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X restricts access to jailed Istanbul mayors account under court order but challenges decision

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The social media platform X said on Thursday it has blocked access to jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu ’s account in Turkey, complying with a Turkish court order — the latest measuring targeting a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, Elon Musk’s X said that while the company abided by the order, it disagrees with it and is legally challenging it. It said X complied to avoid severe punishments, such as the throttling of the whole platform in Turkey. “X has been and will continue to object to removal orders including government requests in courts to protect users when those requests do not align with principles of free expression, due process, or other local laws,” the company said on its Global Government Affairs account. The statement said X maintains that “keeping the platform accessible in (Turkey) is vital to supporting freedom of expression and access to information.” Imamoglu, seen as the main opposition challenger to Erdogan’s 22-year rule, was arrested on March 19 and jailed on corruption charges. He was nominated as his Republican People’s Party, or CHP’s presidential candidate while in custody. His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated although the government insists Turkey’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence. It triggered widespread demonstrations calling for his release and an end to Turkey’s democratic backsliding under Erdogan. According to Engelli Web, a website that that tracks and reports internet censorship in Turkey, X restricted Imamoglu’s account in Turkey complying with a legal request by Turkish authorities who cited national security and public order concerns. A notice that appears on Imamoglu’s account, which has 9.7 million followers, says it has been “withheld in TR in response to a legal demand.” The account remains accessible outside of Turkey. Gonenc Gurkaynak, a lawyer representing X in Turkey, said he had filed an appeal on behalf of the platform against the decision blocking the account. He said he had submitted a 27-page petition and hundreds of pages of supporting documents to the court. The Turkish presidency’s Center for Countering Disinformation said the court decision followed an investigation into a post by Imamoglu on X, which prosecutors assessed to be an incitement to commit a crime. Authorities also ruled that because Imamoglu is currently detained, his account is not directly managed by him and therefore poses a threat to public order. On Thursday, CHP’s leader Ozgur Ozel welcomed X’s decision to challenge the court order but said the platform should have resisted complying with it. “X should not impose this restriction, which contradicts universal freedoms and the company’s own principles,” he said and urged Imamoglu’s supporters to follow the mayor’s international account and re-share his posts. Ozel also criticized Erdogan’s administration saying that “there probably is other no government that uses its judicial power so unfairly against its opponent.” Despite his detention, Imamoglu had remained active on social media. Supporters criticized the restriction as an assault attack on free speech in Turkey. They showed solidarity with the mayor by replacing their profile pictures with that of Imamoglu.

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X outage: Elon Musk-owned platform sees long global disruption, messaging features hit

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Social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, experienced a widespread outage in the early hours of Friday, 23 May, affecting users across several countries. The disruption, which began around 1 A.M. IST, left many users unable to access the app or navigate the website. Reports of issues surged on DownDetector, with complaints continuing well into Friday afternoon.Although services have largely stabilised in India, users in countries such as the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Peru, Malaysia, and Germany continue to face difficulties. Data from DownDetector suggests a renewed spike in outage reports beginning around 12 P.M. IST.According to a report by the Indian Express, a statement on X’s developer platform acknowledged ongoing issues, describing them as “degraded performance” and confirming a “site-wide outage” still under investigation. “X is aware some of our users are experiencing performance issues on the platform today. We are experiencing a data centre outage and the team is actively working to remediate the issue,” the company’s engineering team posted.For many users, the disruption has impacted direct messaging features. While some can still view their inboxes, others are seeing blank screens or error messages such as “Cannot retrieve messages. Please try again later.” A number of users in India reported being unable to log in at all, instead encountering the prompt: “Something isn’t right. Please try again later.”The outage, now stretching into its twelfth hour, has sparked frustration among X users. While some voiced concern over the company’s lack of timely customer support, others took to the platform, if they could access it to share memes and humour in an attempt to lighten the moodThis marks the second major outage for the platform in 2025. In March, X went offline for about 30 minutes, locking thousands of users out. A longer global outage was recorded in September 2024, when the platform was inaccessible for over an hour.

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How Google Flow, powered by Veo 3, takes the internet by storm: Key features explained

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Tech giant Google has recently launched a new AI-powered video creation platform called Flow, unveiled at its I/O 2025 event. The tool brings together the company’s latest generative models —Veo, Imagen, and Gemini — and is now available to select users in the United States.Flow allows users to create short video clips and scenes using natural language prompts. It builds upon Google’s earlier experimental tool, VideoFX, and is described as a space where creators can generate, edit and organise cinematic assets with a focus on scene consistency and control.Key FeaturesFlow is integrated with Veo, Google’s video generation model designed to deliver high-quality visual content with adherence to user prompts. It also includes Imagen for generating images from text and Gemini for interpreting prompts written in plain language.Notable features include:Camera Controls: Users can manually adjust camera angles, movements and perspectives within scenes.Scenebuilder: Enables users to edit and extend video sequences while maintaining continuity between shots.Asset Management: Offers tools to organise images, character elements, and prompts for reuse across projects.Flow TV: A library of sample clips made with Flow and Veo, where users can view the exact prompts used to generate each piece of content.AvailabilityFlow is accessible via two subscription tiers —Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra. The Pro plan includes 100 generations per month, while the Ultra plan includes higher usage limits and early access to Veo 3, which supports environmental audio and character voice generation.Online ReactionThe announcement has prompted a surge of user activity online, particularly focused on the capabilities of Veo 3. On X, users have begun sharing early outputs and discussing the implications of AI-assisted video production.One post from Dave Clark, co-founder of the production company Promise, stated: “Created with Google Flow. Visuals, Sound Design, and Voice were prompted using Veo 3 text-to-video.”Another user wrote, “Less than 24 hours since Google dropped Veo 3 and people are already creating wild stuff! 13 insane examples 🧵👇 1. A giraffe riding a bike in NYC.”Flow is currently limited to U.S.-based users subscribed to eligible plans, with a broader rollout expected in the coming months.

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Amazon will now deliver iPhones and AirPods to users’ doorsteps using drones: How it works

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Getting your goods delivered by drones seems straight out of a science fiction movie but it became an actual reality in 2022 when Amazon truly began drone deliveries in the US. Amazon states that you can simply tap the “place your order” button, and the entire process takes around 60 minutes or less. However, Amazon is now starting to expand into more categories of devices, which will join the already existing 60,000 items eligible for drone delivery. Amazon says it has received FAA clearance to deliver new categories of items, including Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy devices, Apple AirTags, Apple AirPods, doorbells, and more.iPhone, Galaxy Phones To Be Delivered Using Drones: DetailsAmazon states that you will need to select the drone delivery option when you check out. You must be purchasing any of these items in an eligible area, and the item must weigh five pounds or less. You can then select your delivery address and a delivery spot at your address, such as your driveway or yard. In the screenshot Amazon has shared, we also see a map preview of the location you have selected, and you can select the exact point where the drone is going to deliver your package. Amazon will tell you precisely how long delivery is going to take. Amazon says that its latest ordering process has been fine-tuned as a result of two years of building and integrating a digital map into the drone’s computer with eligible addresses. You Will Know The Exact ETAThe drones can actually determine how long it will take for the drone to fly to an address. So, once the order is placed, Amazon can tell you the exact delivery time within five minutes of placing an order, informing you when you can expect your package. Amazon will also tell you if a delivery cannot be completed, along with the reason.Amazon will be doing these deliveries using its new MK30 drone. When these drones reach the delivery point, they will verify the correct location and the correct package before making the delivery.Note: This isn’t available in India as of now.MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price, Specs, And More

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