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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2017)
ASIA / PACIFIC Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER May 15, 2017 Sandstorm blankets huge area of China in dusty pollution FOOLISH TOURIST. Komodo dragons bask near a ranger hut on Rinca island, Indonesia, in this April 28, 2009 file photo. A Komodo dragon recently bit an overly inquisitive tourist in Indonesia who ignored warnings about getting too close to the enormous reptile while it was eat- ing, a national park official said. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File) Komodo dragon bites tourist from Singapore in Indonesia JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Komodo dragon bit an overly inquisitive tourist in Indonesia who ignored warnings about getting too close to the enormous reptile while it was eating, a national park official said. The tourist from Singapore was bitten on his leg while taking pictures of the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, according to Sudiyono, the chief of the Komodo National Park. Sudiyono said the man was rescued by locals and rushed to a hospital in Labuan Bajo on Flores Island, near Komodo Island, for treatment. Endangered Komodo dragons are found in the wild on several eastern Indonesian islands. They can grow to 10 feet or more in length. Attacks on humans are rare, but may increase as Indonesia is promoting the Komodo National Park as a tourist destination. In 2013, a guide and a park ranger were attacked in separate incidents. Experts say the Komodo dragon population in the wild is less than 4,000, but stable. q Indonesia-made ship is newest addition to Philippine navy MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The Philippine navy welcomed a second Indonesia-made amphibious landing dock as part of the military’s modernization program. The new ship, named BRP Davao del Sur, arrived at Manila’s South Harbor to a ceremony led by Rear Adm. Gaudencio Collado Jr., commander of the Philippine Fleet. The delivery completes a 3.8-billion peso ($76 million) procurement of two such vessels from Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia, said navy spokesman Capt. Lued Lincuna. The new ship sailed from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second- largest city, with 120 Filipino sailors and a 10-man Indonesian delivery crew. BEIJING (AP) — A sandstorm in early May blown by gusting winds enveloped a huge area of central and northern China in thick pollution hazardous to people venturing out- doors. The Beijing Meteorological Obser- vatory advised people to minimize time spent outdoors amid murky conditions. Tens of millions of residents across eight provinces and autonomous regions and in municipal Beijing were told to use masks or scarves when outside to protect their eyes and lungs. The low visibility prompted warnings for drivers to slow down and for airports to take precautions. Beijing’s air quality index topped 800 in some areas, on a scale ranking anything above 150 as unhealthy for the general population. The sandstorms began in areas such as Inner Mongolia where over- STRONG SANDSTORM. A woman covers her face with her hands from polluted air and a sandstorm in Beijing. Authorities in Beijing recently issued a blue alert on air pollution as a sand- storm swept through the Chinese capital city. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) grazing and deforestation have increased desert areas. Strong winds pick up loose dust and dirt, mixing them with industrial pollution. Grit from the storms can travel as far as the western United States. Macau to require facial scans at ATMs in Chinese casino hub By Kelvin Chan AP Business Writer ONG KONG — Taking security to a new level, Macau is stepping up security checks at automated teller machines (ATMs) in the Asian gambling hub by requiring facial scans and ID card verification for cash withdrawals using China’s main payment network. The government said in a statement that the new measures would eventually be rolled out to all ATMs in the former Portuguese colony, especially those inside casinos or nearby. It didn’t provide a specific timeframe. The specially administered region, an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal. The measures apply to users of UnionPay bank cards issued in mainland China, in a sign that authorities are targeting mainland visitors. UnionPay is China’s homegrown payment network rivalling the Visa and MasterCard systems. It’s the latest move by authorities in Macau and Beijing as they try to stem the outflow of capital from the mainland. Officials have already tightened up scrutiny of junket operators, the middleman who act as an informal banking channel by lending money to mainland visitors to Macau and later collecting debts. The announcement came ahead of a visit by Zhang H STEPPING UP SECURITY. A security guard stands in front of a replica of the Eiffel Tower of Parisian Macao in Macau, China, in this file photo. Macau is stepping up security checks at automated teller machines in the Asian gambling hub by requiring facial scans and ID card verifica- tion for people withdrawing cash using China’s main payment network. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) Deijiang, the Chinese Communist Party official responsi- ble for overseeing the city. Zhang, who arrived in Macau for a three-day visit, said the city was facing a “significant phase in its development.” Macau is the world’s biggest gambling market and its monthly casino revenues have expanded for nine straight months after a two-year slump. The city’s casinos have raked in $10.4 billion so far this year. 6 4 8 7 9 2 1 9 3 7 5 8 4 2 3 2 5 6 1 9 7 3 6 7 2 8 9 1 2 5 7 6 Difficulty EASY level: Easy #64879 # 25 Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1 through 9 appear one time each in every row, col- umn, and 3x3 box. Solution to last issue’s puzzle Puzzle #46127 (Hard) All solutions available at <www.sudoku.com>. 4 6 5 1 8 3 2 7 9 9 3 1 5 7 2 6 4 8 8 2 7 6 9 4 1 3 5 6 7 4 8 3 9 5 2 1 5 9 8 4 2 1 3 6 7 3 1 2 7 5 6 9 8 4 7 5 6 2 1 8 4 9 3 1 4 9 3 6 7 8 5 2 2 8 3 9 4 5 7 1 6