Starbase city grows near Musk’s launch site and wilderness refuges

Elon Musk has a long way to go before colonizing Mars, but the controversial billionaire already has his own city on a flat patch of Texas, where giant, experimental Starship rockets roar over the incongruous sight of dolphins — and some skeptical human neighbors.Starbase on the south Texas coast is HQ for the Starship project and something of a shrine to its South African-born founder, the world’s richest man and until recently one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors.Musk’s short Washington tenure spearheading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, ended last week, with a vow to get back to his day job of running his business empire, including SpaceX, Tesla and Starlink.The departure came as investors grew increasingly nervous about the spillover from Musk’s reputational damage after publicly allying himself to Trump and tearing through the US government in search of spending cuts.Now he hopes to hunker down in Starbase near the Mexican border and get back to the matter of reaching Mars.The scene is a curious mix of futuristic high-tech and down-to-earth attractions for a city that was officially incorporated in May but remains very much a work-in-progress.Cars speed down the narrow Boca Chica Boulevard leading to Starbase, where an AFP film crew was not allowed to enter. A huge bust of Musk on the outskirts of the settlement was vandalized in April and now stands with the right cheek peeled off, covered by a giant plaster.A cluster of buildings rises near the launch site, including an imposing corporate tower that bears Musk’s X logo and prefabricated houses painted black, white, and gray.For now, the city has only about 500 residents, some still living in trailers and some in the prefab homes, which have patios and outdoor grills.Looming over the landscape are two models of super heavy launchers and one Starship rocket.”I think it’s pretty cool, making a whole entire city based around a launch site,” said 21-year-old computer engineer Dominick Cardenas who was visiting the area for the unsuccessful test launch last week. “Maybe I’ll move down here one day. Who knows? I’d love to go to Mars, who wouldn’t?”- Environmental impact -But the space city is surrounded by nature and wildlife, especially birds.Activist Christopher Basaldu, who is a member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Native American tribe and holds a PhD in sociocultural anthropology, called Musk a “colonizer.””The land here is sacred to the original inhabitants of the area. And SpaceX is polluting and desecrating this land,” he told AFP.There are two federal wildlife refuges in the area where SpaceX operates: the Lower Rio Grande Valley and the Laguna Atascosa.There is also the Boca Chica Beach, where residents have been spending their summers for decades and which is now closed during test flights.”There isn’t supposed to be exploding rockets next to pristine wetlands and habitat,” Hinojosa said.In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency fined SpaceX for unauthorized discharges of water from its deluge system into wetlands near its Starbase launch pad connected to the Rio Grande.Despite protests by Hinjosa and other groups, SpaceX received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to increase the number of launches per year from five to 25.Hinojosa calls it “very much a David versus Goliath situation.””We are one of the poorest communities in the country… and we’re dealing with the biggest bully on the planet, Elon Musk,” she said. “Elon Musk has so much power that he’s found a way around most of our lawsuits,” she added.- Mall, restaurants, power plant -According to a document obtained by CNBC, Starbase City officials have notified the residents that they might “lose the right to continue using” their property as they currently do. A hearing is scheduled for the end of June to discuss the new zoning plan.SpaceX is also building the Rio West giant shopping mall and restaurant complex near Starbase, valued at $15 million, according to official filings.And environmental activists worry that the Rio Grande liquified natural gas plant being built in the neighboring city of Brownsville, which has the capacity to process methane, a gas that powers Starship, could become Musk’s fueling station.SpaceX representatives, Starbase City Mayor Bobby Peden as well as Cameron County officials did not respond to AFP requests for comment for this story.

US-backed group extends closure of Gaza aid sites

A US- and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in Gaza pushed back the reopening of its facilites set for Thursday, as the Israeli army warned that roads leading to distribution centres were “considered combat zones”.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) closed its aid distribution centres after a string of deadly incidents near sites it operates that drew sharp condemnation from the United Nations.Israeli bombardment on Wednesday killed at least 48 people across the Gaza Strip, including 14 in a single strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, the civil defence agency said.A day earlier, the civil defence and the International Committee of the Red Cross said 27 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF site in southern Gaza. The military said the incident was under investigation.Britain called for an “immediate and independent investigation”, echoing a demand from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said the deaths of Palestinians as they sought food were “deeply disturbing”, calling Israel’s new measures for aid delivery “inhumane”.Israel recently eased its blockade of Gaza, but the United Nations says the territory’s entire population remains at risk of famine.- UN vote -The GHF originally said it was closing aid distribution sites in Gaza on Wednesday for “renovation” and that they would reopen Thursday.But the group said late Wednesday that its facilities would not open at the regular time Thursday, without clarifying when they would resume service.”Our distribution sites will not open early tomorrow morning as in previous days due to ongoing maintenance and repair work,” it wrote on social media.”We will share information about opening times as soon as work is complete.”The Israeli army warned against travelling “on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones”.The GHF said it was working to made aid distribution “as safe as possible” and urged those travelling to its sites to “follow the routes designated” by the Israeli army.The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations a week ago. The UN and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals.Israeli authorities and the GHF, which uses contracted US security, have denied allegations the army shot at civilians rushing to pick up aid packages.Food shortages in Gaza have propelled fresh international calls for an end to the war, but a truce between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.The United States, Israel’s key ally, used its veto power at the UN Security Council on Wednesday to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump, posting on social media: “That is the only way to destroy the Hamas terrorists” holding hostages in Gaza.Hamas condemned the veto as “disgraceful” and accused Washington of “legitimising genocide” in Gaza.- ‘War crime’ -The Israeli military maintains that its forces do not prevent Gazans from collecting aid.Army spokesperson Effie Defrin said the Israeli soldiers had fired towards suspects who “were approaching in a way that endangered” the troops.UN human rights chief Volker Turk called attacks against civilians “unconscionable”, and said they “constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime”.The International Committee of the Red Cross meanwhile said Gazans face an “unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents”.- Activists’ boat -Scenes of hunger in Gaza have also sparked fresh solidarity with Palestinians, and a boat organised by an international activist coalition was sailing toward Gaza, aiming to deliver aid.The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday carrying a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, along with fruit juices, milk, tinned food and protein bars.Israel’s military said it stood ready to “protect” the country’s maritime space, with army spokesman Defrin saying “we are prepared” to handle the flotilla, without elaborating.In response, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said it “strongly condemns Israel’s declared intent to attack” the boat, calling it a “threat”.Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat the Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians.Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.The army said three of its soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the war to 424.burs-lba/acc/ami/jhb/cms/dhw

Trump signs travel ban on 12 countries after Colorado attack

US President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban Wednesday targeting 12 countries, saying it was spurred by an attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that authorities blamed on a man they said was in the country illegally.The ban, which strongly resembles a similar measure taken in his first presidency, targets nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.It will go into effect on June 9, the White House said.Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, the White House said.”The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on X.”We don’t want them.”Trump compared the new measures to the “powerful” ban he imposed on a number of mainly Muslim countries in his first term, which he said had stopped the United States suffering attacks that happened in Europe.”We will not let what happened in Europe happen in America,” Trump said.”We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen. That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.”Rumors of a new Trump travel ban had circulated following the attack in Colorado, with his administration vowing to pursue “terrorists” living in the US on visas.Suspect Mohammed Sabry Soliman is alleged to have thrown fire bombs and sprayed burning gasoline at a group of people who had gathered on Sunday in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.US Homeland Security officials said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022.”President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said on X.”These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.” 

A Cuba, la bronca des étudiants contre les nouveaux tarifs de téléphonie mobile

Le mécontentement des étudiants reste vif à Cuba face aux nouveaux tarifs de l’internet mobile appliqués par la compagnie de télécoms nationale, certains ayant même appelé à une grève des cours mercredi.Cette nouvelle tarification, en vigueur depuis six jours, implique une très forte hausse des tarifs pour tout dépassement du forfait de base, lui-même drastiquement limité, et une dollarisation partielle du service. Elle a rapidement suscité une vague d’indignation chez les Cubains, avec les étudiants en première ligne.”Ce service d’Etecsa (la compagnie de télécommunications) ne nous convient pas du tout. Ni à nous, les étudiants, ni d’ailleurs à personne dans la population”, explique à l’AFP Rafael Gomez, 18 ans, devant l’imposant escalier de l’Université de La Havane où il est venu faire des démarches pour son inscription.”Nous étions habitués à un certain système” qui permettait de recharger son téléphone avec du crédit prépayé autant de fois que désiré, “mais maintenant nous sommes limités (à un forfait de base mensuel) de 360 pesos” (3 dollars) et “cela complique les choses”.”Avec 6GB, on ne fait rien, et si tu veux acheter davantage (de crédit), ça coûte plus de 3.000 pesos et avec un salaire normal ici à Cuba, ça ne suffit pas”, souligne-t-il, alors que le salaire moyen sur l’île est de 5.700 pesos (47 dollars).Dès l’entrée en vigueur des nouveaux tarifs, sans aucune annonce préalable mais justifiés ensuite par Etecsa par la nécessité de financer de nouveaux investissements, les organisations étudiantes ont exprimé leur insatisfaction. Face à la bronca, le président Miguel Diaz-Canel a déclaré dimanche être “attentif” aux critiques et assuré que “des options sont étudiées pour les secteurs les plus vulnérables, parmi lesquels nos chers étudiants”.Plusieurs réunions ont eu lieu entre des représentants étudiants et des dirigeants d’Etecsa, dont certains ont participé à des programmes télévisés pour justifier les nouveaux tarifs.Lundi soir, l’entreprise a annoncé que les étudiants auraient finalement droit à deux recharges mensuelles de base, contre une seule pour le reste de la population, et a dit étudier d’autres mesures correctives, sans pour autant calmer le mécontentement.- “Revendications justes” -“Les étudiants ont montré qu’ils reconnaissaient les progrès dans les négociations (…) mais nous en demandons davantage”, a expliqué à l’AFP José Almeida, président de la Fédération étudiante universitaire (FEU) de l’Université de La Havane, une organisation officielle.Mardi soir, de façon indépendante, l’antenne de la FEU de la Faculté de mathématiques et d’informatique a appelé à une grève des cours pour obtenir la “révocation” pure et simple des nouveaux tarifs.”Nous appelons à partir du mercredi 4 juin les étudiants à ne pas assister aux activités académiques, en signe de protestation”, a-t-elle fait savoir dans un communiqué diffusé sur sa chaîne Telegram, auquel l’AFP a eu accès.La FEU de la Faculté de philosophie, histoire et sociologie a qualifié de “légitime” l’appel à la grève, et des étudiants de la Faculté des arts et lettres ont dit rejoindre le mouvement.Dans un communiqué, les professeurs de sociologie de l’Université ont également fait part de leur “mécontentement” face aux nouveaux tarifs et souligné que les étudiants avaient des “revendications justes”. Mercredi, il était difficile pour l’AFP de confirmer si l’appel à la grève était suivi. Un étudiant de la Faculté des arts et lettres qui s’est rendu en cours a toutefois indiqué sous couvert d’anonymat qu’il “n’y avait pratiquement pas d’étudiants” dans sa faculté.”Rien ni personne n’interrompra nos processus d’enseignement avec des convocations totalement éloignées de l’esprit qui a animé les échanges avec les organisations étudiantes”, a cependant mis en garde la direction de l’Université de La Havane.A la tête de la FEU nationale, José Almeida a exprimé son désaccord avec l’appel à la grève, mais “nous respectons la position” et “il n’y aura jamais de confrontation entre étudiants”, a-t-il assuré.Brian Gamez, étudiant en histoire et marxisme-léninisme, s’est dit favorable auprès de l’AFP à des “protestations pacifiques”, mais veut surtout éviter que la situation dégénère dans du “vandalisme”.