Tokyo-based start-up Tsubame Industries has developed a 4.5-metre-tall (14.8-feet), four-wheeled robot that looks like “Mobile Suit Gundam” from the wildly popular Japanese animation series, and it can be yours for $3 million.

Called ARCHAX after the avian dinosaur archaeopteryx, the robot has cockpit monitors that receive images from cameras hooked up to the exterior so that the pilot can manoeuvre the arms and hands with joysticks from inside its torso.

The 3.5-ton robot, which will be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show later this month, has two modes: the upright ‘robot mode’ and a ‘vehicle mode’ in which it can travel up to 10 km (6 miles) per hour.

“Japan is very good at animation, games, robots and automobiles so I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one,” said Ryo Yoshida, the 25-year-old chief executive of Tsubame Industries.

“I wanted to create something that says, ‘This is Japan’.”

Yoshida plans to build and sell five of the machines for the well-heeled robot fan, but hopes the robot could one day be used for disaster relief or in the space industry.

Yoshida became interested in manufacturing at an early age, learning how to weld at his grandfather’s ironworks and then going on to found a company that produces myoelectric prosthetic hands. He said he is eager to keep Japan’s competitive edge in manufacturing alive.

“I hope to learn from previous generations and carry on the tradition,” he said.

American comedian and actor Hasan Minhaj is in the news for responding to allegations made by The New Yorker that he was “faking islamophobia”. The article published by the magazine suggested that Mr Minhaj makes up or exaggerates personal stories in his stand-up comedy. 

It also questioned Mr Minhaj’s claims, particularly those related to being a Muslim-American and an Asian American. 

Hasan Minhaj calls the article “needlessly misleading”

Mr Minhaj has addressed these allegations in a 21-minute-long YouTube video.

In the clip, Hasan Minhaj provided details on three stories featured in his stand-up routine that were under scrutiny. These stories covered his experiences, including a prom date rejection due to racism, encounters with undercover law enforcement monitoring the Muslim community in his hometown, and a personal incident involving an anthrax scare at his residence.

At the beginning of the video, Mr Minhaj acknowledged the doubts some fans may have and apologised to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by his stand-up. He clarified that his artistic choices aimed to express himself and address broader issues affecting his community.

Hasan Minhaj described The New Yorker article as “needlessly misleading” and questioned its portrayal of him as a person. He emphasised the authenticity of experiences like racism, FBI surveillance, and threats to his family. 

Mr Minhaj declared his intention to delve deeply into his own controversy, using graphics to present the evidence that The New Yorker allegedly ignored.

Regarding his story in the Netflix special Homecoming King where he asks a white girl, whom he pseudonymously names Bethany Reed, to prom, Mr Minhaj explained that the doorstep scene was created to immerse the audience in that moment. He played an audio clip of his conversation with writer Clare Malone, where they discussed the specific scene in question.

The video also showcased emails and text messages exchanged between Mr Minhaj and Bethany Reed, demonstrating that he had provided this evidence to the magazine.

The New Yorker replies

In response to Hasan Minhaj’s video, New Yorker writer Clare Malone posted a note on X (formerly Twitter). It reads, “Hasan Minhaj confirms in this video that he selectively presents information and embellishes to make a point: exactly what we reported. Our piece, which includes Minhaj’s perspective at length, was carefully reported and fact-checked.”

“It is based on interviews with more than twenty people, including former ‘Patriot Act’ and ‘Daily Show’ staffers; members of Minhaj’s security team; and people who have been the subject of his standup work, including the former F.B.I. informant ‘Brother Eric’ and the woman at the centre of his prom-rejection story. We stand by our story,” the note further stated.

Here’s our official statement. I stand by the story and encourage people to read it in full. https://t.co/nDudet3lST pic.twitter.com/QqPzc9njT3

— Clare Malone (@ClareMalone) October 26, 2023

The New Yorker published the article in question on September 15.

Tata Group will start making Apple iPhones in India for domestic and global markets within two and a half years, announced Electronics and Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar today. The development underscores India’s growing production prowess and reflects a significant departure from Apple’s previous strategy of selling mostly Chinese-made new devices to frenzied customers across the world. With this, the group will become India’s first homegrown iPhone maker.

“@GoI_MeitY stands fully in support in growth of Global Indian Electronics companies that will in turn support global Electronic brands that want to make India their trusted manufacturing and talent partner and to realize PM’s goal of making India a global electronics power,” Mr Chandrasekhar posted on X, formerly Twitter.

PM @narendramodi Ji’s visionary PLI scheme has already propelled India into becoming a trusted & major hub for smartphone manufacturing and exports.

Now within just two and a half years, @TataCompanies will now start making iPhones from India for domestic and global markets from… pic.twitter.com/kLryhY7pvL

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar ?? (@Rajeev_GoI) October 27, 2023

The group has acquired the operations of Apple supplier Wistron Corp which announced the development in a board meeting today for about $125 million, according to a company statement. The Union Minister also thanked Wistron for “building a global supply chain from India with Indian companies at its helm”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial incentives to boost local manufacturing and Apple’s strategy to look beyond China amid a Washington-Beijing trade war have helped India become increasingly important to the iPhone maker’s diversification drive.

“PM Modi Ji’s visionary PLI scheme has already propelled India into becoming a trusted and major hub for smartphone manufacturing and exports,” Mr Chandrasekhar said.

The PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme – which aims at boosting domestic manufacturing, creating jobs and supporting exports – was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors, including large-scale electronic manufacturing, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, specialty steel, food products, high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery, drones and pharmaceuticals with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore.

Earlier this year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that Apple exported $5 billion (roughly Rs. 41,200 crore) worth of goods from India in 2022, while stating that the company plans to produce 25 per cent of global units in the country within the next four to five years.

The takeover of the Wistron Corp factory in Karnataka by India’s largest conglomerate has capped about a year of negotiations.

The 150-year-old group – which sells everything from salt to tech services – sought to make inroads into electronics production and e-commerce over the past few years.

The company already makes iPhone chassis, or the metal backbone of the device, at its factory spread over hundreds of acres of land in Tamil Nadu.