Good morning. It's Tuesday, Oct. 26, and we're covering a coup in Sudan, NASA's lunar progress, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].
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The Sudanese military detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other senior government officials in an apparent coup, according to reports. The move would end Sudan's transitional government, which came into power in 2019 after pro-democratic protesters ousted former President Omar al-Bashir in the midst of an economic crisis.
The northwestern African country is one of the poorest on the continent, with an economic output of around $25B as of 2019 (for comparison, less than any single US state). The country is mired in an economic crisis, exacerbated by a 2011 civil war that saw the oil-rich southern part of the country secede (see timeline).
Separately, South Sudan is in the grips of its worst floods in six decades.
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A group of Russia-backed hackers responsible for last year's widespread SolarWinds attack has reportedly been targeting hundreds of companies and organizations in recent months, despite the threat of sanctions. Microsoft announced Monday the group, known as Nobelium, has been stepping up cyberattacks against tech companies resulting in more than 140 attacks since May, including at least 14 breaches where data were stolen.
The latest hacking campaign has been targeting cloud computing and managed service providers in the US and Europe to obtain sensitive information and disrupt the global IT supply chain. The most recent attack used unsophisticated methods such as phishing and password spray.
The attacks come even after the Biden administration imposed several financial sanctions on Russia and expelled near a dozen diplomats. The moves have done little to slow the attacks–Microsoft reported more than 600 companies attacked since July 1.
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To the Moon (but Not Back ... Yet)
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The first step in a series of space missions aimed at returning Americans to the moon will begin in February, according to NASA officials yesterday. The first phase of the Artemis mission, which will send an uncrewed craft on six-day orbit around the moon, is set to launch Feb. 12, a roughly two-month delay from the original December date.
The mission marks two milestones for NASA. First, the mission will be the first test of the agency's super heavy-lift launch vehicle, dubbed the Space Launch System (technical specs here). The propulsion system is the most powerful ever built by NASA and represents a steppingstone to travel far into the solar system. Second, the program aims to put Americans back on the moon by 2024, for the first time in almost half a century.
See a time-lapse of the stacking of the crew's space capsule on top of the new rocket here.
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
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> The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros square off tonight (8 pm ET, Fox) in Game 1 of the World Series (More)
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> Two killed, at least five injured after gunman opens fire in Boise, Idaho, mall; motive not identified as of this writing (More)
> Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) says a framework for a multitrillion-dollar social spending budget plan could be agreed to this week; cost has dropped from $3.5T to around $1.5T to $2T during negotiations (More)
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ESPN | Mark Schlabach. A look at Arch Manning, one of the country's top quarterback recruits and the scion of a football dynasty. (Read)
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America's New Favorite Sport
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Vanity Fair | Craig Coyne. From celebrities to retirees, people across the country are being swept up in the pickleball craze. (Read, email required)
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