airport outside of Paris on Saturday, French media reported.
French officers detained Durov at around 8:00 p.m. local time after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport. The billionaire entrepreneur had been under an arrest warrant as part of a police investigation in France into alleged lack of moderation and “criminal activity” on Telegram, according to Reuters.
READ: Telegram founder tells Tucker Carlson that US intel agents tried to spy on user messages
Durov, who was born in Russia but holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates, had been traveling from Azerbaijan.
The Russian embassy in France said it is taking “immediate” steps to clarify his situation.
Founded in 2013 and based in Dubai, where Durov also lives, Telegram is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, with more than 900 million users. It offers end-to-end encryption in messaging to protect users’ privacy.
Durov left Russia in 2014 after resisting demands by the Russian government to share private data on the social network VK, which he co-founded but later sold.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, shared the news of Durov’s arrest, saying, “Check out this ad for the First Amendment. It is very convincing.”
Check out this ad for the First Amendment. It is very convincing.
https://t.co/mb4UCSZcgR— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Durov said that U.S. federal law enforcement had tried to convince a Telegram engineer to change the platform’s software so that law enforcement could read users’ messages.
“Whenever I would go to the U.S., I would have two FBI agents greeting me at the airport, asking questions. One time, I was having my breakfast at 9 a.m., and the FBI showed up at my house that I was renting. And that was quite surprising. And I thought, you know, we’re getting too much attention here,” Durov told Carlson.
“My understanding is that they wanted to establish a relationship, to, in a way control Telegram better,” he continued.
Durov added that Telegram seeks to avoid censorship and noted that it was one of the only major social media platforms that did not remove accounts skeptical of restrictive COVID measures.
Carlson slammed the arrest of Durov, writing on X, “Pavel Durov sits in a French jail tonight, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies. Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world.”
He pointed out that while Russia sought to gain control of Telegram, it was ultimately France, “a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member,” that detained Durov.
Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member,… https://t.co/F83E9GbNHC
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2024
Automotive
Elon Musk Poised To Become World’s First Trillionaire After Shareholder Vote

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
At Tesla’s Austin headquarters, investors backed Musk’s 12-step plan that ties his potential trillion-dollar payout to a series of aggressive financial and operational milestones, including raising the company’s valuation from roughly $1.4 trillion to $8.5 trillion and selling one million humanoid robots within a decade. Musk hailed the outcome as a turning point for Tesla’s future.
“What we’re about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla but a whole new book,” Musk said, as The New York Times reported.
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The decision cements investor confidence in Musk’s “moonshot” management style and reinforces the belief that Tesla’s success depends heavily on its founder and his leadership.
Tesla Annual meeting starting now
https://t.co/j1KHf3k6ch— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2025
“Those who claim the plan is ‘too large’ ignore the scale of ambition that has historically defined Tesla’s trajectory,” the Florida State Board of Administration said in a securities filing describing why it voted for Mr. Musk’s pay plan. “A company that went from near bankruptcy to global leadership in E.V.s and clean energy under similar frameworks has earned the right to use incentive models that reward moonshot performance.”
Investors like Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood defended Tesla’s decision, saying the plan aligns shareholder rewards with company performance.
“I do not understand why investors are voting against Elon’s pay package when they and their clients would benefit enormously if he and his incredible team meet such high goals,” Wood wrote on X.
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, Norges Bank Investment Management — one of Tesla’s largest shareholders — broke ranks, however, and voted against the pay plan, saying that the package was excessive.
“While we appreciate the significant value created under Mr. Musk’s visionary role, we are concerned about the total size of the award, dilution, and lack of mitigation of key person risk,” the firm said.
The vote comes months after Musk wrapped up his short-lived government role under President Donald Trump. In February, Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team sparked a firestorm when they announced plans to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development, drawing backlash from Democrats and prompting protests targeting Musk and his companies, including Tesla.
Back in May, Musk announced that his “scheduled time” leading DOGE had ended.
Business
Carney’s Deficit Numbers Deserve Scrutiny After Trudeau’s Forecasting Failures
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
By Conrad Eder
Frontier Centre for Public Policy study reveals a decade of inflated Liberal forecasts—a track record that casts a long shadow over Carney’s first budget
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has released a major new study revealing that the Trudeau government’s federal budget forecasts from 2016 to 2025 were consistently inaccurate and biased — a record that casts serious doubt on the projections in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget.
Carney’s 2025–26 federal budget forecasts a $78.3-billion deficit — twice the size projected last year and four times what was forecast in Budget 2022. But if recent history is any guide, Canadians have good reason to question whether even this ballooning deficit reflects fiscal reality.
The 4,000-word study, Measuring Federal Budgetary Balance Forecasting Accuracy and Bias, by Frontier Centre policy analyst Conrad Eder, finds that forecast accuracy collapsed after the Trudeau government took office:
- Current-year forecasts were off by an average of $22.9 billion, or one per cent of GDP.
- Four-year forecasts missed the mark by an average of $94.4 billion, or four per cent of GDP.
- Long-term projections consistently overstated Canada’s fiscal health, showing a clear optimism bias.
Eder’s analysis shows that every three- and four-year forecast under Trudeau predicted a stronger financial position than what actually occurred, masking the true scale of deficits and debt accumulation. The study concludes that this reflects a systemic optimism bias, likely rooted in political incentives: short-term optics with no regard to long-term consequences.
“With Prime Minister Carney now setting Canada’s fiscal direction, it’s critical to assess his projections in light of this track record,” said Eder. “The pattern of bias and inaccuracy under previous Liberal governments gives reason to doubt the credibility of claims that deficits will shrink over time. Canadians deserve fiscal forecasts that are credible and transparent — not political messaging disguised as economic planning.”
The study warns that persistent optimism bias erodes fiscal accountability, weakens public trust and limits citizens’ ability to hold government to account — a threat to both economic sustainability and democratic transparency.
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