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Microsoft has announced a partnership with the satellite internet service Starlink, operated by SpaceX and founded by Elon Musk, to expand global connectivity, according to CNBC.

“Through our collaboration with Starlink, Microsoft is combining low Earth orbit satellite connectivity with community-level deployment models and partnerships with local ecosystems,” Microsoft’s Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa wrote in a blog post on February 24.

According to Nakagawa, Microsoft is working with Starlink and an internet service provider in Kenya to connect 450 hubs across the country. The partnership is expected to boost demand for Musk’s space company, which already holds contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA, and could potentially go public later this year.

The European automotive market began 2026 in decline: in EU countries, the United Kingdom, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), 961,382 new cars were registered in January — 3.5% fewer than a year earlier, according to Carscoops.

Sales of Tesla in the region fell by 17% to 8,075 vehicles. The company’s market share declined from 1.0% to 0.8%. This marks the 13th consecutive month of declining sales in Europe for the U.S. electric vehicle maker.

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker BYD posted rapid growth. The company sold 18,242 vehicles (electric and hybrid), up 165% year-on-year. Its market share rose to 1.9% — more than double Tesla’s share.

January was also challenging for other manufacturers. Renault cut sales by 15% to 83,201 vehicles. While the Renault brand itself grew by 4.4%, a sharp 35% drop at Dacia significantly weighed on the group’s overall results.

German automakers also faced declines: BMW lost 8.7%, while the Volkswagen brand dropped 11.2%. At the same time, Mini (+11.2%) and Skoda (+10.1%) posted positive growth.

Despite the overall market downturn, electrification continues to gain momentum. Sales of fully electric vehicles rose by 13.9%, now accounting for 19.3% of the EU market compared to 14.9% a year earlier. Demand for plug-in hybrids increased by 32.2%, while registrations of gasoline cars fell by 25.7% and diesel vehicles by 22%.

The situation varied by country. In Germany and France, total registrations declined by 6.6%, but electric vehicle sales rose by 23.8% and 52.1%, respectively. In Norway, the overall market plunged by 76.3% following the expiration of government incentives that had previously supported demand.

In the 12 months through February 24, 2026, Russia increased its crude oil export volumes by 6% compared to the same pre-war period. However, it earned 18% less revenue, as it has been forced to sell oil at steep discounts. Overall, revenues from fossil fuels — oil and petroleum products, gas, and coal — have fallen by 27% in the fourth year of the invasion compared to the last pre-war year. These figures come from calculations by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Over the past year, energy sales generated €193 billion for Russia, of which €14.5 billion came from the European Union. The EU reduced its imports by 36% compared to the 12 months through February 24, 2025.

U.S. sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil at the end of October 2025, along with the EU ban on petroleum product imports refined from Russian crude — which India had been actively supplying — led to a decline in Russian oil sales, primarily to India, CREA notes.

Although energy flows from Russia to Europe continue to decline, in January Russia’s cumulative revenue from energy exports since the start of the war reached €1 trillion. According to CREA, this significantly exceeds total European aid provided to Ukraine over the same period.

The total cost of Ukraine’s recovery as of December 31, 2025, is estimated at $588 billion over the next decade. This figure is nearly three times higher than Ukraine’s projected nominal GDP for 2025. The updated Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) was published by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission, and the United Nations.

“We are still managing to recover quickly and continue developing. Support helps us urgently repair critical infrastructure so the country can keep functioning, while also continuing systematic recovery efforts focused on energy projects and housing for our people,” Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko commented on the new estimate.

Last year, the recovery needs were estimated at $524 billion; the year before that, $486 billion; and three years ago, $411 billion.

The RDNA5 assessment, covering damage over nearly four years from February 24, 2022, to December 31, 2025, shows that direct damage in Ukraine has now reached $195 billion, compared to $176 billion in RDNA4 and $152 billion in RDNA3.

“The housing, transport, and energy sectors have been the most affected. Damage, losses, and needs remain concentrated in frontline regions and major metropolitan areas,” the document states.

Sony Group Corporation has developed a technology that can identify the original source of music generated by artificial intelligence, amid growing concerns over the unauthorized use of copyrighted works, according to Kyodo News.

According to Sony, the new technology will allow composers, songwriters, and publishers to seek compensation from AI developers for the unauthorized use of their works.

The solution enables the extraction of data from an AI foundation model and compares generated music with original sources, identifying their contribution for subsequent revenue distribution.

“We want to contribute to building a system in which creators receive proper compensation,” a company spokesperson said.

The group has stepped up its content protection efforts: in 2024, Sony Music Entertainment filed a lawsuit in the United States over copyright violations related to the use of AI to create music.

Toyota is considering restricting or fully prohibiting drivers from disabling electronic safety systems in its vehicles, according to New Atlas. The move would affect features that can currently be manually turned off in many models — from lane-keeping assist to speed limiters and other electronic driver aids.

Akihiro Sarada, president of Toyota’s software division, said the company is pursuing a “zero accidents” goal, referring not only to fatal crashes but to all accidents without exception. According to him, autonomous technologies are an essential component of creating a safer driving environment, and the manufacturer must carefully examine whether drivers should be allowed to disable such systems at all.

At the same time, the company is considering certain exceptions. One option would allow drivers to temporarily deactivate assistance systems on roads where the software detects no other vehicles or pedestrians, as well as on racetracks. In such conditions, Sarada said, autonomous and manual driving could coexist, preserving room for the “joy of driving.”

The debate comes amid mixed attitudes among drivers toward modern assistance systems. Research by AAMI (Crash Index), which analyzed more than 480,000 insurance claims, found that about 69% of drivers disable safety systems because they consider them too intrusive or overly sensitive. Another 23% believe they do not need such features, while 13% simply do not trust them. At the same time, more and more buyers expect an expanded set of electronic driver aids in new vehicles.

A potential decision by Toyota could have broader implications for the industry. Together with its Lexus brand, the company has previously been among the first manufacturers to introduce restrictions on certain functions, including blocking navigation data input while the vehicle is in motion. If the Japanese automaker makes safety systems effectively mandatory, it could set a new industry standard and push other players to follow suit.

SpaceX successfully landed a Falcon 9 rocket in the waters of the Bahamas for the first time since February 2025 after delivering another 29 satellites into Earth orbit, according to Space.com.

The launch vehicle lifted off from a spaceport in the U.S. state of Florida on February 20 at 03:41 Kyiv time. The Falcon 9 rocket was equipped with 29 Starlink broadband satellites.

The rocket’s first stage returned to Earth just over eight minutes after liftoff and successfully landed on a SpaceX drone ship platform in Exuma Bay in the Bahamas.

This marks only the second time SpaceX has landed a rocket in Bahamian waters. Most Falcon 9 rockets launched from Florida’s Space Coast land to the north in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. However, landings near the Bahamas open up new opportunities for launches to different orbital trajectories.

The Bahamas’ civil aviation authority announced on Tuesday, February 17, that it had once again authorized SpaceX to conduct rocket landings in the bay following the completion of an environmental assessment of all launches in the region.

The new satellites will join nearly 9,700 others in the Starlink megaconstellation — the largest satellite network ever created.

U.S. automaker Tesla introduced a more affordable version of its Cybertruck in the United States on Thursday, February 19. The company also reduced the price of its most expensive Cyberbeast model, according to Reuters.

Tesla set the price of the new dual-motor, all-wheel-drive variant at $59,990, making it the most affordable model in the Cybertruck lineup.

The company also cut the price of the high-end Cyberbeast version from $114,990 to $99,990.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promoted the Cybertruck as a futuristic competitor to mass-market pickup trucks from traditional brands such as Ford. However, multiple recalls and quality control issues have plagued the electric pickup, discouraging potential buyers.

Tesla’s Cybertruck program head, Siddhant Avasthi, stepped down in November 2025 amid weak sales.

The price cuts form a key part of Tesla’s 2026 strategy — lowering entry prices to attract more cost-conscious buyers.

U.S. chipmaker Nvidia is close to finalizing a $30 billion investment in OpenAI, according to Reuters, citing a source familiar with the negotiations. The deal would give Nvidia a stake in one of its largest customers.

The investment is expected to be part of a broader funding round in which OpenAI aims to raise more than $100 billion. According to the source, the round would value the developer of ChatGPT at approximately $830 billion, making it one of the largest private capital raises in history.

SoftBank Group and Amazon are also reportedly expected to participate in the round.

The anticipated deal highlights increasingly close ties among tech giants, as chip suppliers, cloud service providers, and AI model developers deepen their financial and strategic relationships.

Nvidia declined to comment. Reuters had previously reported that the company planned an initial $10 billion investment following the conclusion of a final agreement on OpenAI’s purchase of Nvidia systems. However, the approval process has taken longer than both sides expected.

According to the source, OpenAI intends to allocate a significant portion of the raised funds toward purchasing Nvidia chips used to train and deploy artificial intelligence models.

The Council of the European Union is set to approve two EU legislative acts on Tuesday, February 24, providing Ukraine with a €90 billion loan. The measures will allow technical work on the loan to continue even as Hungary blocks a third bill required to complete the process. This was stated by European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, according to European Pravda.

According to Dombrovskis, the European Commission will continue preparations to provide Ukraine with the first tranche of the €90 billion loan in April 2026, despite obstacles from Budapest.

“The first thing that will happen tomorrow is the finalization of the Regulation on the Ukraine support loan, and this process is proceeding according to plan,” Dombrovskis said.

He added that the approval of this document on February 24 will “complete the political decision-making process regarding the Ukraine support loan.” Political discussions are currently focused on amendments to the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework — the bloc’s long-term budget for 2021–2027.

“These amendments are necessary for the European Commission to actually carry out borrowing at the EU level in order to provide this support to Ukraine,” Dombrovskis clarified.

Hungary’s refusal to approve changes to the EU’s long-term budget does not pose an immediate threat, as the European Commission must still prepare to raise funds for Ukraine on international financial markets.

“In December, all EU leaders, including Hungary’s Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Orbán, agreed to support the loan — and, by the way, Hungary together with Slovakia and the Czech Republic is not participating in the financial guarantees. Therefore, we expect them to honor this agreement…

We would like to begin disbursements to Ukraine as early as the beginning of April,” Valdis Dombrovskis emphasized.