DETROIT — Following disappointing first-quarter sales, Tesla plans to lay off around a tenth of its personnel to slash expenses, according to numerous media reports.

Elon Musk, the CEO, disclosed the plans in a note to employees. The layoffs could affect approximately 14,000 of the 140,473 employees who worked for the Austin, Texas-based corporation at the end of last year.

Tesla Plans To Lay Off 10% Of Workforce After Dismal Quarterly Sales, Multiple News Outlets Report

Musk’s message stated that as Tesla prepares for its next phase of expansion, “it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the company for cost reductions and increasing productivity,” according to The New York Times and CNBC. Electrek, an electric vehicle website, initially reported the layoffs.

Also on Monday, two prominent Tesla execs announced their departure via the social networking platform X. Andrew Baglino, senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, announced his decision to resign after 18 years with the company.

Rohan Patel, senior global director of public policy and business development, announced on X that he was departing Tesla after eight years.

Tesla Plans To Lay Off 10% Of Workforce After Dismal Quarterly Sales, Multiple News Outlets Report

Baglino, who held numerous senior engineering positions at the company and was the chief technology officer, stated that quitting was difficult. “I loved tackling nearly every problem we solved as a team and feel gratified to have contributed to the mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy,” he stated in an email.

He has no definite plans other than spending more time with his family and small children, but he admits to having difficulties staying stationary for lengthy periods of time.

Musk praised Baglino in response. “Few have contributed as much as you,” he wrote in an email.

Monday afternoon, Tesla shares plummeted 4.8% after news of layoffs and departures surfaced. Tesla Inc. shares have lost around one-third of their value this year as electric vehicle sales slow.

Tesla sales fell substantially last quarter as global competition grew, electric vehicle sales growth stagnated, and price cuts failed to attract new customers. The business said it supplied 386,810 automobiles from January to March, about 9% less than the 423,000 it sold in the same quarter last year.

Tesla Plans To Lay Off 10% Of Workforce After Dismal Quarterly Sales, Multiple News Outlets Report

Since last year, Tesla has reduced costs on several models by up to $20,000 in response to increased competition and declining demand. The price decreases have caused used electric vehicle prices to fall, reducing Tesla’s profit margins.

The business has announced that it will unveil an autonomous robotaxi at an event in August.

SOURCE – (AP)

JERUSALEM — Israel’s military chief stated Monday that Israel will reply to Iran’s weekend missile strike but did not specify when or how.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that Israel is currently assessing its next moves but that the Iranian missile and drone strike “will be met with a response.” Halevi remarked during a visit to the Nevatim air base, which Israel claims sustained little damage in the Iranian attack.

Israel’s Military Chief Says That Israel Will Respond To Iran’s Weekend Missile Attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been meeting with top officials to plan a possible reaction to Iran’s attack that involved hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.

World leaders have urged Israel not to react.

Israel’s Military Chief Says That Israel Will Respond To Iran’s Weekend Missile Attack

Despite decades of hostility dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran launched its first direct military attack on Israel on Saturday. The attack came less than two weeks after an alleged Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consulate building.

The Israeli military claims that 99% of Iran’s drones and missiles were intercepted with the assistance of other countries such as the United States, Britain, and France. Despite the reported interceptions, Iran declared the attack a success.

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to clarify whether the US had been briefed on Israeli reaction plans or expected to be. “We will let the Israelis speak on that,” he told reporters Monday.

“We are not involved in their decision-making process about a potential response,” Kirby told reporters.

Israel’s Military Chief Says That Israel Will Respond To Iran’s Weekend Missile Attack

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month conflict with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The war broke out after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border raid on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 more.

SOURCE – (AP)

Al-Muhayyir, West Bank – Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank went on the most violent rampage against Palestinians since the Gaza war began, as Israel’s army announced Saturday that the body of a missing Israeli kid had been discovered after being slain in a “terrorist attack.” Witnesses reported that settlers assaulted several communities.

According to the Israeli military, dozens of individuals were injured in multiple locations as a result of gunfire and rocks being hurled. It did not say how many Palestinians and Israelis were injured. Several companies from the defense forces were dispatched, and “all of the incidents have concluded,” it claimed.

West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

The disappearance of 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair prompted the attacks on Palestinian villages on Friday and Saturday. In a statement on social media, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asked people not to take the law into their own hands in the territory where tensions have been building for months.

Palestinian Jehad Abu Alia was murdered and 25 others injured in an attack on al-Mughayyir village on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials. According to witnesses, Israeli troops held up the ambulance transporting the 26-year-old man’s body for burial for several hours on Saturday.

On Saturday, dozens of Israeli settlers returned to the village’s outskirts, burning down 12 homes and many cars. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that three persons from the community were hurt, one gravely. Border police sprayed tear gas at the gathered locals, attempting to disperse them.

“They entered the house and burned it and the cars, as you can see,” 42-year-old Akef Abu Allu recounted, gazing at his blackened two-story home in al-Mughayyir.

Israeli settlers set fire to approximately 15 homes and 10 fields in the adjoining village of Douma, according to the leader of the local village council, Slieman Dawabsheh, who was present. “The army came, but unfortunately, they were protecting the settlers,” he added, claiming that it shot tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians attempting to confront and evict them.

The Israeli military did not react to questions. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported six persons hurt by gunshots but did not specify who fired.

According to a statement from the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, Israeli settlers attacked at least ten settlements in the West Bank, causing damage to homes and cars.

West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

Since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began on October 7 as a result of a Hamas raid on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more, tensions in the West Bank have been particularly high. According to Gaza health officials, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

Since then, Hamas has attempted to spark new fronts, especially in the West Bank, to increase pressure on Israel. Even though Israeli fire has killed more than 460 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, the majority of them in clashes sparked by army operations, but some by vigilante settlers, such efforts have largely failed.

There was no immediate claim of blame for the death of the Israeli teenager.

According to Israeli media, the teenager was last seen leaving Malachi Shalom, a settlement outpost, early Friday to care for cattle nearby. According to reports, the sheep returned to the outpost many hours later without him.

According to Israel’s Channel 13 TV, a drone spotted Achimair’s body. The broadcaster stated that he was not shot but did not clarify.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the assassination. “We will get to the murderers and their accomplices as we do to anyone who harms the citizens of Israel,” he said in a statement released by his office.

The kidnapping and execution of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in 2014 fueled tensions, resulting in a 50-day Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the deadliest phase of conflict between the two sides to date.

West Bank Sees Biggest Settler Rampage Since War In Gaza Began As Israeli Teen’s Body Is Found

Consecutive Israeli governments have increased settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, places where Palestinians hope for a future state alongside Gaza. Some are well-developed and resemble Israeli city suburbs, but other outposts may have a few caravans.

While Israel has constructed numerous settlements throughout the occupied West Bank, the outposts are not allowed, despite the government’s tacit support. The international world regards all West Bank settlements as unlawful and impediments to peace.

Over 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, regions acquired by Israel in 1967.

SOURCE – (AP)