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Tag: Technology
European flying car technology sold to China
The tech behind a flying car, originally developed and successfully test-flown in Europe, has been bought by a Chinese firm.
Powered by a BMW engine and normal fuel, the AirCar flew for 35 minutes between two Slovakian airports in 2021, using runways for take-off and landing.
It took just over two minutes to transform from a car into an aircraft.
Now vehicles made based on its design will be used within a “specific geographical region” of China.
Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, headquartered in Cangzhou, has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside an undisclosed area.
The firm has built its own airport and flight school after a previous acquisition from another Slovak aircraft manufacturer, said Anton Zajac, cofounder of KleinVision, the company which created AirCar.
Having led the way in the development of the EV revolution, China is now actively developing flying transport solutions.
Last month a firm called Autoflight carried out a test flight of a passenger-carrying drone between the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. The journey, which takes three hours by car, was completed in 20 minutes, it said – although the aircraft contained no passengers.
And in 2023 the Chinese firm eHang was awarded a safety certificate by Chinese officials for its electric flying taxi. Here, the UK government has said flying taxis could become a regular feature of the skies by 2028.
But unlike these drone-like passenger aircrafts, AirCar does not take off and land vertically, and requires a runway.
KleinVision declined to say how much it had sold the technology for. AirCar was issued with a certificate of airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority in 2022 and featured in a video published by YouTuber Mr Beast earlier this year.
There are still considerable hurdles for this form of transport in terms of infrastructure, regulation and public acceptance of the technology.
“This brave new world of personal transport is acting as a great leveller,” said aviation consultant Steve Wright.
Global attempts to regulate the sector left “everyone scrambling to come up with a whole new set of questions that need to be asked”.
“In this respect the West’s history can sometimes slow things down, as there is a bit of a temptation to try and squeeze these new machines into the old categories,” Mr Wright added. “China could well see this as an opportunity to get ahead.”
Similar concerns once applied to electric cars – in which China which has become a global market leader.
The sale of the Slovakian AirCar could raise questions about whether China might be poised to do the same with flying cars.
Mr Wright said while prototypes like the AirCar were “great fun”, the reality was likely to end up being more mundane “with queues and baggage checks and whatnot”.
Trump’s Truth Social soars in first day of trading on Nasdaq
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Canada to tighten foreign investment rules in AI, space technology sectors, Bloomberg reports
March 26 (Reuters) – Canada will require foreign companies to warn the government in advance before making investments or acquisitions in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and space technology, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing an interview with Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.
The move will aid the government in conducting a national-security review before transactions get too far advanced and would-be investors may be restricted in their access to target companies’ user data or other property while the inquiry is taking place, the report said.
The tougher rules will also apply to investments in critical minerals and potentially other sectors, Champagne said to Bloomberg.
Earlier this month, Champagne said Canada will crack down on foreign investment in the interactive digital media sector to stop state-sponsored actors from endangering national security.
Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru)
How the U.S. is faring against China in computer chip race
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Judge tosses out X lawsuit against hate-speech researchers, saying Elon Musk tried to punish critics
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by Elon Musk’s X Corp. against the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate, ruling that the case was about “punishing” the research group for its speech.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has documented the increase in hate speech on the site since it was acquired by the Tesla owner in 2022. X, formerly known as Twitter, sued the nonprofit last year, claiming the center’s researchers violated the site’s terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets.
X argued that the CCDH’s reports on the rise of hate speech on the service had cost it millions of dollars when advertisers fled. On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer dismissed the suit, writing in his order that it was “unabashedly and vociferously about one thing” — punishing the nonprofit for its speech.
In a statement posted to X, the social media platform said it “disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to appeal.”
It’s not the only time Musk’s X has sued after a group flagged issues with hate speech on the social media platform.
Last November, several big advertisers including IBM, NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast, said that they stopped advertising on X after a report from the liberal advocacy group Media Matters said their ads were appearing alongside material praising Nazis. The report proved to be yet another setback as X sought to win back big brands and their ad dollars, X’s main source of revenue.
In November, X sued Media Matters, alleging that the group was trying to “drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”
Later that month, Musk went on an expletive-ridden rant in response to advertisers that halted spending on X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material, saying they are are engaging in “blackmail” and, using a profanity, essentially told them to go away.
Seeking millions from CCDH
In suing the CCDH, X had sought millions of dollars in damages from group, arguing that the nonprofit’s reports led to the exodus of advertisers and the loss of ad revenue.
But the judge agreed with CCDH’s argument saying X cannot seek damages for the independent acts of third parties based on CCDH’s reports, or its “speech.”
X had also alleged that the CCDH had “scraped” its site for data, which is against its terms of service. But the judge found that X failed to “allege losses based on technological harms” — that is, the company didn’t show how the scraping led to financial losses for X.
The center is a nonprofit with offices in the U.S. and United Kingdom. It regularly publishes reports on hate speech, extremism or harmful behavior on social media platforms like X, TikTok or Facebook. The organization has published several reports critical of Musk’s leadership, detailing a rise in anti-LGBTQ hate speech as well as climate misinformation since his purchase.
“Hypocritical campaign of harassment”
Imran Ahmed, the center’s founder and CEO, said the lawsuit amounted to a “hypocritical campaign of harassment” by a billionaire who talks about protecting free speech but who then uses his wealth to try to silence his critics. He said the lawsuit shows the need for a federal law requiring tech companies to release more information about their operations, so that the public can understand how these powerful platforms are shaping society.
“We hope this landmark ruling will embolden public-interest researchers everywhere to continue, and even intensify, their vital work of holding social media companies accountable for the hate and disinformation they host and the harm they cause,” said Ahmed.
Roberta Kaplan, the center’s attorney, said the dismissal of X’s suit shows “even the wealthiest man cannot bend the rule of law to his will.”
“We are living in an age of bullies, and it’s social media that gives them the power that they have today,” Kaplan said in an email to reporters. “It takes great courage to stand up to these bullies; it takes an organization like the Center for Countering Digital Hate. We are proud and honored to represent CCDH.”
Earth just experienced a severe geomagnetic storm. Here’s what that means – and what you can expect.
The planet was just slammed with what government officials dubbed a severe geomagnetic storm, the second-highest level of NOAA’s rating system. The event brought “a major disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field” that may have impacted infrastructure and made the northern lights visible farther than usual, officials said.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a geomagnetic storm watch on Saturday, saying that a coronal mass ejection was detected and expected to hit the planet late that same day with impacts into Monday. Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are when a large cloud of plasma and magnetic field bursts from the sun’s corona.
This particular CME exploded alongside a solar flare on Friday, an event that occurs when electromagnetic radiation suddenly erupts from the sun. NOAA says these flares can last hours and the eruption “travels at the speed of light,” meaning it can impact Earth as soon as it is observed. An X-class flare, like what was observed with the CME, is the strongest type of flare, although this particular one was not the strongest on record. NOAA forecasters did say, however, that more X-class flares are possible through Wednesday.
“The public should not be concerned, but may wish to keep informed by visiting our webpage for any forecast changes and updates,” NOAA said on Saturday, saying a moderate geomagnetic storm was possible. By Sunday afternoon, however, the agency alerted of a “severe” storm that could potentially impact technology – and eventually extend the northern lights as far south as Alabama.
“The public should not anticipate adverse impacts and no action is necessary, but they should stay properly informed of storm progression by visiting our webpage,” NOAA said in its alert, adding that “normally mitigable” problems with voltage control was possible, as well as “frequent and longer periods of GPS degradation.”
“Infrastructure operators have been notified to take action to mitigate any possible impacts,” the agency said.
On Monday morning, NOAA said that the impacts of the CME “appear to be weakening,” but that solar wind speeds – which help carry the event – were still elevated. The warning of a “moderate” storm has since been extended. Moderate geomagnetic storms, classified as G2, can potentially impact high-latitude power systems, damage transformers and extend the northern lights to New York and Idaho. It can also potentially require flight ground control to issue corrective actions for orientation.
Li Cohen
How “prebunking” misinformation works – CBS News
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Iran says it has obtained supersonic cruise missile technology- Tasnim
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has obtained the technology to build a supersonic cruise missile which is still under test, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions with the U.S. in the Gulf and following the unveiling last week of new vessels equipped with 600-km range missiles.
“This missile, which is a new generation of Iranian-made cruise missiles, is currently undergoing its tests and will be a new chapter in Iran’s defence power,” the agency said.
(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; Editing by Toby Chopra)
A Moment With: Liza Landsman
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