Sunday☕️

09 Feb 2025 — 5 min read

Trending:

From the evening of February 7, 2025, to February 8, 2025, Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) experienced a widespread outage that lasted nearly 20 hours. The issue began around 6 PM Eastern Time on Friday and continued until Saturday, affecting millions of PlayStation users worldwide. With over 100 million active PlayStation users, the outage disrupted online gaming, account management, PlayStation Store purchases, and services like PlayStation Video and PlayStation Direct. Players were unable to access multiplayer features, download games, or manage their digital content, causing frustration across the gaming community.

Sony acknowledged the outage and worked to restore services but has not yet provided a detailed explanation for the cause of the disruption. While some users speculated about possible server overloads or cyberattacks, no official reason has been confirmed. Once PSN was back online, Sony apologized for the inconvenience and directed users to their status page for updates. This marks another significant PSN outage, following similar incidents in the past year.

Economics & Markets:

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

Yesterday, February 8, 2025, the Mexican Army launched a significant operation in Jesús María, a district of Culiacán, Sinaloa, targeting a high-value individual linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The operation involved a large convoy of military vehicles, with Black Hawk helicopters providing air support and a Beech King Air 350ER conducting aerial surveillance. The region is known as a stronghold for the cartel, particularly factions loyal to Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, known as “El Chapito,” the son of former cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

During the operation, authorities arrested Jesús Alexander Sánchez, also known as “El Jando,” a close associate of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán. The Mexican Army confirmed that he was involved in drug smuggling operations into the United States. Reports indicate that one Mexican soldier was killed during the mission. Additionally, unidentified U.S. surveillance aircraft were observed flying near the Mexican West Coast with their transponders turned off, though no official statements have linked these flights to the operation.
Sinaloa remains one of the most heavily contested areas in Mexico’s ongoing fight against organized crime. The Sinaloa Cartel dominates much of the region, but internal power struggles between “Los Chapitos” and “Los Mayos,” led by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, have led to increased violence. Additionally, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has been attempting to expand its influence into Sinaloa, further intensifying conflicts in the area.

Environment & Weather:

Last night, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea, north of Honduras. The quake occurred at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and triggered tsunami warnings for several surrounding areas, including Honduras, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. Authorities closely monitored the situation, but after a few hours, the warnings were lifted as no significant tsunami waves were recorded. While the earthquake caused some shaking in coastal regions, no major damage or casualties were reported.

The region north of Honduras is part of a highly seismically active zone due to the interaction between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. Historically, the area has experienced significant earthquakes, such as the 7.6 magnitude quake near the Great Swan Island in January 2018. While earthquakes in this region are not uncommon, this latest event is among the more notable ones in recent years. Although it did not result in severe impacts, it highlights the ongoing seismic risks in the Caribbean and the importance of continued monitoring and preparedness, especially for coastal communities vulnerable to tsunamis.

Space:

Yesterday, February 8th, 2025, Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1A in New Zealand, carrying five small satellites for the French company Kinéis. This mission, called “IoT 4 You and Me,” is part of Kinéis’ plan to build a network of 25 satellites dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT). These satellites, each weighing about 30 kilograms, are designed to help businesses and researchers track assets, monitor the environment, and improve logistics by allowing devices in remote areas to send data without relying on traditional communication networks.

Additionally, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, deploying 21 Starlink satellites into orbit. Thirteen of these satellites are equipped with direct-to-cell technology, which will allow mobile phones to connect directly to Starlink without extra hardware. After launch, the Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the 17th time this particular booster had been reused, demonstrating SpaceX’s approach to lowering launch costs by making rockets reusable.