The music video for K-pop superband BTS “Dynamite” has passed 1.3 billion views on YouTube, its management agency said Saturday.
The video for the megahit single released in 2020 reached the milestone at 10:15 p.m. Friday, Big Hit Music said.
It became the seven-member group’s third music video to hit 1.3 billion YouTube views following “DNA” and “Boy with Luv.”
BTS has a total of 35 music videos with more than 100 million views on the global music sharing site.
“Dynamite” is its first English-language song. The song made BTS the first Korean act to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart in 2020 and earned the group its first Grammy nomination.
Early this month, “Dynamite” received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. (Yonhap)
BEIJING – A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday politicizing sports violates the Olympic spirit.
Zhao Lijian made the comment when responding to US President Joe Biden’s recent remarks that he was considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over Xinjiang.
“Xinjiang affairs are purely China’s internal affairs, which brook no interference by any outside force under any pretext and in any form,” Zhao said at a daily press briefing.
“For the Chinese people, what a laughing stock the US has made of itself in smearing Xinjiang over so-called genocide and forced labor,” said Zhao, adding US allegations against China over other human rights issues are even more groundless.
The athletes participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics are the real protagonists, Zhao said, adding politicizing sports goes against the Olympic spirit and harms the interests of athletes from all countries.
He said China believes that guided by the Olympic spirit and with joint efforts of all sides, the country is sure to hold simple, safe and splendid Winter Olympic Games to the world, to jointly promote the sound development of international sports.
Japan has pledged further support to Cambodia in its international peacekeeping efforts while Cambodia and Japan have urged Myanmar to fully implement the five-point consensus reached by ASEAN on the situation in Myanmar.
The pledge was made on November 18 during a telephone conversation between Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn and newly-appointed Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa.
“In the area of political security, H.E. Hayashi Yoshimasa commended Cambodia’s contribution to international peacekeeping and pledged to further support Cambodia in this endeavour,” said Cambodia’s foreign affairs ministry in a press release.
“H.E. Prak Sokhonn thanked Japan for providing capacity building support to Cambodian peacekeepers and agreed with H.E. Hayashi Yoshimasa that the two countries should resume exchange of visits and further expand cooperation, particularly in peacekeeping,” the press release added.
The press release continued that the two ministers had expressed satisfaction with the ongoing level of and active consultations between the two foreign ministers on bilateral cooperation, including the promotion of human rights in Cambodia.
Sokhonn recalled Japan’s important contributions to Cambodia’s reconstruction and expressed gratitude to Japan for continuing to assist Cambodia’s socio-economic development and providing support for Cambodia’s efforts to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, including through the provision of medical equipment and vaccines.
The press release said that the two ministers had discussed at length the situation with Myanmar and they shared the view that ASEAN had an important role in assisting Myanmar in finding a peaceful approach to resolving the crisis. “The five-point consensus agreed upon at the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting on April 24, 2021, should be fully implemented without further delay,” was the view of both Cambodia and Japan, the press release stated.
The press release said that the two ministers noted with satisfaction the growing relations of friendship and cooperation between Japan and Cambodia and the year 2023 will be an important juncture for celebration as it marks the 70th anniversary of formal ties between the two nations.
They also expressed views on various fields of bilateral cooperation, including the development of Sihanoukville seaport, facilitation of trade and economic exchanges and reinvigoration of people-to-people connectivity following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.
Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori pulled out at the last minute from a joint news conference with his South Korean and US counterparts over a territorial feud with Seoul on the Dokdo islets.
Mori and South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun were scheduled to appear alongside US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at a press conference scheduled after the three held talks over regional issues, including North Korea’s nuclear program, in Washington on Wednesday.
But Sherman was by herself to take questions from reporters, saying there were some “bilateral differences” between Seoul and Tokyo, “that were continuing to be resolved” and “unrelated” to the earlier three-way meeting.
“Japan has conveyed (to us) that it cannot attend the conference, as they took issue with South Korea’s head of police visiting Dokdo,” Choi told reporters in Washington. “So we agreed that the US, the host of the trilateral talks, would hold a solo news conference to announce the outcome of the Korea-US-Japan vice ministerial talks because we recognized their importance.”
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Thursday that the government decided it was “inappropriate” to hold a joint conference amid the ongoing dispute over the islet.
The long-running row over who rightfully controls Dokdo, which is known as Takeshima in Japan, escalated again after Kim Chang-yong, commissioner general of South Korea’s National Police Agency, visited the islets on Wednesday to encourage officials working in the area. It marked the first time in 12 years that the incumbent police chief had visited the easternmost islands, which Japan has persistently laid claim to but South Korea has been in effective control of since 1954.
Japan immediately lodged a protest with the South Korean government, stressing the islets are an “inherent part” of Japanese territory.
The Dokdo spat continued during the bilateral talks between Choi and Mori, which was held after their three-way talks. Their meeting marked the first in-person high-level talks between the squabbling neighbors since Japan’s new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, took office last month.
The Foreign Ministry here said the Japanese diplomat mentioned the Dokdo issue during the talks and Choi, in response, said South Korea could not accept any kind of Japanese claim over the islets.
Besides Dokdo, the two discussed key historical issues that have been at the center of their bilateral feud, but appeared to have failed to narrow the gaps.
During their meeting, Choi explained South Korea’s position on the historical issues, including forced labor and wartime sex slaves, and called for bilateral consultations to resolve the matter. He also explained Seoul’s position on Tokyo’s decision to discharge radioactive wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, and Japan’s export curbs.
In turn, Mori explained Japan’s position on the matter.
Seoul-Tokyo relations have been at their lowest ebb in recent years, due to historic disputes rooted in Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula that have morphed into an ongoing economic feud.
The flare-up of tension between the neighbors alarms the US, which is pushing for strengthening three-way cooperation with its key Asian allies against China’s growing assertiveness and the nuclear-armed North Korea.
Despite the apparent clash, Sherman said the earlier three-way meeting was “friendly, constructive, substantive” and lasted more than three hours.
Sherman said the US was “very satisfied” with the consultations with South Korea and Japan on the best way to ensure the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
But she declined to comment directly on whether the US supports Seoul’s proposal to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, and said the US and its allies “are having good consultations” and will continue to do so.
Upon his arrival in Washington on Sunday, Choi said he expected a “good result” soon in the Seoul-Washington discussions on the end-of-war declaration, indicating there could be some progress toward an agreement.
Choi told reporters after the meeting that the Seoul government, too, is satisfied with the “speed and direction” of the ongoing talks on the end-of-war declaration.
Fighting between the military and local PDFs has led to an increase in the number of displaced people in northwestern Myanmar, according to the United Nations (UN).
At the beginning of November, about 5,200 people were displaced in Matupi, Thantlang and Paletwa townships, Chin State. Many people have fled across the border in India in recent weeks, bringing the total to more than 15,000 across the border since February, it said.
Similarly, about 8,200 people have been displaced in Kalay Township, Sagaing Region and the number of war refugees in the region has more than doubled in two weeks, according to the UN.
Moreover, there are also displaced persons in Saw and Gangaw townships in Magway Region. Some have returned as security has improved. Fighting in Chin State Magway and Sagaing regions has forced about 49,700 people to flee their homes since May, according to the UN.
Displaced people and host communities in conflict-torn Chin State are facing shortages of food, fuel and medicines. It is difficult for humanitarian workers to reach those in need and that aid is being provided only through locals.
Fighting has intensified in several townships in Chin State since May, forcing at least 18,300 people to flee their homes, and more than 10,000 of those displaced are fleeing from the fighting in Thantlang, which borders India, the UN said in early November.
From robots that monitor athletes health to wearable thermometers and perfectly chilled ice rinks, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are setting a new benchmark for sustainable and intelligent Games.
As Olympic venues undergo testing, impressive high-tech and green innovations are giving a glimpse of what’s in store for participants at next year’s winter sports gala.
A key measure is implementation of innovative solutions at all venues to help contain COVID-19 in the lead-up to and during the Games, said the organizing committee.
“To handle all kinds of possible scenarios, we have put in place some advanced equipment for large-scale health monitoring, environment disinfection and instant responses,” Yu Hong, director of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee’s technology department, said at a news conference on Thursday.
“The trial use of those new devices and services during the test events has proved effective and efficient enough for us to guarantee the safety of all Games-related personnel as a top priority.”
To reduce the number of operational staff and service volunteers, artificial intelligence robots have taken charge of disinfection, body temperature checks and environment monitoring against aerosol transmission of the novel coronavirus. Since early October, when international trial events for speedskating, figure skating, short-track speedskating and wheelchair curling started, the robots have been deployed at official hotels and sports venues.
Over 700 wearable thermometers were given to operational staff working at an ice hockey tournament at the Wukesong Arena in western Beijing. Each thermometer has a fingernail-sized chip that sticks to a user’s skin to report any significant body temperature rises, allowing the medical and epidemic control team to immediately identify any risks and react accordingly.
Since February, the organizing committee, supported by property owners and the Ministry of Science and Technology, has used 133 new approaches and tech innovations in venue renovations, security, transportation, medical services and broadcasting. A further 228 approaches and innovations are to be tested and implemented in the buildup to the Games, which will open on Feb 4.
To honor its promise of hosting green and eco-friendly Games, Beijing 2022 has chosen to replace Freon with carbon dioxide as a cleaner and more efficient refrigerant at some venues. Carbon dioxide will be used as a refrigerant at four ice sports competition and training venues, including the newly built National Speed Skating Oval, to reduce energy consumption, waste discharge and carbon emissions.
The change to using carbon dioxide at the skating rink, which has a 12,000-square-meter surface, is expected to save 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually compared with the old system, the organizers said.
Competitors have said the new system has helped maintain the consistency of the ice within a range of 0.5 C, making the rink easier to skate on.
“It’s very modern and I really like the way it was painted in white and blue. The ice is nice to skate on,” said Dutch Youth Olympic champion Isabel Grevelt, one of four skaters who clocked personal best results during last month’s test event at the venue.
The construction of a lightweight roof above the National Speed Skating Oval, using a saddle-shaped cable-net structure, reduced the use of steel by about 3,000 metric tons, according to organizers.
To cater to the growing audience appetite for a more interactive Games experience, Beijing 2022 organizers and venue operators have tested new broadcasting technologies, such as 8K ultrahigh definition livestreaming and 360-degree instant replays, enabled by the 5G network, for large-scale implementation at the Games, said organizers.
“The use of new technologies will enhance the Games experiences for athletes and all other participants, but, more importantly, we hope those innovations can benefit the promotion of winter sports in China, urban development in the hosting areas and the relevant industries after the Games,” said Wu Yuanbin, head of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s bureau for social development.
The United Nations World Food Programme chief presented a plan on how they would spend $6.6 billion to combat world hunger as a response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who claimed he would sell Tesla stock to fund a plan only if the WFP could describe how it would work.
David Beasley, the UN food program director and former Republican governor of South Carolina, tweeted a link on Monday to a 1,000-word “executive summary”, reports CNN.
They mapped out how the UN would deploy $6.6 billion worth of meals and vouchers to feed more than 40 million across 43 countries “on the brink of famine”.
In the document Beasley posted, the WFP proposes dedicating $3.5 billion to buy and deliver food directly, $2 billion “for cash and food vouchers (including transaction fees) in places where markets can function,” and spending another $700 million to manage new food programs that are “adapted to the in-country” conditions and ensure “the assistance reaches the most vulnerable.”
Another $400 million would be used for “operations management, administration and accountability” and supply chain coordination, reports CNN.
“The world is on fire,” Beasley tweeted. “I’ve been warning about the perfect storm brewing due to Covid, conflict, climate shocks & now, rising supply chain costs. IT IS HERE.”
“This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented, AND avoidable,” Beasley wrote in a separate tweet, tagging Musk, who is the world’s wealthiest person with a net worth of approximately $288 billion. “You asked for a clear plan & open books. Here it is! We’re ready to talk with you – and anyone else – who is serious about saving lives.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Musk had not responded.
The back-and-forth between Musk and Beasley kicked off with a CNN interview last month in which Beasley asked billionaires to “step up now, on a one-time basis” to help combat world hunger, specifically citing the world’s two richest men: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Beasley said giving $6 billion, or 2% of Musk’s net worth, could help solve world hunger.
Musk responded on Twitter, writing, “If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.”
“But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent,” Musk added.
Beasley previously replied to Musk’s tweets, assuring him that systems are in place for transparency and open source accounting, the CNN report added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called on all democratic countries to work together to ensure that crypto-currency does not end up in the wrong hands, spoiling their youth.
It was essential for democracies to create standards and norms for data governance and for cross-border flow that protect and secure data. Data governance should also recognise national rights and, at the same time, promote trade, investment and larger public good, he said in his keynote address at the ”Sydney Dialogue”.
Modi noted recognition for India’s central role in the Indo Pacific region and in the emerging digital world. Noting the benefits of the digital age, he said that the world also faced new risks and new forms of conflicts across diverse threats from sea-bed to cyber to space. “The biggest strength of democracy is openness. At the same time, we should not allow a few vested interests to misuse this openness”, the Prime Minister said.
He said that as a democracy and a digital leader, India was ready to work with partners for shared prosperity and security. “India’s digital revolution is rooted in our democracy, our demography, and the scale of our economy. It is powered by the enterprise and innovation of our youth. We are turning the challenges of the past into an opportunity to take a leap into the future”
The Prime Minister listed five important transitions taking place in India:
— The world’s most extensive public information infrastructure was being built in India. Over 1.3 billion Indians have a unique digital identity and 600000 villages will soon be connected with broadband and the world’s most efficient payment infrastructure, the UPI;
–The use of digital technology for governance, inclusion, empowerment, connectivity, delivery of benefits and welfare;
— India has the world’s third largest and fastest growing Startup Ecosystem;
— India’s industry and services sectors, even agriculture, are undergoing massive digital transformation; and
–There is a large effort to prepare India for the future.
“We are investing in developing indigenous capabilities in telecom technology such as 5G and 6G. India is one of the leading nations in artificial intelligence and machine learning, especially in human-centred and ethical use of artificial intelligence. We are developing strong capabilities in Cloud platforms and cloud computing”, Modi added.
Talking about the resilience and digital sovereignty of India, he said, “We are focusing on hardware. We are preparing a package of incentives to become a key manufacturer of semiconductors. Our production linked incentive schemes in electronics and telecom are already attracting local and global players to set up bases in India”.
He also asserted India’s commitment to data protection, privacy and security. “At the same time, we use data as a source of empowerment for people. India has unmatched experience in doing this in a democratic framework with strong guarantees of individual rights”, said the Prime Minister.
He said India’s contribution in coping with the Y2K problem and its offering CoWin platform to the world as open source software are examples of India’s values and vision. “India’s democratic traditions are old; its modern institutions are strong. And, we have always believed in the world as one family.”
Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Corp. said Thursday they have unveiled their electric concept SUVs at the Los Angeles Auto Show as they strengthen their all-electric portfolios in line with rival carmakers electrification push.
Hyundai and Kia debuted the large-sized “Seven” and flagship “EV9” concept models built on Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated EV platform, called E-GMP, at the US motor show during a two-day media preview on Nov. 17 and 18.
The carmakers are planning to gradually phase out combustion-engine cars in global markets as governments are adopting more aggressive policies to fight climate change.
The Seven concept has space for seven passengers and aims to travel more than 482 kilometers on a single charge. The EV9 also would get over 482 km on one charge.
The vehicle-to-load (V2L) function is available in the two models. The V2L function serves as a charger on wheels, allowing customers to charge electric devices, such as coffee machines and electric bicycles.
The Seven comes with the group’s IONIQ battery EV brand’s signature design elements, which include Parametric Pixels, the smallest unit of digital imaging. The EV9 was developed under Kia’s new design philosophy “Opposites United,” which embodies its shifting focus toward electrification, the companies said.
Prices and further details about the models will be released later.
In April, Hyundai Motor launched the IONIQ 5 midsize crossover utility vehicle, the first model embedded with the E-GMP platform to strengthen its presence in the eco-friendly vehicle market.
The maker of the Sonata sedan and the Palisade SUV also plans to introduce the IONIQ 6 midsize sedan in 2022 and the IONIQ 7 large SUV in 2024. It will begin using alphanumeric names like its bigger rivals, such as BMW, whose models are named Series No. 1-8.
Earlier this month, Kia announced it will sell only EVs in Europe from 2035 and in other major markets from 2040.
The EV9 is the second model embedded with the E-GMP platform after the EV6 sedan.
Kia plans to beef up its EV lineup with 11 models, including seven E-GMP-based ones, by 2025.
Hyundai and Kia together form the world’s fifth-biggest carmaker by sales. (Yonhap)
SINGAPORE – Singapore has had to change course along its journey in tackling Covid-19, and is trying to persuade its people that it is necessary to accept a few thousand cases a day, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday (Nov 17).
And while it will try its best, there will be casualties, mainly old people who will not make it. “It is just the way life is and it is the way influenza and pneumonia and other diseases carry off old folks by the thousands every year. We accept that and we have to manage this going forward without letting it go out of control,” he added.
PM Lee was speaking to Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait at a gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore on Day 1 of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.
PM Lee noted that Singapore was trying to reach an end point without paying the high price many other societies have, which got infected before they got vaccinated.
This was also why it was easing up on restrictions “step by step” even as it moved to living with the virus, “without having had to make unsettling U-turns”.
Asked if the 61,000 people who are 60 and above who are not yet vaccinated – and hence more vulnerable to the virus – are preventing Singapore opening up further, PM Lee pointed out that they have more than 61,000 relatives and friends and dear ones. “If you just write them off, I do not think you can make those utilitarian calculations. It is a human cost. Just look at what has happened in Britain or in Italy or in America,” he said.
“The terrible trauma that society goes through – you have people who are sick, whom you cannot treat, who die waiting for oxygen or waiting for a bed – I would much rather not have to do that.”
In changing course, easing restrictions and reopening borders, he noted that trust is critical.
“It is not my logic which persuades people, but they watch you, they listen to you. They either have confidence in you and faith in you or they decide: Well, he sounds good, but I am not following him.”
Turning to the issue of political succession, Mr Micklethwait said PM Lee had put two of his potential successors onto the Covid-19 task force to see how they do. Referring to Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, he asked: “It looks a little like Squid Game. Do you have any idea how are they performing? Are you thinking of eliminating them or continuing?”
Squid Game is a popular Netflix drama where contestants compete in games for a tempting prize, but are eliminated or killed along the way. PM Lee said his approach is not to write off any participants.
“I do not have spare. I am not looking for a winner. I am trying to build a team, and the team needs many different skills and many different people to carry a very heavy responsibility of taking Singapore into the next generation, beyond me and my age group of leaders.
“Each makes a contribution. I put them there not as a beauty contest, but because I think they can make a contribution and it is a very important job which needs to be done. If I do not put the best people available on the Covid-19 team, what am I doing with them?”
Mr Micklethwait also asked about plans for a wealth tax, and the Prime Minister said this was an element in a comprehensive revenue system.
“You tax consumption, you tax income, you tax sins, and you should tax wealth, whether in the form of property, ideally wealth in other forms,” he said.
He added that Singapore will study this but it needs to find a system of taxation which is progressive and which people will accept as fair.
“Everybody needs to pay some. But if you are able to pay more, well, you should bear a larger burden of the tax. And if you are less well-off, you should enjoy a greater amount of the Government’s support schemes and benefits.”
But he noted that unlike income inequality, it is more difficult to measure inequality of wealth, which can today be kept in non-fungible tokens or Bitcoin.
“It is not as easy to manage, but it is something which we do want to be worried about because we would like to make sure that each generation starts from as equal a starting point as possible,” he said.
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