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President Donald Trump introduced the "Rate Payer Protection Pledge" during his State of the Union, a bold initiative designed to shield consumers from soaring electricity bills driven by AI-powered data centers. This pledge mandates technology companies to bear the burden of increased power consumption and encourages them to build their own power plants, preventing these costs from being passed on to the general public.
Apple's stock jumped over 2% following the announcement of its Houston facility expansion, which will bring Mac mini assembly to the U.S. for the first time and significantly scale up advanced AI server manufacturing. This ambitious initiative, part of a $600 billion U.S. supply chain investment, is set to double the campus's footprint, create thousands of new jobs, and establish a dedicated training center for American manufacturing.
Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk announced significant price reductions for its popular GLP-1 medications, Wegovy and Ozempic, slashing their list prices by 50% and 35% respectively. Effective January 1, 2027, both drugs will cost $675 per month, a strategic move aimed at improving patient access and affordability, particularly for those with high-deductible health plans.
NASA's Artemis II moon rocket is being rolled back from the launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 25 due to a critical helium system issue and adverse weather, a 12-hour journey. This setback will delay the highly anticipated crewed mission around the Moon until at least April 2026, pushing back humanity's first lunar flight in over half a century.
Mexican security forces have killed "El Mencho," the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers, delivering a significant blow to the powerful criminal organization. This high-profile operation in Jalisco has, however, ignited a wave of retaliatory violence across several Mexican states, causing widespread disruption, school cancellations, and urgent travel warnings.
On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that Russia has failed to break his nation's spirit, underscoring the enduring resilience of the Ukrainian people. This significant milestone was met with strong international support, as European leaders visited Kyiv to reaffirm their unwavering commitment and the United Kingdom announced a new package of military and humanitarian aid.
India's technology sector is projected to reach an impressive $315 billion this fiscal year, expanding by 6.1% primarily due to booming AI-led services and global capacity centers. Despite facing challenges, this robust expansion is set to create 135,000 net jobs, underscoring the sector's resilience and strategic pivot towards high-value innovation.
A groundbreaking 30-year analysis, utilizing space lasers, reveals a significant acceleration in global sea-level rise, with oceans increasing by approximately 90 millimeters since 1993. This alarming trend is primarily driven by melting land ice, rather than thermal expansion, underscoring the intensifying impact of climate change.
Stanford Medicine researchers have developed a groundbreaking universal nasal spray vaccine designed to offer broad protection against various respiratory threats, including viruses, bacteria, and allergens. This innovative vaccine works by supercharging the lungs' immune defenses, significantly reducing viral levels, preventing severe illness, and blocking allergic reactions in mouse studies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Iran, declaring that any attack on Israel would be "perhaps the most serious mistake in their history," following reports that the United States has given Iran a 48-hour deadline to submit a detailed nuclear proposal. Failure to meet this critical deadline could trigger potential military action against Iran, significantly escalating already high regional tensions and leaving the world on edge.
The U.S. Men's Hockey team clinched a historic gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, dramatically defeating rival Canada 2-1 in overtime. This monumental victory marks their first Olympic gold since the legendary 1980 "Miracle on Ice," contributing to Team USA's impressive 33-medal haul.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning that human rights are under a "full-scale attack" globally, with the "rule of law being outmuscled by the rule of force." He detailed how this deliberate assault, often led by powerful nations, extends from conflict zones like Ukraine and the Occupied Palestinian Territory to the misuse of AI, even threatening the UN's own human rights system.