South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed claims that white people are being persecuted in the country, calling it a "completely false narrative" in his latest attempt to refute allegations from US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and some white minority groups in South Africa. Elon Musk, born in South Africa, has frequently accused the country's Black-led government of being anti-white. Over the weekend, he reiterated a claim on social media that some South African political figures are “actively promoting white genocide.” South African NGOs fear HIV treatment disruptions amid Trump’s aid freeze In his weekly address, Ramaphosa urged South Africans not to let external events divide them. He particularly emphasized the need to challenge the "completely false narrative" that the country is targeting individuals of a specific race or culture for persecution. Though Ramaphosa did not name names, his statement appeared to be a direct response to accusations made by Trump and others that South Africa is deliberately mistreating the white Afrikaner minority by encouraging violent attacks on their farms and introducing a law to seize their land. These allegations were central to an executive order Trump issued last month, which cut funding to South Africa’s government while offering refugee status to Afrikaners in the U.S. Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch and French colonial settlers, played a key role in South Africa’s apartheid government, which oppressed non-white populations. However, since apartheid ended in 1994, South Africa has made significant progress in reconciling its racial groups. Musk, in his social media post on X, referred to a rally in South Africa where leaders of a far-left opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, sang a song with the lyrics “Kill the Boer, the farmer.” The term "Boer" refers to Afrikaners. South African miner recalls horrors of months spent underground “Very few people know that there is a major political party in South Africa that is actively promoting white genocide,” Musk wrote, linking to a video of the rally. The Economic Freedom Fighters, South Africa's fourth-largest party in Parliament, opposes Ramaphosa's African National Congress. It received 9.5% of the vote in last year’s elections and has been criticised for inflaming racial tensions, particularly for singing the song, which was used during apartheid as a call to resist oppression. The song's modern-day use has sparked controversy in South Africa. While some parties and groups, including an Afrikaner association, challenged its use in court, it was ruled as hate speech and banned more than a decade ago. However, in 2022, a court determined that it was not hate speech and protected under free speech as it did not incite violence. Since Trump's executive order, the South African government has been working to correct what it says is misinformation surrounding the issue of white farmers, who sometimes fall victim to violent attacks. While the government condemns these attacks, experts argue there is no evidence of widespread targeting of whites. They suggest that such attacks are part of South Africa's broader violent crime rates, which affect all races. The Afrikaner group has claimed that farm homicides have been underreported by the police. For instance, it reported eight farm homicides in the three-month period between October and December last year, while the police recorded only one. During the same period, South Africa's police reported a total of 6,953 homicides nationwide.

Actor Ayo Edebiri has criticised billionaire Elon Musk for amplifying false claims about her being cast in a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot. The Bear star revealed she received an overwhelming number of death threats and racial slurs due to the misinformation spread by Musk.  The rumour originated from a right-wing account on X (formerly Twitter), which falsely claimed that Edebiri would replace Johnny Depp in the popular franchise. Musk reshared the post, commenting, “Disney sucks.” His endorsement of the unverified claim led to widespread backlash against the actor.  Edebiri responded by sharing Musk’s tweet on her Instagram Stories, calling him a “fascist” and an “idiot” for promoting fake news that subjected her to severe harassment. Amazon Prime to stream Trump's 'The Apprentice' reality show “Just remembering when I got some of the most insane death threats and racial slurs of my life (maybe not the #1 moment, but definitely top 3) for a fake reboot of a movie I had never even heard of because of this man. LMAO. So not only is he double s**g h**l-ing [sieg heil-ing] fascist, he’s an idiot. But anyway,” she wrote.  The rumour had not been reported by any credible Hollywood outlet or confirmed by the franchise’s producers.  Pirates of the Caribbean Reboot Update  The Pirates of the Caribbean series, featuring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, grossed over $5 billion globally. While producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed plans for a reboot in 2024, no official casting or production details have been announced. With inputs from HT

Following widespread outages on Monday that prevented thousands of users from accessing X, Elon Musk said that the social media platform was under a "massive cyberattack." “We face attacks daily, but this one was executed with substantial resources,” Musk stated in a post. “Either a large, coordinated group and/or a nation is involved. Tracing …” Musk clashes with Polish FM over Starlink in Ukraine; calls him ‘small man’ Later that day, during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s Kudlow, Musk mentioned that the attackers’ “IP addresses originated in the Ukraine region,” though he did not elaborate on the implications. However, cybersecurity experts quickly noted that this does not necessarily indicate that Ukraine was the source of the attack. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont wrote on Bluesky that Musk's statement lacked a crucial detail—"the IPs actually came from all over the world, not just Ukraine.” Beaumont identified the attack as a Mirai variant botnet, comprising compromised cameras. While he could not determine who was responsible, he remarked that it “smells of APTs—advanced persistent teenagers.” Allan Liska from cybersecurity firm Recorded Future further explained that even if “every IP address that targeted Twitter today came from Ukraine (which is unlikely), they were most likely compromised devices controlled by a botnet run by an unknown third party, which could be operating from anywhere.” Reports of outages surged at 6 a.m. Eastern Time and again at 10 a.m., with over 40,000 users unable to access X, according to tracking website Downdetector.com. By the afternoon, the number of complaints had declined to the low thousands. A prolonged disruption lasting at least an hour began at noon, primarily affecting the U.S. coastal regions. Downdetector.com reported that 56% of the reported issues were related to the X app, while 33% were linked to the website. Nissan tests driverless cars on busy Japan city streets Without access to X’s internal technical data, verifying Musk’s claims is impossible, and the probability of the company releasing such information is “pretty low,” according to Nicholas Reese, an adjunct instructor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and an expert in cyber operations. Reese suggested that it was unlikely a nation-state was behind the attack, given the relatively short duration of the outages—unless it was intended as a precursor to something more significant. “There are essentially two types of cyberattacks—some are meant to be highly visible, while others are designed to be stealthy,” he explained. “The most valuable attacks tend to be the quiet ones. This incident was clearly meant to be noticed, which almost certainly rules out state actors. The benefit they would gain from such an attack is minimal.” Reese also speculated that a group may have intended to make a statement by disrupting X but noted that a temporary outage “doesn’t seem like much of a statement.” “It only becomes meaningful if it’s followed by further action, which I wouldn’t dismiss at this stage,” he added. In March 2023, when the platform was still known as Twitter, it suffered a series of technical glitches for over an hour, causing broken links, login failures, and image-loading issues. Meanwhile, “X outage” was trending on rival platform Bluesky, with users welcoming newcomers and encouraging them to stay. Musk, who acquired the platform in 2022, is also Tesla’s CEO. While overseeing X, he maintains access to U.S. government data systems—frequently sporting a T-shirt that reads “tech support.”

Attorneys for federal workers said Monday in a lawsuit that billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk had violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired. The updated lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California and was provided to The Associated Press, is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and President Donald Trump, including any connected to the email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday. The office, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, said employees needed to detail five things that they did last week by end of day on Monday. “No OPM rule, regulation, policy, or program has ever, in United States history, purported to require all federal workers to submit reports to OPM,” said the amended complaint, which was filed on behalf of unions, businesses veterans, and conservation groups. It called the threat of mass firings “one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.” Musk, who is leading the Republican president's efforts to overhaul and downsize the federal government, continued to threaten federal workers on Monday morning even as confusion spread through the administration and some top officials told employees not to comply. Trump, Musk’s cost-cutting drive echoes Clinton’s ‘Reinventing Government’—but with key differences “Those who do not take this email seriously will soon be furthering their career elsewhere,” Musk posted early in the morning on X, his social media platform. He also escalated Trump's demand for employees to stop working remotely. “Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave,” Musk posted. The latest round of turmoil began over the weekend, when Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media website, that “ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE." Musk followed up by saying “all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week.” He claimed that "failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” The directive echoed how the billionaire entrepreneur has managed his own companies. The Office of Personnel Management sent out its own request afterwards. “Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager," the message said.

OpenAI says its board of directors has unanimously rejected a $97.4 billion takeover bid by Elon Musk. “OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition," said a statement Friday from Bret Taylor, chair of OpenAI's board. OpenAI attorney William Savitt in a letter to Musk's attorney Friday said the proposal “is not in the best interests of OAI’s mission and is rejected.” TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores in US Musk, an early OpenAI investor, began a legal offensive against the ChatGPT maker nearly a year ago, suing for breach of contract over what he said was the betrayal of its founding aims as a nonprofit. OpenAI has increasingly sought to capitalize on the commercial success of generative AI. But the for-profit company is a subsidiary of a nonprofit entity that's bound to a mission — which Musk helped set — to safely build better-than-human AI for humanity's benefit. OpenAI is now seeking to more fully convert itself to a for-profit company, but would first have to buy out the nonprofit's assets. Throwing a wrench in those plans, Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a group of investment firms announced a bid Monday to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI. Musk in a court filing Wednesday further detailed the proposal to acquire the nonprofit’s controlling stake. Savitt's letter Friday said that court filing added “new material conditions to the proposal. As a result of that filing, it is now apparent that your clients’ much-publicized ‘bid’ is in fact not a bid at all.” In any event, “even as first presented,” the board has unanimously rejected it, Savitt said. Musk has alleged in the lawsuit that OpenAI is violating the terms of his foundational contributions to the charity. Musk had invested about $45 million in the startup from its founding until 2018, his lawyer has said. He escalated the legal dispute late last year, adding new claims and defendants, including OpenAI's business partner Microsoft, and asking for a court order that would halt OpenAI’s for-profit conversion. Musk also added xAI as a plaintiff, claiming that OpenAI was also unfairly stifling business competition. A judge is still considering Musk's request but expressed skepticism about some of his claims in a court hearing last week.

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), is set to introduce financial services within its app, with the launch of its first digital wallet later this year. The company has announced a strategic partnership with Visa, enabling seamless transactions through Visa Direct, a real-time money transfer solution. Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, confirmed in a post that the forthcoming service, X Money, will allow users to securely fund their X Wallet via Visa Direct. Additionally, the platform will offer integration with debit cards, facilitating person-to-person payments and instant fund transfers to bank accounts. DeepSeek: China’s AI breakthrough shakes tech industry, Wall Street “This is the first of many big announcements about X Money this year,” Yaccarino stated. The prospect of integrating financial services into X was initially discussed following Musk’s acquisition of the platform. With the Visa partnership, X Money is expected to debut in select US states before expanding globally. Reports suggest that app researchers have repeatedly found embedded code referencing X Money’s functionalities, including wallet funding and peer-to-peer transactions. X Payments LLC, a subsidiary managing the service, is currently licensed in 41 states and registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), ensuring compliance with financial regulations. The platform is also reportedly planning further partnerships to enhance its payment ecosystem. One of the primary objectives of X Money is to provide a financial solution for creators on the platform, allowing them to receive and store payments independently. According to a CNBC report, the service will roll out in the first quarter, with further enhancements expected throughout the year. Despite these ambitious plans, Musk has acknowledged ongoing financial challenges for the platform. According to the Wall Street Journal, he recently sent emails to X employees, admitting that the company is “barely breaking even” due to stagnant user growth and underwhelming revenue. Trump says Microsoft is one of the companies eyeing TikTok “Our user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we’re barely breaking even,” Musk reportedly stated. Since acquiring Twitter in a $44 billion deal in late 2022, Musk has implemented significant changes, including discontinuing the free verification programme, introducing a paid membership model, and rebranding the platform as X. The addition of financial services marks another step in Musk’s broader vision of transforming X into an all-in-one digital ecosystem. As X Money prepares for its launch, industry experts will be closely monitoring its impact on the digital payment landscape and whether it can help revitalise X’s financial standing. Source: Indian media

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has long been fixated on getting humans to Mars. On Monday, that vision received a strong endorsement from the newly inaugurated president, reports AP. In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump vowed to “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts who plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.” Musk, standing nearby, grinned broadly and celebrated enthusiastically. Trump signs order making Musk’s DOGE Commission official This moment highlighted the unconventional alliance between Musk, the billionaire tech mogul with lucrative federal contracts, and Trump, whose partnership was prominently showcased throughout the day's events. Musk publicly praised Trump at a rally following the inauguration, echoing the president's promise of an impending "golden age" for the nation. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilisation is assured,” Musk told the crowd at Capital One Arena. On X, Musk expressed his support for Trump’s return to office with a post reading: “The Return of the King.” During the Capitol Rotunda ceremony, Musk was seated prominently among other tech leaders, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, behind Trump’s family but closest to the president. At one point, Trump’s youngest son, Barron, greeted Musk with a handshake, a moment visible in televised coverage. Musk's alignment with Trump follows his significant financial backing of America PAC, contributing approximately $200 million to the pro-Trump organisation during last year's campaign. Musk comments on Tulip’s resignation on X The inclusion of numerous billionaires in Trump’s administration has sparked criticism, with former President Joe Biden warning of an emerging oligarchy dominated by tech moguls. Trump has tasked Musk with collaborating on a project called the Department of Government Efficiency, working alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The initiative, which operates outside formal government structures, aims to drastically reduce federal bureaucracy, regulations, and spending. Musk previously set a $2 trillion target for these cuts, though he has since acknowledged that achieving such a figure may be unrealistic. “If you aim for $2 trillion, I think we can at least get to $1 trillion,” Musk said during a Q&A session on X with pollster Mark Penn. Since the election, Musk has frequented Trump’s Florida resort and participated in meetings with potential Cabinet members and global leaders. However, Musk's relationship with some of Trump's allies has been less harmonious. Steve Bannon, a conservative podcaster and former campaign adviser, has criticised Musk’s support for immigration visa programmes, which he claims conflict with Trump’s “America First” agenda. In a recent interview, Bannon declared his intent to challenge Musk’s influence, stating, “We’ll have Elon Musk run out of here.” Additionally, Musk faced backlash from Republican lawmakers after his platform, X, played a role in derailing a bipartisan government funding proposal last month. His dissemination of false claims on X, which has faced criticism for abandoning misinformation safeguards, has raised concerns about its potential to sway public opinion, particularly given Musk's ties to the Trump administration. Elon Musk faces backlash after Nazi salute during Trump’s ceremony At the rally, Musk expressed enthusiasm for Trump’s second term, declaring, “Man, I can’t wait. This is going to be fantastic.”

Elon Musk sparked widespread controversy after making a one-armed gesture during a speech at Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration in Washington, D.C. The billionaire entrepreneur placed his right hand over his heart before extending the same arm straight ahead, repeating the action for the audience behind him. While Musk thanked the crowd for their support, many on X, the social media platform he owns, compared the gesture to a Nazi salute, reports BBC. In response to the backlash, Musk dismissed the accusations, posting on X: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired." Historians and social media users were divided over the gesture. Claire Aubin, a historian specializing in Nazism in the U.S., described it as a "sieg heil," while New York University historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat labeled it a "belligerent Nazi salute." Italian media reported that Andrea Stroppa, a Musk confidant, initially shared the clip with the caption "Roman Empire is back starting from Roman salute" but later deleted the post. Stroppa later clarified that Musk’s gesture was a personal expression of gratitude, unrelated to extremist symbolism. Read: Trump signs order making Musk’s DOGE Commission official Musk, who has publicly aligned himself with Trump and taken increasingly right-wing political stances, has faced growing scrutiny for his associations and statements. Critics noted his recent support for Germany’s far-right AfD party and the UK’s Reform Party. Defenders, including the Anti-Defamation League, dismissed the gesture as an "awkward moment of enthusiasm," emphasizing Musk’s non-affiliation with extremism. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on the controversy at the World Economic Forum, stating, "We value free speech but do not tolerate support for extreme-right positions." As Musk continues to navigate his evolving political alliances, the incident highlights the polarizing nature of his public actions and statements. Source: With input from agency

In a move set to reshape federal governance, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to formalise the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a commission led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Aimed at modernising federal agencies through cost-cutting measures and technological upgrades, the initiative has been met with a mix of anticipation and criticism, as legal challenges threaten to derail its progress. The executive order rebrands the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) as the U.S. DOGE Service, retaining the original acronym while shifting its focus to Musk’s vision for government reform. Established under former President Barack Obama to modernise technology within government agencies, the USDS will now spearhead software modernisation plans to overhaul outdated IT systems and infrastructure. Trump pardons 1,500 Jan 6 defendants including violent rioters At the signing ceremony, President Trump described plans for DOGE teams within federal agencies, detailing that each team would comprise a team leader, an engineer, an HR specialist, and an attorney. Agency heads have been instructed to establish these teams within 30 days and to work collaboratively with DOGE to streamline operations. A temporary body, the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organisation, has also been created to implement Trump’s 18-month DOGE agenda. The organisation is scheduled to conclude its operations by 4 July 2026, ahead of the Ohio gubernatorial election later that year. Legal and Political Challenges Despite President Trump’s confidence in the initiative, the DOGE commission faces significant legal and political hurdles. Critics have already filed three lawsuits alleging that the commission violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which requires advisory groups to operate transparently and include balanced representation. Advocacy group Democracy Forward has described the commission as a “shadow operation”, while National Security Counsellors argue that it bypasses proper advisory procedures. Additional lawsuits from Public Citizen, the State Democracy Defenders Fund, and the American Federation of Government Employees claim that the commission fails to represent the interests of ordinary Americans. Trump says 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming on Feb. 1 as he signs several orders on economy Musk’s Vision and Controversy Elon Musk’s initial claims that DOGE could save up to $2 trillion through efficiency measures, including reducing waste and eliminating redundant agencies, have since been tempered. Musk acknowledged the complexity of such an undertaking, and the commission is reportedly exploring controversial proposals, such as nullifying the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and restructuring it alongside the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Further proposals include the elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a move that experts and consumer advocates have heavily criticised. The commission’s internal dynamics have also attracted attention. Vivek Ramaswamy, who co-led DOGE alongside Musk, left the commission following reported disagreements. Ramaswamy is now expected to run for governor of Ohio, adding a political twist to the commission’s trajectory. Trump sworn in as 47th President of the United States, promises new 'golden age of America' Uncertain Future While the DOGE initiative represents an ambitious attempt to modernise federal operations, its future remains uncertain. Legal challenges and criticism from advocacy groups cast doubt on its viability, and the controversial nature of some proposals has drawn sharp scrutiny. As the temporary organisation works to implement its mandate, the success of Musk’s vision for government reform will likely depend on overcoming significant political and legal barriers. The commission’s July 2026 deadline places it on a tight schedule, and its outcomes could have far-reaching implications for federal governance and the broader political landscape in the United States. Source: With inputs from agencies 

President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday featured several high-profile tech CEOs occupying some of the most exclusive seats, a notable break from traditional inaugural guest lists. Despite branding himself as a champion of the working class, Trump reserved spots close to the president typically held for family, former presidents, and distinguished guests for some of the world’s wealthiest tech leaders. Photos from the event revealed tech magnates interacting with several of Trump’s key cabinet members, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. In one image, Rubio is seen in the background as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pose alongside Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk. Musk, regarded as one of Trump’s closest advisers, also leads Tesla, SpaceX, and the social platform X. Trump says 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming on Feb. 1 as he signs several orders on economy Other tech executives present at the event included Apple CEO Tim Cook and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. The involvement of billionaires in national politics is not new. Many influential donors, including billionaires, supported Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, during the campaign. Former President Joe Biden, in his final days in office, honored liberal donor George Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. However, the prominence of tech billionaires at Trump’s inauguration underscores the significant influence they could wield in his administration. In his farewell address, Biden cautioned against the growing power of tech oligarchs, warning they posed a threat to democracy. Responding to Biden’s remarks, Trump dismissed the criticism, claiming the executives had shifted their allegiance from Democrats, particularly Biden, whom they no longer supported. “They were all with him, every one of them, and now they are all with me,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. Trump sworn in as 47th President of the United States, promises new 'golden age of America' Despite receiving substantial donations for his inauguration committee and more than $200 million in campaign support from Musk, Trump insisted he remained independent of their influence. “They’re not going to get anything from me,” Trump asserted. “I don’t need their money. What I do want is for the country to succeed, and they are smart people creating jobs.”