Fourteen killed in Nepal in 'Gen Z' protest over social media ban
At least 14 people were reported dead and dozens more injured in Nepal’s capital on Monday, state television said, after police fired tear gas and r...
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 powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
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.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
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.
Kazakhstan has launched Space Days 2025, a landmark international forum in Almaty that gathers astronauts, scientists, policymakers, and investors from across the globe to debate the future of space technology, education, and cooperation.
OpenAI has sharply raised its projected cash burn through 2029 to $115 billion, according to The Information. This marks an $80 billion increase from previous estimates, as the company ramps up spending to fuel the AI behind its ChatGPT chatbot.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged Russia’s aerospace industry to step up efforts to develop booster rocket engines and expand the country’s role in global space technology.
U.S. President Donald Trump will host more than two dozen technology and business leaders on Thursday for a dinner in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden, a White House official said.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft successfully completed an initial test Wednesday to demonstrate a new capability that helps maintain the International Space Station’s (ISS) orbital altitude.
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