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☆ SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket, on Space Force mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches on its mission with a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force at Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., November 1, 2022. Elon Musk's SpaceX on Tuesday launched the first Falcon Heavy mission in over three years, a towering rocket that is the most powerful currently in operation. SpaceX's rocket is carrying the classified USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force, which is also the first operational national security mission for Falcon Heavy. Its most recent previous launch was the Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission in June 2019, which carried experimental satellites on a demonstration flight for the Pentagon. While Falcon Heavy's base is reusable, the company landed just the side pair of the three rocket boosters – with the central core dropping into the ocean like traditional rockets do, to meet the Space Force's high-performance requirement for this mission.

☆ Grocery retailer Pick n Pay to start accepting cryptocurrency payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1 (Reuters) - One of South Africa's largest grocery retailers Pick n Pay (PIKJ.J) is expanding a pilot of adding cryptocurrency as a payment option to more stores after the successful completion of the first phase, it said on Tuesday. Many companies are responding to this by accepting Bitcoin," Pick n Pay said in a statement. It has now extended it to a further 29 stores for testing with customers, with the intention to roll it out to all stores in the coming months, Pick n Pay said. Pick n Pay has partnered with Electrum and CryptoConvert on its latest pilot. Electrum's payment platform connects Cryptoconvert and Pick n Pay, letting customers pay with the Bitcoin Lightning technology at the till point, the company added.

The space company was valued at more than $1 billion when private equity firm AE Industrial Partners became its controlling shareholder in March. A FireFly spokesperson declined to comment when asked about the fundraising, as did a spokesperson for AE Industrial Partners. It is among a handful of U.S. space companies vying to launch small satellites into space. SpaceX's bigger Falcon 9 rocket costs $62 million and Rocket Lab's smaller Electron rocket costs $7 million. Venture capital investments in space companies fell 44% from a year earlier, according to a quarterly report from VC firm Space Capital.

☆ Elon Musk and Donald Trump now own rival social networks. Here's a timeline of their rocky relationship.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Former President Donald Trump said he's "very happy" that Elon Musk now owns Twitter. January 2020: 'One of our great geniuses'Former President Donald Trump speaks during a "Save America" rally in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 9, 2022. May 2020: Trump backs up Musk in feud with California covid rulesElon Musk meets Donald Trump at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. May 30, 2020. May 2022: Musk said he would reinstate Trump's Twitter accountTesla CEO Elon Musk. July 2022: Trump lashes outFormer President Donald Trump gives the keynote address at the Faith and Freedom Coalition during their annual conference on June 17, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee.

But Silva is getting a second chance to celebrate her quinceañera or 15th birthday in a different, more empowering way. Silva is part of Quince to the Polls, a campaign by Poder Quince geared to mobilize young women to become civic and community leaders. Poder Quince is a program run by Jolt Initiative, a progressive nonprofit organization focused on increasing the civic participation of Latinos, especially young Latinos. “Even though I can’t vote yet," Silva said, "I want to motivate others." Organizers on the ground will be speaking with community members, many of who are first-time voters, said Christine Bolaños, director of communications at Jolt Action, Jolt Initiative's political arm.

☆ The Witches of Salem: A Traveler’s Guide to America’s Spookiest Town
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Hillary Richard | Photographs Christopher Churchill For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lorelei Stathopoulos, the owner of the Crow Haven Corner shop in Salem, Mass., is a psychic reader, as well as a “love witch.” She offers phone consultations but prefers to cast her spells in her kitchen, just above the store. In early October, when I arrived for my “Apple Love Spell”—a 60-minute, $225 session that also includes Champagne and a cheese board—Ms. Stathopoulos greeted me wearing a gold dress with a white-chiffon cape, trailed by her two chihuahuas. By the time I left, a line of a dozen or so people had formed outside Crow Haven Corner, which sits on Essex Street next to a museum dedicated to Ouija boards.

☆ Chinese military scientists simulated a nuclear blast in space to knock out satellite networks like Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Stephen Chen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese scientists conducted a computer experiment of a nuclear blast in space. This could render nuclear weapons ineffective and too dangerous for an anti-satellite mission. Chinese military researchers worry that these satellites could provide communication services to rivals or slam into China's space station or satellites, acting as "suicide agents" to disable Chinese space infrastructure during a war. Some Chinese researchers have therefore proposed hitting a few carefully selected targets that could produce a small amount of space debris. "Whether it is legal to use nuclear weapons as a defence measure against a hypersonic weapon attack remains a subject of debate in the research community," he added.

☆ Meta says it's planning to shrink its office space as more employees are working remotely
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The social-media giant has embraced remote work, with top executives working from abroad. It comes as Meta, notably its top executives, shifts to remote work. "Some steps, like the ongoing rationalization of our office footprint, will lead to incremental costs in the near term," Wehner said. Wehner added that Meta projected 2023 total expenses are set to be between $96 billion and $101 billion, with $2 billion estimated to go towards consolidating the company's office footprint. Meta employees are expected to spend at least half their time in the office.

☆ Liverpool ensure Champions League progress with win at Ajax
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Liverpool overcame a slow start to beat hosts Ajax Amsterdam 3-0 on Wednesday, ensuring a top-two finish in Group A and progress into the knockout stage of the Champions League. The victory kept them three points behind leaders Napoli, who won 3-0 at home to Rangers to make it maximum points from their five group games. Napoli visit Anfield on Tuesday to decide top place, when Liverpool would need at least a 3-0 win to edge the Serie A leaders on the head-to-head after losing 4-1 in September. Ajax needed to win by two goals on Wednesday to keep up their slim Champions League hopes but will now be battling with Rangers in Glasgow next week for a Europa League spot. "We had a tough half an hour where Ajax made a lot of pressure and we needed to defend with a lot of passion.

☆ South Africa will allow a Russian oligarch to moor his superyacht in Cape Town as it continues on epic global cruise avoiding Western sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The yacht, owned by sanctioned billionaire Alexei Mordashov, is now headed to Cape Town, South Africa. Nord has now left the city state, and is sailing towards South Africa where it is expected to moor on November 9, Marine Traffic data shows. When it arrives in South Africa, it will be allowed to dock, despite outcry from some in the country. "South Africa has no legal obligation to abide by sanctions imposed by the US and EU," Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, per the BBC. South Africa was among the 35 countries which abstained from a UN resolution in March which demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

South Africa will allow sanctioned Russian steel magnate Alexey Mordashov to pull his superyacht into Cape Town, making it the latest port stop on a controversy-laden voyage that shows the limits of Western sanctions. The journey of the 465-foot Nord—from the Seychelles to Vladivostok in Russia, Hong Kong and now en route to Cape Town—has become a closely watched barometer for the effectiveness of U.S. and European sanctions on its owner, Mr. Mordashov, one of Russia’s richest men and the largest shareholder of Severstal PAO, among the world’s biggest steelmakers.

☆ Cheaper homes and a strong dollar are driving Americans to move abroad. Here are 6 cities around the world where you can live on $1,000 a month or less.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Pembe Bilir | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

More and more Americans are looking to take advantage of a strong dollar and cheaper homes abroad. An apartment in the city center and living expenses would set you back $670 a month. A one-bedroom apartment outside the city center and living expenses would set you back around $940 per month. If you wanted an apartment in the center, it would cost you around $1,150 a month, including living expenses. Here, you can get a one-bedroom apartment outside of the center and cover living expenses for just over $920 a month, Numbeo said.

☆ Henry Cavill confirms his return as Superman
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It’s Superman… again! Henry Cavill has confirmed what passionate hero-loving moviegoers have been waiting for – the British actor will return to the role of Clark Kent, also known as Superman, in the DC Comics extended cinematic universe. He started off by saying he wanted to wait until after people had a chance to watch “Black Adam” before speaking about his return. “But now that plenty of you have [seen the movie],” Cavill said, “I wanted to make it official: I’m back as Superman.”He thanked the fans “most of all” for their patience. However, many are clamoring for another standalone film for Cavill’s Superman, which would mark the first since 2013’s “Man of Steel.”“Black Adam” took the No.

☆ South Africa's Eskom to implement 'stage 4' power cuts from Sunday noon
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAPE TOWN, Oct 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Eskom will implement "Stage 4 power" cuts from noon on Sunday until early Monday morning, before switching between "Stage 4" and "Stage 3" until Wednesday, the power utility said in a statement. Eskom, which provides the bulk of South Africa's electricity needs, has been struggling to keep the lights on as a fleet of aging coal-fired plants conk out regularly and disrupt power generation. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa to give response to graft inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAPE TOWN, Oct 23 (Reuters) - South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday submits his response to recommendations from a state inquiry into alleged corruption during his predecessor's presidency. A judicial commission of inquiry was established to examine allegations of high-level graft during former president Jacob Zuma's nine years in power from 2009 to 2018. The inquiry found that Zuma had allowed businessmen close to him - brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta - to plunder state resources and influence policy, commonly known as 'state capture' in South Africa. Ramaphosa's written response has not been published, but a presidential statement said he is expected to address the nation on Sunday evening. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Wendell Roelf Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yacht linked to sanctioned Russian tycoon leaves Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG — A superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov left Hong Kong for South Africa on Thursday, nearly two weeks after the U.S. accused the city of operating as a safe haven for sanctioned individuals. The marine department confirmed that the $500 million superyacht Nord left Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon but did not elaborate. The Nord arrived in Hong Kong on Oct. 5 from Vladivostok, Russia, putting the Chinese territory in the crosshairs of U.S.-China tensions. The U.S. State Department said the presence in Hong Kong of assets belonging to sanctioned individuals called into question the “transparency of the business environment” in the city. Hong Kong leader John Lee later said that while Hong Kong complies with United Nations sanctions, authorities “cannot do anything that has no legal basis” when it comes to sanctions unilaterally imposed by other jurisdictions.

☆ EXCLUSIVE S.Africa's energy transition plan needs $46.5 bln, five times pledges - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Tim Cocks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Giant wind turbines dot the landscape at the Darling Wind Power national demonstration project near Cape Town July 17, 2009. The project is the country's first independent wind power producer and currently has four turbines, with plans for another six. South Africa is also seeking to become a hub for so-called green hydrogen and electric vehicle manufacturing -- both of which could attract significant private sector investment. Coal makes up four-fifths of South Africa's power generation, so turning state utility Eskom to renewables is a priority for the government. Moving South Africa's economy into greener energy will require vast funds in the longer term, with some analysts estimating at least $250 billion over the next three decades.

☆ Dutch name preliminary World Cup squad list
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal on Friday sprung some surprises as he named a 39-man preliminary squad for the World Cup in Qatar next month. Mitchel Bakker, Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven were named for the first time while uncapped Sven Botman, Jeremie Frimpong and Pascal Struijk, who have received previous call-ups, were also included in a list dominated by nine players from Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam. All World Cup-bound teams are required to select between 35 and 55 players in a preliminary list by Friday and it is from this list that they must make the final selection of 26 by 1800 GMT on Nov. 14. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe Dutch compete at the World Cup in Group A and start the tournament on Nov. 21 with a match against Senegal, followed by Ecuador and Qatar in the first round. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by Mark Gleeson in Cape TownOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Renewables shift lays bare Africa's energy dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Bate Felix | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Besides the 678-km West Africa gas pipeline completed in 2008, linking Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana, few regional oil and gas projects exist to take products where they are needed. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has cautioned against long-term oil and gas infrastructure investment in Africa, urging countries to turn to renewables instead. "Africa's track record for gas projects in this regard is not encouraging," the IEA said, citing delays in TotalEnergies' Mozambique project and in the Senegal-Mauritania gas project. "Funding requirements for the oil and gas industry in Africa far exceeds the capacity of any one individual country in Africa. Previous plans for major regional projects such as large-scale refineries have been thwarted by rivalries, ending in countries constructing small refineries that eventually failed, the expert added.

☆ OPEC Secretary-General: move to cut oil output was unanimous
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Wendell Roelf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The OPEC+ oil producers group moved unanimously to cut output to prevent a crisis and stem a tide of volatility, OPEC's secretary-general told an energy conference in South Africa on Tuesday. read moreOPEC+ comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers including Russia. Ghais told conference delegates in Cape Town that Africa's oil and natural gas reserves would be sought-after as energy demand was set to rise dramatically in the coming decades. He said OPEC forecast that global energy demand would increase by 23% from 286 million barrels of oil equivalent a day in 2021 to reach 351 million barrels of oil equivalent a day by 2045, with oil retaining the largest share in the energy mix. He said if investments in oil were not met there could eventually be "a serious supply shortfall resulting in more heightened volatility".

CNN —In Nelson Mandela Bay, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, thousands of hectares of land could one day become the world’s largest green ammonia plant. But by using renewable energy, “green” ammonia can be manufactured, slashing the carbon footprint of agricultural production and opening up the compound to further uses. ‘A completely green process’The process to make green ammonia is quite simple, Loubser says, requiring just water, air and energy. But green ammonia could also be burned in existing coal-fired power plants to quickly reduce their CO2 emissions, the study notes, or in plants customized to run entirely on ammonia. And many of the systems that will make use of green ammonia – including ship engines – are still under development, which is why production levels are low at the moment.

☆ Ron DeSantis said it's a 'miscarriage of justice' that the Parkland shooter got a life sentence instead of the death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis weighed in on the jury's verdict on the Parkland shooter. Ron DeSantis says the Parkland shooter should have been given the death penalty and not a life sentence in prison. "I think that — if you have a death penalty at all — this is a case where you're massacring those students with premeditation, in utter disregard for basic humanity, that you deserve the death penalty," DeSantis said. Jury foreman Benjamin Thomas told CBS Miami that all but one of the twelve jurors thought the gunman should be given the death penalty. All the jurors would have had to unanimously agree to recommend the death penalty.

☆ The last shots of the American Civil War were fired in Russian territory
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Blake Stilwell | We Are The Mighty | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

During the US Civil War, Union and Confederate ships fought naval battles all over the world. She took 38 prizes and more than 1,000 prisoners, some of them joining the Confederate ship. From there, Shenandoah terrorized American ships in sea lanes around the Cape of Good Hope, through the Pacific, and into the Bering Sea off Alaska. Even after the Civil War was over, Shenandoah continued her Pacific rampage. The skipper just didn't believe Lee's surrender ended the war, even when American whaling captains told him so.

CNN —For many, the name Patrick Vieira brings to mind one of the most dominant midfielders in English Premier League history. To the younger generation, he is now one of the up-and-coming modern managers emerging in the Premier League. But Vieira wants to remind the world that he was born in Senegal and is proud to be African. “The diversity of our French and French national team was a success as well as winning the World Cup.”Patrick Vieira holds aloft the Premier League trophy after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City in 2004. The former Arsenal captain is currently the only manager from an ethnic minority in the Premier League and only the 10th Black manager since the competition’s inception in 1992.

☆ Amazon is switching the rockets used to launch the first 2 of more than 3,000 satellites, delaying lift-off until 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is switching the rockets used to carry the first of its two Project Kuiper satellites. Amazon originally scheduled the launch for late 2022 but said lift-off will now be in early 2023. A rival to SpaceX's Starlink, Project Kuiper is Amazon's project that involves building a network of more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites to provide a global broadband network. The two prototype satellites will be used to run tests, ahead of the first commercial launches of Amazon's production version of the satellites. ABL president, Dan Piemont, told CNBC on Wednesday, that the company finished work on a custom spacecraft for Project Kuiper earlier this year.

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