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All Aboard The Hyperloop: How Your Commute Could Be Changing

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Josh Giegel spoke to Reuters about how this budding technology could change the way we live and work.
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New York:
Think about the future of transportation, and you might envision the old animated show "The Jetsons," with everyone flying around in personal spaceships.
Not only did that never happen, but we are still piling into creaky old subways and buses.
Josh Giegel wants to start from scratch. The chief executive and co-founder of Virgin Hyperloop foresees us zipping between cities in minutes, a future not as far off as you may think.
Giegel sat down with Reuters to talk about how this budding technology could change the way we live and work.
Q: Humanity is facing all sorts of transportation challenges, so why do you think hyperloop is the right solution?
A: We're looking at moving massive amounts of people, at the speed of an aircraft, giving them the opportunity to live where they want to live and work where they want to work. A hyperloop would move as many people and goods as a 30-lane highway.
Q: How does the hyperloop work?
A: We take you inside a tube, which gives you lots of advantages. It's impervious to weather, and you avoid lots of things that cause accidents, like crossings.
Inside the tube we take almost all the air out, allowing you to go at high speeds with very little energy consumption. We use magnetic levitation technology, so there is no grinding, and everything is contactless and smooth. With electromagnetic propulsion, and 20-30 passengers per pod, we could move tens of thousands of passengers per hour.
Q: You actually rode in one at your Nevada test facility, so what was it like?
A: From starting this in a garage seven years ago, to drawing it up on a whiteboard, to sitting inside it, it was all very surreal.
The acceleration was similar to a sportscar, and we were giddy. The biggest piece of that test was that the world saw two people get on a hyperloop, and saw two people get off.
Until that moment, everyone wondered "Could it be safe for people?" Now we know that it is.
Q: How will this speed up travel between cities?
A: It transforms the math. Look at how long it takes you right now to get across Manhattan. Maybe 40 minutes. You could go from NYC to Washington, D.C., in less time. You could go from LA to Las Vegas in 40 minutes.
What we're doing is similar to what Roman roads, and Spanish ships, and airplanes did - shrinking the time associated with distance.
Q: What is the timeline to have it up and running?
A: This is not 10 or 20 years away. Cities can start incorporating this into their planning right now.
I couldn't put my finger on who will be the very first, but in addition to America, we are also looking at places like India, Europe and the Middle East. We are probably looking at a timeframe of 2025-27.
Q: Since you are a Virgin company, what has your interaction with Sir Richard Branson been like?
A: He is a consummate dreamer who believes in what we are trying to do. What I enjoy about Richard is that he not only started his own business from nothing, but he's an adventurer.
We are not only building a new type of transportation system, but we are trying to attract passengers to something new - and that's what he has done, from Virgin Atlantic to Virgin Cruises to Virgin Galactic. He knows how to build customer acceptance and loyalty.
Q: If this tech catches on, will it change how people live and work?
A: One hundred percent. I have a two-year-old son, and the way he will be able to live is unlike anything we can imagine.
If you look at the cities of the future, people might want to live in one area, and work in other areas. We're already seeing that with the pandemic. My dream is to live near Yosemite and then work with my team in LA. A hyperloop would give you the potential to do both.
Q: What do you want people to know about this technology?
A: Big ideas don't have to take long periods of time. You can go from a garage to a moonshot idea in a couple of years.
This decade could end with hundreds of millions of people riding hyperloop. For people who think this technology is many years away, I rode on one. It's right now.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/all-aboard-the-hyperloop-how-your-commute-could-be-changing-2489988">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/all-aboard-the-hyperloop-how-your-commute-could-be-changing-2489988</a>

news world All Aboard The Hyperloop: How Your Commute Could Be Changing

Josh Giegel spoke to Reuters about how this budding technology could change the way we live and work. New York: Think about the future ...

30 Killed, 74 Injured As Bus And Truck Collide In Pakistan

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The injured and dead were taken to a nearby hospital by the rescue service. (Representational)
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Lahore:
Thirty people were killed and 74 injured when a passenger bus and truck collided in Punjab province early on Monday morning, rescue and hospital officials said.
Rescue officials said the accident occurred when a bus was in collision with a container truck at about 5.40 am (0040 GMT) in Dera Ghazi Khan district 466 km (289 miles) south east of Lahore.
The injured and dead were taken to a nearby hospital by the rescue service.
"As many as 30 people have died and 74 have been wounded," Dr Najeebur Rehman, Medical Superintended of Dera Ghazi Khan Teaching Hospital, told Reuters, adding the toll might rise as several injured are in serious condition.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.
Last month, a train crash killed 56 people in Sindh province and left dozens wounded.
Pakistan information minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed sorrow over the loss of life in Monday's accident.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/30-killed-74-injured-as-bus-and-truck-collide-in-pakistan-2489959">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/30-killed-74-injured-as-bus-and-truck-collide-in-pakistan-2489959</a>

news world 30 Killed, 74 Injured As Bus And Truck Collide In Pakistan

The injured and dead were taken to a nearby hospital by the rescue service. (Representational) Lahore: Thirty people were killed and 74...

US, Allies Condemn China For "Malicious" Cyber Activity

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The official said US allies were sharing technical advice on how to confront China.
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Washington:
The United States on Monday led allies in a fierce condemnation of China over allegedly "malicious" cyber activity, accusing it of criminal extortion, issuing ransom demands to private firms and threatening national security.
In comments likely to further strain worsening relations between Washington and Beijing, a senior US official said that China's "irresponsible behavior in cyberspace is inconsistent with its stated objective of being seen as a responsible leader in the world."
The United States, the European Union, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and NATO were united against the threat, the US official said, and would expose how China targets international cyber networks.
China's Ministry of State Security "uses criminal contract hackers to conduct unsanctioned cyber operations globally, including for their own personal profit," the official said.
"Their operations include criminal activities such as cyber-enabled extortion, crypto-jacking, and theft from victims around the world for financial gain.
"We're aware of reports that PRC (China) government-affiliated cyber operators have conducted ransom operations against private companies that have included ransom demands with millions of dollars."
Later on Monday, the US-led alliance was due to announce details of action against China over the alleged cyber misconduct, and to reveal 50 "tactics, techniques and procedures Chinese state-sponsored cyber actors use."
The official said US allies were sharing technical advice on how to confront China, as Beijing's cyber security behavior "poses a major threat to the US and allies' economic and national security."
- Not just Russia? -
The United States will also on Monday formally accuse cyber actors affiliated to China's Ministry of State Security of conducting the massive Microsoft Exchange Server hack disclosed in March.
The hack, which exploited flaws in the Microsoft Exchange service, affected at least 30,000 US organizations including local governments and was already attributed to an "unusually aggressive" Chinese cyber-espionage campaign.
"We have raised our concerns about both the Microsoft incident, and the PRC broader malicious cyber activity with senior PRC government officials," the US official said.
Accusations of cyberattacks against the United States have recently focused on Russia, rather than China.
Last week, Washington offered $10 million in rewards for information about foreign online extortionists as it stepped up efforts to halt the sharp rise in ransomware attacks.
US officials say that many of the attacks originate in Russia, although they have debated to what extent there is state involvement. Russia denies responsibility.
This year has seen a slew of prominent ransomware strikes that have disrupted a major US pipeline, a meat processor and the software firm Kaseya, which affected 1,500 businesses.
Some $350 million was paid to malicious cyber actors last year, a spike of 300 percent from 2019, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Details on the joint action against China were expected later Monday from the White House, the EU, NATO and others.
"The US and our allies and partners are not ruling out further actions to hold the PRC accountable," the US official said, adding, "This is the first time NATO has condemned PRC cyber activity.
"We're putting forward a common cyber approach with our allies, and laying down clear expectations of how responsible nations behave in cyberspace."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-allies-condemn-china-for-malicious-cyber-activity-2489949">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-allies-condemn-china-for-malicious-cyber-activity-2489949</a>

news world US, Allies Condemn China For "Malicious" Cyber Activity

The official said US allies were sharing technical advice on how to confront China. Washington: The United States on Monday led allies ...

Pegasus Spyware Scandal "Completely Unacceptable" If True: EU Chief

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Ursula von der Leyen slammed the alleged attack on journalists' phones.
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Prague:
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday the spyware scandal involving an Israeli software firm and up to 50,000 smartphone numbers was "completely unacceptable" if true.
"This has to be verified, but if it is the case, it is completely unacceptable," she told reporters in Prague.
Media outlets including The Washington Post, The Guardian and Le Monde drew links Sunday between the Israel-based NSO Group, accused of supplying spyware to governments, and a list of tens of thousands of smartphone numbers, including those of activists, journalists, business executives and politicians around the world.
Von der Leyen, who was in Prague to present a Czech post-Covid recovery plan worth 7 billion euros ($8.2 billion) approved by the EU, slammed the alleged attack on journalists' phones.
"Free press is one of the core values of the European Union," she said after meeting Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
The NSO Group and its Pegasus malware -- capable of switching on a phone's camera or microphone, and harvesting its data -- have been in the headlines since 2016, when researchers accused it of helping spy on a dissident in the United Arab Emirates.
The leak consists of more than 50,000 smartphone numbers believed to have been identified as connected to people of interest by NSO clients since 2016, the news organizations said, although it was unclear how many devices were actually targeted or surveilled.
NSO has denied any wrongdoing.
Founded in 2010 by Israelis Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie, NSO Group is based in the Israeli hi-tech hub of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pegasus-spyware-scandal-completely-unacceptable-if-true-eu-chief-ursula-von-der-leyen-2489938">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pegasus-spyware-scandal-completely-unacceptable-if-true-eu-chief-ursula-von-der-leyen-2489938</a>

news world Pegasus Spyware Scandal "Completely Unacceptable" If True: EU Chief

Ursula von der Leyen slammed the alleged attack on journalists' phones. Prague: European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said...

Russia To Hold Military Drills Near Afghanistan Border Next Month

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Russia has said the United States failed its mission in Afghanistan. (File)
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Moscow:
Russia said Monday it will stage military drills next month with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan near the border with Afghanistan where the Taliban has led a lightning offensive against government troops.
The insurgents have capitalised on the withdrawal of foreign troops to launch a series of offensives across the country.
Afghan government troops and refugees have in recent weeks crossed into Tajikistan, fleeing Taliban advances.
The joint drills will take place August 5-10 at the Kharbmaidon training ground in Tajikistan near the Afghan border, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Alexander Lapin, commander of the Central Military District, said that the troops will run drills to defeat "illegal armed units that invaded the territory of an allied country".
Troops from a Russian military base in Tajikistan and the Central Military District will take part in the games, the defence ministry said.
The Taliban is now believed to control roughly half of Afghanistan's 400 districts, several border crossings, and has laid siege to a string of provincial capitals.
More than a dozen diplomatic missions in Afghanistan called Monday for "an urgent end" to the Taliban's ruthless military offensive, saying it was at odds with claims they want a negotiated settlement to end the conflict.
Russia has said the United States failed its mission in Afghanistan, and blamed the withdrawal of foreign forces for the war-torn country's rapidly deteriorating stability.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-to-hold-military-drills-near-afghanistan-border-next-month-2489907">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-to-hold-military-drills-near-afghanistan-border-next-month-2489907</a>

news world Russia To Hold Military Drills Near Afghanistan Border Next Month

Russia has said the United States failed its mission in Afghanistan. (File) Moscow: Russia said Monday it will stage military drills ne...

Biden Administration Announces Censorship Bureau That Will SPY on Americans’ Communications — Sunday Night Live

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On this edition of Sunday Night Live, Owen Shroyer lays out the Biden administration’s unconstitutional plan to spy on the personal communications of the American people to combat “vaccine misinformation.”
The Big Tech purge is here! Follow <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/the-big-tech-crackdown-is-accelerating-follow-infowars-on-these-growing-alternative-platforms/">Infowars and Alex Jones on other growing platforms</a> now to stay informed as the information blackout accelerates.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/biden-administration-announces-censorship-bureau-that-will-spy-on-americans-communications-sunday-night-live">https://www.infowars.com/posts/biden-administration-announces-censorship-bureau-that-will-spy-on-americans-communications-sunday-night-live</a>

news Biden Administration Announces Censorship Bureau That Will SPY on Americans’ Communications — Sunday Night Live

On this edition of Sunday Night Live, Owen Shroyer lays out the Biden administration’s unconstitutional plan to spy on the personal communi...