marks a pivotal day across transport and defense: General Motors beat profit estimates and lifted 2026 targets, the FAA cleared Boeing’s long-delayed 737 Max 10 for service, and Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s thruster-equipped “flying” Roadster while SpaceX reported its first profit after a string of losses. Meanwhile, maritime security deteriorated sharply — an oil tanker sank after striking a mine in the Strait of Hormuz and Romanian authorities probed a suspected drone attack on a tanker in the Black Sea — and Japan launched a potential world-first mission to retrieve samples from a Martian moon.
Today’s Top Stories
- General Motors (Gasoline/Diesel & EV cars, trucks, vans): GM reported Q3 profits of $3.3 billion — more than double last year — lifted some 2026 projections, and announced a new $20 billion share buyback, despite rising commodity costs.
- Boeing (Airplanes): The FAA cleared the way for airlines to put Boeing’s long-delayed 737 Max 10 into passenger service after years of delays.
- Tesla / SpaceX (Electric car & space): Musk unveiled Tesla’s thruster-powered “flying” Roadster at SpaceX’s Texas facility, with production targeted for 2028; SpaceX also turned a profit on soaring satellite and computer-leasing business, and Musk hinted at a possible Tesla merger.
- VinFast (Electric cars, scooters): The Vietnamese EV maker posted a $1.24 billion Q2 continuing-operations loss despite EV deliveries nearly doubling to 70,085 and e-scooter deliveries quadrupling.
- Airbus (Airplanes): Airbus won an order for 75 A320neo planes from leasing group ACG, while closely watching the ramp-up of Chinese rival COMAC.
- JAXA (Spacecraft/rocket): Japan launched its H3 rocket carrying the MMX probe, aiming to be the first to retrieve samples from Mars’s moon Phobos.
- Maritime security — Strait of Hormuz (Tanker/ship): Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said an oil tanker sank after striking a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, amid escalating regional tensions.
- Black Sea tanker attack (Tanker/ship): Romania is probing a possible drone attack on a tanker, with seven crew members missing after a fire — raising fears the Ukraine war is spreading to NATO-adjacent waters.
- Ukraine / Russia (Fighter jets, military equipment): President Zelensky said Ukraine destroyed four Russian fighter jets at an airfield in a strike on Russian territory.
- Chinese rocket debris (Space): Indonesian authorities are investigating after suspected debris from a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket crashed into a palm oil plantation in Borneo; a second fragment was found nearby. No casualties were reported.
