Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC May 7, 2018 India eyes three sports events, including 2032 Olympics NEW DELHI (AP) — The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) says it is planning to bid for three major sporting events — the 2026 Youth Olympics, the 2030 Asian Games, and the 2032 Summer Olympics. The bidding process for the 2026 Youth Olympics is likely to start in 2020. Thailand has also expressed interest in hosting the event. Addressing a press conference with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, IOA president Narindra Batra said he expects fierce competition from other bidders. Bach said India has the capability to host big events but advised it to wait for the bidding process to start. He said no procedure is currently open for the 2032 Olympic Games or for 2026 Youth Olympics. Propaganda loudspeakers removed at Korean border SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has removed propaganda-broad- casting loudspeakers from the border with North Korea. The announcement to remove them came three days after the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to work together to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and end hostile acts against each other along their border during their rare summit talks last month. South Korea had turned off its loudspeakers ahead of the summit talks, and North Korea responded by halting its own broadcasts. Seoul had blasted propaganda messages and K-pop songs from border loudspeakers since the North’s fourth nuclear test in early 2016. The North quickly matched the South’s action with its own border broadcasts. HISTORIC MEETING. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, cross the border line at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on Friday, April 27, 2018. North Korean leader Kim made history by crossing over the world’s most heavily armed border to greet President Moon for a summit along their shared border. (Korea Summit Press Pool via AP) Summit offers South Koreans rare insight into Kim Jong Un Census finds increase in Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphins By Hyung-Jin Kim PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s government and a major conservation group say the number of critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins along a stretch of the Mekong River has increased for the first time in 20 years, but the animals still face serious threats. A joint statement issued by the World Wide Fund for Nature and Cambodia’s Fishery Administration says a 2017 census pegged the freshwater dolphins’ population along a 118-mile stretch of river from Kratie in Cambodia to Khone Falls in Laos at 92, a 15 percent increase over an estimate made in 2015. The country director of WWF- Cambodia warned that the dolphins still face many threats to their existence, including illegal fishing methods, increasing boat traffic, and ongoing dam projects. The Associated Press HRW: “Men only” job ads show ongoing discrimination BEIJING (AP) — A human-rights group says gender discrimination is widespread in the Chinese workforce, with many hiring advertisements openly calling only for male applicants and using the attractiveness of female co-workers as a draw. Human Rights Watch (HRW) released the report after looking at more than 36,000 job advertisements posted between 2013 and 2018 from recruiters, companies, and the government. China bans discrimination in both hiring and job advertising, but enforcement is weak. Government departments are among the offenders, according to the report, with 55 percent of jobs advertised by the Ministry of Public Security last year specifying “men only.” These practices widen gaps in both female work participation and pay, according to official data. Afghanistan rolls out electronic ID cards KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan is rolling out long-delayed electronic ID cards as a measure President Ashraf Ghani insists is “important to help fight terrorist attacks.” Ghani and some senior officials were the first to receive their cards in Kabul. Last December, the Afghan parliament approved Ghani’s decree on the ID card, which unlike its simple predecessors made of paper, has a chip that will be tied to the country’s electronic database. Militants have often used fake ID cards to pass through security checkpoints and enter big urban centers to stage attacks. But some in the government of chief executive Abdullah Abdullah have voiced opposition to the cards because they denote a person’s ethnicity and religion — and as such could be used to discriminate against ethnic Hazaras and other minorities. Pakistan sentences man in first conviction over child porn LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani court in the eastern city of Sargodha has sentenced a man to seven years in prison for working for a child pornography network, the first such conviction in the Islamic nation. District police chief Suhail Chaudhry highlighted the court’s ruling against Sadat Amin, who was arrested earlier in April by the Federal Investigation Agency — Pakistan’s version of the FBI — following a complaint from the Norwegian government. The police chief said the investigation proved Amin produced and sold porn videos of children to a Norway-based network. During the trial, prosecutors said Amin confessed to luring children to produce porn videos. Pakistan recently introduced laws giving authorities power to crack down on the porn industry. Nepal airport reopened after plane skidded off runway KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s only international airport reopened last month after a passenger plane attempting to take off skidded off the runway, forcing a halt to all flights. Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu said no one was injured when the Boeing 737 operated by Malindo Air skidded into the grassy area at the end of the runway. All flights were cancelled and thousands of passengers waited outside the terminal while authorities worked to pull out the plane. It was finally towed safely to the hanger area, allowing the airport to resume flights at about midday. G OYANG, South Korea — A day after the leaders of the two Koreas met for a summit along their shared border, the emotional, memorable, even funny scenes from their time together were both a bitter reminder of the countries’ seven decades of division and an insight into the mysterious character of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A look at some of the scenes that South Koreans were talking about amid the afterglow of one of the most unusual moments in recent inter-Korean history include: Kim crossing the border Kim became the first North Korean leader to set foot onto South Korean land since the 1950-1953 Korean War when he stepped into the southern side of the border village of Panmunjom to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The image that lingers is of Kim stepping across the ankle-high concrete slab that forms the military demarcation line at Panmunjom and shaking hands with Moon, both leaders broadly smiling. Kim then took Moon’s hand and led him back across the borderline into the North, where they posed for a ceremonial photo together before returning to the South. Moon, whose parents were refugees from North Korea during the war, visited the North’s Diamond Mountain resort in 2004 to meet his aunt during a temporary reunion between war-separated families. Kim short of breath After their meeting at the borderline, Kim and Moon moved to a small plaza to inspect an honor guard before walking together for a couple of minutes to the Peace House, the venue for the summit. Despite the relative short bout of exercise, live television footage showed that an obese Kim was panting heavily through his mouth, his shoulders heaving a bit, as he signed a guestbook. South Korean media quickly speculated that Kim, 34, is about 5’8” tall and weighs 287 pounds, and likely suffers from diabetes, high-blood pressure, and hyperlipidemia. In 2014, Kim disappeared from the public eye for about five weeks, triggering a frenzy of speculation about his health. When he resumed his public activities, he walked with a cane. Kim’s father and grandfather both died of heart ailments. Kim’s security When Kim returned to the northern side of Panmunjom in a black Mercedes limousine for lunch after a morning meeting with Moon, a dozen bodyguards, all wearing black suits and blue ties, surrounded the vehicle and jogged beside it as it made its way to the North. The men — all tall, their hair cropped short — are likely from the North’s secret service. Later in the day, as Kim returned to the South, the car moved at a faster speed and the Continued on page 4 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 READ ABOUT THE ASIAN REPORTER FOUNDATION’S 2018 AWARD RECIPIENTS! Our special banquet issue recognizing the efforts and accomplishments of area Asian Americans will be available online May 21, 2018 at . Asian Currency Exchange Rates Units per U.S. dollar as of 5/04 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 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 83.035 4045.0 6.3627 2.075 7.8494 66.87 13945 42025 109.12 8318.5 3.9395 106.96 115.77 3.252 51.714 62.457 3.7503 1.3341 1077.2 157.72 29.715 31.762 22966