Afghanistan envoy meets Russia’s Kabulov as SCO opens door to observer role
The Ambassador of Afghanistan to Russia, Ghulam Hassan, has met with Zamir Kabulov, Moscow’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, to discuss deepening tie...
ROME, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Italy is aiming to develop its own low-orbit satellites for government communications, its industry minister said on Wednesday, presenting it as an alternative to systems provided by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government had previously said it was considering the use of Musk's Starlink satellites to provide encrypted communications between officials operating in risky areas.
The suggestion was sharply criticised by opposition politicians, who questioned the wisdom of handing a national security contract to a foreign entrepreneur who is also part of the U.S. government under President Donald Trump.
"We are in fact working on the creation of a national low-orbit satellite system developed independently, with the involvement of the main national players," Minister Adolfo Urso said in the lower house of parliament.
Urso, a member of Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy party, said that would offer a competitive alternative to infrastructure provided by other global operators, including Musk.
Urso did not give a timing for the development of the project and did not specify which companies the government had called in, but said the national space agency would carry out a feasibility study.
Musk has a warm relationship with Meloni and said last month he would be ready to offer his services to Italy. However, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto denied an agreement had been sealed.
Starlink, part of Musk's SpaceX aerospace business, has 6,700 active satellites in low earth orbit. A source told Reuters that Italy was considering a five-year deal with the company worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.57 billion).
($1 = 0.9584 euros)
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Palaeontologists in Peru unveiled the fossilized skeleton of an ancient, dolphin-like creature estimated to be between 8 and 12 million years old.
China has entered the United Nations’ annual list of the world’s ten most innovative nations for the first time, displacing Germany, Europe’s largest economy, as companies in Beijing ramp up investment in research and development.
Microsoft and OpenAI announced Thursday a non-binding deal outlining terms that would allow OpenAI to restructure into a for-profit company, marking a key step in the high-profile partnership fueling ChatGPT’s growth.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into seven technology companies over how their AI chatbots interact with children, amid rising concerns about safety and mental health risks.
Nvidia (NVDA.O) announced on Tuesday that it plans to release a new artificial intelligence chip by the end of next year, designed to manage complex tasks like video creation and software development.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment