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Tesla Cybertruck takes off outside Trump Las Vegas hotel, eliminating one
A Tesla Cybertruck exploded in flames outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring 7 others, and the FBI was investigating whether the blast was an act of terrorism, officials stated. Videos taken by witnesses inside and outside the hotel revealed the automobile taking off and flames putting out of it, as it sat simply outside the hotel. The occurrence took place simply hours after a man drove a truck into crowds of New Year's Day revelers in New Orleans, eliminating 15. The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is part of the Trump Organization, the business of President-elect Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on Jan. 20. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was a crucial backer of Trump in his 2024 presidential project and is also an adviser to the inbound president. Clearly a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel-- there's great deals of questions that we have to respond to, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at an afternoon press conference. FBI unique agent in charge Jeremy Schwartz later on told reporters that it was not yet clear whether the blast was an act of terrorism. I understand everybody's thinking about that word, and attempting to see if we can state, 'Hey, this is a terrorist attack.' That is our objective, which's what we're trying to do, Schwartz stated. He added that the FBI had identified the individual driving the automobile, which had actually been leased in Colorado, but was not yet prepared to openly determine the driver. Musk said the blast was unassociated to the Cybertruck itself. We have now validated that the surge was brought on by very large fireworks and/or a bomb brought in the bed of the leased Cybertruck and is unassociated to the automobile itself, Musk stated in a post on X. All car telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion. Telemetry includes the automatic collection of data from remote sources, transferring it back to a main source so it can later on be examined. An individual was found dead inside the 2024 model-year Cybertruck and 7 individuals continual small injuries from the surge, McMahill stated. He added that both the Cybertruck and the car used in the New Orleans attack had actually been rented through car-sharing service Turo. McMahill said the Cybertruck brought up to the Trump structure at 8:40 a.m. local time (1640 GMT). He said authorities were mindful of the New Orleans attack that took place previously on Wednesday. The FBI said a possible explosive device was discovered in the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack. Las Vegas firemens reacted 4 minutes after the car fire was reported and extinguished it. 2 of the hurt individuals were transferred to healthcare facilities with minor injuries. The Trump Hotel was left after the event and most of the visitors were relocated to another hotel. Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Company and a boy of President-elect Trump, published about the incident on X. Previously today, a reported electric automobile fire took place in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas, he wrote, describing the structure's covered entryway area.
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South Korea's Choi orders instant action on aircraft examination as crash probe ramps up
South Korea's acting President Choi Sangmok stated on Thursday instant action must be taken if an unique assessment of all Boeing 737800 aircraft run in the nation discovers any problems as authorities ramp up a probe into Sunday's lethal air crash. The conversion of information from the Jeju Air 7C2216 cockpit voice recorder to audio file ought to be completed by Friday, Choi informed a catastrophe management conference, which could provide crucial info on the last minutes of the doomed flight. All 175 travelers and 4 of six team members were eliminated on Sunday when the Jeju Air jet belly-landed at Muan International Airport in the nation's southwest and slammed into an earth-and-concrete embankment, bursting into flames. Two crew members, located near the tail of the Boeing 737-800, survived. As there's terrific public issue about the exact same aircraft design involved in the mishap, the transport ministry and relevant organisations must perform a thorough examination of operation upkeep, education, and training, Choi said. Choi's comments at the start of the conference were provided by his workplace. Questions by air security experts on what caused the fatal explosion have actually concentrated on the embankment created to prop up navigation equipment that they stated may have been constructed too near to the end of the runway. The aircraft's flight information recorder, which sustained some damage, is being taken to the United States for analysis in cooperation with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB). Investigators from the NTSB, U.S. Federation Air Travel Administration and the maker of the airplane, Boeing, are in South Korea to help probe the worst air catastrophe in the country. Choi asked no effort be spared in helping the households of the victims as the remains of those killed are turned over them. He likewise asked the cops to act versus anybody publishing malicious messages and fake news on social media connected to the disaster.
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Fiji cops investigating supposed rape, theft of Virgin Australia team members
Fiji authorities stated on Thursday they were investigating an incident involving 2 team members of Australian airline company Virgin Australia who were apparently victims of rape and theft in Nadi in the early hours of New Year's Day. The team members were in the popular tourist destination on a layover before they were supposed to fly off the following day, Performing Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew stated in a. statement. Virgin, which said it was aware of the incident, has sent. people to Fiji to provide support. It did not provide further. details of the occurrence in a declaration to Reuters. Fiji authorities said the examination up until now had actually discovered some. Virgin crew members had gone to a bar in Nadi. Sadly, two of the crew members were victims of an. declared theft and rape after exiting the nite club trying to. find their way back to the hotel, said Chew, adding that the. examination is continuing. The South Pacific island nation of Fiji is a popular traveler. location and received 76,845 visitors in the month of. November, mainly from Australia, New Zealand and The United States And Canada,. according to the nation's tourist site. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not. immediately respond to a Reuters ask for remark.
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Believe in lethal New Orleans truck attack served in United States Army
ShamsudDin Jabbar, the 42yearold Texas guy implicated of crashing a truck into New Year's Day revelers in New Orleans, killing and injuring lots of people, was a U.S. Army veteran who later on worked in property, according to authorities and public records. Federal authorities and regional law enforcement in New Orleans say that Jabbar did not act alone which they are looking for accomplices. The FBI stated Jabbar had an Islamic State flag on his truck and see the attack as a possible act of terrorism. The Islamic State, or ISIS, is a Sunni Muslim militant group which has carried out attacks throughout the world. While the investigation is continuous, up until now no info has actually emerged to explain why Jabbar, a U.S. citizen raised in Texas, would carry out the New Orleans attack. Jabbar died at the scene in a shootout with police, authorities said. Jabbar was a veteran of the U.S. Army from which he appears to have actually been honorably discharged, FBI Assistant Unique Representative in Charge Alethea Duncan told an instruction on Wednesday. In addition to serving in the Army, Jabbar enlisted in the Navy in August 2004 under a postponed entry program however was released a. month later on, a Navy authorities informed Reuters. In a promotional video for his property organization posted. to YouTube in 2020, a male by the exact same name as the suspect stated. he served in the military for ten years as a personnels and. IT professional, finding out the importance of fantastic service and. taking everything seriously. I have actually taken those skills and applied them to my career as a. realty agent, where I seem like what actually sets me apart. from other representatives is my ability to be able to one be an intense. arbitrator, he said, encouraging customers to provide him a call. In the video, the male introduced himself as a manager at. Blue Meadow Properties LLC, a Texas-based business whose license. expired in 2022. He was registered as a property sales representative. for 4 years through February 2023, records reveal. He said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. Reuters was not able to reach anybody at the number supplied by. Jabbar in the video. Attempts to get in touch with Jabbar's family members were. likewise unsuccessful. The FBI believes Jabbar leased the Ford pickup he used. to ram into the crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter in the. early hours of Wednesday. Jabbar then opened fire on cops,. injuring 35 in addition to the a minimum of 10 individuals who have passed away. The ISIS flag on the truck triggered an investigation into. possible links to terrorist companies. Detectives discovered. weapons and a prospective explosive device in the vehicle, too. as other potential explosive devices in the French Quarter. We do not think that Jabbar was solely accountable. We. are strongly diminishing every lead, including those of his. known partners, Duncan said.
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Billionaire Li Ka-shing's Hutchmed in $608 mln health system stake sales
Hutchmed (China), controlled by magnate Li Kashing, is selling stakes in its health subsidiary for around $608 million as the billionaire and his flagship conglomerate aim to increase capital and pivot towards core operations at the drugmaker. Hutchmed will offer a total 45% stake in Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals to Chinese firms GP Health Service Capital and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, a stock exchange filing revealed on Wednesday. Hutchmed's biggest shareholder is Hong Kong-listed corporation CK Hutchison, in which the billionaire investor has a 28.1% stake. The biopharmaceutical business has had problem with problems pertaining to debt and high onshore liability levels in the recent past and the possible offer would even more assist the firm optimize capital and financial obligation structure, it stated. The billionaire household's flagship companies, which has interests in real estate, selling and utilities around the globe, likewise reported a dip in profits throughout August, reflecting the increase of trade and geopolitical tensions. Hutchmed prepares for to report a revenue of $477 million before income tax from the transaction, while the amount would be re-fed into the firm for advancement of core operations.
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A minimum of 10 dead after truck crashes into New Orleans crowd
A minimum of 10 people were killed and 30 or more injured when a truck deliberately drove into a big crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans' French Quarter at a high speed early on Wednesday, city authorities stated. Cops Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a televised news conference a chauffeur purposefully drove into a crowd at around 3:15 a.m. This male was trying to run over as many people as he could, Kirkpatrick stated. He was hell bent on producing the carnage and damage that he did. Kirkpatrick stated the chauffeur fired at authorities and struck 2 policeman after his car crashed. She stated there were more than 300 officers that were on task at the time of the occurrence. She stated the FBI will be taking over the examination. A dreadful act of violence happened on Bourbon Street previously this morning, the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, stated on X, prompting people to stay away from the area where the attack happened. The injured have actually been taken to a minimum of five various health centers, according to NOLA Ready, the city's emergency situation preparedness department. The event happened at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets during New Year's Eve celebrations, the city said in a statement. Bourbon Street is a historical tourist destination in the city's French Quarter, known for bring in big crowds with its music and bars. A couple informed CBS News that they heard crashing sounds coming from down the street and they then saw a white truck slam through a barricade at a high rate of speed. New Orleans has actually seen shootings and vehicles hitting crowds at previous parades. In November 2024, 2 people were eliminated and 10 others hurt in two separate shootings along a New Orleans parade route and event participated in by thousands, local media reported. In February 2017, a pickup truck driven by a male who police stated appeared to be highly intoxicated plowed into a crowd of spectators watching the primary Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, hurting more than 20 individuals.
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Maruti, Mahindra lead Indian carmakers' December sales to dealers
Indian carmakers Mahindra & & Mahindra and Tata Motors reported an increase in sales to domestic dealerships in December on consistent sport energy lorry demand, while yearend discount rates helped Maruti Suzuki tape its very first smallcar sales development in 20 months, company data showed. Market leader Maruti Suzuki's domestic sales increased 24% in December and Mahindra & & Mahindra clocked a 16%. dive, the two companies reported on Wednesday. Sales for Maruti's little cars and trucks, which include the 'Swift' and. ' Alto 800' designs known as hatchbacks, rose 29% in December. While SUVs are currently India's favourite choice of cars -. forming a little over 50% of sales - the small car section. remains key for Maruti, contributing 50% to its sales volumes in. its existing . The leading three spots for Maruti have been taken by hatchbacks. in December, which has actually done better numbers, Partho Banerjee,. head of marketing and sales at Maruti said in a regular monthly sales. call. After 2 years of quick development, Indian automakers came. under pressure through the majority of 2024 due to sluggish demand for. new cars and trucks and rising costs, requiring them to provide larger. discount rates. Analysts expect some development to return with a series of. launches slated to start later this month. Mahindra, India's second-biggest SUV maker by market share,. has remained resistant amidst the downturn. Its SUV sales jumped. 18%, with experts attributing that to require exceeding supply. for its newer SUV designs, such as the 'Thar ROXX' and the 'XUV. 3X0'. However, Hyundai Motor India continued to deal with. heat from competition, with domestic sales dropping 1.3% in. December, its 2nd straight month-to-month drop. Tata Motors. reported a 2% rise. The two have lost SUV consumers to one of Mahindra's latest. entrants in the SUV segment, the 'XUV 3X0', experts said. Last month, Maruti, Mahindra and Hyundai Motor India. each revealed strategies to increase prices starting. January.
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India's Mahindra logs 18% jump in Dec automobile sales to dealers on strong SUV demand
Indian automaker Mahindra & & Mahindra stated on Wednesday it clocked an 18% jump in sport energy vehicle sales to dealerships in December due to strong demand. Mahindra, India's second-biggest SUV maker by market share, has actually remained durable amid a broader downturn in vehicle sales that pushed manufacturers and dealers into offering hefty discounts. The business's shares climbed 1.5% following the statement. It was also the top-performing vehicle stock in 2024, with gains of around 74%. Car sales in December are typically sluggish as consumers typically wait for the next year's designs, with carmakers downsizing production and enhancing discount rates to clear unsold vehicles. However, experts associate Mahindra's December development, as well as its industry-leading development for fiscal 2025, to require for newer SUV designs such as the 'Thar ROXX' and the 'XUV 3X0' outmatching supply. Mahindra's SUV sales to dealerships grew 16% year-on-year in November. Rivals Tata Motors and Hyundai India will report their monthly sales volumes later in the day, along with total automobile market leader Maruti Suzuki.
Maguire: Key US wind energy trends and metrics for tracking
Wind farms are the second-largest source of clean energy in the U.S., behind nuclear power plants.
In the past two years, the construction of wind farms has been slowed by a lack of parts, a rise in labour costs, and a delay in development.
Recent drops in development costs and lucrative tax credits that will be available in 2025 has rekindled the growth of wind projects in 2024.
This should elevate wind power to a higher status in the U.S. mix of generation, and make wind farms a major pillar of U.S. electricity system for the next few years.
Here are some key data and trends that will help you track the development of this vital power source.
GROWING FOOTPRINT
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the installed wind power capacity in the U.S. currently stands at 152 gigawatts.
This capacity is up by 46% since 2019 and 135% from 10 years ago.
According to Ember, the U.S. averaged an annual growth in wind capacity of 9% over the last decade. This is a little more than Europe, but lower than the global average, which was 13% per year.
China, which is the largest wind producer in the world, has a growth rate of 19% per year.
The U.S. is still ranked second behind China in terms of wind power, with 441 GW. Germany (69GW), India (445GW), and Spain (31/GW) are also on the list of top 5.
Change Power Mix
Wind power has been steadily increasing in the United States, resulting in a significant shift in the generation mix of this country.
According to EIA, wind power contributed an average of 15 percent of the capacity added to the U.S. electricity system between 2000 and 2010, and 27 percent of capacity since 2010.
Solar and wind power capacity combined accounted for about 60% of U.S. capacity additions in 2010 highlighting the U.S. drive to clean energy over that period.
Ember data indicates that by 2023 wind power will account for 12 percent of the U.S. capacity for electricity production. This compares to 11 percent for solar energy, 8 per cent for nuclear power, 7 per cent for hydropower, 16 per cent for coal, and 43percent for natural gas.
STATE & SYSTEM SPA
According to EIA, Texas will be the state with the most wind energy capacity, with 28% of all installed capacity by 2023.
Texas has a wind power capacity of 42 GW, compared to 13 GW for Iowa, 12.6 in Oklahoma, and 9 in Kansas, the top five states in terms of wind power.
Iowa is the state with the highest wind share, at nearly 60%.
South Dakota (55%) is ranked first, followed by Kansas (46%), Oklahoma (42%), and New Mexico (38%). Texas produces 22% of the state's power through wind.
Southwest Power Pool, which spans 14 states from Oklahoma to North Dakota, generates 37% of the power it uses from wind farms.
Next in line is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator system (MISO), with a share of 14%.
TALLER, WIDER & COST-EFFECTIVE
As wind power capacity has grown, so too have the size and scale.
According to the American Clean Power Association and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the average nameplate power of U.S. turbines was 2 megawatts.
The average capacity of each turbine will increase to 3.4 MW in 2023 due to the increased size and height averages for the hubs and rotors.
The average diameter for a turbine rotor, which rotates the blades to produce power, has increased by 31% since 2015 from 102.4 meters to 134 metres (440 feet).
The height of the turbine hub, which is the main drivetrain for a turbine, has also increased from 83 meters in 2015 to around 103 meters in 2023.
The cost of wind turbines has decreased.
According to LBNL, the average global price for a Vestas turbine - one Europe's biggest turbine manufacturers – has fallen from $1,700 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2010 to 2014 to $1,050 since 2018.
This has resulted to a drop of more than 35% in the average capacity-weighted cost of a wind power project. From around $2,600/kWh in 2010 through 2014, it is now around $1,650.
The levelized cost for wind power has been lowered by lower turbine and generation costs. This allows comparisons to be made between the generation costs of different power sources once projects have been completed.
According to LBNL, a typical 2023 power purchase agreement for energy project developers would have wind power costs of around $26 per Megawatt Hour (MWh).
This compares to $37 for a utility scale photovoltaic farm and $28 for a natural gas combined cycle plant. Wind power is now one of the cheapest forms of energy in the United States.
Additional cost savings are expected as more wind projects are being built and the competition between turbine manufacturers keeps prices down.
(source: Reuters)