ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
May 15, 2017
Sandstorm blankets huge area
of China in dusty pollution
FOOLISH TOURIST. Komodo dragons bask near a ranger hut
on Rinca island, Indonesia, in this April 28, 2009 file photo. A Komodo
dragon recently bit an overly inquisitive tourist in Indonesia who ignored
warnings about getting too close to the enormous reptile while it was eat-
ing, a national park official said. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
Komodo dragon bites tourist
from Singapore in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Komodo dragon bit an
overly inquisitive tourist in Indonesia who ignored
warnings about getting too close to the enormous reptile
while it was eating, a national park official said.
The tourist from Singapore was bitten on his leg while
taking pictures of the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest
lizard, according to Sudiyono, the chief of the Komodo
National Park.
Sudiyono said the man was rescued by locals and
rushed to a hospital in Labuan Bajo on Flores Island, near
Komodo Island, for treatment.
Endangered Komodo dragons are found in the wild on
several eastern Indonesian islands. They can grow to 10
feet or more in length.
Attacks on humans are rare, but may increase as
Indonesia is promoting the Komodo National Park as a
tourist destination. In 2013, a guide and a park ranger
were attacked in separate incidents.
Experts say the Komodo dragon population in the wild
is less than 4,000, but stable.
q
Indonesia-made ship is newest
addition to Philippine navy
MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The Philippine navy
welcomed a second Indonesia-made amphibious landing
dock as part of the military’s modernization program.
The new ship, named BRP Davao del Sur, arrived at
Manila’s South Harbor to a ceremony led by Rear Adm.
Gaudencio Collado Jr., commander of the Philippine
Fleet. The delivery completes a 3.8-billion peso ($76
million) procurement of two such vessels from Indonesian
shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia, said navy spokesman
Capt. Lued Lincuna.
The new ship sailed from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-
largest city, with 120 Filipino sailors and a 10-man
Indonesian delivery crew.
BEIJING (AP) — A sandstorm in
early May blown by gusting winds
enveloped a huge area of central and
northern China in thick pollution
hazardous to people venturing out-
doors.
The Beijing Meteorological Obser-
vatory advised people to minimize
time spent outdoors amid murky
conditions.
Tens of millions of residents across
eight provinces and autonomous
regions and in municipal Beijing
were told to use masks or scarves
when outside to protect their eyes and
lungs. The low visibility prompted
warnings for drivers to slow down
and for airports to take precautions.
Beijing’s air quality index topped
800 in some areas, on a scale ranking
anything above 150 as unhealthy for
the general population.
The sandstorms began in areas
such as Inner Mongolia where over-
STRONG SANDSTORM. A woman covers her face with her hands from polluted air and a
sandstorm in Beijing. Authorities in Beijing recently issued a blue alert on air pollution as a sand-
storm swept through the Chinese capital city. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
grazing and deforestation have
increased desert areas. Strong winds
pick up loose dust and dirt, mixing
them with industrial pollution.
Grit from the storms can travel as
far as the western United States.
Macau to require facial scans at ATMs in Chinese casino hub
By Kelvin Chan
AP Business Writer
ONG KONG — Taking security to a new level,
Macau is stepping up security checks at
automated teller machines (ATMs) in the Asian
gambling hub by requiring facial scans and ID card
verification for cash withdrawals using China’s main
payment network.
The government said in a statement that the new
measures would eventually be rolled out to all ATMs in
the former Portuguese colony, especially those inside
casinos or nearby. It didn’t provide a specific timeframe.
The specially administered region, an hour by ferry
from Hong Kong, is the only place in China where casino
gambling is legal.
The measures apply to users of UnionPay bank cards
issued in mainland China, in a sign that authorities are
targeting mainland visitors. UnionPay is China’s
homegrown payment network rivalling the Visa and
MasterCard systems.
It’s the latest move by authorities in Macau and Beijing
as they try to stem the outflow of capital from the
mainland. Officials have already tightened up scrutiny of
junket operators, the middleman who act as an informal
banking channel by lending money to mainland visitors to
Macau and later collecting debts.
The announcement came ahead of a visit by Zhang
H
STEPPING UP SECURITY. A security guard stands in front of a
replica of the Eiffel Tower of Parisian Macao in Macau, China, in this file
photo. Macau is stepping up security checks at automated teller machines
in the Asian gambling hub by requiring facial scans and ID card verifica-
tion for people withdrawing cash using China’s main payment network.
(AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
Deijiang, the Chinese Communist Party official responsi-
ble for overseeing the city. Zhang, who arrived in Macau
for a three-day visit, said the city was facing a “significant
phase in its development.”
Macau is the world’s biggest gambling market and its
monthly casino revenues have expanded for nine straight
months after a two-year slump. The city’s casinos have
raked in $10.4 billion so far this year.
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Difficulty
EASY
level: Easy
#64879
# 25
Instructions: Fill in the grid so that the digits 1
through 9 appear one time each in every row, col-
umn, and 3x3 box.
Solution to
last issue’s
puzzle
Puzzle #46127 (Hard)
All solutions available at
<www.sudoku.com>.
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