Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
January 1, 2018
Nut rage executive to avoid jail time
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Local media reports say the former Korean Air
executive whose onboard “nut rage” tantrum delayed a flight in 2014 will avoid
jail as South Korea’s top court upheld her suspended prison term. Yonhap news
agency said South Korea’s Supreme Court made the ruling on Cho Hyun-ah,
who is the daughter of the company’s chairman. The court couldn’t immediately
confirm the report, but previously said the ruling would be final and could not be
appealed. Cho achieved notoriety after she had an onboard tantrum after a first-
class flight attendant served her nuts in a bag instead of on a dish. Cho was the
head of the airline’s cabin service at the time. The plane was forced to return to
the gate at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
Toyota planning 10 purely electric vehicles by 2020s
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota plans to offer more than 10 purely electric vehicle (EV)
models in its lineup by the early 2020s, marking the Japanese automaker’s
commitment to that growing technology sector. Toyota Motor Corp. now offers
no purely electric vehicles, although it leads in hybrid models, which switch
between an electric motor and a gas engine. Executive vice president Shigeki
Terashi said Toyota’s EVs will be first offered in China, a nation that’s
encouraging electric vehicles with subsidies and other policies, and is expected
to drive massive growth in that technology. Terashi says Toyota’s EVs will also
later be offered in Japan, India, the U.S., and Europe. The company says that by
about 2025, every model it sells will have some kind of “electrified” version, such
as hybrid, electric, or fuel cell.
Nest of endangered giant softshell turtle found
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Conservationists have found a nest of the
endangered Asian giant softshell turtle on a sandbar along the Mekong River in
northeastern Cambodia, while 115 new species of various other animal and
plant life were discovered in the greater Mekong region by scientists. The New
York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said the nest of Asian giant
softshell turtles was found on the Mekong between Kratie and Stung Treng
provinces by conservationists from Cambodia’s fisheries administration, WCS,
and local communities. It said it was the first spotting of such a nest so far this
season. WCS said the area is the only remaining location in Cambodia where the
huge turtles still breed.
North Korea to retaliate over WannaCry ransomware
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says a U.S. accusation that it was
behind a major ransomware attack was a “grave political provocation” and
vowed to retaliate. Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert wrote in a Wall
Street Journal op-ed that North Korea will be held accountable for May’s
WannaCry ransomware attack that infected hundreds of thousands of
computers worldwide and crippled parts of Britain’s National Health Service. In
remarks carried by state media, the North’s Foreign Ministry repeated it had
nothing to do with the attack. It said it will never tolerate such “reckless” U.S.
claims but didn’t say how it would respond. It’s not unusual for Pyongyang to
issue harsh rhetoric against Washington and Seoul. The warning came amid
heightened animosities following the North’s test launch of its most powerful
missile. South Korea and U.S. officials have accused North Korea of launching a
slew of cyberattacks in recent years. Among them is a U.S. accusation that it
hacked Sony Pictures Entertainment over the movie The Interview, a satirical
film about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North
denies those accusations.
Popular South Korean band member dies
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The lead singer of popular South Korean boy
band SHINee has died, police said, in a possible suicide. Kim Jong-hyun, better
known by the stage name Jonghyun, was found unconscious at a residence hotel
in Seoul and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, Seoul police said.
Police said Kim’s sister told them the singer sent her text messages such as
“Final farewell” and “I’ve had difficulties” before his death. The Yonhap news
agency said authorities found burned coal briquettes, which produce carbon
monoxide, in a frying pan in Kim’s hotel room. Kim debuted in 2008 as the main
singer of SHINee then cultivated a career as both a group member and a solo
singer-song writer. His last public appearance was at a solo concert titled
“Inspired” on December 9 and 10 in Seoul, and he was scheduled to hold concerts
with SHINee members in Tokyo and Osaka in February, Yonhap said. South
Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among developed countries. A string of
high-profile figures, including a former president and business executives, have
killed themselves in recent years.
Conservation group says Japan aiding in illegal ivory trade
TOKYO (AP) — A conservation group says Japan’s lax controls over its
domestic stock of ivory are encouraging illegal exports to other countries and
undermining efforts to end trafficking in elephant tusks. A recently released
report compiled with support of the World Wildlife Fund says researchers found
antique dealers are buying a large number of elephant tusks that are not
registered as required by law. It said hundreds of ivory items are sold each year
by e-commerce sites, often to visitors from other Asian countries such as China.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora, or CITES, bans international trade in ivory in principle to protect
endangered African elephants. It has called for closing domestic ivory markets
in all member states.
PRECOCIOUS PANDA. Female giant panda cub Xiang Xiang eats bamboo during a press preview at the Ueno Zoo
in Tokyo. The six-month-old baby panda made a special appearance before Tokyo’s governor, a group of local schoolchil-
dren, and the media a day ahead of the official public debut. Xiang Xiang means fragrance in Chinese. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/
Pool Photo via AP)
Tokyo baby panda melts
hearts of fans in debut
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo’s new baby panda
debuted formally last month, immediately
melting the hearts of hundreds of lucky fans
who managed to obtain zoo tickets, many
wearing panda-themed clothes.
Xiang Xiang, which means fragrance in
Chinese, was born in June at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo
to its resident panda. The zoo and its
neighborhood have celebrated the female
panda’s healthy growth, especially after the
death of a days-old baby five years ago.
“Kawaii (cute)!” screamed many visitors,
their voices filling the panda house during the
two-and-a-half hour viewing session, as Xiang
Xiang crawled on the ground, followed its
mother Shin Shin, climbed a tree, and played
with bamboo branches. The visitors held up
smartphones trying to capture every antic of
the slow-moving baby panda during their less
than 10 minutes of viewing time.
Many visitors decorated themselves or their
children with panda motifs on hats, scarves,
and even shoes and jackets, or wore black-and-
white jackets. In and outside the zoo, panda
goods of all kinds were on sale, including cook-
ies, sweet buns, bread, and stuffed panda dolls.
Some shopkeepers wore panda costumes.
Only 2,000 people were allowed into the
panda house, with tickets distributed through
a lottery. Zoo officials said Xiang Xiang’s
public appearances will be limited for the time
being to minimize stress.
Rohingya refugees have only memories, saved on cellphones
KUTUPALONG, Bangla-
desh (AP) — For many
Rohingya now living in
refugee camps in Bangladesh,
all that remains of their old
lives in Myanmar are
memories captured in photos
and videos on their cell-
phones.
Since late August, more
than
630,000
Rohingya
Muslims
have
fled
to
Bangladesh to escape attacks
by Myanmar security forces.
Few refugees had a chance to
grab many of their belongings
when they fled the advancing
soldiers. But most took their
cellphones.
While so much of what they
ONLY IMAGES REMAIN. Mujibullah, 22, a Rohingya refugee, watches
a video, which he shot in Myanmar before crossing into Bangladesh, at Kutu-
palong refugee camp in Ukhiya, Bangladesh. For many Rohingya living in Ban-
gladesh refugee camps, all that remains of their old lives in Myanmar are mem-
ories captured in photos and videos on their cellphones. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
had is now gone — homes, the phones give them a link to
cattle, villages, everything — what they lost.
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Asian Currency
Exchange Rates
Units per U.S. dollar as of 12/29
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Cambodian Riel · ·
China Renminbi · ·
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Indonesian Rupiah ·
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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 · · ·
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82.754
4029.1
6.5068
2.0562
7.814
63.873
13555
36093
112.69
8317.2
4.0465
102.12
110.7
3.2464
49.85
57.689
3.7504
1.336
1067.4
153.5
29.733
32.574
22809