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