Here are today’s Top 5 News & Events from Around the World. Take a look!
#5
Elon Musk Unveils Subterranean Tube to Solve LA Traffic Problems, Has the Future of Transport Arrived?
Elon Musk has announced his new project – a subterranean tube for cars that will allow drivers to circumnavigate Los Angeles’ notorious rush-hour traffic. The guests present at the event were given the first-hand experience of the tunnel. The cars were lowered 30ft below the ground through a wall-less lift and the lucky few were allowed a drive inside the tunnel for around a mile-long journey. Musk’s Boring company has dubbed the tunnel as O’Leary Station. Elon calls it the underground highway and not a subway as the cars can pick up speeds of 150kmh, slowing down only for entry and exist. Surprisingly, the first tunnel has cost $10 million to the company, while a similar project by another company would cost around $1 billion. Even the dirt from the tunnel was turned into bricks and sold for 10c a piece.
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#4
NASA Discloses Data Breach, Not Sure About the Extent of Damage
The data hack at NASA took place in October 2018. NASA authorities are still not sure about the extent of damage and the number of employees that have come under the hackers attack. In an internal memo, NASA has informed the employees that a hacker had accessed one of its servers and stole data of present and of ex-employees as well. According to the memo, hackers got access to social security numbers as well.
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#3
Apple Losing Ground in South Korea, Time to Restrategize?
Since the launch of new Apple devices this year, Korea has seen a sharp decrease in the demand for Apple devices. In research by Gallup, only 17 percent of the respondents wanted to purchase an Apple device compared to 22% in the previous quarter. Interestingly, the responders believe that Apple provides less for the money paid and the customers are locked into an ecosystem that is restricting their ability to explore other technologies. Is it time for the company to restrategize its offering?
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#2
Facebook Gave Too Much Data Access to Tech Giants Without User Consent
Facebook’s intentions of providing services that don’t breach user agreement is a farce if the latest reports are true. The social media giant has been more than happy to give too much data about its users to other tech giants in the industry. According to a report, this figure is not in few numbers but Facebook gave serious data access to more than 150 companies. The data breach was so severe that according to NYT investigation, Netflix and Spotify were allowed to read private messages of users on Facebook. The report is a follow-up on the NYT report and many don’t believe it, including some of the Facebook shareholders.
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#1
Embrace for A New Petrol & Diesel Car Tax in India As Gov Plans to Boost EV Vehicles
The Indian government has plans to levy an additional tax of INR 12,000 on new petrol and diesel cars to help boost the sale of EV cars in the country. The new policy is underway and will become a reality soon. The government is making sure that the EV car buyers get the benefits through direct benefit transfer. The incentives range from INR 50,000 to INR 12,000 for the new buyers of EV cars and motorbikes. Other benefits include tax-free registration, 12% GST on batteries reduced from 18%, subsidy for 1,000 petrol pumps for charging station bidding.
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