Hybrid engines help Toyota gas cars

TOYOTA has developed an efficient gasoline engine using technology fine-tuned with gas-electric hybrids, in which the Japanese carmaker is an industry leader.

Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday the engine will be rolled out in 14 models this year and next year.

The technology is common in hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion, which switch back and forth between an electric motor and a gas engine for better mileage, but it is relatively rare in vehicles with gas engines alone.

Japanese rivals Mazda Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co have developed similar engines.

Toyota said the new engine will deliver 10 per cent better fuel efficiency than comparable current engines.

It uses an old-style engine type called the Atkinson cycle, which reduces heat through greater thermal efficiency.

Toyota also used other features such as better combustion and reduced friction to boost efficiency.

The new engine will come in 1.0 litre and 1.3 litre versions, but will be expanded to other types, and variations of it will also be used in future hybrid models, according to Toyota.

"They show the future direction of Toyota engine development," said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons.

Toyota has been worried about the reliability of the oil supply for decades and has focused on green cars, especially hybrids.

The maker of the Lexus luxury model and Camry sedan has sold more than 6 million hybrid vehicles around the world, more than any other manufacturer, since the Prius was introduced in late 1997.

Hybrids are popular but remain a niche market, and competition has been intensifying from efficient gas engines.

09.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM to push for freer trade in China speech

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott will wrap up the formal side of his North Asia visit with a dinner at China's ceremonious Great Hall of the People with President Xi Jinping.

Mr Abbott's visit to Shanghai on Friday will coincide with Australia Week in China, an inaugural trade fair being spearheaded by the largest business delegation ever sent abroad from Australia.

The prime minister will address the expected 1500 guests at the Shanghai showcase lunch, promoting the benefits of freer trade and greater investment with Australia's largest trading partner.

Nearly all state premiers and chief ministers, plus a delegation of Australia's leading corporate CEOs, are expected to attend.

The prime minister has spent a week in North Asia shoring up free trade deals and after finalising agreements with Japan and South Korea hopes to make significant progress with China.

Mr Abbott will then head to Beijing for bilateral talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping, before capping off the formalities of his visit to the region with dinner at the Great Hall of the People.

09.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK slams Malaysian Air over 2012 incident

BRITAIN'S air accidents investigator has criticised Malaysian Airlines for its lack of proper oversight in preserving flight recordings during an incident at London's Heathrow Airport in 2012.

A Boeing 747 bound for Kuala Lumpur, carrying 340 passengers, had to return to Heathrow soon after takeoff because of engine and electrical failure on August 17, 2012.

The pilots flew the plane manually and returned to the airport safely.

In a report issued on Thursday, Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said all the audio information relating to the incident was lost because the cockpit voice recorder ran on long after the landing.

The body said the airline's "procedures for the preservation of flight recordings were not sufficiently robust".

The Heathrow incident was not related to Flight MH370, which went missing last month.

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Will's fighting talk in race against Kate

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due to face off, putting their sailing skills to the test on competing America's Cup yachts.

Prince William and Kate will compete in opposing boats on Auckland Harbour on Friday, in an event free of the pomp and formality typically associated with the monarchy.

William told Prime Minister John Key at Government House on Thursday night he expected the race to be "a bit of healthy competition" - although he said he'd already been telling everyone he would win it.

The yachts will be manned by Emirates Team New Zealand crews, and the race is expected to last two hours.

Afterwards, the royal couple will take a spin in an amphibious car before jetting back to Wellington.

The royal trip has been marred by weather thus far, and Friday is no different, with fog and showers being forecast.

But MetService duty forecaster David Miller said the weather wouldn't be too bad.

"It'll be an improvement on what they've had in Wellington for the past few days."

Royal visit media manager Allen Walley said he couldn't comment on contingency plans, and a decision would be made on Friday.

But before all the high-adrenalin excitement, the duke and duchess will be greeted off the plane at Whenuapai military air base by Auckland Mayor Len Brown.

They'll then meet Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel and their families.

Little Prince George will again miss out on the action - he'll stay in the capital with his Spanish nanny, Maria Borrallo.

09.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Death toll in US mudslide rises to 30

AS medical examiners painstakingly piece together the identities and lives of the 30 people known killed when a mudslide wiped out a small Washington community, one mystery troubles them.

One set of remains does not fit with the description on the missing persons list, which, as of Thursday, includes 17 people.

The medical examiners know it is a male, but his remains give no clue as to who he was, or who might be looking for him.

They can't even identify his age range, and at this point, gold teeth are all they have to go on.

The mystery underscores the tedious process of identifying remains more than a week after the March 22 landslide that broke off a steep hill, roared across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and buried a community at Oso, about 90km north of Seattle.

Like the homes, the cars and the other parts of people's lives swept away by the torrent of mud, some bodies are in pieces.

Norman Thiersch, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner, said the goal of the team - made up of medical examiners, detectives, dentists and others - is to make sure there's no doubt as to the identities of the victims.

"This is not television," he said.

"These are methodical, painstaking processes we go through."

Although the identities of 28 of the 30 confirmed dead have been determined, officials have so far released the names of only 27.

Other names are expected to be released by the end of the week.

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Rate rises may be limited: IMF

AS consumers and businesses worry about an interest rate rise from the Reserve Bank before long, a new analysis suggests any increases are likely to be limited.

The International Monetary Fund says worldwide interest rates are expected to increase in the medium term with global economic conditions normalising, reversing the decline into negative territory due to the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.

But in the analytical chapters of its forthcoming world economic outlook, the IMF does not believe real, or inflation adjusted, interest rates will return to high levels.

"The increase from current levels is expected to be modest, because the factors that have mostly contributed to low real rates in the past recent years are unlikely to reverse substantially," the report released in Washington on Thursday said.

It says the "scars" from the GFC have resulted in a sharp and persistent decline in investment in advanced economies, while there will be only a modest impact from lower savings in emerging market economies as a result of slower economic growth.

There has also been an investment shift to safer interest-rate yielding bonds away from riskier equities, which has kept rates low.

Using data from a number of countries, including Australia, it found that 10-year real interest rates declined from an average of 5.5 per cent in the 1980s, to 3.5 per cent in the 1990s, to two per cent between 2001 and 2008 and to slightly negative territory of 2012.

While continued low real rates will help borrowers to lower debt ratios, they also raise new policy challenges.

"The envisioned low real rate environment ... may re-emerge as a constraint to monetary policy should risks of very low growth in advanced economies materialise," it said.

09.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Queen meets Pope Francis at Vatican

BRITAIN'S Queen Elizabeth II has paid a private call on Pope Francis at the Vatican, making him the fifth pontiff she has met.

She arrived on Thursday afternoon wearing a lilac-coloured spring coat and matching hat that are practically the same colours as the wisteria blooming over much of the Italian capital.

The monarch, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, was ushered into a small room near the Vatican's public audience hall for the 30-minute meeting.

Previously, Elizabeth had met with four pontiffs, starting with Pius XII in 1951, a year before her accession to the throne.

Earlier in the day, Elizabeth lunched with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinal palace.

Illness had forced her to cancel a 2013 trip to Rome when she was supposed to see Napolitano.

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Four dead in Bangladesh gas blast

AT least four workers have been killed after a gas cylinder exploded in a ship-breaking yard in southern Bangladesh, police said.

The explosion occurred while workers were removing parts from an old ship in the Kadam Rasul area of Sitakunda, 200 kilometres southeast of the capital Dhaka.

Six people were injured, four of whom later died in hospital, police officer Iftekha Hasan said.

"The workers might have died of inhaling toxic gas," the officer said.

Bangladesh is the third largest country in terms of dismantling obsolete ships.

Safety measures in the yards are still inadequate.

At least 20 people were killed in 2013 in Bangladeshi ship-breaking yards, which are mostly located in Chittagong district, according to a human rights group.

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US retail sales rebounded 0.3 per cent

US retail sales have bounced back after suffering a steep decline during a bitterly cold January, with people spending more on cars, clothing and furniture.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday seasonally-adjusted retail sales rose 0.3 per cent in February. Spending had fallen 0.6 per cent in January and 0.3 per cent in December.

The increase suggests consumer spending has started to recover after being tempered by snowstorms and freezing temperatures that blanketed much of the country.

Auto sales rose 0.3 per cent. Excluding volatile spending on cars, petrol and building supplies, retail sales increased 0.3 per cent from December.

Last month's rebound almost brought retail spending back to its December levels. Purchases at restaurants, online retailers and department stores also improved.

Over the past 12 months, retail sales have risen 1.5 per cent.

09.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Children get wake-up call about sleep

CHILDREN and parents need a wake-up call about the importance of sleep, say medical experts who are visiting schools in Australia and New Zealand with their message.

They say too many children are not getting the good night's sleep they need to grow strong, think clearly and feel good.

Children aged five to 12 need nine to 11 hours a night. Older children need 8.5 to 9.5 hours until the age of 18.

But research shows 20 per cent don't get the recommended amount and up to 40 per cent have poor sleep schedules.

"Undoubtedly their physical and mental health is suffering," said sleep researcher Dr Sarah Biggs.

"We're on a mission to turn this trend around."

Increasing awareness and teaching good habits would ultimately boost health and learning, said Dr Biggs, co-ordinator of the Australasian Sleep Association and Sleep Health Foundation campaign.

Volunteers from the organisations will speak to 6000 students at 23 schools on Friday, world sleep day.

Their message includes the need for children to have a regular bed time, and to limit the use of electronic devices before bed.

Devices including televisions, computers and mobile phones should be kept out of the bedroom at night.

The volunteers will also promote MWorld smartphone app that teaches children about sleep and other interesting science topics.

"Sleep is regularly ignored, even though it's a pillar of healthy living alongside sensible eating and regular exercise, said Sleep Foundation chair Professor David Hillman.

Research shows short sleep duration and poor sleep scheduling are associated with health problems such as obesity, behavioural problems and poor academic performance.

"Healthy sleep is important for physical growth, learning, positive mood, energy and daytime concentration," said Associate Professor Nick Antic, who heads the Australasian Sleep Association.

"Healthy sleep is not just about duration. It's about quality and having a consistent sleep routine that keeps your body clock in sync."

Symptoms of a child being sleep deprived include being overactive or moody, struggling to concentrate, falling asleep during short car trips or while watching TV, or having problems at school.

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