🛰 SpaceX flies 25 Starlink satellites to orbit on its 50th Falcon 9 launch of the year

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🇨🇳 Chinese-led team creates self-propelling material for uranium extraction from seawater

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have engineered a light-driven micromotor capable of navigating water and actively capturing uranium ions, marking a step forward in advanced materials for resource extraction.

Developed at its Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, the system is based on a metal-organic framework (MOF) that converts light into motion, allowing it to function as a self-propelling collector at the microscale. Uranium remains the critical fuel for nuclear reactors, and despite an estimated 4.5 billion tonnes dissolved in seawater, its extremely low concentration has long made extraction technically complex and economically unviable.

Further refinement is ongoing, emphasizing that translating the system into real-world applications will require sustained research and engineering improvements.

#BRICS

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🇩🇪 New solar panels that imitate roof tiles can retain around 95% of their power

German researchers have developed a technique for applying realistic designs to photovoltaic (PV) modules that allow them to imitate roof tiles, and blend more seamlessly into buildings. The new method, called ShadeCut, was invented by a research team at Freiburg’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).

It enables complex visual patterns while also retaining approximately 95% of the power output of an uncoated module. The novel approach builds on the institute’s MorphoColor technology, a bio-inspired coating for solar panels. Such adaptability could help expand the role of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), where solar panels are used directly into the structure of a building rather than just mounted on top.

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⚡️🇮🇷🇷🇺 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in St Petersburg for high-level discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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🇺🇸 Trump posts a new idea on Truth Social.

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⚡️🇬🇧🇺🇸 King Charles' visit to US to proceed after Washington shooting

King Charles' state visit to the U.S. will go ahead as planned on Monday, Buckingham Palace said after discussions with U.S. officials. Charles ‌and his wife, Queen Camilla, are due to arrive for a four-day state visit.

"I think it's great; he'll be very safe," — Trump said.

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🧑‍⚖️ Ex-worker of Tokyo Electron gets 10-year jail term in TSMC trade secrets case

A Taiwan court fined the local unit of Japan's Tokyo Electron T$150 million ($5 ​million), and handed jail terms of up to 10 years to five individuals convicted in a case ‌relating to TSMC's sensitive chip technology. The ruling comes in one of Taiwan's highest profile cases involving national security charges linked to unlawfully obtaining trade secrets from TSMC, the world's biggest contract manufacturer of advanced AI chips.

Four of the defendants violated Taiwan's National Security Act by intending to use trade secrets outside Taiwan, the court said, ​adding that images of the information were found on the Japanese company’s cloud system. Chen Li-ming, ​a former employee of both TSMC and Tokyo Electron, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while terms ranging ⁠from two to six years were handed to three other former TSMC employees.

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🇮🇳 JSW Motors Plans to Open Own Showrooms Before India Car Debut

JSW Motors, part of the billionaire Sajjan Jindal-led conglomerate, plans to set up at least four “experience centers” across key Indian cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmedabad, before rolling out its debut product in the second half of the year. The new car will be an upscale plug-in gas-electric hybrid mode.

#BRICS

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⚡️🤑 Ripple just lit up the skyline with that massive billboard — Resorts World looking sharp with the "RAISE THE STANDARD"!

Perfect timing as XRP Las Vegas 2026 kicks off this week — April 30 to May 1. It's shaping up to be the biggest XRP-focused conference yet, an unforgettable event that brings together blockchain enthusiasts, industry leaders, and innovators from around the world. 🌎✨

#Stellar

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⚔️ Musk and Altman Head to Trial in Feud Over Future of OpenAI

Elon Musk and Sam Altman will face off this week in a trial that could determine the future of OpenAI. Musk, an estranged co-founder of OpenAI, is claiming that the ChatGPT-maker and Altman abandoned their charitable mission by making moves to shift toward a for-profit model in partnership with Microsoft.

A jury is set to weigh whether Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman breached their founding contract and deceived Musk into funding the startup with promises it would operate as a nonprofit for humanity’s benefit.

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⚡️🇺🇸 White House to review Trump's security after gunfire near press dinner

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will meet with leaders of the U.S. Secret Service ⁠and the Homeland Security department to discuss security "protocol and practices" for major events involving Trump.

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🇮🇳🇳🇿 India, New Zealand Sign ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Trade Deal

India and New Zealand have signed a free-trade agreement that slashes tariffs on most goods and expands market access. The pact will see New Zealand scrap duties on all Indian goods and ease mobility rules for students and workers from the South Asian nation, while New Delhi will cut tariffs on 95% of imports from the South Pacific nation.

#BRICS

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⚡️🤑 Travelex Bank launches instant global payments using XRP

Travelex Bank has implemented the Ripple Payments system, targeting faster and more cost-effective international transfers. This innovative step aims to offer instant processing and flexible access for both corporate clients and individual users.

Travelex Bank is recognized for its more than 40 years of expertise in global currency services. Holding the distinction of being the first local foreign exchange bank approved by the Central Bank of Brazil 🇧🇷, the institution holds a strong position in the industry.

The transformation launched by Travelex Bank and Ripple stands out as an example not only for the company itself, but also for other financial institutions across Latin America. Blockchain technology is becoming an essential part of mainstream financial infrastructure.

#Stellar

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💊 Motif Neurotech Receives FDA Approval to Begin First Clinical Trial of its Therapeutic BCI for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Motif Neurotech, a BCI company developing technologies for mental health, announced that the FDA has approved an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for the RESONATE Early Feasibility Study. The trial will evaluate the Motif XCS System, a small wirelessly powered implant that delivers gentle electrical stimulation to a brain region clinically shown to reduce the symptoms of depression in adults who have not found relief from two or more medications.

“We founded Motif to build neural devices that give everyone suffering from a mental health condition the opportunity at a better life,” — said Jacob Robinson, Co-founder and CEO of Motif Neurotech.

Central to that mission are the nearly 3 million Americans living with treatment-resistant depression, most of whom have exhausted available treatments without finding lasting relief.

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🎵 Spotify announced its next big category: fitness content.

Workouts will be accessible from a new “Fitness” hub within the app, or by typing in the term “fitness” in the search box. Both free and Premium users will be able to access dozens of playlists and instructional workout content.

Spotify also has partnered with a number of established wellness creators and the exercise equipment maker, Peloton. The partnership brings over 1,400 ad-free, on-demand workout classes from many of its well-known instructors to Spotify’s Premium users in select markets.

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