Latest news with #LePoint
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Algerian court upholds writer Boualem Sansal's 5-year prison sentence
A court in Algeria has upheld Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal's five-year prison sentence in a case that has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria and pushed tensions with France to the brink. The Académie Française prize-winning author of "2084: la fin du monde" ('2084: The End of the World'), a dystopian novel set in an Islamist totalitarian society following nuclear war, was charged in March under Algeria's anti-terrorism laws and convicted of 'undermining national unity." Sansal's appeal was closely watched in both France and Algeria. The novelist's case has united European lawmakers, who have demanded his release. However, Algerian lawmakers have condemned the European Parliament for a resolution criticizing the arrest of Sansal. Lawmakers from both chambers of the North African nation's parliament signed a statement in January rebuking the European Parliament's resolution for 'misleading allegations with the sole aim of launching a blatant attack against Algeria.' They accused the European Parliament of political inference and cast doubt on whether their motivations had to do with Sansal's well-being or 'harming the image of Algeria.' Sansal has gained mass public support in France. Last year, French news magazine Le Point released a letter written by Prix Goncourt winner Kamel Daoud and signed by multiple famous authors, demanding Sansal's immediate release. Signatories of the letter include the Nobel Prize winners Annie Ernaux, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Orhan Pamuk, Salman Rushdie, Peter Sloterdjik, Roberto Saviano and Wole Soyinka. The letter reads: 'This tragic news reflects an alarming reality in Algeria, where freedom of expression is nothing more than a memory in the face of repression, imprisonment, and the surveillance of the entire society.' Sansal was arrested in November last year at Algiers airport after he said that France unfairly ceded Moroccan territory to Algeria in an interview with right-wing French media outlet Frontières. Prosecutors had requested a 10-year prison sentence for the novelist, who has been convicted under article 87 of the Algerian penal code for undermining national unity, insulting an official body, undermining the national economy and possessing videos and publications that threaten national security and stability. Sansal defended his comments to the media, telling the court that 'my comments or writings were simply a personal opinion, and I have the right to do so like any Algerian citizen'. The case has unfolded at a historic low point in Algeria's relations with France, which were strained further over the disputed Western Sahara. The territorial dispute has long helped shape Algeria's foreign policy, with its backing of the Polisario Front, a pro-independence group that operates out of refugee camps in southwestern Algeria. Last year, France shifted its longstanding position to back Morocco's sovereignty plan. Analysts say that Sansal has become collateral damage in the broader diplomatic fallout and describe the charges as a political lever Algiers is deploying against Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously called on Algeria to release Sansal. 'I hope there can be humanitarian decisions by the highest Algerian authorities to give him back his freedom and allow him to be treated for the disease he is fighting,' he said in a news conference earlier on this year. It was not the first time that Macron spoke up for Sansal, as he accused Algeria of 'disgracing itself' through the imprisonment. 'Algeria, which we love so much and with which we share so many children and so many stories, is dishonoring itself by preventing a seriously ill man from receiving treatment,' he said during a speech to French ambassadors at the Elysée Palace. 'And we who love the people of Algeria and its history urge its government to release Boualem Sansal.' Sansal's supporters now hope military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will grant a pardon on Saturday, when Algeria marks Independence Day and traditionally frees selected prisoners as part of a national amnesty. Additionally, the timing is dire, supporters warn, as Sansal battles prostate cancer and has spent part of his detention in a prison hospital.
Egypt Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- Egypt Independent
Telegram founder Pavel Durov says all his 100+ children will receive share of his estate
, the founder and CEO of instant messaging app Pavel Durov , the founder and CEO of instant messaging app Telegram , plans to leave his fortune to the more than 100 children he has fathered. The Russian-born tech tycoon has revealed that his estate will be split between his six children from relationships and the scores of others whom he fathered through sperm donation. In a wide-ranging interview published Thursday in French political magazine Le Point, 40-year-old Durov revealed that he does not differentiate between his legal children with three different women and those conceived with the sperm he donated. 'They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death,' he said, after revealing that he recently wrote his will. Durov revealed the number of children he has fathered on his social media last year. He said a doctor told him that it was his 'civic duty' to donate his 'high quality donor material,' which he did over the course of 15 years. According to Bloomberg, Durov is worth an estimated $13.9 billion, but he dismissed such estimates as 'theoretical,' telling Le Point: 'Since I'm not selling Telegram, it doesn't matter. I don't have this money in a bank account. My liquid assets are much lower – and they don't come from Telegram: they come from my investment in bitcoin in 2013.' Regardless, his children will have a long wait for their inheritance. He said: 'I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of 30 years has elapsed, starting from today. I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account. I want to specify that I make no difference between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations.' When asked why he has written his will now, Durov, who lives in Dubai, said: 'My work involves risks – defending freedoms earns you many enemies, including within powerful states. I want to protect my children, but also the company I created, Telegram. I want Telegram to forever remain faithful to the values I defend.' Telegram, which has more than a billion monthly users, is known for its high-level encryption and limited oversight on what its users post. Last year, Durov was arrested in Paris on charges relating to a host of crimes, including allegations that his platform was complicit in aiding money launderers, drug traffickers and people spreading child pornography. Durov, who is Telegram's sole shareholder, has denied the charges, which he described as 'absurd.' 'Just because criminals use our messaging service among many others doesn't make those who run it criminals,' he told the French magazine.
IOL News
23-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Billionaire Telegram founder, Pavel Durov bequeaths R252 billion to his 106 children
In a move that has surprised many, Pavel Durov, the Russian‑born billionaire of the messaging platform Telegram, will be splitting his estimated $14bn (R252bn) estate equally between his six 'official' children and the more than 100 others conceived through his sperm bank donations across 12 countries, making them all multi-millionaires. According to Durov, each of his at least 106 children stands to inherit roughly $132m ( R2.4bn). This includes both those conceived naturally and those born through sperm bank donations. In an interview with the French publication Le Point, he explained why he wanted to treat all of them the same. 'I make no difference between my children: there are those who were conceived naturally and those who come from my sperm donations. They are all my children and will all have the same rights! I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death,' he said. Although the sums involved are staggering, Durov has implemented a long‑term stipulation. He confirmed that none of the children would gain access to their inheritance until thirty years had passed. 'I decided that my children would not have access to my fortune until a period of thirty years has elapsed, starting from today,' he stated. 'I want them to live like normal people, to build themselves up alone, to learn to trust themselves, to be able to create, not to be dependent on a bank account.' The 40‑year‑old entrepreneur has six official children with three different partners. However, he has also been a regular sperm bank donor for the past 15 years and has helped conceive over 100 children across a dozen nations. Thanks to the recent changes to his will, even those who have never met him or are unaware of their biological parentage now stand to benefit from his $13.9bn (around R250bn) estate. IOL Lifestyle
India Today
22-06-2025
- India Today
How this single billionaire quietly fathered 100+ kids worldwide
Pavel Durov has long lived without borders, a globe-trotting billionaire with a flair for shirtless photos, baby goats, and a strong belief in digital freedom. For over a decade, the Russian-born founder and CEO of Telegram has styled himself as an anti-establishment figure, securing private communication for over 900 million users while refusing to bow to government pressure, democratic or who was arrested in Paris last year over allegations that his platform is being used for illicit activities including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse material, is now making headlines for something far more personal: fathering over 100 children across 12 countries through years of anonymous sperm and living alone by choice, the 40-year-old billionaire confirmed on his Telegram channel and in a recent interview with the French political magazine Le Point that he has six children with three partners, and over 90 others conceived via IVF using his biggest interview I've ever done — and the first I've given to the French press. People deserve to be informed! I'm told an English version is also coming, so stay tuned. Pavel Durov (@durov) June 18, 2025advertisement Durov is even funding free treatments for those willing to use it. He sees it as a civic duty, recalling how a clinic once told him his 'high-quality donor material' was in short supply. Now, he says, he wants to help destigmatise sperm donation and leave his estimated USD 14 billion fortune equally to all of his biological children.'They are all my children and will all have the same rights! "I don't want them to tear each other apart after my death,' he told Le RISE OF PRONATALISMDurov's quest to expand his genetic legacy echoes a rising trend among tech moguls. Tesla chief and the world's richest man, Elon Musk, has repeatedly warned of a 'population collapse' and has fathered 11 children, advocating that intelligent and capable people should have more ideology, known as pronatalism, views procreation as a civic or even evolutionary responsibility, particularly for those with wealth or critics warn of ethical pitfalls, from the risk of accidental incest to psychological distress among donor-conceived growing ethical concerns, there are still no strict global laws regulating how many children can be conceived from a single sperm donor. While countries like France enforce national limits, others, including Russia and the United States, have no legal caps on the number of donations one individual can Reel
Express Tribune
20-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pavel Durov's recently written will: Telegram fortune to be divided amongst 100 kids he fathered
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of the messaging platform Telegram, has announced plans to leave his estimated £17 billion fortune to the more than 100 children he has fathered. The tech mogul, 40, has six children with three different partners and is believed to have around 100 additional offspring resulting from sperm donations he made to numerous couples across 12 countries. In a recent interview with France's Le Point magazine, Durov revealed that he considers all his children—whether conceived naturally or through sperm donations—equally deserving of his fortune. He explained that he sees no difference between those born of his own relationships and those from his donation efforts. Durov is the founder of Telegram, which has more than one billion monthly active users worldwide. His fortune is estimated at up to £17 billion, cementing his status as a key player in the tech world. Durov has been compared to other tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk due to his influential role in the digital space. Born in Russia, Durov spent part of his childhood in Italy before returning to St Petersburg, where his father worked as a scholar in ancient Roman literature. Durov's entrepreneurial career began with the creation of VK, a social media platform often dubbed the 'Facebook of Russia'. However, after refusing to hand over data on Ukrainian protesters to Russian authorities, he was forced to relinquish control of VK and relocate abroad in 2014. He later founded Telegram as a secure communication platform, inspired by the lack of privacy in Russian social media. Currently based in Dubai, Durov holds dual French and Emirati citizenship. He remains the sole owner of Telegram, despite facing legal challenges in France, including an investigation into criminal activities related to his app.
