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☆ Mystery Chinese spacecraft returns to Earth after 276 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - An experimental Chinese spacecraft returned to Earth on Monday after staying in orbit for 276 days, China's state media reported, completing a landmark mission to test the country's reusable space technologies. The uncrewed spacecraft returned to the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China on Monday as scheduled, according to state media. The test marks an "important" breakthrough in China's research into reusable spacecraft technology that will provide a more convenient and inexpensive way to mount future space missions, state media reported. It landed on Earth "horizontally," according to China's main space contractor at the time. The uncrewed and reusable X-37B returned to Earth in November last year in its sixth and latest mission, after more than 900 days in orbit.

☆ Rocket builder Firefly takes on high-speed Space Force mission for crucial next launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Alpha rocket for the Space Force's Victus Nox mission stands on the launchpad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The mission for the military's Los Angeles-based Space Safari team calls for flying a Millennium Space Systems-built satellite on Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket — on remarkably short notice. The Alpha rocket for the Space Force's Victus Nox mission stands on the launchpad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Space Force selected Firefly and Millennium for the Victus Nox contract in October, setting off a chain of events starting with the build phase. Firefly's opportunitywatch nowFirefly originally planned to fly a NASA mission on its third Alpha rocket launch, after the company reached space with its second launch in October.

☆ After 35 years in flight, the US military says it's done buying one of its most unique and controversial aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Since its first flight in 1989, the V-22 Osprey has provided a unique capability to the US military. One of them is the V-22 Osprey, a unique and controversial aircraft that has carried conventional troops and special operators around the world for two decades. US Navy/Vernon PughIn the three decades since its first flight, the V-22 Osprey has brought a distinct capability to the US military's aviation fleet, despite its troubled development. Conventional and special-ops missionsUS Air Force special tactics operators fast rope from a CV-22B during an exercise in the UK in April 2021. In August 2022, Air Force Special Operations Command grounded its CV-22s over issues with its clutch, which had caused several "safety incidents."

☆ Photos capture US special operators landing one of the Air Force's biggest planes on a Wyoming highway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The event helped train the Air Force to use roads in case runways aren't an option. But that didn't stop the US Air Force from using the roads to land several aircraft — including one of its biggest planes. An MQ-9 Reaper with the 2nd Special Operations Squadron lands on Highway 287 during Exercise Agile Chariot near Rawlins, Wyoming, April 30, 2023. Air Force planes — including the MC-130J and Warthog — have landed on stretches of highway in recent years in places like Michigan, Latvia, and Sweden. And the Air Force Special Operations Command has even explored modifications to the MC-130J to allow it to land in water.

☆ Slack's CEO Lidiane Jones on integrating generative A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSlack's CEO Lidiane Jones on integrating generative A.I. CNBC's Frank Holland and Slack CEO Lidiane Jones join 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss Salesforce's integration of A.I. in to Slack, and the questions about scaling up enterprise A.I..

☆ Marc Benioff says he has a successor. A leaked Salesforce org chart identifies the likely candidates.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marc Benioff's succession plan appeared to fall apart when co-CEO Bret Taylor resigned on Nov. 30. "I always have a succession plan," Benioff told Insider. A leaked Salesforce organizational chart identifies the likely candidates who are next in line. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he has a successor in mind and a leaked Salesforce organizational chart identifies the likely candidates who are next in line. "I always have a succession plan," Benioff told Insider in an interview.

☆ New grads are already worried about being overworked in their first jobs out of college
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The top concern soon-to-be-grads have about entering the current job market has nothing to do with money, according to a new survey of 500 incoming college graduates from A.Team, a tech hiring platform. Instead, when asked about their top concern about the work landscape, 21% said they were most worried about finding a role that affords them work-life balance. Not far behind, 19% of new grads are concerned about not finding a job they're passionate about, while another 18% say potential layoffs are their biggest worry. Reports of academic burnout from college students got worse during the pandemic and remains a problem: As of 2022, 2 in 5 undergrads say they frequently feel stress while attending school, according to research from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation. Gen Z's calls for work-life balance could reshape workplace culture

☆ The US Air Force has big plans for the next-generation drones that will fight alongside its fighters and bombers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's now developing collaborative combat aircraft, which can fight alongside piloted jets or on their own. A need for 'affordable mass'MQ-9s on a runway at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in April. Worse, the Air Force faces a pilot shortage and its overall number of flight hours has been decreasing. The Air Force also continues to develop top-tier assets like the F-35, the B-21 stealth bomber, and the Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD. "Without it, it's very difficult to envision how we could keep the Air Force at the size it currently is."

Starship is SpaceX's next-generation rocket crucial for the company's commercial launch business and Musk's aim to start human colonies on Mars. The U.S. offers few such options and export controls would make building a foreign launch site difficult. SpaceX has eyed another Kennedy Space Center launch site for future Starship launches, LC-49, a few miles from LC-39A. But that location is in the midst of a lengthy environmental review that could take years. Plans for that orbital launch site, Spaceport Camden, were nixed by a local referendum after a lawsuit raised concerns about its environmental impact.

☆ Bret Taylor was sidelined as Salesforce's co-CEO and resigned after a failed play to become sole CEO, company insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Salesforce's co-CEO and heir apparent Bret Taylor shocked the industry when he resigned last year. It was a disappointment," Benioff told Insider. Salesforce's co-CEO and heir apparent Bret Taylor shocked the industry when he resigned on Nov. 30 — one year after taking the job. Taylor made an "abrupt" play to become Salesforce's sole CEO, according to a former executive familiar with the matter. Taylor joined Salesforce in 2016 after it acquired Quip, a productivity software startup founded by Taylor, for $750 million.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff gave executives lavish gifts including Cartier watches. Its marketing chief was given an Aston Martin, while another executive got an electric BMW. Marc Benioff pulls out all the stops when it comes to buying gifts for some executives. Insider revealed last week that the Salesforce CEO has generously given some watches costing five figures and cars costing well into six figures. Benioff is known for handing out $10,000 Cartier watches at Salesforce executive meetings.

☆ Big Tech is pursuing 'the year of efficiency.' It could get supercharged by AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

On the agenda today:But first: Why Big tech's new focus on efficiency could have far-reaching impacts. Tech jobs aren't coming backTech giants have been slashing jobs. Companies from Meta to Salesforce have cut jobs in the recent months in the pursuit of efficiency and profit margins. Also read:Whistleblower docs: Jane RobertsSupreme Court Justice Chief Justice John Roberts and his wife Jane Roberts arrive for a 2018 State Dinner at the White House. At least one of those firms argued a case before the chief justice after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Justice Department said the order, from U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, "has no legal justification and threatens the public health." It asked the court to stop the order from taking effect until it can fully hear the administration's appeal. He found that the federal task force that decides what preventive care must be covered under the federal healthcare law, also known as Obamacare, was unlawfully appointed, voiding all of that task force's determinations since 2010. More than 150 million people were eligible for preventive care free of charge as of 2020 under Obamacare, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Head of regional force tackling east Congo violence resigns, Kenya denies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GOMA, April 28 (Reuters) - The Kenyan commander of a regional force set up to tackle militia violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo said he had resigned due to obstruction and threats to his safety, adding to doubts over whether the mission can be effective. The seven countries of the East African Community (EAC) set up the EACRF military force last April to try to end bloodshed linked to decades of militant activity in Congo's east. In the letter, Nyagah alleged foreign military contractors were sent to survey his residence in January, placing monitoring devices that forced him to relocate. "My security as the Force Commander is not guaranteed," Nyagah said. Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya previously acknowledged the presence of foreign military contractors in Congo as "instructors".

☆ Benioff vs. Benioff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

Within Salesforce, Benioff riffs are at times met with backlash from an angry workforce. "You're not going to fire your family during times of need," a former Salesforce executive told Insider. "I don't think they understand Ohana," Benioff told Insider. "Look, we have to be the example of stakeholder capitalism," Benioff told Insider. A 'New Day' at Salesforce"I use the Japanese principle of shoshin, beginner's mind," Benioff told Insider in a phone interview in March.

☆ US Air Force secretary says it's time to move on from the A-10 Warthog because it 'doesn't scare China' and has only 'limited usability'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Air Force has been trying for years to retire its aging fleet of A-10 Warthog planes. During a Thursday hearing, the service secretary said the aircraft "doesn't scare China." I was an advocate for that program for a long time, but it doesn't scare China." US Air Force maintainers work on an A-10 Warthog at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, September 2, 2011. In December 2021, the Air Force secretary lauded the Warthog, C-130 transport aircraft, and MQ-9 Reaper drone for their past effectiveness.

☆ Ukraine's fight to fend off Russia's superior air force hinges on its surface-to-air missiles, expert says, but leaked top secret documents show it may be running out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's air force has an edge over Ukraine's aircraft, requiring Ukraine to rely on other capabilities. Fighting off Russia's air force is dependent on Ukraine's surface-to-air missiles, a new report says. One document in particular that was obtained and reviewed by Insider details Ukraine's air defense capabilities and the risks it faces. Soldiers of the German Armed Forces stand on a trailer with launching pads for guided missiles of the Patriot air defense system on a snow-covered field in southeastern Poland. "Our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure because Patriot air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said last week.

☆ Joby Aviation lands $55 million contract from US Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 25 (Reuters) - Electric aircraft maker Joby Aviation (JOBY.N) will deliver up to nine air taxis to the U.S. Air Force under a $55 million contract extension that marks the company’s first revenue-generating operations, the company announced on Tuesday. Joby will deliver the first two aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base in California by March 2024 for field exercises that will help the Air Force determine whether to adopt electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Under the contract with the Air Force, Joby will maintain ownership of the air taxis but will teach military pilots to fly them for the first time. Joby previously obtained the first airworthiness approval from the Air Force for an uncrewed electric aircraft in 2020. The latest award brings the total value of Joby's contracts with the Air Force up to $131 million.

☆ Australia to prioritise long-range strike capability in defence shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Angus Campbell speak to the media at a news conference after the release of the Defence Strategic Review at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia April 24, 2023. AAP/Lukas Coch/via REUTERSCANBERRA, April 24 (Reuters) - Australia's government will prioritise long-range precision strike, domestic production of guided weapons, and diplomacy - key points of a review released Monday recommending the country's biggest defence shakeup since World War Two. Australia must also strengthen defence cooperation with Japan, India, Pacific and South East Asian nations, the review said. The review found Australia's defence force was "not fit for purpose", he said. The navy needs more smaller vessels with long-range strike weapons, with details decided after an independent analysis this year, the report said.

☆ An executive coach who worked with Nelson Mandela and the last leader of the Soviet Union, says CEOs must realize they will always upset 'a large bunch of people every day'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

René Carayol, an executive coach for more than 20 years, said CEOs can never make everyone happy. He told Insider the chief executive role is "the toughest job in the company." Carayol has a high-profile list of clients, including world leaders and CEOs at Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. He's advised four former CEOs of Barclays Bank and even former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Inherent and implicit in the role is you are upsetting a large bunch of people every day.

☆ Meta and Disney begin cutting jobs. Here's a rundown of all Club names planning major layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The list includes Meta Platforms (META) and Walt Disney (DIS). META YTD mountain Meta's stock performance year to date. The March layoff plan was in addition to the 11,000 job cuts disclosed in November. As part of this effort, Disney announced in February it was planning roughly 7,000 total job cuts in a series of three rounds. Amazon (AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy announced 18,000 job cuts in early January impacting retail and recruiting operations .

☆ Space Force chief says U.S. is facing a 'new era' of threats beyond Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Morgan Brennan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Chance Saltzman took the stage for his keynote at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this week, his message was simple: The U.S. is in a new era of space activity. "The threats that we face to our on-orbit capabilities from our strategic competitors has grown substantially," Saltzman, the U.S. Space Force's second-ever chief of space operations, said in a CNBC interview after the speech. Case in point: the Space Force's recently announced procurement strategy for more launch services. With business to be awarded next year, the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 is estimated to run into the billions of dollars and is expected to draw bids from the likes of Rocket Lab , Relativity Space and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, among others. While still just a fraction of the country's overall defense budget, the Space Force's $30 billion request for fiscal 2024 represents a 15% increase from this year's enacted levels.

☆ These 3 Club stocks just hit their highest levels in a year. Here's where we stand on them now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Three Club holdings — Salesforce (CRM), Linde (LIN) and Nvidia (NVDA) — just reached their highest levels of the past 12 months, which Wall Street generally views as encouraging. At the same time, however, some investors may be wondering whether hitting a new 52-week high might signal that it's time to take some profits. Here's how the Club is thinking about our positions in these three stocks that reached this juncture during Tuesday's session. Our last purchase of Salesforce stock was Dec. 21, scooping up 25 shares around $130 each on the belief that investors were way too negative on the company. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

US Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base are now testing a new type of flight helmet. "It is common knowledge fighter pilots have long term neck and back issues," said Maj. Brett Gedman, from the 301st Fighter Squadron. The Air Force's Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet at Eglin Air Force Base. An F-22A Raptor pilot adjusts the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet before a mission at Eglin Air Force Base on March 24. An F-22A pilot adjusts the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet before a mission at Eglin Air Force Base on March 24.

REUTERS/Carlos BarriaWASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force's 102nd Intelligence Wing, which the alleged leaker of classified information belonged to, has been ordered to halt its intelligence mission as the service's inspector general carries out an investigation, the Air Force said on Tuesday. The Air Force said all units would also have to carry out a "security-focused standdown" sometime in the next 30 days. "The 102nd Intelligence Wing is not currentlyperforming its assigned intelligence mission," Air Force Spokesperson Ann Stefanek said in statement. The Air Force inspector general would investigate the unit's "compliance with policy, procedures, and standards...related to the release of national security information," Stefanek added. If the accusations against Teixeira are correct, the Air Force will be under pressure to explain how he could have smuggled and disseminated highly classified intelligence for months without being noticed.

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