Thailand and Cambodia to deploy ceasefire monitors despite deadlock over captured soldiers
Day: August 7, 2025
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- The Air Force is looking to buy two Cybertrucks for “live missile fire testing.”
- It said the Tesla pickups were “likely” to start appearing on the battlefield.
- It added that they don’t “receive the normal extent of damage expected upon major impact.”
The US Air Force wants to blow up some Cybertrucks.
It’s looking to buy two of them to use for munitions testing as they will “likely” soon start appearing on the battlefield, per documents posted on a US Government contracting website on Wednesday.
The pickups are part of a larger order of 33 vehicles for “live missile fire testing” at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The contract stipulates that the Cybertrucks need only be towable, not functional, and their batteries must be removed. The procurement documents were first reported by the defense blog The War Zone.
In a separate document justifying why the Tesla vehicles were specifically required, the contracting officer said that US adversaries were “likely” to begin using the stainless steel-clad trucks on the battlefield due to their durability.
“In the operating theatre it is likely the type of vehicles used by the enemy may transition to Tesla Cybertrucks as they have been found not to receive the normal extent of damage expected upon major impact,” the document says.
The Air Force and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, said the pickup was built to be “apocalypse proof” when it launched in 2023.
Last year, Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov showed off a modified Cybertruck decked out with a machine gun that he said would be sent to the front lines in Ukraine.
Kadyrov later accused Tesla of remotely disabling the would-be war machine, calling Musk “not manly.”
Experts previously told Business Insider the Cybertruck would be “useless” on the battlefield. The electric pickup has also faced eight recalls since its launch for issues including parts falling off and the accelerator pedal getting stuck.
Musk predicted Tesla would eventually sell over 250,000 a year in 2023, but the automaker has sold only 10,700 so far this year, per auto industry consultancy Cox Automotive.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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UN Reports 319 Civilians Killed by M23 Rebels in Eastern Congo
The United Nations has confirmed that M23 rebels, allegedly supported by Rwandan forces, killed over 300 civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last month. This alarming statistic raises serious concerns about the ongoing peace negotiations, reports 24brussels.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk disclosed that between July 9 and July 21, at least 319 individuals, including 48 women and 19 children, lost their lives in four villages within North Kivu’s Rutshuru territory. This incident marks one of the deadliest documented attacks since the resurgence of M23 in 2022.
Türk expressed dismay at the violence, calling for an immediate cessation of the assaults on civilians by M23 and affiliated armed groups. The UN’s assessment indicates that these attacks significantly undermine efforts for peace in the region.
The violence erupted shortly after Congolese officials and M23 leaders signed a declaration of principles in Qatar on July 19, aimed at establishing a comprehensive peace agreement. This accord was supposed to include proposals for restoring governmental control over rebel-held territories and providing protections for civilians.
A complete peace deal is anticipated by August 18, following Qatari-led mediation efforts. However, recent attacks heighten doubts regarding the factions’ commitment to cease hostilities and adhere to humanitarian commitments.
Earlier this year, M23 forces, with backing from Rwanda, captured several strategic cities in eastern Congo, exacerbating an already complex conflict characterized by over 100 armed groups competing for dominance in mineral-rich regions. The ongoing violence complicates the fragile peace talks, emphasizing the need for intensified international pressure to safeguard civilians and hold perpetrators accountable.
As the deadline for a peace accord approaches, the continuous assaults illustrate the precarious nature of the negotiations, underscoring the urgency for decisive action from the global community to ensure civilian protection in this tumultuous region.