SEOUL (AP) – North Korea claimed yesterday to have conducted the second successful test flight of a hypersonic missile, days after leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to bolster his military forces despite pandemic-related difficulties.
Wednesday’s launch, the North’s first known weapons test in about two months, indicates the country will press ahead with plans to modernise its nuclear and missile arsenals rather than return to disarmament talks anytime soon.
The official Korean Central News Agency said the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party expressed “great satisfaction” at the results of the missile test, which was observed by leading weapons officials. Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose crucial challenges to missile defence systems because of their speed and manoeuvrability.
It’s unclear whether and how soon.
North Korea could manufacture such a high-tech missile, but it was among a wish-list of sophisticated military assets that Kim disclosed early last year, along with a multi-warhead missile, spy satellites, solid-fueled long-range missiles and underwater-launched nuclear missiles.
The North’s latest launch was first detected by its neighbours.
The United States (US) military called it a ballistic missile launch that “highlights the destabilising impact of (North Korea’s) illicit weapons program”, while South Korea and Japan expressed concerns or regrets over the launch.
China, for its part, called for dialogue and said that “all parties concerned should keep in mind the big picture (and) be cautious with their words and actions”.
A test launch of a hypersonic missile in North Korea. PHOTO: AP
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Federal Reserve officials last month were concerned about the Omicron impact, but believed the United States (US) economy had recovered enough from the pandemic downturn that interest rate hikes could come sooner than expected, according to minutes of the December meeting released on Wednesday.
The document provides a behind-the-scenes look at the deliberations of the Fed’s policy committee, which convened as the US central bank faced increasing pressure to act against the wave of inflation that sent consumer prices surging to multi-decade highs.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) accelerated the withdrawal of the pandemic stimulus measures and released forecasts showing central bankers expect to hike interest rates – their most potent weapon against price increases – as many as three times in 2022.
One of the two criteria for raising the benchmark lending rate off zero is how close the economy is to maximum employment, and many officials believe it is nearing that point or already there.
That means “it may become warranted to increase the federal funds rate sooner or at a faster pace than participants had earlier anticipated”, the minutes said.
With the faster pullback, the Fed’s stimulus bond-buying program now is set to end in March, setting the stage for rate hikes after that, though the minutes acknowledge they could move even quicker, if necessary given rising prices.
Tamu Tutong’s return was met with a muted response in comparison to its usual crowds before it was temporarily closed during the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the country.
The weekly open-air market, held every Thursday, usually welcomes visitors from Brunei-Muara, Belait and the Temburong districts.
A frequent visitor of the Tamu Tutong, who had never missed her visit every Thursday while the market was in session, was surprised they had no problem finding parking space.
“It was not a usual sight, with only a small crowd coming to the tamu,” she said, adding that reasons for the quiet response might be the lack of awareness for the market’s re-opening or that public confidence to visit markets wasn’t quite there yet. The same goes with vendors who have not resumed business activities, she said.
Another visitor, who drove all the way from Kuala Belait early morning was disappointed when her favourite vendors weren’t there and went back empty handed.
She also had issue with the handling of exits and entries into the market. Since the way in was also the way out, it got congested and the queues were fairly long. “It is probably bearable for the younger visitors, but it is definitely a hassle for senior citizens,” she said.
“Some visitors just left after visiting one block as they do not want to go through the hassle.”
Stall operators were similarly disappointed as sales were below average, compared to before the temporary closure. Some came as early as 4am so they can park close their allocated stall locations. Tamu Tutong re-opened yesterday, following guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Ministry of Health.
Both market operators and visitors were required to scan the a QR code with their BruHealth app and check their temperature before entry.
Face masks must be worn at all times and visitors were reminded to practice social distancing.
Visitors to the Tamu Tutong when it re-opened yesterday after a hiatus brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. PHOTOS: LYNA MOHAMAD
LAS VEGAS (AFP) – Driverless ploughs and autonomous tools to weed vegetable plots are the latest innovations ready to help farmers juggling labour shortages, climate change and environmental protection, while trying to feed a growing world population.
Venerable American farm equipment manufacturer John Deere and French agricultural robot start-up Naio debuted their latest innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show, which began on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Touted as a means to feed the world, John Deere combined its popular 8R tractor, a plough, GPS and 360-degree cameras to create a machine a farmer can control from a smartphone.
Once the tractor is driven into the field, the farmer can simply swipe right to send it on its way, with no need to be in the cab.
Equipped with six pairs of cameras and artificial intelligence capabilities, the equipment constantly checks its position to the inch, and stops automatically as soon as it perceives an obstacle and sends a warning signal.
The autonomous plough will be available in North America this year, John Deere Chief Technology Officer Jahmy Hindman told AFP.
The John Deere 8R fully autonomous tractor is displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show. PHOTO: AFP
Other versions to seed or fertilise fields will come later, but combines to harvest crops are more complicated. The company has not yet specified the price for the equipment.
Technology is not new to the agriculture industry. For nearly 20 years, farmers have used GPS to aid steering, allowing them to plough straighter than a human.
“The customers are probably more ready for autonomy in agriculture than just about anywhere else because they’ve been exposed to really sophisticated and high levels of automation for a very long time,” Hindman said.
Other major farm equipment manufacturers are working on similar tractors.
American company New Holland presented a concept machine in 2016, while Japan’s Kubota in 2020 unveiled a prototype that even eliminates the cab.
Machines to automate farm tasks, including mechanical milking machines for dairy farms, generally improve productivity while freeing farmers from repetitive and physically demanding tasks.
Gaetan Severac and Aymeric Barthes launched Naio in 2011 after discussing the problems farms faced finding workers.
And they realised that robots, guided by centimetre-accurate GPS, could limit the use of chemicals.
At the Las Vegas tech show, they introduced the American market to Ted, a robot that can step over vines to weed around plants, and turn around on its own at the end of a row.
They also have a little “farm assistant” called Oz that can hoe, weed, or furrow, as well as a dedicated row crop weeding robot, Dino.
All are equipped with sensors, lasers, cameras or probes, allowing the robot to understand its environment, as well as collect data useful to the operator.
Farmers “no longer consider us as a gadget for the future”, Severac told AFP.
He said it’s likely the use of autonomous machines will first gain ground in specialised crops, with very high added value and requiring the most work, such as vegetables or vines, before moving to large cereal crops.
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, drones and even satellites all contribute to the move towards automating farm work, and the agricultural sector accounts for a quarter of the revenues of satellite imagery company Planet Labs.
“You can see the chlorophyll content in the sensors that we use that take pictures,” company co-founder Robbie Schingler told AFP. That allows a farmer to determine the health of a crop and possibly to add water or fertilisers.
The ‘Pasar Kitani’ weekend market will resume this Sunday at the parking area of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT), Jalan Menteri Besar from 6am to 11am.
The market, which is a programme under Bandarku Ceria will be held every Sunday. Re-opening the market is one of the strategies under the Department of Argiculture and Agrifood (DAA) in support of the MPRT’s efforts to help farmers to market their products and increase their farm yields. Vendors and visitors will need to comply with COVID-19 preventative measures under which open air stalls and markets are permitted to operate during Brunei’s Early Endemic Phase.
This include allowing only registered vendors under the DAA who had completed two doses of vaccine with green and yellow BruHealth colour codes to operate at the market.
Any vendor who is unwell is advised not to attend; vendors should wear a face mask at all times; practice social distancing and personal hygiene and ensure the cleanliness and sanitation of the stalls.
Meanwhile, visitors are required to wear face masks at all times, scan BruHealth code with only those with green and yellow BruHealth codes allowed to enter the market.
Visitors above 18 years old with two doses of vaccines, and partially vaccinated single dose or unvaccinated children are allowed entry, provided they are accompanied by fully vaccinated parents or guardians. Individuals who are not feeling well are advised not to visit the market.
The DAA encourages the public to support local farmers by visiting this weekly event.
Local farm produce available at the market. PHOTOS: DAA
TOKYO (AP) – Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi yesterday asked that the United States (US) military in Japan stay inside its bases to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
Hayashi said he spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and was promised utmost efforts to ensure people’s health. It was not immediately clear if a base curfew would be issued.
Major Thomas R Barger, a US Forces in Japan spokesperson, said he could not comment on the request, but that a team was carefully monitoring cases and trends.
Hayashi’s request came as the US military is promising more stringent measures to curb spreading cases.
The new measures require all personnel, even when fully vaccinated, to wear masks on base until a third negative coronavirus test, and reiterate an order for all to wear masks when off base, Barger said.
American forces have come under fire after a spike in coronavirus cases in areas where they are based in large numbers, including Okinawa and Iwakuni, both in southern Japan.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki sent a request to Japan’s national government yesterday for permission for the prefecture to strengthen its anti-virus measures.
A daily record of 981 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Okinawa yesterday.
In December, there were zero new cases on some days.
Entrance gate to the US Marine Corps’ Camp Hansen in Japan. PHOTO: AP
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Allegiant Air said on Wednesday that it will buy 50 Boeing 737 Max jets and take options for 50 more, giving Chicago-based Boeing a major foothold in the discount airline’s all-Airbus fleet.
Financial terms were not released. The 737 Max 7 and Max 8 models selected by Allegiant list for USD99.7 million and USD121.6 million apiece, but airlines routinely receive deep discounts.
Allegiant said it will take delivery of the planes from 2023 through 2025.
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of parent Allegiant Travel Co Maurice Gallagher said the Las Vegas-based company will continue to buy used planes but the Boeing deal gives it the flexibility to increase passenger-carrying capacity and retire older planes.
Boeing said the new jets would burn 20 per cent less fuel than Allegiant’s current fleet, which includes 73 Airbus A320 planes and 35 slightly smaller Airbus A319s, according to an airline spokeswoman.
Allegiant previously used MD-80 planes from McDonnell Douglas, which Boeing bought in 1999. The airline retired the last of those planes and went to an all-Airbus fleet in 2018.
Raymond James & Associates, meanwhile, downgraded Allegiant two notches, from “strong buy” to “market perform”. Analyst Savanthi Syth said pilot wages are likely to rise, the airline has struggled with flight cancellations despite a conservative schedule, and now faces the complexity of having two makes of aircraft in its fleet.
Most other United States airlines’ stocks fell less than two per cent, but Allegiant closed down 8.8 per cent on Wednesday.
An Allegiant plane taxis at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in Valparaiso, Florida. PHOTO: AP
LAS VEGAS (AFP) – A lifelike, child-size doll writhed and cried before slightly shocked onlookers snapping smartphone pictures on Wednesday at the CES tech show – where the line between cool and slightly disturbing robots can be thin.
“Oh! The eyes are very scary,” said Marcelo Humerez, an exhibitor from Peru who happened upon the Pedia-Roid, which is designed for medical training, as its eyes went white.
But just a few stands away, a humanoid named Ameca got a decidedly different reception, as it chatted with a curious crowd that marvelled at its ability to make a range of stunningly person-like gestures.
“Whoa, robot! I didn’t expect that when I turned the corner,” said Ricky Rivera, an exhibitor with Canada-based tech company Geotab. “But it looks amazing and it tracked me right away.”
Both reactions were, in some ways, exactly what the makers had been aiming for.
Morgan Roe from Britain-based Engineered Arts said the firm created software and technology to make Ameca person-like – though there are limits to how realistic it can be.
The Engineered Arts Ameca humanoid robot with artificial intelligence gestures as it is demonstrated during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. PHOTOS: AFPThe tmsuk Pedia-Roid ER training robot for healthcare worker training on paediatric patients
“We’ve designed Ameca to be as human-like as possible in movement,” he told AFP while standing next to the robot, whose greay face moved and blinked as he spoke.
“Humans are so complex, so making a robot exactly like a human is almost impossible,” he added. “But if we did that, then you wouldn’t be scared of it because you would just assume it was a human.”
Just before perfection, though, is a creation that is off in ways that reveal it isn’t a living being – it’s a concept called “the uncanny valley”.
“It doesn’t quite move like a human, it doesn’t quite express itself or emote or talk like a human. That’s the uncanny valley, that’s the scary bit,” said Roe.
Yet the slightly frightening aspect of the Pedia-Roid robot was done on purpose, said Yusuke Ishii from Japanese firm tmsuk, which was displaying the doll.
“We want to create a realistic scenario, so that’s the reason we added some of the scary noises, so it will behave like a child,” he said through a translator.
The firm’s brochure notes the robot can “realistically simulate the jittery movements of a child who is reluctant to receive treatment”.
At times, the roughly 43-inch (110-centimetre) tall robot moaned and talked, and its legs jerked – though it can also simulate convulsions or the vomiting reflex.
Ana Kloar, an exhibitor from Slovenia, watched the Pedia-Roid for a bit and found it pretty cool.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Two sisters and several of their children were among the 12 people killed when a fire tore through a Philadelphia rowhome that apparently had no working smoke detectors, fire officials said.
Eight children lost their lives in the Wednesday morning blaze – the city’s deadliest single fire in more than a century.
At least two people were hospitalised and some others managed to escape from the three-story brick duplex, which was public housing, officials said. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Officials said 26 people had been staying in the two apartments.
“I knew some of those kids – I used to see them playing on the corner,” said Dannie McGuire, 34, fighting back tears as she and Martin Burgert, 35, stood in the doorway of a home around the corner.
“I can’t picture how more people couldn’t get out – jumping out a window,” she said.
Officials did not release the names or ages of those killed in the blaze, which started before 6.30am.
An unidentified woman reacts at the scene of a deadly row house fire in the Fairmount neighbourhood of Philadelphia. PHOTO: AP
Family members on Facebook have identified two of the victims as sisters Rosalee McDonald, 33, and Virginia Thomas, 30. The siblings each had multiple children but it’s unclear if all of them were home at the time of the fire or how many of them died. Messages were left with several people who said they knew or were related to the victims.
Fire officials initially said 13 people died, seven of them children, but those figures were updated Wednesday evening. Eight children and four adults were found dead, officials said.
None of the four smoke alarms appeared to be working, said Craig Murphy, first deputy fire commissioner. The alarms had been inspected annually, and at least two were replaced in 2020, with batteries replaced in the others at that time, Philadelphia Housing Authority officials said. It said the last inspection was in May 2021. Smoke detectors were working at that time, officials said.
The fire burned in a residential area of the Fairmount neighbourhood, northwest of downtown and home to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and its famous steps from the film Rocky.
Streets around the home remained blocked off Wednesday evening. Moments after the last firetruck pulled away, several neighbours quietly approached the foot of the block and left candles and flowers.
In the late afternoon, onlookers and neighbours had migrated to a nearby elementary school, where relatives and friends of the home’s residents gathered to wait for news. A small group of people, some wrapped in Salvation Army blankets, stared down 23rd Street, where the blaze happened, hugging one another and crying.
Several friends of the children stopped by the school, hoping for information, after their texts and calls went unanswered.
Rabiya Turner said she rushed to bring clothes to cousins who escaped the blaze. People gathered at the school for warmth and someone to talk to, she said.
LONDON (AP) – Chrysler plans to go all electric by 2028, the latest automaker to announce a shift away from gasoline-powered engines under rising pressure to act on climate change.
The company said on Wednesday that it will launch its first electric vehicle by 2025. Chrysler announced its electric plans along with a new AI-enabled vehicle system powered by a battery that it said can travel 350 to 400 miles per charge.
Fiat Chrysler is part of Europe’s Stellantis, the parent company that also owns PSA Peugeot.
“Our brand will serve at the forefront as Stellantis transforms to deliver clean mobility and connected customer experiences,” Chief Executive Officer of the Chrysler brand Chris Feuell said in a news release.
Stellantis last month announced a strategy to embed AI-enabled software in 34 million vehicles across its 14 brands in a bid to gain USD22.6 billion in annual revenue by 2030. It’s part of a broad transformation in the auto industry, as companies race toward more fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in cars.
All top automakers are working on electric vehicles amid concerns about climate change.
The Chrysler logo on a sign at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show. PHOTO: AP
