Page 14 - aruba-today-20220118

A14 technology
Tuesday 18 January 2022
N. Korea fires short-range missiles in 4th launch this month

By KIM TONG-HYUNG aimed at convincing North programs, in its response to
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Korea to abandon its nu- North Korea's earlier tests
— North Korea fired two clear weapons program this month.
suspected ballistic missiles collapsed in 2019 after the The State Department or-
into the sea Monday in its Trump administration re- dered sanctions against
fourth weapons launch jected the North's demand another North Korean, a
this month, South Korea's for major sanctions relief in Russian man and a Russian
military said, with the ap- exchange for a partial sur- company for their broader
parent goal of demonstrat- render of its nuclear capa- support of North Korea's
ing its military might during bilities. weapons of mass destruc-
paused diplomacy with Kim has since pledged to tion activities. The Biden
the United States and pan- further expand a nuclear administration also said it
demic border closures. arsenal he clearly sees as would pursue additional
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of his strongest guarantee of U.N. sanctions over the
Staff said North Korea likely survival. North's continued tests.
fired two short-range bal- threats to peace. and Jan. 11 and also test- His government has so far The announcement of the
listic missiles from an area South Korean President fired ballistic missiles from a rejected the Biden admin- sanctions just came hours
in Sunan, the site of Pyong- Moon Jae-in, who is visit- train on Friday in an appar- istration's call to resume after North Korean state
yang's international airport. ing the United Arab Emir- ent reprisal for new sanc- dialogue without precon- media said Kim Jong Un
The missiles were launched ates, instructed officials to tions imposed by the Biden ditions, saying that Wash- oversaw a successful test
four minutes apart and flew make "utmost efforts to en- administration last week for ington must first abandon of a hypersonic missile on
about 380 kilometers (236 sure stability" on the Korean its continuing test launches. its "hostile policy," a term Tuesday, the country's sec-
miles) with a maximum al- Peninsula, his office said. It North Korea has been North Korea mainly uses ond test of the purported
titude of 42 kilometers (26 also said members of the ramping up tests in recent to describe sanctions and system in a week, and
miles) before landing in wa- presidential National Se- months of new, potentially combined U.S.-South Korea claimed that the weapon
ters off the country's north- curity Council stressed the nuclear-capable missiles military exercises. would greatly increase the
eastern coast, it said. need to revive nuclear di- designed to be maneu- Kim Dong-yub, a professor country's "war deterrent."
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Com- plomacy with North Korea. verable and fly at low al- at Seoul's University of North North Korea fired two short-
mand said the missiles did The U.S. special representa- titudes, which potentially Korean Studies, said North range ballistic missiles from
not pose an immediate tive for North Korea, Sung improve their chances of Korea may have conduct- a train last Friday in appar-
threat to U.S. personnel or Kim, called his counterparts evading missile defenses in ed another launch to pres- ent retaliation against new
territory, or to its allies, but in Japan and South Korea the region. sure Washington and could U.S. sanctions tied to the
highlighted the destabiliz- to discuss the launches and Some experts say North Ko- continue to dial up its test- hypersonic tests. Friday's
ing impact of North Korea's urged the North to instead rean leader Kim Jong Un is ing activity after vowing test came hours after North
"illicit" weapons program. engage in dialogue. The going back to a tried-and- stronger action over what Korea's Foreign Ministry is-
Japanese Defense Minister three officials pledged to true tactic of pressuring it perceives as U.S. hostility. sued a statement berating
Nobuo Kishi said the missiles continue their close coor- his neighbors and the U.S. Last week, the U.S. Treasury the Biden administration
landed outside Japan's dination, the U.S. Depart- with missile launches and Department imposed sanc- over the new sanctions
exclusive economic zone, ment of State said. threats before offering ne- tions on five North Koreans and warned of "stronger
and Chief Cabinet Sec- North Korea conducted gotiations meant to extract over their roles in obtaining and certain reaction" if
retary Hirokazu Matsuno flight tests of a purported concessions. equipment and technol- Washington maintains its
condemned the actions as hypersonic missile on Jan. 5 A U.S.-led diplomatic push ogy for the North's missile confrontational stance.q
Tesla inks deal to get key battery component outside China

a producer of the mineral of United Kingdom-based man rights abuses against
that is critical for lithium-ion battery materials data mostly Muslim ethnic mi-
batteries. The value of the and intelligence provider, norities.
deal hasn't been released. Benchmark Mineral Intelli- A message was left seeking
Tesla will buy the material gence. comment from Tesla, which
from the company's pro- "It starts at the top with geo- has disbanded its media re-
cessing plant in Vidalia, politics," Moores said. "The lations department.
Louisiana, which sources U.S. wants to build enough The battery industry has
graphite from its mine in capacity domestically to been confronted with a
Balama, Mozambique. The be able to build (lithium-ion short supply of graphite
Austin, Texas-based elec- batteries) within the USA. in recent months, Moores
tric automaker plans to buy And this deal will permit said. Graphite stores lith-
up 80% of what the plant Tesla to source graphite in- ium inside a battery until
produces — 8,000 tons of dependent from China." it's needed to generate
graphite per year — start- Moores said producing the electricity by splitting into
ing in 2025, according to batteries in the U.S. will re- charged ions and elec-
By TOM BOWKER and TOM Elon Musk's company the agreement. Syrah must duce some of the questions trons.
KRISHER Associated Press signed an agreement last prove the material meets Tesla is facing about its ties It comes as every major
LONDON (AP) — Tesla is month with Australia's Syr- Tesla's standards. to China, where there are automaker is racing to get
turning to Mozambique for ah Resources, which op- The deal is part of Tesla's environmental concerns into electric vehicles amid
a key component in its elec- erates one of the world's plan to ramp up its capac- at some mines. The auto- concerns about climate
tric car batteries in what largest graphite mines in ity to make its own batter- maker also has set up a change. Tesla is making
analysts believe is a first-of- the southern African coun- ies so it can reduce its de- showroom in the region of almost a million electric
its-kind deal designed to try. It's a unique partner- pendence on China, which Xinjiang, where Chinese cars per year, and sourcing
reduce its dependence on ship between an electric dominates global graphite officials are accused of enough batteries is its big-
China for graphite. vehicle manufacturer and markets, said Simon Moores forced labor and other hu- gest constraint, he said.q