Latest news with #ElonMusk-run
Mint
a day ago
- Automotive
- Mint
Tesla's EV Deliveries Are Seen Falling as Demand Erodes Sharply
(Bloomberg) -- Wall Street is reining in expectations for Tesla Inc. deliveries as the Elon Musk-run automaker struggles with waning consumer demand and the threat of reduced US federal incentives for electric vehicles. Analysts at Oppenheimer on Friday cut their estimates for handovers this year and next, citing weak data out of China and Europe. With expectations for 1.63 million deliveries in 2025, the securities firm is projecting what would be the second straight annual decline. That's below the 1.7 million average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. 'The difficult work at Tesla is just beginning as the company starts to repair brand damage while executing on' a strategy centered on artificial intelligence and robotics, the analysts led by Colin Rusch said in a note. Goldman Sachs analysts on Friday also cut their estimates for second-quarter handovers and the stock price target. In the note, the sell-side firm now expects 365,000 deliveries for the second quarter, down from a prior estimate of 410,000. The diminished expectations are the latest blow to Tesla, which is confronting flagging sales, a consumer backlash to Musk's politicking and, now, a feud between the chief executive officer and President Donald Trump. The automaker's shares tumbled 14% Thursday as the pair traded barbs and threats. This week marked the stock's worst weekly decline — down 15% — since 2023. Tesla is preparing to launch a robotaxi service in Austin this month, as Musk increasingly bets the company's future on autonomy. Tesla sales have had a tough start to the year, after 2024 marked the first time in over a decade that the EV maker failed to grow annual deliveries. This year has brought increased polarization around the brand due to Musk's short-lived involvement in the Trump administration and controversial political views. Sales were also impacted by a shutdown to certain production lines amid a refresh of the Model Y, its most popular vehicle. In Europe, Tesla remains down in key markets. Meanwhile, in the US Tesla sales in the first four months of 2025 are down about 18,700 vehicles, or 9.7% from a year ago, according to Cox Automotive, which reflects lower Model Y sales even after the company released its latest version. More stories like this are available on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Debris from SpaceX rocket launch reportedly washing ashore on Mexican beaches
MATAMOROS, Mexico - Debris from SpaceX's latest Starship test flight is reportedly being found along beaches in northeastern Mexico and parts of southern Texas, sparking concern among environmental groups and raising questions about the consequences of attempts to reach space. The material, which is believed to be remnants of SpaceX's ninth Starship test flight, includes fragments of aluminum, plastic shards and several large tanks, according to Conibio Global A.C., a nonprofit environmental organization. The test flight from nearby Boca Chica, Texas, launched with no apparent issues on the night of May 27, but, during the mission, the Super Heavy booster failed to complete a controlled landing burn and crashed into the Gulf of America. Environmental crews in Mexico have since documented widespread debris washing ashore beaches, with some of the objects recovered reportedly marked with the name 'SpaceX.' Future Of Nasa's Mega Moon Rocket Appears In Doubt Following Major Boeing Announcement Of particular concern to environmentalists is the timing of the event with the annual sea turtle nesting season. Affected beaches are known nesting grounds for several species of sea turtles, including the endangered Kemp's ridley. Conservation groups worry that hatchlings will encounter hazardous debris, which could be ingested or block their path to the sea. In addition to the threat to marine life, the environmental group says the debris poses risks to the fishing industry, which is vital to the region. The organization has been documenting cleanup efforts and is urging national and international authorities to hold the Elon Musk-run space company responsible. Spacex Launches Megarocket From South Texas, Loses Control During Mid-mission FOX Weather reached out for comment on the story and similar to all other previous inquiries, no response was received. While SpaceX has not publicly responded to the reports, the incident adds to an ongoing debate about the unintentional impacts of rocket launches. The FAA has faced previous legal action over allowing SpaceX to operate following debris being scattered across environmentally sensitive regions of the Lone Star State. While legal responsibilities may be somewhat unclear, a long-standing memo from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs states: "A launching State shall be absolutely liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space object on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight."Original article source: Debris from SpaceX rocket launch reportedly washing ashore on Mexican beaches
The Wire
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Wire
X Says Modi Government Has Asked It to Block Over 8,000 Accounts in India
The logo of the social media site X, formerly called 'Twitter'. New Delhi: X announced on Thursday (May 8) that the Union government has ordered it to block no less than 8,000 accounts on its platform in India and that despite its disagreement with these orders, it has begun complying with them. It also noted that the government's orders come with potential penalties for itself such as 'significant fines and imprisonment of the company's local employees'. The Elon Musk-run platform's announcement comes as some journalists and news organisations had their X accounts withheld in India in response to the government's legal demands. In most of the over 8,000 blocking orders the government issued, it 'has not specified which posts from an account have violated India's local laws', X's Global Government Affairs department posted. It added: 'For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts.' 'We disagree with the Indian government's demands,' X said, even as it noted that it will withhold the accounts concerned in India in order to comply with the orders. 'Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech,' it said. 'This is not an easy decision, however keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians' ability to access information.' While it believes that making the government's blocking orders public is necessary in the interests of transparency, X said it is unable to make the Modi government's orders public due to 'legal restrictions'. The company, which said it is exploring legal recourse, also advised 'all users who are impacted by these blocking orders to seek appropriate relief from the courts' and went on to provide websites of legal aid organisations in India. 'Maktoob Media' among those whose X accounts withheld The X account of Maktoob Media, a digital news platform whose coverage focuses on human rights and minority issues in India, is one of several withheld in the country. An attempt to access its X account from India shows a message saying it has been 'withheld in India in response to a legal demand'. X provides no reason for the ban. 'In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a valid and properly scoped request from an authorised entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time,' a message from X reads on Maktoob 's handle. 'Such withholdings,' it adds, 'will be limited to the specific jurisdiction that has issued the valid legal demand or where the content has been found to violate local laws.' 'Assault on press freedom' Calling the ban an assault on press freedom, Maktoob 's editor, Aslah Kayyalakkath, wrote on X: 'We have no knowledge of the reason for the government's arbitrary action … Maktoob pledges to continue its crucial work at a time when truth is becoming a casualty.' Aslah told The Wire that while the reason for the ban is unclear, he has received at least 50 threat calls over Maktoob 's coverage of the hate speech and revenge attacks against Muslims and Kashmiri students. 'We covered over 64 hate speeches, we reported on hate attacks and lynchings including the lynching of a Muslim man in Mangalore.' The man, Kayyalakkath added, 'was falsely accused of chanting pro-Pakistan slogans, but we busted this fake narrative and showed that he was killed for drinking water [belonging to an upper-caste man'. Kayyalakkath added that Maktoob was the first to publish the list of deaths due to shelling by Pakistan in Poonch. 'We report on facts. We wrote a profile of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal and pony rider Adil Shah. What we didn't pursue is war mongering and jingoism. 'It's hard to get any response or clarity from social sites, but we will challenge this ban,' he said. Apart from Maktoob, the accounts of deputy editor and senior journalist at the Indian Express Muzzamil Jaleel, news sites like Kashmiryat and influencer Arpit Sharma, who makes videos on social issues, have also been withheld in India. Force, an India-based magazine that covers defence and aerospace, wrote on X that a recent video posted by editor Pravin Sawhney has been withheld in India. 'Blocking media that raises questions does not increase the credibility of the message the government wants to communicate at this critical juncture. It only raises more doubts,' its statement said. Sharma feels that there's a pattern of selective targeting at play. 'I made videos against misinformation, asked questions on security lapses, spoke against communal politics post-Pahalgam. My message was no different from foreign secretary Misri's, who was exposing the designs of the terrorists,' he said. Amid the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan, a flood of disinformation has surfaced on social media, prompting the Union government to go on a blocking spree against Pakistani accounts targeting India on various social media platforms. The government has also had withheld from India the social media accounts of a number of Pakistani news outlets and celebrities. However, Sharma feels that the present climate is being misused to silence critics. 'First they filed cases against Dr Medusa and Neha Rathore, then they banned 4 PM News on YouTube. No such action has been taken against right-wing influencers spreading fake news. Instead, this ban came after campaigns and demands by such influencers to ban me and others who ask questions and demand accountability from the government.' This article was updated with information about X's statement.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fram2 astronauts gear up for SpaceX launch
Fram2's astronauts were busy over the weekend with preparations for their upcoming SpaceX launch for their mission to orbit Earth's north and south poles. SpaceX said Sunday in an X post that Fram2's four astronauts "completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Monday." Photos shared by the Elon Musk-run aerospace company showed Fram2's private astronauts — Chun Wang, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Rabea Rogge and Eric Philips — donning space suits and sitting in the Dragon spacecraft that they will ride into orbit on Monday evening. Fram2 is seeking to achieve a "90-degree circularized orbit" over Earth's polar regions after it launches from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket," according to a recent Fram2 press release. Spacex Rocket To Send Intuitive Machine's Second Lunar Lander To Moon The targeted time for the Fram2 mission launch is 9:46 p.m. ET on Monday night, with "three additional launch opportunities within the approximate 4.5-hour window," SpaceX said. Read On The Fox Business App The mission is poised to be the "first human polar-orbit spaceflight," with Fram2 saying the Earth's poles "have not been fully visible to other astronauts in orbit" apart from the Apollo lunar missions. Chun detailed their "busy day" of pre-launch preparations on Sunday in an X post, talking about the "dry dress rehearsal," briefings and other activities he participated in. The four Fram2 astronauts will "conduct 22 research studies designed to help advance humanity's capabilities for long-duration space exploration and understanding of human health in space" while in orbit around Earth, according to SpaceX's website. Their orbit around Earth is supposed to last several days, Fram2 said. "After extensive training and dedication from our entire crew, we are honored to continue to legacy of the Fram name in an exciting era of commercial space exploration," Chun said in a press release. "We are thankful for this opportunity, and we are grateful to SpaceX for making this mission a reality – we are excited to be the first crew to view and capture the Earth's polar regions from low-Earth orbit and support important research to help advance humanity's capabilities for long-duration space exploration." SpaceX brought the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft designated for the approaching Fram2 mission out to the launchpad on Saturday, according to an X post. Spacex Dragon Capsule Sticks Splashdown Landing As Nasa Astronauts Return Home After Months Stuck In Space The Fram2 astronauts spent over eight months training for the mission. Their training included numerous simulations and emergency preparedness, among other activities, according to article source: Fram2 astronauts gear up for SpaceX launch
Axios
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Chinese automaker BYD preps giant share sale
BYD, a listed Chinese electric automaker, is seeking to raise up to $5.2 billion in a new Hong Kong share sale. Why it matters: This highlights how the global EV market is racing forward, even as it faces speed bumps in the U.S. It also could send some shutters through U.S. and European automakers, as China continues to eat into global market share. The big picture: This would be Hong Kong's largest share sale since Meituan raised $10 billion in April 2021. Go deeper, via Bloomberg: "[BYD] fell short of surpassing Tesla as the biggest seller of pure EVs globally in 2024 by less than 25,000 units. However, BYD is set to leapfrog the Elon Musk-run company in annual revenue."
