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The National
24 minutes ago
- The National
Elon Musk 'ordered Starlink shutdown' during Ukraine counterattack
The billionaire's command allegedly led to a communications blackout while Ukrainian forces attempted to retake the port city of Kherson in the south of the country in September 2022. The communication blackout, where staff at the American tech firm deactivated at least 100 Starlink terminals after being instructed to, reportedly caused the attack to fail, according to Reuters, which spoke with three people who were familiar with the demand. According to reports, the blackout caused Ukrainian soldiers to panic as drones surveilling Russian forces went dark, and long-range artillery units, reliant on Starlink to aim at their targets, struggled to hit them. READ MORE: 'He belongs in The Hague': Keir Starmer fiercely criticised over Gaza speech Although Ukrainian forces were able to reclaim Kherson, the incident was reported to have damaged the country's trust in the technology, along with shocking Starlink employees. One of the three people who were familiar with the instruction claimed it enabled Musk to take 'the outcome of a war into his own hands'. The Tesla-owner reportedly grew concerned that Ukrainian forces' advancements could provoke nuclear retaliation from Vladimir Putin. A spokesperson for SpaceX, the aerospace company that owns Starlink, told Reuters the reporting of the incident is 'inaccurate'. In March, Musk posted on his social media platform, X/Twitter: 'To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals.' Starlink, which went live in 2019, is a satellite company that beams data across its network and is the world's largest satellite operator. It provides customers with internet access in remote and unreliable locations and has a network of around 8000 satellites in orbit. It has been a key tool in Ukraine's defence, as Musk has provided the country with more than 50,000 Starlink terminals during the war. The network has allowed Ukrainians to speak to relatives across the world, and President Zelensky uses the network to transmit broadcasts to the nation. It is also used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield to communicate and is used to guide drones and long-range artillery units.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Get early retirees off the golf course and back to work – why early retirement isn't good for UK plc
Early retirement is a wealthy indulgence that needs to be discouraged. As a minimum, ministers should strip away any inducement offered by the tax system for people who want to retire in their 50s. Every western country needs their more mature workers to keep going, if not full time, then part time. And if not paid work, then unpaid voluntary work that acknowledges the luck that flows from being a 21st-century baby boomer in good health. Communities, regions and countries cannot afford for older people to pack up and head for the golf course, or worse, book a permanent cruise and spend their cash in international waters. Last week, the government convened a pensions commission to consider a narrow question: how to boost the incomes of lower-paid workers in retirement. It is understandable that the government is worried about the increasing numbers of low-income workers who will soon spend a long retirement struggling to make ends meet. This is a genuine concern and a subject worthy of a commission. Yet there is a need to address a far wider question, which is how society will thrive when the age pyramid is inverted, with only a smattering of young people holding up a mountain of retirees. Retirement has its origins in the Industrial Revolution and the need to prevent older people from ending their years in abject poverty, not to fulfil a bucket list of expensive desires. The commission should ask why anyone in the 21st century should think they can put their feet up seven days a week when they are fit and well, and able to participate in economic life. Yet a prosperous retirement is the aim of so many – and not only when they are approaching their 60s. If you look at the strike record of full-time university lecturers you would think they obsess about their pensions every day. Council staff spend precious hours scrolling through WhatsApp groups discussing the most mundane changes to their retirement plans with a degree of attentiveness that, to give them credit, is in line with the generosity of their benefits. Company boardrooms are no different. Executives will set aside huge amounts of time to manage their complex and stunningly generous pensions. Having a financial consultant ready and available on the phone to talk about their retirement plans has become a must-have demand in the corporate world. Maybe its the lure of sailing on the Adriatic or cruising the Caribbean that captivates so many, or less positively, the frustration and anxiety from working near, with or for incompetent or venal managers in a succession of modestly paid jobs. Still, whatever the reason, too many people want to cash out of the economy, trading their pension and property gains for a long period of rest, with only the stress of remembering what day it is to bump their heart rate. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Some economists have argued that this moment – when boomers are no longer participating in the workplace – will trigger a profound shift in the economy. Those workers still in the labour market will bid up their wages, pushing up prices and making high inflation a permanent feature. Governments will find it harder to borrow money, in part because pension funds, after decades of growth, will have a declining need to buy their bonds. There are also extra bills to pay. In its latest report on the UK, the International Monetary Fund says the effects of population ageing on health and pension costs will account for a further 8% of GDP by 2050 compared with an extra 5.5% of GDP, on average, in other advanced European economies. These are important issues connected with the nation's finances. So, too, are the ways better-off baby boomers insulate themselves. First, they take most of the pension money and invest it abroad where the gains are much higher, either because their workforces are young, dynamic and more productive or because the companies are American and enjoy monopolistic strangleholds in their respective markets. Investing abroad gives the boomer a ring-fenced income no matter how clapped out the economy they call home. The second track is to import young workers from abroad, boosting the labour supply as boomers make their exit. Financial insulation is understandable when government finances are under strain. Yet one of the reasons the wheels are coming off the modern liberal state is because baby boomers, who by sheer force of numbers and their better education spurred the postwar recovery, are causing the downturn by bailing out. Worse, they are cashing out, too. Without a debate about what it means to be old and the responsibilities that come with receiving a pension, the government's commission will be left to merely tinker. We are only a few years away from the baby boomer generation all reaching retirement age. Everyone born in the years up to 1964 will be eligible to collect the state pension in 2031. It's a turning point that everyone should be preparing for, especially when all the Pimm's-drinking early retirees are added to the list. The commission's remit should be wider.
Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
How football could produce wrestling's next big superstar
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A wrestling company famed for launching the careers of John Cena, Randy Orton and more is turning to UK sports to find the next great grappler. WWE legend Al Snow's Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), which was the subject of acclaimed Netflix docu-series Wrestlers, is launching a new initiative on our shores to discover sports entertainment's next superstar. The company is hoping to encourage footballers, rugby players and other athletes in the UK to chase a career in the ring, after stars from basketball, gymnastics, the NFL and more have made the transition in the US. Speaking exclusively to Metro, the 61-year-old star has a stark warning for anyone thinking it'll be an easy ride. 'It is far easier to be a player in the World Cup of the soccer team than it is to be on the main roster in WWE,' he insisted. 'Think of the number of players on the team. Think of the number of teams now, what are your odds? 'Think of the number of wrestlers that are on the main roster of WWE. Think of the number of people that wish to be in that place, and now think of the odds.' OVW was recently bought by UK-based sports agency Morley Sports Management (MSM), who also own Cymru Premier football club Haverfordwest County AFC, and they are looking to their take first UK intake of trainees from football and rugby in 2026. Rob Edwards, MSM founder and CEO, said: 'We absolutely know the talent is there in the UK – particularly in football – and the opportunities we OVW provide could give so many sports people another chance.' Anyone interested in training at the OVW Academy can apply here. They won't be the first, with former Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese and rugby league player-turned-WWE superstar Ridge Holland among those to make the transition. Tim failed to make an impact, while Ridge has had a rollercoaster career – but he came in as a fan with 'respect for the business'. 'That goes a long way,' he told Metro in 2022. 'Athletes tend to have some form of ego… You've been a top athlete in your chosen sport, and then you've gotta start at the bottom. 'You've got to just humble yourself, put your nose to the grindstone and listen, work hard and take each day as it comes.' So, what can the athletes expect? 'At the very beginning, really focusing on the fundamentals, just like any actual sport,' the former WWE European Champion explained. 'I can't emphasise enough how much that plays a role in their development and their overall performance and their consistency, and their ability to mitigate the possibility to the injury.' Al knows all about the physical impact of a career in wrestling, having had both knees replaced a few years ago to deal with a brutal amount of pain. 'I wake up every day in pain,' he explained. '[Before the replacements] it was so severe that sometimes I would be exhausted by the middle of the day, and I'd have to lay down to just get some rest.' Not everyone will be able to hack it, as Al recalled working with a 'kickboxer, a multi-black belt in Taekwondo' who also did some 'cross country biking' and other disciplines. 'He lasted a week,' he said. 'I've dealt with this for ages. I've been training people on different levels and watched athletes come from other sports.' People coming from outside the business often have preconceptions, only to quickly realise the 'physical exertion and amount of commitment' it takes. 'A lot of them are like, 'You know what? That's it. I'm done,'' he shrugged. He also dismissed the idea anyone except the wrestler themselves can be blamed for a lack of success. 'Wrestlers make themselves a star. I know wrestlers would love to make you believe that it's someone else's fault for their own shortcomings,' he laughed. 'They're more than willing to take credit when it's their success.' What will Al really be looking for when they start recruiting from football and rugby? 'You don't have to look like a bodybuilder. You just need to look like you make your living in a competitive combat situation. That's it,' he said. 'I don't think that's asking for much.' There's also the mental side, with personality being almost more important that having the right look, charisma or skills. 'If you're a cancer and you're going to be a detriment, trust me, you're not worth it,' he said bluntly. Al knows his stuff, having worked with former WWE Champions Cody Rhodes and The Miz early in their wrestling journeys, with the latter coming to wrestling through reality TV. More Trending 'They did not make it easy on him in the locker room,' he recalled. 'Everything he's gotten he's earned.' That doesn't mean training with OVW, or even making it to the bright lights of WWE, will make everyone happy. There'll be more work to be done. 'There are number of my kids that are still in WWE that if I were to pick up the phone right now, all you'd hear is them complain for two hours on the phone,' he said. 'They think once they get there, the work stops, and then they're happy. No! 'Now, the pressure, the stress – the real work begins.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Hulk Hogan's wife Sky Daily says she 'wasn't ready' for his death in heartbreaking tribute MORE: WWE star demonstrates how broken finger 'still won't bend from knuckle to tip' MORE: Hulk Hogan 'lost a lot of weight in final weeks before death'
