In the past, these standard postage items were manually scanned and sorted, said ground handler Sats.

With the latest technology and automation processes, the centre is able to process more than 1,800 bags of parcels an hour – up from 500 previously. It currently handles more than 9,000 bags a day.

The total turnaround time for scanning, sorting and handing over to SingPost or loading onto flights for outbound mail has also been reduced by half – from six hours to three.

This means items bound for other markets can be put on earlier flights for faster delivery, Sats president and chief executive Alex Hungate said at the official launch of the Sats e-Commerce AirHub yesterday.

The new facility, co-funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), allows Changi to enhance its e-commerce capabilities, he added.

CAAS director-general Kevin Shum said the collaboration with Sats is “part of our efforts to transform Singapore aviation, make the sector more efficient and competitive, create better jobs and improve productivity using technology”.

Trade and Industry (Industry) Minister S. Iswaran, who was at the opening, said Singapore is well placed to ride on the region’s growing e-commerce business.

Within South-east Asia – the world’s fastest-growing Internet region – the user base is expected to rise from 260 million users today to around 480 million users by 2020.

Driven by this growth, the Internet economy in the region is projected to reach US$200 billion (S$279 billion) by 2025, he noted.

Several leading e-commerce companies have already invested in Singapore, Iswaran pointed out.

Last year, Alibaba invested US$1 billion in Singapore-based e-commerce start-up Lazada Group.

A growing number of local e-commerce start-ups, such as Reebonz, have also scaled up their e-commerce platforms from Singapore to regional markets, he said.

While the global air freight market remained healthy last year, long-term trends indicate that the sector is facing over-capacity as supply of cargo space has been outstripping shipping demand.

Amid these developments, e-commerce will be an important growth driver for the logistics industry, and the new e-commerce facility will strengthen Changi Airport’s attractiveness and value proposition as a leading air hub, Iswaran said.

As the logistics and aviation sector transforms through technology, it will also create new and better job opportunities for Singaporeans, he added.

On future plans for the facility, Hungate said: “With ever-increasing e-commerce mail volumes, Sats has deliberately designed this eCommerce AirHub to be modular so that we can increase throughput even further with only incremental investment.”

As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a trial nuke or missile on a major anniversary Saturday, the official said the United States was poised to deal with the security threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

“Military options are already being assessed,” the adviser said on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, describing a fresh test as “possible.”

There are reports of activity at a nuclear test site in North Korea ahead of Saturday’s 105th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder Kim Il-sung.

“They have telegraphed a bit, it’s no surprise that the anniversary is on Saturday, traditionally he has the big parade and rolls out his weapons and his mock weapons,” said the adviser.

“Unfortunately it’s not a new surprise for us, (North Korean leader Kim Jong-un) continues to develop this program, he continues to launch missiles into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) . With the regime it’s not a matter of if, it’s when.”

The comments came after President Donald Trump told reporters that the “problem” of North Korea “will be taken care of.”

‘Complicated’

The ominous comments came the same day the US military dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb it possesses on Afghanistan, targeting a complex used by the Islamic State group.

Trump also flexed his military muscle last week by ordering cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase the US believed was the origin of a chemical weapons attack on civilians in a northern Syria town.

And a US aircraft carrier and its naval strike group has been diverted to the Korean peninsula. Trump has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

It was a main topic of discussion when Trump met then president Barack Obama shortly after the November election, with Trump being warned he may face a difficult choice early in his presidency.

Trump subsequently asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North. But privately the White House acknowledges that striking North Korea would be a “much more complicated piece of business” than the Syria strike, in the words of a second senior administration official.

Any US strike on North Korea could prompt retaliation against allies or US forces in South Korea or Japan. But there are few good diplomatic or economic options for the Trump administration.

The North is already under multiple sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and appears to see these programs as insurance against regime change.//AFP

    The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — better known as the “Mother Of All Bombs” — hit IS hideouts in Achin district in eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday.

“As a result of the bombing, key Daesh (IS) hideouts and a deep tunnel complex were destroyed and 36 IS fighters were killed,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump had earlier called the mission “very, very successful.”

The Afghan presidential palace said precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties.

The huge bomb, delivered via an MC-130 transport plane, has a blast yield equivalent to 11 tonnes of TNT, and the weapon was originally designed as much to intimidate foes as to clear broad areas.

“The GBU-43/B is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat,” Air Force spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder said.

Achin district governor Esmail Shinwari said the bomb landed in the Momand Dara area of Achin district.

“The explosion was the biggest I have ever seen. Towering flames engulfed the area,” Shinwari told AFP.

“We don’t know anything about the casualties so far, but since it is a Daesh (IS) stronghold we think a lot of Daesh fighters may have been killed.”

An Afghan militant source told AFP from an undisclosed location that locals had described the ground shaking “like an earthquake”, with people being knocked unconscious by the blast.

“People have started leaving the area fearing more bombings,” he said.

The Pentagon’s announcement of the attack drove markets down, with Asian bourses headed south following overnight losses on Wall Street.

It added to concerns among investors already wary of risks over Syria and North Korea, as well as the outcome of the French presidential election.

The assault came only a week after Trump ordered missile strikes against Syria in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack.

Meanwhile Trump has said he is keeping “all options” on the table to stop North Korea’s nuclear programme, as speculation mounts that Pyongyang may soon hold another nuclear test.

Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan, is a hotbed of IS militancy. US forces have conducted a number of air strikes on jihadist bases in the area since August last year.

IS, notorious for its reign of terror in Syria and Iraq, has been making inroads into Afghanistan in recent years. It has attracted disaffected members of the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban as well as Uzbek Islamists.

But the group has been steadily losing territory in the face of heavy pressure both from US air strikes and a ground offensive led by Afghan forces.//AFP

David Dao was released from the hospital overnight and was at a “secure location,” attorney Thomas Demetrio said at a news conference during which a member of Dao’s family spoke out for the first time.

Meanwhile, United remained under the spotlight as representatives of the carrier faced tough questioning at a city council hearing in Chicago, where the airline is headquartered and where the incident occurred.

Dao’s lawyers filed a petition in court requesting that the city, which operates O’Hare International Airport, and United Airlines preserve evidence related to the incident. They also said a lawsuit was forthcoming.

“This lawsuit, among other things, hopefully, will create a not just national discussion, but international discussion, on how we’re going to be treated going forward,” Demetrio said.

“For a long time, airlines, United in particular, have bullied us.”

Dao ‘healing

Online video of airport security officers dragging Dao off a packed flight Sunday sparked worldwide outrage. He screamed as officers pulled him from his seat, and was bloodied by the altercation.

The 69-year-old doctor’s lawyers said he also suffered injury to his sinuses and lost two front teeth.

“My dad is healing right now,” said Crystal Dao Pepper, 33, one of Dao’s five children.

“We were completely horrified and shocked at what had happened to my father,” she said.

In response, United Airlines released a statement reiterating apologies from earlier in the week.

“We continue to express our sincerest apology to Dr. Dao. We cannot stress enough that we remain steadfast in our commitment to make this right,” the statement said.

The airline also said that it would no longer ask law enforcement to remove a passenger from a flight unless it is a matter of safety and security.

United’s apologies have not quelled a torrent of criticism, especially since those apologies came days after the incident — and after its initial statements appeared at least in part to blame Dao.

“As a result of the bombing, key Daesh (IS) hideouts and deep tunnel complex were destroyed and 36 IS fighters were killed,” the defence ministry stated of the strike in eastern Afghanistan late Thursday.

The government will move ahead its study based on the proposal from the panel, which is chaired by Takashi Imai, honorary chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).

According to the outlines of the 11th and 12th meetings on April 4 and 6, which were released on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office, the panel members proposed the idea of continuing to use his family name Akishino for addressing him because his “name and presence as a prince of the Akishino family are recognised well by and are familiar to the public.”

The members also pointed out one way would be to add “koshi” to his current name in order to help the public easily understand his position when he becomes first in the Imperial line of succession.

According to the outlines, the Imperial Household Agency then explained that it will be “reasonably possible to call the prince ‘Akishinonomiya Koshi,’ ‘Koshi Akishinonomiya’ or ‘Koshi.’”

The agency also said it would be appropriate to translate “koshi” into English as “crown prince,” (meaning “kotaishi”) although “koshi” has been translated as “Imperial heir.”

As for the title of the Empress after the Emperor’s abdication, the outlines note that some members were saying the word “kotaigo,” or empress dowager, is currently used only to describe a widowed empress, and the panel suggested instead using the term “jokogo,” which did not elicit any objections at the panel.

Beijing – From Twitter threats to Tomahawk missiles, US president Donald Trump’s unorthodox and seemingly impulsive approach to foreign policy has unsettled China, piling new pressure on its hands-off North Korea policy.

As tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, Beijing appears alarmed by Trump’s strident pronouncements as it tries to figure out how to manage the billionaire politician, who insists China handle the Pyongyang problem or suffer the consequences.

“President Trump’s penchant for an unpredictable foreign policy does not sit well with Beijing, which calibrates its approach based on careful assumptions of US consistency,” said Tiffany Ma of the DC-based National Bureau of Asian Research.

Trump’s missile barrage on Syria last week and decision to drop the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat on Afghanistan Thursday revealed his willingness to shake up strategy and conveyed an implicit warning that he is not afraid to use force.

“North Korea is a problem, the problem will be taken care of,” Trump said after the “Mother of All Bombs” was dropped, amid reports of activity at a North Korean nuclear test site ahead of Saturday’s 105th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder.

Beijing has long opposed dramatic action against Pyongyang, fearing the regime’s collapse would send a flood of refugees across its borders and leave the US military on its doorstep.

But “the US has run out of patience,” analyst Ma said.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that “if China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!”

The stick was accompanied by a carrot, with Trump noting “I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the US will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!”

The next day, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Trump on the phone, calling for calm as a US Navy aircraft carrier-led strike group headed to the region in an unmistakable gesture.

High stakes

Trump’s behaviour has clearly rattled Beijing, the North’s sole major ally and economic lifeline, pushing it to take a tougher line against its neighbour, including suspending coal imports from the country for the remainder of the year.

“The US might itch to take action against North Korea on its own if Beijing chooses to do nothing. It seems to be a much better choice now for Beijing to get more actively involved,” said University of Hong Kong historian Xu Guoqi.

Tensions on the peninsula have soared this week amid speculation of a possible sixth nuclear test, following two last year, as Pyongyang works to develop a long-range weapon that could strike the US.

“China likely recognises that Pyongyang’s technical progress has increased Washington’s threat perception and sense of urgency,” Michael Kovrig of the International Crisis Group told AFP. And there are signs that even Beijing is running out of patience.

An unusually blunt editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper earlier this week warned Pyongyang that a new test would be a “slap in the face of the US government” and that Beijing would not “remain indifferent”, adding any further provocations could see China restrict oil exports to the country.

Better idea?

While Trump’s combination of threats and cajoling seems to have produced short-term results, it is not clear how effective it will be in the long-term.

Trump has said that he and Xi had excellent “chemistry” in their first meeting, telling the Wall Street Journal that the Chinese president explained the North Korea situation to him and “it’s not so easy.”

Beijing has repeatedly called for a “dual-track and suspension” approach where the North would stop its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the US and South Korea halting military exercises.

But Washington has rebuffed the proposal. Under the Obama administration, the US ruled out diplomatic engagement until Pyongyang made a tangible commitment to denuclearisation.

Although the Trump administration’s policy remains unclear, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has echoed the stance.

Last month, a frustrated Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman suggested that “if the US or another country has a better plan, a better proposal, they can bring it out.”

“China-US rivalry remains extremely high in the region, and there are reasons to doubt that such rivalry could be put aside to solve the Korean peninsula issue,” said Alice Ekman, Head of China research at the French Institute of International Relations.

“On the contrary, the rivalry may crystallise further on the Korean peninsula issue and exacerbate existing tensions.”

As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a trial nuke or missile on a major anniversary Saturday, the official said the United States was poised to deal with the security threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

“Military options are already being assessed,” the adviser said on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, describing a fresh test as “possible.”

There are reports of activity at a nuclear test site in North Korea ahead of Saturday’s 105th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder Kim Il-Sung.

“They have telegraphed a bit, it’s no surprise that the anniversary is on Saturday, traditionally he has the big parade and rolls out his weapons and his mock weapons,” said the adviser.

“Unfortunately it’s not a new surprise for us, (North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un)continues to develop this program, he continues to launch missiles into the Sea of Japan. With the regime it’s not a matter of if, it’s when.”

The comments came after President Donald Trump told reporters that the “problem” of North Korea “will be taken care of.”

‘Complicated’

The ominous comments came the same day the US military dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb it possesses on Afghanistan, targeting a complex used by the Islamic State group.

Trump also flexed his military muscle last week by ordering cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase the US believed was the origin of a chemical weapons attack on civilians in a northern Syria town.

And a US aircraft carrier and its naval strike group has been diverted to the Korean peninsula.

Trump has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

It was a main topic of discussion when Trump met then president Barack Obama shortly after the November election, with Trump being warned he may face a difficult choice early in his presidency.

Trump subsequently asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North.

But privately the White House acknowledges that striking North Korea would be a “much more complicated piece of business” than the Syria strike, in the words of a second senior administration official.

Any US strike on North Korea could prompt retaliation against allies or US forces in South Korea or Japan.

But there are few good diplomatic or economic options for the Trump administration.

The North is already under multiple sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and appears to see these programs as insurance against regime change.

Pence to Asia

In a Wall Street Journal interview, Trump said a recent meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping dissuaded him of the notion that Beijing could compel North Korea to change course.

“After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it’s not so easy,” Trump said.

“I felt pretty strongly that they had a tremendous power” over North Korea. “But it’s not what you would think.”

On Saturday Trump will dispatch Vice President Mike Pence to the region to firm up resolve among allies.

Pence will visit South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia, with North Korea high on the agenda in each capital.

With the exception of Indonesia, the United States has a treaty obligation to come to the defense of all those countries — an obligation Trump has sometimes appeared to call into question.

Pence will be looking to assure allies that commitment is “ironclad,” according to one White House official.

“We are fully committed to our security alliances, especially in the face of our evolving security challenges, as we’ve seen the nuclear threat of North Korea.”

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.34 percent, or 62.16 points, to 18,364.68 by the lunch break, while the Topix index of all first-section issues lost 0.51 percent, or 7.42 points, to 1,460.89.