The Asian reporter., June 15, 2015, Page Page 2, Image 2

Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
June 15, 2015
KFC sues Chinese companies for online rumors
BEIJING (AP) — Restaurant operator KFC says it has filed a lawsuit against
three companies in China whose social media accounts spread false rumors
about its food, including that its chickens have eight legs. The case filed by
China’s biggest restaurant operator comes as the government intensifies a
campaign to clean up rumors on social media. Internet marketers have been
convicted of illegal business practices for trying to manipulate online sentiment
on behalf of clients by posting false information about competitors or deleting
critical posts. In an announcement posted on its Chinese website, KFC said one
of the best-known fake rumors was that chickens used by the company have six
wings and eight legs because they had been genetically modified.
Birkin sets auction record for handbags: $222,219
HONG KONG (AP) — Christie’s says a Hermes designer handbag has
smashed a world auction record in Hong Kong. The auction house did not
identify the buyer of the crocodile skin Birkin Bag in fuschia with 18 karat gold
and diamond hardware. It sold for 1.72 million Hong Kong dollars ($222,219).
The previous record was set at a U.S. auction in 2011 for another Birkin Bag, in
red crocodile skin, that sold for $203,150. The Birkin Bag was designed for and
named after British actress Jane Birkin. It’s famous for having a price tag in the
thousands of dollars and a years-long wait list. The bag was one of more than 300
that Christie’s put on the block in Hong Kong, which has emerged as a global
auction center thanks to wealthy mainland Chinese. A similar black Birkin Bag
was offered for auction but did not sell after failing to attract the minimum bid of
1 million Hong Kong dollars ($130,000).
Body found in suitcase in Tokyo Station locker
TOKYO (AP) — A worker at Japan’s Tokyo Station got an unpleasant shock
after opening an abandoned suitcase that no one had claimed for a month: the
decomposing body of an elderly woman. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police said the
corpse was found in a suitcase in a temporary storage area at Tokyo’s main train
station. The bright yellow suitcase was left in an unlocked coin locker on April
26, according to Japanese media reports. It measured 70 x 50 x 25 centimeters
(28 x 20 x 10 inches). The body is 140 centimeters (4’7”) tall. Police are trying to
establish the woman’s identity. The suitcase was held for more than a month to
see if the owner would turn up. Major Japanese train stations have banks of coin
lockers for travellers to temporarily store their luggage.
PUFFING PROHIBITED. Dancers perform in front of anti-smoking banners displayed on the iconic Bird’s Nest Na-
tional Stadium on World No Tobacco Day in Beijing on May 31, 2015. Beijing has introduced new regulations requiring all
indoor public places — and many outdoor public places — to be 100 percent smoke-free. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
In country of smokers, Beijing
bans lighting up indoors
BEIJING (AP) — China’s capital has begun
imposing the country’s toughest ban on indoor
smoking in hopes of stemming a looming
health crisis.
Smoking in Beijing is now prohibited in all
indoor public places, including offices,
shopping malls, and airports. Beijing’s main
terminal will close its three smoking rooms
and special smoking areas will be set up at the
city’s 600 bus stops.
Fines for violators have been raised to 200
yuan ($32), up from the 10 yuan ($1.6) charged
under the former partial ban.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says
300 million Chinese smoke, including about
half of all men, and 740 million Chinese are
Anniversary of first Everest climb marked as industry frets
By Binaj Gurubacharya
Rohingya expert says corpses washing ashore in Myanmar
The Associated Press
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — An advocacy group says dozens of decomposed
corpses washed ashore last month in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine.
Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, which has been monitoring activities in the
isolated, northern tip of Rakhine for more than a decade, said 47 bodies washed
up on beaches between May 12 and 24. Some were believed to be Rohingya
Muslims trying to escape trafficking ships parked off the western coast, while
many more were Bangladeshi. Lewa believes most victims drowned while trying
to swim to shore.
ATHMANDU, Nepal — Everest Day,
the anniversary of the conquest of the
world’s tallest peak 62 years ago, was
marked quietly by officials, people in the
mountaineering business, and a few climbers,
little more than a month after an
earthquake-triggered avalanche swept base
camp and killed 19 people.
The low-key gathering in Kathmandu, the
capital, reflects worry over mountaineering in
Nepal, a vital source of income for guides and
the nation’s economy. The April 25
earthquake, which killed more than 8,000
people across the Himalayan country, cut the
spring climbing season short. The 2014 spring
climbing season also ended early, after an
avalanche killed 16 Sherpa guides.
2026 FIFA World Cup bidding postponed amid turmoil
SAMARA, Russia (AP) — The Fédération Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA) has suspended the 2026 World Cup bidding process amid a
widening corruption scandal implicating previous bid contests. FIFA secretary
general Jerome Valcke says it would be “nonsense” to begin the process now.
FIFA planned to write to its 209 member federations to explain the bidding
timetable and rules. The 2026 host is expected to be chosen by the 209 members
at their May 2017 meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Potential bidders
include the United States, Mexico, Canada, and countries from Europe. Valcke
spoke at a news conference with Russian organizers of the 2018 World Cup and
defended his role in alleged bribes paid by South Africa during the 2010 bidding
contest.
Drone is latest weapon against cheating in school exam
BEIJING (AP) — The latest weapon in the fight against cheating for China’s
all-important college entrance exam is a six-propeller drone. The contraption
flew over two testing centers in Luoyang city in central China’s Henan province
to scan for any unusual signals being sent to devices smuggled by students
taking the annual test. No such signals were detected on the first day of the test,
a Henan province news website said. Almost all Chinese high school graduates
must take the test, and their scores are the key criterion for which tier of
university they can enter. An official from Luoyang’s Radio Supervision and
Regulation Bureau said the drone cost hundreds of thousands of yuan (tens of
thousands of dollars) and was as big as a gas station pump when extended. The
official gave only his surname, Lan. More than 9 million high school students
took the test. Pressure is immense and many students spend months cramming
for the exam. Parents travel to the cities where the tests are administered and
stay with their children during the exam, which can last two or three days.
Those who fail can repeat a year or try to find a low-paying, blue-collar job.
Cheating is common given the high stakes, and methods include selling
supposed answers, hiring surrogate test-takers, and using wireless equipment
to communicate during the test. The Education Ministry said it had arrested 23
people since late May over attempts to arrange cheating. Students caught
cheating can be barred from taking the test for up to three years.
exposed to secondhand smoke. The group says
lung cancer kills more than 1.3 million people
in the country each year, one-third of the
global total.
Bans have been imposed in other parts of the
country and cigarette sales to minors are
technically forbidden, although enforcement is
spotty at best.
Low taxes keep the price of cheaper brands
at as little as $1 per pack and smoking rates
appear to be rising, especially among the
young.
According to the official Xinhua News
Agency, more than 50.99 million cartons of
cigarettes were sold in China last year, an
increase of 37 percent over the previous year.
K
New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his
Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay climbed the
29,035-foot mountain on May 29, 1953.
Each year, thousands of foreigners attempt
to conquer the country’s soaring peaks.
Sherpas can earn up to $7,000 after a
successful summit bid, while those who work
at Everest base camp can receive half that
amount — huge sums in a nation where the
annual per capita income is around $700.
Both avalanches hit Everest right at the
beginning of climbing season, when
expeditions had gathered at the base camp and
were preparing their summit assaults, which
typically take place in May.
After last year’s avalanche, which hit April
18, the surviving Sherpas refused to work,
resulting in the cancellation of the season.
This year, the Sherpas refused to rebuild the
Continued on page 7
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77.78
4070.1
6.2084
2.0768
7.7532
64.06
13335
28690
123.7
8120.5
3.761
102.35
101.75
2.7285
45.407
55.075
3.7504
1.3483
1114.6
134.09
31.076
33.726
21800