US solar panel manufacturers seek tariffs on Indian imports
The petition is the latest effort by the small U.S. solar manufacturing industry to seek trade relief to protect billions of dollars of investment and compete with goods produced mainly by Chinese companies overseas, Reuters said.
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, which filed the petition, includes First Solar, Hanwha's Qcells, Talon PV and Mission Solar.
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Deccan Herald
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- Deccan Herald
Trump tariffs force Greek olive oil producers to seek new markets
Greek olive oil producer Konstantinos Papadopoulos wasted little time when the threat of U.S. tariffs was floated by President Donald Trump in the spring. He immediately started looking for alternative buyers around the world. Within weeks, his family-run company had found a new buyer in Brazil, where Portuguese olive oil typically dominates. His first shipment of 15,000 bottles is expected to arrive in the port of Itapoa in two weeks. When Reuters visited his farm on Friday, Papadopoulos was close to sealing a separate deal with a new customer in Australia. "I think we learned a lesson from Trump not to rely with all our strength on one market... and to always have alternatives," Papadopoulos said in his olive oil mill and bottling plant, surrounded by thousands of bottles and huge tanks filled with the golden liquid. Trump announced a 30% tariff on European products that has sent shivers through industries from wine and peaches to cars. Papadopoulos' decision shows just how wide the fallout could be as producers grow weary even of the threats of tariffs. Greece, the fifth-largest exporter of olive oil to the United States, ships about 8,000-10,000 tonnes there annually. Three of the other top producers - Spain, Italy and Portugal - are in Europe and face the same conundrum. The industry is huge for Greece, whose rolling hills are filled with groves of ancient, crooked olive trees. The Papadopoulos family company exported 350 tonnes of extra virgin olive oil in 2024 to the U.S., about one-third of its total exports, and 100 tonnes so far this year. He estimates that if Trump's tariff materialises sales to the U.S. will fall by about 40% this year.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Chinese Firm Unveils World's First Humanoid Robot Capable Of Changing Own Battery
A Chinese firm has launched a humanoid robot that can change its own battery, allowing it to run autonomously for 24 hours in seven days without human intervention. The world's first autonomous robot, Walker S2, has been developed by UBTECH Robotics. Watch the video here: The robot is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs around 95 pounds (43 kilograms), the company said in a video posted on YouTube. It has 20 joints or mechanisms that can move in different ways, allowing flexible movement. It is also compatible with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which enables seamless connectivity. The robot uses a 48-volt lithium battery in a dual-battery system, allowing it to walk for two hours or stand for four hours before needing a recharge. The battery takes around 90 minutes to fully recharge. The video, posted by the robotics firm, showed the robot working in an industrial setting. The reports have also mentioned that Walker S2 is designed for use in settings like factories or public venues, where it can interact with customers or perform tasks autonomously. The company, established in March 2012, is one of the leading humanoid robots and smart service robots companies. It was officially listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 29 December 2023. The company claims it has developed a full stack of humanoid robotic technologies independently to align its mission of "bringing intelligent robots into every family and making everyday life more convenient and intelligent". "We are also one of few companies in the world to accomplish mass production of small torque to large torque servo actuators. Our self-developed Walker is China's first commercialized biped life-sized humanoid robot," the company says.
NDTV
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Trump's Golden Dome Defense System Looks For Alternative To Musk's SpaceX
Washington: The Trump administration is expanding its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, courting Project Kuiper and big defense contractors as tensions with Elon Musk threaten SpaceX's dominance in the program, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The shift marks a strategic pivot away from reliance on Musk's SpaceX, whose Starlink and Starshield satellite networks have become central to US military communications. It comes amid a deteriorating relationship between Trump and Musk, which culminated in a public falling-out on June 5. Even before the spat, officials at the Pentagon and White House had begun exploring alternatives to SpaceX, wary of over-reliance on a single partner for huge portions of the ambitious, $175 billion space-based defense shield, two of the sources said. Musk and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment. After Reuters reported initially that SpaceX was a frontrunner to build parts of Golden Dome, Musk said on X that the company had "not tried to bid for any contract in this regard. Our strong preference would be to stay focused on taking humanity to Mars." Due to its size, track record of launching more than 9,000 of its own Starlink satellites, and experience in government procurement, SpaceX still has the inside track to assist with major portions of the Golden Dome, especially launch contracts, sources say. Project Kuiper, which has launched just 78 of a planned constellation of 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites, has been approached by the Pentagon to join the effort, signaling the administration's openness to integrating commercial tech firms into national defense infrastructure and going beyond traditional defense players. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's executive chairman, told Reuters in January that Kuiper would be "primarily commercial," but acknowledged "there will be defense uses for these [low-earth orbit] constellations, no doubt." A spokesperson for Project Kuiper declined to comment for this story. The Pentagon declined to comment. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Golden Dome's ambitions mirror those of Israel's Iron Dome - a homeland missile defense shield - but a larger, more complex layered defense system requires a vast network of orbiting satellites covering more territory. In the search for more vendors for the satellite layers of Golden Dome, "Kuiper is a big one," a US official said. While SpaceX remains a frontrunner due to its unmatched launch capabilities, its share of the program could shrink, two of the people said. Officials have reached out to new entrants like rocket companies Stoke Space and Rocket Lab are gaining traction and will be able to bid on individual launches as the program matures, according to the US official. Later in the development of Golden Dome "each individual launch is going to get bid, and we have to actually give bids to other people," besides SpaceX, the official said. Need For Satellites There is an urgent need for more satellite production. Last year Congress gave Space Force a $13 billion mandate - up from $900 million - to buy satellite-based communication services in what was widely seen as one of many efforts to stimulate private sector satellite production. Amazon's Project Kuiper, a $10 billion initiative led by former Starlink managers dismissed by Musk for slow progress, Reuters has reported, has lagged behind SpaceX in deployment. But its potential defense applications - such as communications that could aid missile tracking - have drawn renewed interest as the administration prepares to allocate the first $25 billion tranche of funding authorized under Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill. Traditional defense giants Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris are also in talks to support Golden Dome. L3Harris CFO Kenneth Bedingfield told Reuters in an interview the company has seen a surge in interest in its missile warning and tracking technologies, which are expected to play a key role in the system. Northrop, meanwhile, is pursuing several efforts including a space-based interceptor, a component that would enable missile strikes from orbit, Robert Flemming, the head of the company's space business, told Reuters in an interview. "Lockheed Martin is ready to support Golden Dome for America as a proven mission partner," Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space, said in a statement. Golden Dome's initial outreach this spring invited smaller, newer Silicon Valley firms seen as nimbler, more sophisticated and potentially less expensive alternatives to the big defense firms to the table - but that was before the Musk-Trump feud upended that calculus. Several with close ties to Trump aside from SpaceX, including Palantir and Anduril - were considered early frontrunners to win big pieces of the $175 billion project. But the Musk-Trump feud has reshaped the competitive landscape. Musk recently launched the "America Party," a tech-centric, centrist political movement aimed at defeating Republicans who backed Trump's tax-and-spend agenda. Rapid Timeframe Trump launched the Golden Dome initiative just a week into his second term, pushing for rapid deployment. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, confirmed by the Senate on July 17, is set to lead the program with sweeping authority. Under a previously unreported directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Guetlein has 30 days from confirmation to build a team, 60 days to deliver an initial system design, and 120 days to present a full implementation plan, including satellite and ground station details, two people briefed on the memo said. The inclusion of commercial platforms like Kuiper raises security concerns. Its satellites would need to be hardened against cyberattacks and electronic warfare, a challenge that has plagued even SpaceX's Starlink network. In May 2024, Elon Musk said SpaceX was spending "significant resources combating Russian jamming efforts. This is a tough problem." Beyond the technical and political challenges, Golden Dome could reshape global security dynamics. A fully operational space-based missile shield may prompt adversaries to develop new offensive capabilities or accelerate the militarization of space.
