PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 28, 2025--
Elon Musk, CEO of X, SpaceX, Tesla, and Starlink, met with the leadership of the BRIDGE Summit at Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California, to discuss the future of technology and media and explore collaboration. During the meeting, Musk was invited to participate in the inaugural BRIDGE Summit, the world’s largest debut gathering for media, content, and entertainment, taking place in Abu Dhabi (December 8-10).
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The BRIDGE delegation was led by H.E. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the UAE National Media Office, the UAE Media Council, and BRIDGE. The meeting aligns with BRIDGE’s strategy to build partnerships with technology leaders and global innovation hubs, and broaden avenues of collaboration between media industry and advanced technologies.
The discussion focused on AI, data centres and content integrity as transformation drivers. Musk stressed that innovation will depend on countries’ ability to provide data centres powered by clean and affordable energy, noting the UAE’s strong positioning. H.E. Al Hamed affirmed the UAE provides clean, low-cost energy with large-scale capabilities and global competitiveness, reinforcing its readiness to lead in AI and advanced technologies.
Musk praised UAE’s forward-looking vision under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and commended the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the role of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in consolidating UAE’s standing as an innovation hub.
During a tour of the Optimus robotics lab, the parties discussed balancing innovation with ethical regulatory frameworks. They emphasized the need for a global framework for responsible AI use in content creation, regulation, and distribution.
Cooperation opportunities were reviewed, including UAE’s media and tech ecosystem, potential media and AI innovation collaboration, educational content to engage youth in science and entrepreneurship, and initiatives linking green tech with media narratives.
H.E. Al Hamed said: “The UAE believes that the media is a powerful force capable of reshaping knowledge and building awareness. Collaboration with leading institutions enables the exchange of expertise, accelerates the adoption of innovative solutions, and delivers tangible, sustainable impact.”
The BRIDGE Summit will provide “an exceptional platform for testing bold and unconventional solutions” to help reshape the media industry, rebuild trust, and define a shared future.
Source:AETOSWire
H.E. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the UAE Media Council and Chairman of BRIDGE, meets Elon Musk, CEO of X, SpaceX, Tesla, and Starlink, at Tesla Headquarters in Palo Alto, California (Photo: AETOSWire)
H.E. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the UAE Media Council and Chairman of BRIDGE, meets Elon Musk, CEO of X, SpaceX, Tesla, and Starlink, at Tesla Headquarters in Palo Alto, California (Photo: AETOSWire)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.
Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.
The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.
Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.
In Friday’s case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting and thus depriving some Cabinet members who were not convened of their due rights to deliberate on his decree.
Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.
Yoon’s defense team said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe was “politicized” and reflected “the unliberal arguments by the independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued the ruling “oversimplified the boundary between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”
Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.
Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.
South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.
South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.
Some observers say Yoon will likely retain a defiant attitude in the ongoing trials to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a lengthy sentence but could be pardoned in the future.
On the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised speech, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect “the constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but many apparently didn’t aggressively cordon off the area, allowing enough lawmakers to get into an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree.
No major violence occurred, but Yoon's stunt caused the biggest political crisis in South Korea and rattled its diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy soldiers and tanks on the streets to suppress demonstrations.
After Yoon's ouster, his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung became president via a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to look into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates.
Yoon's other trials deal with charges like ordering drone flights over North Korea to deliberately inflame animosities to look for a pretext to declare martial law. Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
