32 h. ago US to seek rival bids for Artemis 3 moon landing as SpaceX lags, Nasa chief says

Nasa’s top official on Monday said the US space agency was opening up the contract for its Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing to compete against billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the mission’s current contractor, which was running late. “I’m in the process of opening that contract up. I think we’ll see companies like Blue [Origin] get involved and maybe others,” Nasa administrator Sean Duffy, who also serves as US transport secretary, told Fox News’ Fox & Friends programme. Blue Origin is a SpaceX...

Technology

32 h. ago Nasa opens US moon landing contract to rival bidders as SpaceX lags

Nasa said on Monday it was opening the marquee US moon landing contract to other bidders because Elon Musk’s SpaceX has experienced mounting delays with its Starship lunar lander. The move paves the way for rivals such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to snatch a high-profile mission to land the first astronauts on the moon in half a century. “I’m in the process of opening that contract up. I think we’ll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others,” the US space agency’s acting chief Sean...

Technology

44 h. ago Myanmar junta raids scam hub powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink

Myanmar’s junta raided one of the country’s most notorious internet scam centres and seized Starlink devices, it said on Monday, after an investigation had revealed an explosion in their use in the billion-dollar black market. Internet sweat shops where workers scam unsuspecting foreigners with business or romance schemes have thrived in war-ravaged Myanmar’s lawless border regions since the coronavirus pandemic. A transnational push by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February...

Politics

3 d. ago Myanmar junta forces retake key town on trade route to China

Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday that it had recaptured a town on a trade highway to China from an ethnic armed group in the country’s war-wracked north. Following a 16-day operation, “Tatmadaw reoccupied Hsipaw completely” on Thursday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said, referring to the military by its Burmese name. Northern Shan state has been rocked by fighting since June 2024 when an alliance of ethnic armed groups renewed an offensive against the military along...

Politics

4 d. ago Chinese EV makers from Leapmotor to Zeekr challenge Tesla in premium segment

Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) makers are raising the game in the premium segment by launching more spacious and longer-range models to challenge Tesla, which has been steadily losing market share on the mainland. Stellantis-backed Leapmotor has become the latest to join the fray against Elon Musk’s Tesla, with founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming describing its decision to move up the value chain as a mission to offer consumers the best EVs at the best prices. “Leapmotor is able to launch higher-end...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese car fans are weighing in on Elon Musk's new affordable offerings: 'Beggar model' Tesla

Chinese car fans are weighing in on Elon Musk's new affordable offerings: 'Beggar model' Tesla  Business Insider

Sport

1 week ago Nvidia to invest in Musk’s xAI as part of US$20 billion funding

The Elon Musk-backed artificial intelligence start-up xAI is raising more financing than initially planned – including an equity investment from Nvidia – to bring its ongoing funding round to US$20 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The financing, which includes equity and debt, would be tied to the Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) that xAI planned to use in Colossus 2, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information was private. That is the...

Economics

1 week ago ‘Affordable’ Model Y and 3: Tesla drops Steve Jobs turtleneck for Walmart hoodie

Tesla rolled out “affordable” versions of its bestselling Model Y SUV and its Model 3 sedan, but the starting prices of US$39,990 and US$36,990 were too high, some said, to attract a new class of buyers to the electric vehicle (EV) brand. CEO Elon Musk has touted the car as a way to tap a wider swathe of buyers, saying last year that a price below US$30,000, after incentives, was the key. Tesla is trying to reverse falling sales of its ageing line-up amid rising competition in Europe and China,...

Events

2 w. ago Alice Guo: how 1 case unmasked weaknesses in Philippine institutions

Alice Guo, the controversial former mayor linked to a raided scam hub and accused of faking her Philippine citizenship, is facing 70 new criminal complaints along with her relatives, including document fraud and violations of laws barring foreigners from owning property or running businesses. Analysts say the case highlights how foreign syndicates have exploited gaps in the country’s legal and political systems to gain a foothold in sensitive sectors – from local government to online gambling –...

Politics

2 w. ago Elon Musk Caught Letting China Invest in SpaceX, a Huge US Military Contractor

Elon Musk Caught Letting China Invest in SpaceX, a Huge US Military Contractor  Futurism

Events

2 w. ago Aung San Suu Kyi’s son seeks China’s help to secure her release from Myanmar jail

For much of his life, Kim Aris, 48, the younger son of Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, stayed out of the spotlight and kept his silence. He avoided the media even as they sought him out, snapping his pictures in a frenzy during those rare times when he was allowed to visit his famous mother in Myanmar. But following the 2021 coup that saw the military junta jail his mother, London-based Aris reluctantly stepped forward to speak out in the hope of alerting the world to...

Events

2 w. ago Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies  ProPublica

Economics

2 w. ago OpenAI valuation hits US$500 billion, passes SpaceX as world’s largest start

OpenAI has completed a deal to help employees sell shares in the company at a US$500 billion valuation, propelling the ChatGPT creator past Elon Musk’s SpaceX to become the world’s largest start-up. Current and former OpenAI employees sold about US$6.6 billion of stock to investors including Thrive Capital, SoftBank Group Corp, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi’s MGX and T Rowe Price, a person familiar with the transaction said. That boosted San Francisco-based OpenAI’s price tag well past...

Economics

3 w. ago Why East Timor is changing its tune on Myanmar’s military junta

East Timor’s recalibration of its stance on Myanmar’s military regime has drawn both scrutiny and intrigue across Southeast Asia, as Dili seeks to smooth its path into Asean ahead of next month’s summit. Once a vocal critic of Myanmar’s junta, which came to power in a 2021 coup that toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged the country into civil conflict, East Timor has in recent weeks taken a markedly softer line. Dili reportedly assured the junta earlier this month it...

Events

3 w. ago Elon Musk Warns 80% China Tariffs Could Devastate US Economy

Elon Musk Warns 80% China Tariffs Could Devastate US Economy  WebProNews

Events

3 w. ago Workers laid off by Doge recalled by Trump administration as job cuts backfire

Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work. The General Services Administration (GSA) has given the employees – who managed government workspaces – until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, according to an internal memo obtained by Associated Press. Those who accept must report for duty on October 6 after what amounts to a seven-month paid holiday, during which time the GSA in some cases racked up high...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump administration recalls employees laid off by Doge as job cuts backfire

Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work. The General Services Administration (GSA) has given the employees – who managed government workspaces – until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, according to an internal memo obtained by Associated Press. Those who accept must report for duty on October 6 after what amounts to a seven-month paid holiday, during which time the GSA in some cases racked up high...

Politics

4 w. ago Protests can’t paper over rich countries’ need for foreign workers

Earlier this month, the UK witnessed protests calling for tighter immigration laws. The protest, which took place in central London, featured polarising figures such as convicted criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, as well as French far-right politician Eric Zemmour and Elon Musk, who addressed the crowd virtually. The crowd demanded that Britain be protected from immigrants – in particular those seen as Muslim – and their impact on rising prices. Such...

Events

4 w. ago Asean’s failure to meet Myanmar junta over election shows its ‘limited leverage’

Myanmar and Asean leaders are locked in a “diplomatic impasse” with the military junta determined to prevent the bloc from interfering with its plans for a general election later this year, according to observers. Four foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week postponed their planned trip to Myanmar to discuss the election, which is set to begin in December, and other matters. The diplomats from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were originally...

Politics