💵 Tech AI spending may approach $700 billion this year

Alphabet, Microsof, Meta and Amazon are expected to spend nearly $700 billion combined this year to fuel their AI build-outs. The four hyperscalers are now projected to increase capital expenditures by more than 60% from the historic levels reached in 2025, as they load up on high-priced chips, build new mammoth facilities and buy the networking technology to connect it all.

Getting to those kinds of numbers is going to require sacrifice in the form of free cash flow. Last year, the four biggest U.S. internet companies generated a combined $200 billion in free cash flow, down from $237 billion in 2024.

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↗️ XRP Climbs 14% In Bullish Trade

XRP was trading at $1.4810 by 10:00 (15:00 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Friday, up 14.38% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage gain since February 6. The move upwards pushed XRP’s market cap up to $88.0326B, or 3.78% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, XRP’s market cap was $210.6006B. XRP had traded in a range of $1.1224 to $1.4821 in the previous twenty-four hours. At its current price, XRP is still down 59.49% from its all-time high of $3.66 set on July 18, 2025.

#Stellar

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🚀 SpaceX shifts focus to NASA's lunar mission, delays Mars plans

SpaceX has postponed its long-anticipated mission to Mars, opting instead to concentrate on a lunar landing as part of its commitments to NASA. SpaceX is aiming for an uncrewed lunar landing in March 2027. The shift reflects a broader strategic realignment at SpaceX, which is also expanding into space-based artificial intelligence infrastructure following its acquisition of Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI. That deal, announced this week, values the combined businesses at $1.25 trillion.

“The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will fund and enable self-growing bases on the Moon, an entire civilization on Mars, and ultimately expansion to the Universe,” Musk wrote.

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🇺🇸🇪🇺US to bankroll far-right think tanks in Europe against digital laws

The US State Department plans to fund MAGA - aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe, under the pretence of protecting free speech, promoting Washington's policy positions. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, leads the initiative.

The US national security strategy has called for "cultivating resistance", accusing the European Union of "censorship of free speech" and citing mass migration as a cause for future "civilisational erasure," echoing far-right conspiracists.

Rogers specifically targets the UK's Online Safety Act and the EU's Digital Services Act. The Trump administration perceives these regulations as "fundamentally American-targeted regulatory schemes," seeking to attack free speech, American industry and the independence of the tech sector.

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🇺🇸🇮🇷Trump warns Iran of ‘steep’ consequences if no deal reached after ‘very good’ talks

President Trump on Friday called the recent talks between the U.S. and Iran “very good,” but said the consequences would be “very steep” if a deal is not reached. Despite the pressure, Trump acknowledged that negotiations take time, telling reporters late Friday that “we’re in no rush.”

“You have to get in position. We have plenty of time if you remember Venezuela, we waited around for a while and we’re in no rush,” the president said, when asked about a timeline. “We have very good talks going with Iran. We have very good talks going with Russia and Ukraine. We’re doing a lot of good talking.”

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🤖 Optimus spotted at the X Football City Diner

Guests were hanging out with Tesla Optimus inside the diner as it interacted at the table.

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🇺🇸 US to resurrect Cold War-era 190,000-square-foot nuclear plant after 30-year dormancy

The US Department of Energy (DOE) officially signed a lease with General Matter to repurpose a massive facility at the Hanford Site. The agreement, announced this week, aims to transform the 190,000-square-foot Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) - which was completed in 1984 but has remained unused since 1993 - into a hub for advanced nuclear fuel cycle technologies.

This initiative is part of a federal effort to enhance domestic energy supplies, particularly for the growing AI sector. General Matter will evaluate upgrades needed to revitalize the 190,000-square-foot facility, aiming to transform it into a commercial asset for Central Washington.

“FMEF can be transformed into an asset to unleash American energy dominance,” noted Tim Walsh from the DOE. General Matter also plans construction on a Kentucky facility to meet energy demands by the early 2030s.

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🇺🇸President Donald Trump about cryptocurrency

💪 “Crypto and Bitcoin's next era will be built on American soil. I stand behind self-custody and the freedom of 50 million Americans to control their own crypto."

Do you agree with the President? 💯

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🇺🇸🇮🇳Indian refiners avoid Russian oil in push for US trade deal

Indian refiners are avoiding Russian oil purchases for delivery in April and are expected to stay away from such trades for longer. The U.S. and India moved closer to a trade pact on Friday, announcing a framework for a deal they hope to conclude by March that would lower tariffs and deepen economic cooperation.

Although a U.S. - India statement on the trade framework did not mention Russian oil, President Donald Trump rescinded his 25% tariffs on Indian goods, imposed over Russian oil purchases, because, he said, New Delhi had "committed to stop directly or indirectly" importing Russian oil.

Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Reliance Industries are not accepting offers from traders for Russian oil loading in March and April, said a trader who approached the refiners. Most other refiners have stopped buying Russian crude.

#BRICS

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🇻🇳 Vietnam is constructing the world’s largest soccer stadium, the Trong Dong Stadium, with a capacity of 135,000

Vietnam has launched a monumental project to build a stadium designed to be the largest in the world. With a colossal budget of 925 trillion dong (approximately R$ 185 billion) and scheduled for completion in August 2028, the Trong Dong will have a capacity for 135,000 spectators, surpassing the current record holder, the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium (North Korea, 114,000 seats), and the future Hassan II Stadium (Morocco, 115,000).

To put it in perspective, the stadium would be 1.7 times larger than Maracanã, currently the largest stadium in Brazil.

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🧑‍⚖️ A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration can continue detaining immigrants without bond.

A federal appeals court ruled 2–1 that the Trump admin can lawfully deny bond hearings to illegal immigrants. Circuit judge Edith H. Jones wrote in the 2-1 majority opinion that the government correctly interpreted the Immigration and Nationality Act by asserting that “unadmitted aliens apprehended anywhere in the US are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided inside the US.”

AG Bondi called the ruling a "crucial legal victory" in support of Trump's agenda and a "significant blow against activist judges." Under past administrations, most noncitizens with no criminal record who were arrested away from the border had an opportunity to request a bond hearing while their cases wound through immigration court.

“That prior Administrations decided to use less than their full enforcement authority under” the law “does not mean they lacked the authority to do more,” Jones wrote.

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🇬🇱 Greenland declares a state of emergency as scientists link a surge in orca activity to collapsing ice.

Greenland has declared a state of emergency after scientists reported an unprecedented surge in orca activity along its coastal waters, a development increasingly linked to the rapid collapse of Arctic ice. Authorities say the declaration is intended to address immediate environmental risks, protect marine ecosystems, and evaluate the long-term implications of accelerating ice loss that is reshaping Arctic life and livelihoods.

While scientists express alarm, many local fishing communities are experiencing what some describe as a sudden economic windfall. Reduced ice cover has extended fishing seasons and exposed previously unreachable waters rich in commercially valuable species. Several fisheries report record catches, fueling what local operators have labeled a new Arctic “gold rush.” Environmental experts caution that unregulated fishing could accelerate ecosystem collapse, especially as predator-prey balances shift and fragile habitats face increasing pressure from human activity.

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↗️ Stocks hit historic milestone as Dow crosses 50,000 points for first time ever

The blue-chip index on Friday surged 1,207 points, or 2.47%, and closed at 50,115.67. It’s the first time the 129-year-old index has crossed the historic 50,000-point milestone. The Dow’s ascent is emblematic of the stock market’s persistent rise despite recent tumultuous geopolitical events.

Stocks in the US and across the globe have climbed higher this year despite uncertainty about turmoil in Iran, tensions between Washington and Brussels over Greenland and Venezuela. Stock market investors are also assessing the health of the AI boom and digesting President Donald Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve.

“The stock market, the Dow, just hit 50,000, three years ahead of schedule. They said it probably couldn't be done in the four-year period, we did it in one year." 💪

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🇯🇵 Japan’s Takaichi tightens grip on power with stunning victory in snap election

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s high-stakes gamble on a snap election has paid off, with voters handing her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a big majority Sunday.

After an election framed as a referendum on Takaichi herself, the LDP party won more than 310 of the 465 seats in Japan’s lower house, marking the first time since World War II that a single party has secured a two-thirds majority. The broader ruling coalition won more than 340 seats.

“I wanted the voters to give me a mandate because I advocated for responsible, proactive fiscal policy that would significantly shift economic and fiscal policy,” Takaichi added and thanked the voters.

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🇺🇸 The White House's official TikTok account posted a video of Donald Trump

To be a great nation, you have to have faith, you have to have God. 🙏

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🇪🇺 EU threatens temporary measures to stop Meta blocking AI rivals from WhatsApp

EU competition regulators have threatened to stop Meta Platforms from blocking AI rivals from its WhatsApp messaging service. The European Commission said on Monday that it has sent a statement of objections, or charges, to Meta over violation of the bloc's rules and intends to impose interim measures to prevent serious and irreparable harm to rivals.

"We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage. That is why we are considering quickly imposing interim measures on Meta, to preserve access for competitors to WhatsApp while the investigation is ongoing and avoid Meta's new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe." - EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement.

🤔 However Meta said there was no reason for the EU to intervene.

"There are many AI options and people can use them from app stores, operating systems, devices, websites and industry partnerships. The Commission's logic incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API (software) is a key distribution channel for these chatbots. Meta implemented its policy on January 15, allowing only its Meta AI assistant on WhatsApp," - a Meta spokesperson said in an email.

The Commission's decision on whether to impose interim measures will depend on Meta's reply and rights of defence.

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🇺🇸 Department of War announces U.S. forces have boarded an unsanctioned Panamanian-flagged tanker, Aquila II, without incident after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.

The military chased him from the Caribbean. According to the portal War&Sanctions, the tanker was carrying Russian and Venezuelan oil. It was on the sanctions list.

"You will run out of fuel before you will outrun us." 😄

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✅ Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month

Discord announced on Monday that it’s rolling out age verification on its platform globally starting next month, when it will automatically set all users’ accounts to a “teen-appropriate” experience unless they demonstrate that they’re adults.

Users who aren’t verified as adults will not be able to access age-restricted servers and channels, won’t be able to speak in Discord’s livestream-like “stage” channels, and will see content filters for any content Discord detects as graphic or sensitive. They will also get warning prompts for friend requests from potentially unfamiliar users, and DMs from unfamiliar users will be automatically filtered into a separate inbox.

Direct messages and servers that are not age-restricted will continue to function normally, but users won’t be able to send messages or view content in an age-restricted server until they complete the age check process, even if it’s a server they were part of before age verification rolled out.

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