Sao Paulo (AP): Elon Musk's satellite-based internet service provider Starlink backtracked Tuesday and said it will comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice's order to block the billionaire's social media platform, X.

Starlink said in a statement posted on X that it will heed Justice Alexandre de Moraes' order despite him having frozen the company's assets. Previously, it informally told the telecommunications regulator that it would not comply until de Moraes reversed course.

“Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil," the company statement said. "We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre's recent order violate the Brazilian constitution.”

De Moraes froze the company's accounts last week as a means to compel it to cover X's fines that already exceeded $3 million, reasoning that the two companies are part of the same economic group. Starlink filed an appeal, its law firm Veirano told the Associated Press on Aug. 30, but has declined to comment further in the days since.

Days later, the justice ordered the suspension of X for refusing to name a local legal representative, as required in order to receive notifications of court decisions and swiftly take any requisite action — particularly, in X's case, the takedown of accounts. A Supreme Court panel unanimously upheld the block on Monday, undermining efforts by Musk and his supporters to cast the justice as an authoritarian renegade intent on censoring political speech in Brazil.

Had Starlink continued to disobey de Moraes by providing access, telecommunications regulator Anatel could eventually have seized equipment from Starlink's 23 ground stations that ensure the quality of its internet service, Arthur Coimbra, an Anatel board member, said on a video call from his office in Brasilia.

The company has said it has more than 250,000 clients in Brazil, and it is particularly popular in the country's more remote corners where it is the only available option.

Already some legal experts questioned de Moraes' basis for freezing Starlink's accounts, given that its parent company SpaceX has no integration with X. Musk noted on X that the two companies have different shareholder structures.

X has clashed with de Moraes over its reluctance to block users — mostly far-right activists accused of undermining Brazilian democracy and allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro — and has alleged that de Moraes wants an in-country legal representative so that Brazilian authorities can exert leverage over the company by having someone to arrest.

 

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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A probe has been launched after jewellery worth over Rs two crore was allegedly stolen from Kowdiar Palace here, police said on Sunday.

Peroorkada police registered a case on Saturday following a complaint filed by senior royal family member Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Bhayi.

According to the FIR, the theft is suspected to have taken place between October and November 2025 from an almirah in Gouri’ Bhayi’s bedroom.

Police said around 12 pieces of jewellery, including chains and rings weighing over 40 sovereigns of gold and studded with precious stones, were missing.

The value of the ornaments is believed to be higher due to their antique nature, as they were inherited by members of the royal family, police said.

Officials said the palace authorities had conducted an internal probe after the ornaments were found missing, later confirmed the theft, and reported the matter to the police.

Police visited the palace on Saturday, recorded Gouri Bhayi’s statement and registered a case.

The case was registered under Section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft.

A team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police has begun the investigation.

Police are also examining CCTV footage from the palace and recording statements of employees as part of the probe, an officer said.

Kowdiar Palace is the official residence of the Travancore royal family, which ruled a vast portion of central and southern Kerala until Independence.

The royal family is yet to respond to the incident.