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Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC March 7, 2016 Chinese airliner forced to land after rat found on board BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese airliner returned to an airport shortly after takeoff because a rat was discovered in the cabin. The rodent was found shortly after a Loong Air flight from the eastern city of Hangzhou left for the southwestern resort city of Xishuangbanna. It wasn’t clear how the rat gained access to the plane, although the official Xinhua News Agency said it wasn’t brought on board as a pet and may have arrived with the meal service. Xinhua said the plane was fumigated and disinfected after landing, but gave no word on the fate of the rat. Along with worrying passengers, rats can damage a plane’s electrical and other systems by chewing through wires. Long-lost Caravaggio painting makes public debut TOKYO (AP) — A long-lost painting by Italian master Caravaggio is being shown to the public for the first time at an exhibit in Tokyo. “Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy” was found in a private collection in 2014 and identified as an original by Caravaggio specialist Mina Gregori, an Italian art historian. The 1606 work was previously known only through copies made by followers of the artist. The painting is one of 11 Caravaggio works in the show, “Caravaggio and His Time: Friends, Rivals, and Enemies,” which is on view at the National Museum of Western Art through June 12. It also includes 40 paintings by other artists who were influenced by him. Caravaggio, who died in 1610, was an innovative painter widely viewed as one of the founders of Baroque art. His work influenced many other 17th-century artists. N. Korea tells people to work harder in loyalty campaign PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea is urging its people to hun- ker down and work harder with a “70-day campaign of loyalty” before a major meeting of its ruling Workers’ Party in May. Red placards went up around the capital to start the campaign. Thousands of Pyongyang residents went to Kim Il Sung Square to show their commitment. While the U.N. Security Council is closer to putting new sanctions on North Korea for its recent nuclear test and satellite launch, the North’s government has focused internally on a traditional socialist struggle to produce more in the workplace and demonstrate loyalty. China to make permanent residency easier for foreigners BEIJING (AP) — China plans to make it easier for foreigners to live and work in the country under new rules for obtaining permanent residency. Guidelines issued by China’s cabinet aim to expand the categories of foreigners in China eligible to obtain the Chinese equivalent of a U.S. green card. Procedures will also be simplified and restrictions relaxed on foreign students seeking jobs in the country. The changes come as China’s economy is slowing and once-robust interest among foreign investors is falling. More than 7,000 foreigners have obtained permanent residency since the policy was adopted in 2004, a small fraction of the roughly 600,000 living in China. Many of those received the status as a reward for meritorious service to China’s economy, the arts, and sciences. Dutch tourist says he’s lucky to survive Nepal tiger attack KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Dutch tourist who survived a tiger attack in the jungles of southwestern Nepal by climbing a tree said he’s lucky to be alive and will now have a story to tell. Gerard Van Laar said he was attacked by the tiger when he and his Nepalese guide were hiking in Bardia National Park. “I was super lucky to be alive. I would have been dead if it had not been for Krishna (the guide),” Laar said by phone from Bardia, about 250 miles southwest of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. He was able to escape by climbing a tree, but his guide was attacked and slightly injured as he ran away to draw the attention of the tiger. Actor stabbed to death with sword at rehearsal TOKYO (AP) — An actor was fatally stabbed with a samurai sword while rehearsing a play at a Tokyo studio. Police were investigating whether the death was criminal or accidental. Media reports indicated several actors were performing an action scene when the man was stabbed. Apparently no one saw what exactly happened. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that the other actors saw Daigo Kashino hunched over, wounded in the abdomen, when they turned around after hearing him groan. Kashino, 33, was an actor with the theater group in downtown Tokyo. He was rushed to a hospital but died hours later, police said. Police didn’t describe the sword or if it might have had safety features to prevent injury. Vietnam suspends guards after inmate becomes pregnant HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Four prison guards in northern Vietnam have been suspended for alleged negligence after a female inmate, on death row for drug trafficking, became pregnant, which means her death sentence will be com- muted to life in prison once her child is born, according to state media reports. The Thanh Nien newspaper said Nguyen Thi Hue, 42, was arrested in 2012 for drug trafficking and sentenced to death in 2014. A court rejected her appeal the same year. The paper reported that while in prison Hue paid $2,300 to a male inmate to help her get pregnant. It said the 27-year-old male inmate twice put his sperm in a plastic bag with a syringe in a mutually agreed place and Hue inseminated herself. She became pregnant and is expected to give birth in about two months. Under Vietnamese law, Hue will have her death sentence commuted to life imprisonment for having a child under three years of age. In 2007, two prison guards in the northern province of Hoa Binh were sentenced for up to five years in prison for abuse of power for allowing a female inmate to get pregnant with a male inmate. HAZARDOUS HABIT. An Indian family takes a selfie on Mumbai’s coastline. India is home to the highest number of people who have died while taking photos of themselves, with 19 of the world’s 49 recorded selfie-linked deaths since 2014, according to San Francisco-based data-service provider Priceonomics. The statistic may in part be due to India’s sheer size, with 1.25 billion citizens and one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Mumbai sets no-selfie zones as deaths linked to selfies rise By Rishabh R. Jain and Manish Mehta The Associated Press UMBAI, India — Look around in any major Indian city, and you will find someone with an arm out- stretched, mobile phone in hand, smiling widely and clicking away. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embraced the medium, posting pictures online he’s snapped with various world leaders. But the pursuit of the most epic selfie can have lethal consequences. India is home to the highest number of people who have died while taking photos of themselves, with 19 of the world’s 49 recorded selfie-linked deaths since 2014, according to San Francisco-based data-service provider Priceonomics. The statistic may in part be due to India’s sheer size, with 1.25 billion citizens and one of the world’s fastest-growing smart- phone markets. Alarmed by the trend, Mumbai has declared 16 no-selfie zones across the city, as authori- ties warn people against taking unnecessary risks. In early February, an 18-year-old college student on a class picnic lost his balance while taking a selfie atop a rock near a dam near the central Indian city of Nashik. He fell into the water and drowned, along with a classmate who jumped in to try and save him. In January, an 18-year-old woman fell and drowned in the sea while taking a photo of herself at Mumbai’s Bandstand Fort, a popular tourist spot. An engineering student sustained fatal head injuries when a rock he was standing on cracked and sent him tumbling. He’d been M trying to take a selfie with friends in front of the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu. And in January 2014, three students between the ages of 20 and 22 died when they stopped to take a photo with a speeding train approaching, and were hit. They’d been on their way to visit the Taj Mahal. In Mumbai, police have declared selfies off-limits in areas perceived as risky — particularly along the coastline in spots with no railings or barriers. Anyone venturing into off-limits areas, even if they take no photos, risks being slapped with a fine of 1,200 rupees (about $18). After the woman’s death, the city’s police conducted a survey to identify such dangerous places, police official Dhananjay Kulkarni said. The city also plans to run an awareness campaign. Despite clearly marked signs demarking the selfie-free zones, people can still be seen clicking away, and often going to the edges or standing on ledges to get the most thrilling shots. “When you are travelling alone, and do not have anyone to take your pictures, then it’s only selfie,” said Murtuza Rangwala, a student in Mumbai. Mumbai psychologist Keerti Sachdeva said she doesn’t expect the constant pursuit of selfies to end any time soon, saying one proba- ble reason is the need for acceptance and love. “You know people have this sort of feeling in adolescent age, especially that they need to get this acceptance from everyone, that I am a smart person, I am a good-looking person,” Sachdeva said. “So for acceptance and recogni- tion, they are indulging in taking of selfies.” Jain reported from New Delhi. FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry Call (503) 501-5719 or visit https://reachcdc.org Portland Housing Bureau Interpretation services available BUY YOUR TICKET! THE ASIAN REPORTER FOUNDATION’S 18TH ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP & AWARDS BANQUET WILL BE HELD THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016. To order your ticket, call (503) 283-0595 or visit <www.ARFoundation.net>. Asian Currency Exchange Rates Units per U.S. dollar as of 3/04 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 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 78.425 4042.1 6.5202 2.1075 7.766 67.095 13132 30191 113.83 8130.5 4.1123 107.46 104.77 3.0628 46.928 72.87 3.751 1.3829 1203.3 144.75 32.959 35.435 22290