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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2014)
Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC November 17, 2014 China develops laser system against drones BEIJING (AP) — Chinese engineers have successfully tested a laser weapon that can shoot down low-flying, slow-moving drones, according to state media reports. The Low Altitude Sentinel system can detect a small aircraft within a 1.2-mile radius and shoot it down within five seconds, the China Daily newspaper said, citing a statement from the China Academy of Engineering Physics. The system is designed to destroy small drones flying below 1,600 feet at a speed less than 110 miles per hour, the China Daily said. The system could be installed in vehicles and help guard against flying objects during major events in urban areas, China’s Xinhua News Agency said. Laser weapons technology is being pursued by several countries, including the United States, which has deployed a prototype laser on a navy ship that would defend against drones and small aircraft. Lasers run on electricity and have been billed as a lower-cost alternative to a missile. Also, unlike missiles, laser weapons can be fired continuously. U.N.’s Ban Ki-Moon calls on Asia to step up Ebola fight NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on Asia to step up efforts in the global fight against Ebola. He noted that Asia has more than half the world’s population. While Asia has not publicly recorded any Ebola cases, experts worry border-control measures and other preparations are insufficient and Asian countries should be doing more to fight the viral outbreak in the hardest-hit West African nations. Ban spoke in Myanmar’s capital, where world leaders gathered for summits touching on security, health, and economic issues. He urged governments to help fill huge gaps in funding, equipment, and medical personnel trying to stop the spread of Ebola. Three Malaysian Muslims win court bid to cross-dress KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Three Malaysian Muslim transgenders have won a landmark court ruling that challenged a religious law banning them from cross-dressing. Activists called it a victory for human rights in a conservative Southeast Asian nation. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Shariah law in Negeri Sembilan state was discriminatory as it failed to recognize men diagnosed with gender identity issues. It said the law deprived transgenders of “the right to live with dignity.” “This is degrading, oppressive, and inhumane,” said Judge Mohamad Hishammuddin Mohamad Yunus. Hishammuddin said the Islamic law was aimed at curbing homosexual and lesbian activities that led to the spread of HIV. The present case “has nothing to do with homosexuality,” but was about Muslim men with a medical condition, he added. A lower court dismissed the case in 2012, saying the three transgenders must adhere to Islamic law because they were Muslim and born male. The three, who have been certified by doctors to have gender identity issues, appealed the decision. No baby boom from easing of China’s one-child policy BEIJING (AP) — Despite earlier estimates that new exemptions to China’s one-child policy would add up to 2 million extra births per year, only 700,000 newly qualified couples applied to have a second child this year, according to a Chinese official. Zhao Yanpei, a senior official at the National Health and Fam- ily Planning Commission, told reporters at a briefing that although this year’s number is lower than expected, it is too early to conclude what effect the new policy will have in coming years on China’s fertility rate, which is now at 1.5 to 1.6 births per woman. Last year, China eased its one-child policy to allow cou- ples in which one partner has no siblings to have two children. Couples in which both partners have no siblings and rural families whose firstborn child is a girl already have been allowed to have a second child for many years. Demographers said last year that the easing was so incremental that a baby boom would be unlikely. They also noted that Chinese young people no longer wish for big families, and, even when they can, have opted not to have a second child. PERSONAL PROTECTION PRODUCTION. A Chinese worker manufactures protection suits that meet the standards for use by healthcare workers treating Ebola patients at a factory of U.S.-based Lakeland Industries in Anqui city in eastern China’s Shandong province. Far from the Ebola hot zone, the sewing and gluing machines at the factory in China have been whirring more than usual to produce crucial yellow suits that protect frontline medics more than 7,000 miles away in West Africa. Chinese characters at the top of the photo read “Production.” (AP Photo/Wayne Zhang) China factory whirs overtime to make Ebola suits By Zhang Weiqun The Associated Press A NQUI, China — Far from the Ebola hot zone, the sewing and gluing machines at a factory in China have been whirring more than usual to produce crucial yellow suits that protect frontline medics more than 7,000 miles away in West Africa. The Weifang Lakeland Safety Products factory in the eastern Shandong province city of Anqui has 100 workers assembling the now-familiar plastic suits at a rate of about 6,000 per day. The factory plans to double its capacity by January. Each is carefully put together by people and machines so that it is completely sealed, because any gap could allow exposure to a deadly illness. Each seam is sewn and then reinforced with a glue strip. “The double zipper design allows you to open the suit from the bottom when you need to take something from inside the suit,” factory general manager Wang Ximin told a visitor. “We put an adhesive strip along the front flap Hanyu needs several weeks to recover from collision TOKYO (AP) — Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu needs two to three weeks to recover from injuries resulting from a scary collision with another skater in warm-ups at the Cup of China. Hanyu was diagnosed with bruising to his head and chin and also hurt his left thigh in a collision with Yan Han, which left him with blood streaming across his face and neck. Hanyu was skating backward at a high speed during the warm-ups when he collided with Han and went down hard on the ice. He Japan tells China to stop alleged coral poaching TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s foreign minister is urging China to take measures to stop Chinese fishermen from poaching red coral in Japanese waters. Fumio Kishida said as many as 200 Chinese fishing boats were seen heading north toward populated Japanese islands and Japan had complained to China about it. The boats were seen gathering near the Ogasawara islets, 1,120 miles south of Japan’s mainland, since mid-September. Their northbound movement, toward the more populated Izu islets and the mainland, has raised concerns of Japanese residents. Kishida said five poaching-related arrests have been made since September. The illegally gathered red coral can fetch high prices on the black market in China. Japanese defense minister Akinori Eto said the coast guard and police were handling the matter. lay for several seconds on his back before being helped up and treated. “I’m very sorry for all the trouble and worry I have caused, but first I need to rest and get better,” Hanyu said in a statement issued by the Japan Skating Federation. Hanyu returned and finished second but was visibly shaken and fell five times. He received stitches on his head and chin and was checked for a concussion after the competition. It is uncertain if Hanyu will be able to compete November 28 at the NHK Trophy. Asian Currency Exchange Rates Homebound Filipinos troops from Liberia Ebola-free MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The Philippine military says 108 of its peacekeepers have tested negative for Ebola in Liberia but were still going to be shipped to a small island in Manila Bay upon flying home, for 21 more days of quarantine. Col. Roberto Ancan, who heads the military’s peacekeeping operations center, said the air force personnel were cleared of Ebola in a U.N. medical screening test after 21 days of pre-departure quarantine in Liberia. The Philippines has stopped the deployment of peacekeepers to the West African nation due to the deadly Ebola outbreak there. Ancan said a navy boat was to transport the peacekeepers, who were posted in Liberia for nearly a year, to Caballo Island. in order to better seal off the front to make sure contamination is not able to penetrate.” “You can spread your legs and squat down easily in the suit. It feels very comfortable to wear,” he said. “Very comfortable.” The ChemMAX and MicroMAX protective suits, made of polyethylene and polypro- pylene, are produced for U.S.-based Lakeland Industries, a main supplier of suits in the Ebola outbreak. Wang said current production already is about 30 to 40 percent above the same period last year, and that the production will double again by January. Demand has soared, not only for use in Africa, but from medical facilities in the United States and Europe. “We are very proud that the protective suits we manufacture can be used by those who are fighting against Ebola,” he said. More than 5,000 people have died of the disease, and an additional 14,000 confirmed, probable, or suspected cases of infection have been reported in the three hardest-hit countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Units per U.S. dollar as of 10/14 Tu Phan Call for: Refinances Purchases Offering: FHA/VA/Conventional Mortgages NMLS # 81395 MLO # 7916 12550 S.E. 93rd Avenue Suite 350 Clackamas, OR 97015 (503) 496-0531 <tphan@alpinemc.com> <www. alpinemc.com > Bangladesh Taka· · Cambodian Riel · · China Renminbi · · Fijian Dollar · · · · Hong Kong Dollar · Indian Rupee · · · · Indonesian Rupiah · Iranian Rial · · · · Japanese Yen · · · Laos New Kip · · · Malaysian Ringgit · Nepal Rupee · · · · Pakistani Rupee · · Papua N.G. Kina · · Philippine Peso· · · Russian Ruble · · · Saudi Riyal· · · · · Singapore Dollar · · South Korean Won · Sri Lankan Rupee · Taiwan Dollar · · · Thai Baht · · · · · Vietnam Dong · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 77.385 4074.1 6.13 1.9585 7.7545 61.721 12214 26570 116.73 8068.1 3.347 98.627 101.69 2.5674 44.934 47.254 3.7521 1.3008 1100.8 131.0 30.669 32.871 21325