Wednesday☕️

12 Feb 2025 — 5 min read

Economics & Markets:

Environment & Weather:

Today, February 12, 2025, at 01:14 UTC, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Santorini, Greece, as part of an ongoing earthquake swarm affecting the region. This latest quake is one of the strongest recorded in the swarm, which has been shaking the area since late January. Scientists have detected over 12,000 tremors during this period, with magnitudes ranging from minor shakes to moderate quakes. The seismic activity is primarily concentrated between Santorini and Amorgos, following known fault lines.

In response to the ongoing quakes, Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency for Santorini. Schools have been closed, rescue teams have been deployed, and officials have urged residents and visitors to stay away from landslide-prone areas and coastal regions due to tsunami concerns. More than 11,000 people have evacuated the island via ferries and flights.
The government has also introduced financial support measures for affected workers, allowing businesses to temporarily suspend employment contracts while ensuring workers receive state compensation. While experts believe these earthquakes are due to tectonic movements rather than volcanic activity, they continue to monitor for any potential risks of a larger event.

Privacy & Security:

On November 2, 2024, Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge, Georgia, detected a ransomware attack, a type of cyberattack where hackers lock or encrypt data and demand payment to restore access. Employees noticed antivirus alerts, prompting the hospital to take immediate action. The next day, on November 3, 2024, the hospital publicly announced the attack, informing patients that their electronic health records (EHR) were inaccessible.
As a result, staff had to switch to manual, paper-based processes, which caused delays in patient care. Despite these efforts, the attack significantly disrupted hospital operations. In early February 2025, the hospital notified 120,000 individuals that their personal and medical data had been stolen in the attack. The Embargo ransomware group claimed responsibility, stating they had taken 1.15 terabytes of sensitive data and threatened to release it online if a ransom was not paid by November 8, 2024.
Reports indicate that the hospital did not pay the ransom, and the Embargo group followed through on their threat, leaking the data online. In response, Memorial Hospital and Manor is offering free identity protection and credit monitoring services to those affected.

Space:

Yesterday, February 11, 2025, at 09:35 UTC, China launched the Long March 8A rocket from Launch Complex 201 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. This demonstration flight marked the debut of the Long March 8A, an upgraded version featuring enhanced first-stage and booster engines, as well as a larger liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen second stage equipped with new YF-75H engines derived from those used on the Long March 5. The mission carried a batch of low Earth orbit communication satellites as part of China’s state-owned satellite internet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.

Later that day, at 1:53 PM EST, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission, named Starlink Group 12-18, deployed 21 Starlink v2-mini satellites into low Earth orbit. This batch included a mix of 8 Direct-to-Cell satellites and 13 standard v2-mini satellites, further expanding SpaceX’s next-generation internet constellation. The Falcon 9 first stage successfully landed on the droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” continuing SpaceX’s streak of reusable rocket operations.

Science & Technology:

Anduril Industries, founded by Palmer Luckey, has taken over Microsoft’s $22 billion contract to build the U.S. Army’s new high-tech combat goggles, called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). These mixed reality headsets give soldiers a digital display over their real-world view, showing maps, enemy positions, and other important data in real-time. This technology connects directly to military systems, giving troops an overwatch view of the battlefield, allowing them to see more, react faster, and make better decisions.

Palmer Luckey, who first created Oculus VR and sold it to Facebook for $2 billion, started Anduril in 2017 to build next-generation military technology. His company has already won multiple contracts with the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, creating advanced defense systems. Anduril has built AI-powered watchtowers, autonomous submarines, anti-drone weapons, long-range drones, missiles, and AI-controlled aircraft. All of these systems run on Anduril’s Lattice AI platform, which connects military technology into one smart network. This allows the military to see and react to threats in real-time, making defense operations faster and more effective.

Statistic: