Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
December 7, 2015
China gloats over Obama’s turkey named Abe — not Ah-bey
BEIJING (AP) — President Barack Obama’s pardoning of a turkey named
“Abe” this Thanksgiving led some Chinese to gloat at the Japanese prime
minister’s expense. As part of a peculiar annual tradition at the White House,
Obama granted amnesty from the dinner table to two turkeys named “Honest”
and “Abe” — from the nickname for former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
But a translation glitch in Chinese media replaced the character for “Abe” with
the surname of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pronounced “Ah-bey”).
Several commenters on Chinese social media focused on comparing the prime
minister to an animal. Many Chinese harbor animosity toward Japan because of
its occupation of much of China during World War II. The faulty translation of
Abe was published by state-run China Radio International and picked up by
other outlets.
South Korea considers opt out for child monitoring app
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is deciding whether it will allow
parents to opt out of installing a monitoring app on their children’s
smartphones. Korea Communications Commission chairman Choi Sungjoon
said parliament is considering the issue. Enacted in April, the law requires
mobile companies and parents to install one of about a dozen apps that filter
objectionable material when people 18 years old or younger purchase a
smartphone. Critics say the law legalized surveillance of children and
jeopardized privacy. The commission faced heavy criticism when government-
sponsored Smart Sheriff, the most popular of the apps, was revealed to have
serious security flaws.
New analysis backs search area for Flight 370
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities have said new analysis
confirms they’ve likely been searching in the right place for a missing Malaysian
airliner. Searchers have been combing a 46,000-square-mile part of the Indian
Ocean since last year but have yet to turn up any trace of Flight 370. A wing flap
was found in July washed up on remote Reunion Island. New analysis by an
agency of the Defence Department confirmed “the highest probability” the final
resting place for the plane is within the current search area, the government
said in a statement. Warren Truss, Australia’s deputy prime minister, said the
new analysis pointed to the aircraft most likely coming to rest in the southern
part of the current search area, so searchers would focus on that location and
slightly widen the boundaries of the search area. The Boeing 777 vanished with
239 people aboard on March 8, 2014 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to
Beijing. Authorities are baffled by how and why it disappeared. The current
seabed search more than 1,100 miles southwest of Australia began in October
last year. Ships using side-scan sonar and an underwater drone fitted with a
video camera have so far scoured more than 27,000 square miles of rugged
terrain. The search area is based on analysis of scant satellite information that
tracked the final hours of Flight 370.
China tries to register estimated 13 million not documented
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities are trying to register an estimated 13
million people who are without documents, most of whom were babies born in
violation of the country’s strict family-size rules. China announced it would
loosen family-planning restrictions to allow all couples to have two children,
instead of one. The registration campaign described in a statement from the
Public Security Ministry was reported by Chinese news media. A national law
says all newborns must be registered, but many Chinese regions require local
officials to withhold registration documents for children born in violation of
one-child rules until their parents pay fines to family planning officials. The
ministry said it is seeking input on how to deal with the estimated 13 million
who are undocumented. It remains unclear whether any amnesty from fines will
be considered. Without registration documentation, a Chinese person has no
access to public education, subsidized healthcare, and employment that offers
proper benefits.
LEVITY FOR UNITY. In this November 25, 1996 file photo (L-R), Koo Chen-fu of Taiwan, Thai Prime Minister
Banharn Silpa-archa, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton wear traditional barong tagalog from the Philippines while
doing the “wave” during a group photo outside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Subic Bay, the
Philippines. APEC summits, which draw the U.S. president and other heads of state, are sometimes memorable for just
one moment: leaders posing for a group photo in unexpected attire. The tradition, started by Clinton in 1993 when he
handed out leather bomber jackets similar to those worn by American fighter pilots, was apparently to let his fellow VIPs
feel relaxed amid the formalities of their meetings. (AP Photo/David Longstreath, File)
Shirt photos offer sometimes
awkward moments of APEC unity
elegant silken tunics in which several of the
leaders were visibly ill at ease — in 2006.
The tradition had a three-year hiatus — in
Yokohama, Japan in 2010, Hawaii in 2011,
and Vladivostok, Russia in 2012 — when the
leaders donned regular western business
attire.
Then Indonesia and China revived the
native costume photo op at the last two APEC
summits.
The barong tagalog of the Philippines — a
partially see-through, embroidered shirt sewn
from pineapple fiber and silk that was used at
the 1996 summit — received a re-run when
Manila hosted APEC in November.
Local designer Paul Cabral took months to
craft the shirts for the leaders and their
spouses, using different hand-embroidered
themes.
It was bamboo and leaves for Chinese
President Xi Jinping, a Sarawak shield design
for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak,
and cherry blossoms for Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe’s wife, Akie.
By Teresa Cerojano
The Associated Press
M
ANILA, The Philippines — The
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summits, which draw the
U.S. president and 20 other regional leaders,
are sometimes memorable for just one
moment: the leaders posing for a group photo
in unexpected attire.
Former President Bill Clinton started the
tradition in 1993, when he handed out leather
bomber jackets similar to those worn by
American fighter pilots. The U.S. leader
apparently wanted his fellow VIPs to feel
relaxed at the meetings.
Dubbed the “silly shirts” photo by some, the
occasionally awkward ceremony became a
signature event at most annual APEC
gatherings, elevating native garb of the host
countries to a brief moment of world fame.
The 21 APEC leaders have posed together in
batik shirts (Malaysia in 1998), Chinese
jackets (Shanghai in 2001), flowing ponchos
(Chile in 2004), and in Vietnamese ao dai —
q
First Japanese rocket with commercial payload launched
TOKYO (AP) — The first Japanese rocket
with a commercial payload is heading into
space.
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries rocket
recently launched from the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency launch pad on the island
of Tanegashima, off Japan’s southernmost
main island of Kyushu.
It is carrying a broadcast and telecommu-
nications satellite for Canadian company
Telesat.
The launch, which was delayed for about 30
minutes because a boat entered a restricted
zone, took place November 24.
Asian Currency
Exchange Rates
PSY releases first album since smash hit “Gangnam Style”
Units per U.S. dollar as of 12/05
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean rapper PSY, who has released his
first album since becoming an international sensation more than three years
ago with the smash hit “Gangnam Style,” says the pressure to live up to that
success caused him to take his time with his latest project. “There were many
thoughts going around in my head, including thoughts like, ‘If I write like this, it
would be not as good as Gangnam Style,’ and ‘If I write like this, the
international audience will not understand,’ so it took me a very long time to
organize all those thoughts into one,” PSY said at a news conference in Seoul a
day before Chiljip PSY-Da debuted. Chiljip PSY-Da — which means “This Is
PSY’s Seventh Album” in Korean — comes about a year-and-a-half after the
release of his single “Gentleman.” It’s his first album since 2012, when
“Gangnam Style” swept the world with addictive music and dance moves and
made PSY a global superstar. “Gangnam Style,” featured on the album PSY 6,
recorded 2.46 billion views on YouTube, becoming the most-viewed YouTube
video ever. PSY’s new album includes songs of various genres, including dance
music, hip-hop, and punk. He said he tried to include many emotions, including
happiness, anger, sadness, joy, love, hatred, and greed, as he had done in his
past albums. “Because this is an album that retains my continued desire as a
lyric writer who wants to try things other than love songs in a movie-like way,
there are several genres,” he said.
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 · · ·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
79.025
4049.9
6.4027
2.1209
7.7501
66.688
13834
29980
123.11
8160.0
4.2242
103.26
105.27
2.9851
47.04
68.041
3.7523
1.3981
1156.5
143.25
32.697
35.77
22480