Minimalist News

Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

World

AI Summary

  • The artificial intelligence and space sectors are undergoing significant consolidation and technological advancement, evidenced by major mergers like SpaceX acquiring xAI and a reorientation of company strategies towards integrated AI capabilities.
  • Global efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains are intensifying, leading to new international alliances and strategic resource management, as nations aim to reduce dependence and counter existing market dominance.
  • The energy industry is navigating both large-scale corporate mergers and heightened market volatility, particularly in natural gas, while also grappling with evolving policies related to green initiatives and the fiscal impact of electric vehicle adoption.
  • Tech companies are facing both unprecedented growth in areas like AI and renewed scrutiny over ethical applications and government contracts, alongside persistent supply chain challenges impacting global electronics production.
  • International legal frameworks and the conduct of high-profile figures are under intense examination due to new revelations from investigations, which are prompting accountability demands across political, charitable, and media spheres globally.

ZeroHedge

  • It's Time To Accept That Civil War 2.0 Has Already Started 2 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    It's Time To Accept That Civil War 2.0 Has Already Started Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us, In July of 1917 as the fires of WWI raged across Europe, the Russian city of Petrograd was facing its own special turmoil in the form of a large scale Bolshevik insurgency. Up to 500,000 protesters, agitators and provocateurs had entered the city from across the country, many of them armed. They took over large swaths of the metropolis, hijacked private vehicles and confiscated private buildings. Some soviet leaders including Vladimir Lenin called the event “premature” and did not publicly endorse it, which may have been

  • Watch: Russian Soldiers Surrender To Gun-Wielding Robot; Humanoid Warfare Nears 2 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    Watch: Russian Soldiers Surrender To Gun-Wielding Robot; Humanoid Warfare Nears Video footage circulating on X from the Ukrainian front shows a Droid TW-7.62 ground robotic system, roughly half the size of a Mini Cooper, forcing the surrender of three Russian troops during an active military operation. The incident suggests that war robots are rapidly maturing, moving beyond support and logistics into offensive roles. Futurism reports that Ukrainian defense robotics firm DevDroid's armed unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) forced the surrender of three Russian soldiers. "The footage shows three Russian soldiers approaching one by one, removing their equipment, and lying down next to the UGV," the

  • America At 250: The Words That Helped Ignite A Revolution 3 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    America At 250: The Words That Helped Ignite A Revolution Authored by Gene Pisasale, via RealClearWire, > “... a thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of monarchy .... To the evil of monarchy we have added hereditary succession ... the first is a degradation and lessening of ourselves ... the second, claimed as a matter of right, is an insult and an imposition on posterity.” > > - Thomas Paine, “Common Sense” On Jan. 10, 1776, Robert Bell did something that could have landed him in prison for treason against King George III of England. In his small shop on Third Street in downtown

  • Revolving Green Door: Former Biden Officials Landed Jobs With Environmental NGOs After Funneling Money To Them 3 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    Revolving Green Door: Former Biden Officials Landed Jobs With Environmental NGOs After Funneling Money To Them As the Trump administration's Department of Energy moves to wipe out over $83 billion in "Green New Scam" loans and conditional commitments approved in the final months of the Biden administration, a new analysis reveals that not only did the rush to spend accelerate right after Biden's disastrous June 27, 2024 debate with now-President Donald Trump, senior Biden officials landed roles at organizations that received agency funding. In some cases, money was steered to NGOs that the officials worked for before joining the government - where they then returned following the cash

  • Clintons Bend The Knee To Comer, Agree To Testify In House Epstein Inquiry 4 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    Clintons Bend The Knee To Comer, Agree To Testify In House Epstein Inquiry Just hours after Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) rebuffed Bill and Hillary Clinton's attorney's last-ditch conditional offer, the former president and former secretary of state appear to have acquiesced and agreed to key demands from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee to testify about Jeffrey Epstein in a closed-door deposition. The initial correspondence, obtained by CNN, revealed that the Clintons’ team has been in search of an off-ramp for days. Attorneys for Bill and Hillary have been in discussion with the Republican-led committee multiple times since lawmakers from both parties voted in January to hold the


The Guardian

  • Handful of sick and wounded Palestinians allowed through Rafah crossing on first day 6 hours ago by Lorenzo Tondo
    Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Middle East and north Africa, Palestine, World news, Africa

    Numbers Israel permitted to enter Egypt after reopening border were far lower than expected following delays A small number of sick and wounded Palestinians have begun crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Palestinian territory’s Rafah border post as fragile diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict inch forward. About 150 people were due to leave the territory on Monday, and 50 to enter it, according to Egyptian officials, more than 20 months after Israeli forces closed the crossing. However, by nightfall, Reuters reported that Israel had permitted 12 Palestinians to re-enter the territory, according

  • Weather tracker: Cyclone Fytia in Madagascar kills several people and floods homes 18 hours ago by Maggie Shopova and Ed Walton for Met Desk
    Madagascar, Environment, World news, Africa, Europe, Extreme weather

    Island’s first tropical storm of season may bring 150mm of rain – meanwhile, eastern Europe freezes with possible night-time lows of -30C At least three people have died and nearly 30,000 people have been affected by flooding after Madagascar’s first tropical storm of the season hit over the weekend. Tropical Cyclone Fytia formed to the north-west of Madagascar over the northern Mozambique Channel on Thursday. Continue reading...

  • International law meant to limit effects of war at breaking point, study finds a day ago by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor
    War crimes, International law, International criminal justice, International criminal court, Law, Gaza, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Middle East and north Africa, Europe, Africa, World news

    Report covering 23 conflicts over last 18 months concludes more than 100,000 civilians have been killed as war crimes rage out of control An authoritative survey of 23 armed conflicts over the last 18 months has concluded that international law seeking to limit the effects of war is at breaking point, with more than 100,000 civilians killed, while torture and rape are committed with near impunity. The extensive study by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights describes the deaths of 18,592 children in Gaza, growing civilian casualties in Ukraine and an “epidemic” of sexual violence in the Democratic

  • More than 200 killed in coltan mine collapse in eastern DRC, officials say 3 days ago by Reuters
    Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa, World news, Mining

    Rubaya mine produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, used in mobile phones More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, a spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday. Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum – a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where local people dig manually for

  • Islamic State claims attack on international airport and airbase in Niger 4 days ago by Eromo Egbejule in Lagos and agencies
    Niger, Africa, World news, Islamic State

    Motorcycle-riding militants launch strikes using heavy weaponry and drones, damaging planes belonging to Ivorian carrier and Togolese airline Islamic State in the Sahel has claimed responsibility for an audacious assault at the international airport and adjacent air force base in Niamey, the capital of Niger, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist activity and communications worldwide. The attack, which began shortly after midnight on Thursday, reportedly involved motorcycle-riding militants who launched a “surprise and coordinated” strike using heavy weaponry and drones, according to statements released via IS in the Sahel’s propaganda arm, Amaq news agency. Continue reading...


South China Morning Post

  • Palantir defends surveillance tech as US government contracts boost sales 7 minutes ago by Reuters

    Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp defended the firm’s surveillance technology as it reported a big jump in sales on Monday, ‍saying it has safeguards to prevent government overreach, without mentioning US immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota that have drawn widespread protests. The data analytics company said revenue derived from the US government spiked 66 per cent in the fourth quarter from the year-ago period to US$570 million. Total sales of US$1.41 billion exceeded analysts’...

  • Clintons to testify in US House Epstein probe ahead of contempt of Congress vote 4 hours ago by Agence France-Presse

    Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify in a US House investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the ex-president said, heading off a potential vote to hold the couple in contempt. They had originally refused to appear before lawmakers examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into the disgraced financier, who had connections and correspondence with the world’s business and political elite. “The former President and former Secretary of State...

  • As China opens up its space sector, Hong Kong should reach for the stars 5 hours ago by Ken Chu

    China’s commercial space sector has entered a new frontier. In January, a private Chinese aerospace company unveiled the test capsule of what is set to become the country’s first commercially developed crewed spacecraft, with plans for crewed flights by 2028 and bookings already taken from private space tourists. The project reflects a decisive shift in national policy, where commercial players are no longer peripheral participants but integral contributors to major space missions. This...

  • Cuba confirms ‘communications’ with US as Trump moves to block oil 6 hours ago by Reuters

    Cuba and the United States ‍are in communication, a Cuban diplomat said on Monday, although he said the exchanges have not yet evolved into a formal “dialogue”. Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, told Reuters the US government was aware that Cuba was “ready to have a serious, meaningful and responsible ⁠dialogue”. “We have had exchange of messages, we have embassies, we have had communications, but we cannot say we have had a table of dialogue,” de Cossio told Reuters in...

  • Elon Musk merges xAI into SpaceX in record-setting deal 7 hours ago by Reuters

    Elon Musk said on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial-intelligence ‍start-up xAI in a record-setting deal that unifies Musk’s AI and space ambitions by combining the rocket-and-satellite company with the maker of the Grok chatbot. The deal, first reported by Reuters last week, represents one of the most ambitious tie-ups in the technology sector yet, combining a space-and-defence contractor with a fast-growing AI developer ⁠whose costs are largely driven by chips, data centres and...


New York Times

  • Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections 7 hours ago by Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti
    Trump, Donald J, Voter Fraud (Election Fraud), Rumors and Misinformation, United States Politics and Government, Right-Wing Extremism and Alt-Right, Midterm Elections (2026), Bongino, Daniel, Republican Party

    The comments, made on a conservative podcast, follow a string of moves from his administration to try to exert more control over American elections.

  • Trump Drops Demand for Cash From Harvard After Stiff Resistance 7 hours ago by Michael C. Bender, Michael S. Schmidt and Alan Blinder
    Colleges and Universities, United States Politics and Government, Education Department (US), Harvard University, Justice Department, Garber, Alan M, Trump, Donald J

    The Trump administration has lowered the bar for a deal with the university, backtracking on its insistence on a $200 million payment to the government, The New York Times has learned.

  • Gabbard Arranges Trump Call With FBI Agents After Georgia Election Center Search 4 hours ago by William K. Rashbaum, Devlin Barrett and Julian E. Barnes
    United States Politics and Government, Presidential Election of 2024, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Justice Department, Blanche, Todd (Attorney), Gabbard, Tulsi (1981- ), Trump, Donald J, Fulton County (Ga), Atlanta (Ga), Georgia, Georgia Criminal Case Against Trump (2020 Election), Presidential Election of 2020, Giuliani, Rudolph W

    Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, brokered the call and President Trump directly questioned frontline agents on the inquiry, The Times has learned.

  • Pirro Threatens Jail Time for Lawful Gun Owners Who Travel to D.C. With Firearms an hour ago by Robert Jimison
    Pirro, Jeanine, Washington (DC), Gun Control, Firearms, Massie, Thomas H, Pretti, Alex Jeffrey (1988-2026), Steube, W Gregory (1978- ), Trump, Donald J

    The remarks by Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing.

  • Clintons Capitulate on House Epstein Inquiry, Agreeing to Testify 7 hours ago by Annie Karni
    United States Politics and Government, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, Clinton, Bill, Clinton, Hillary Rodham, Comer, James R, Epstein, Jeffrey E (1953- ), Maxwell, Ghislaine

    Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the ex-secretary of state, agreed to depositions they had long resisted days before the House was to vote to hold them in contempt.


Looking for more? Search Google News