ASIA / PACIFIC
July 2, 2018
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
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MONEY MEAL. Rupee currency notes valued at 2000 are seen in Jammu, India in this file photo. Police say
at least one rat slipped through a hole in the back of an ATM in northeastern India and ate more than $19,000 in
currency. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)
Rats enjoy $19,000 meal in India
By Wasbir Hussain
The Associated Press
G
AUHATI, India — It was a cash
machine heist with a difference:
The attackers were hungry
rodents.
At least one rat slipped through a hole in
the back of an ATM in northeastern India
and started eating. By the time it was
finished, police say more than $19,000 in
bills were shredded.
When technicians arrived June 11 to fix
a broken State Bank of India cash machine
in the town of Tinsukia, they found a dead
rat inside it and Indian currency notes
worth nearly 1.3 million rupees, or a little
over $19,000, chewed to shreds. The rat
had entered the ATM through a small hole
for cables, police superintendent Mugdha
Jyoti Mahanta said. The notes were in 500-
rupee and 2,000-rupee denominations.
The ATM had been broken since May 20,
officials said.
A State Bank of India official said the
cash machine was overseen by another
company.
“We are surprised at what has hap-
pened. An investigation has been ordered,”
said the official, Bimal Debroy.
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All aboard Hello Kitty: Pink bullet train debuts in Japan
TOKYO (AP) — A Hello Kitty-themed
shinkansen bullet train has debuted in
Japan. Adorned with the cartoon icon
inside and out, it’s a dream ride for fans of
the internationally popular character.
A special shinkansen took its inaugural
round trip between Osaka and Fukuoka,
connecting Japan’s west and south. It will
run through September.
The stylish, eight-car train is painted
pink and white, showcasing Hello Kitty
images and trademark ribbons from
flooring to seat covers and windows.
In one car, a life-size Hello Kitty doll
donning a train crew uniform and a hat —
decorated with a pink bow, of course —
greets passengers, offering a chance for
selfies.
Hours later in Osaka at the train’s final
stop, hundreds of fans waited for the
arrival of the first Hello Kitty shinkansen,
cheering and taking photos during its
16-minute stopover before it headed back
to Fukuoka, according to Japanese media
reports.
Hello Kitty, created in 1974 by the
Japanese company Sanrio Co., is a global
icon with fans of all ages.
After more than 40 years in the market,
the round-faced feline with no mouth is
still seen everywhere, on stationery and
towels to jewelry and even furniture.
Rocket developed by Japan
startup in flames after liftoff
TOKYO (AP) — A rocket
developed by a Japanese
startup company burst into
flames seconds after a
failed liftoff in northern
Japan.
The MOMO-2 rocket,
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U.N. refugee
agency: Record
68.5 million
displaced
Continued from page 2
displaced
people
has
utterly collapsed. Rich
countries are building
walls against families
fleeing war, at the same
time as less money is
available for aid to people
in conflict areas,” Egeland
said. He said leaders in
many
countries
are
invoking border closures in
Europe to carry out their
own exclusion policies.
“We have to end this race
to the bottom, and rather
let us be inspired by gener-
ous recipient countries like
Uganda, where vulnerable
refugees
are
being
protected,” he said.
developed by Interstellar
Technologies,
was
launched in Taiki town on
Hokkaido,
Japan’s
northernmost main island.
It was supposed to reach as
high as 62 miles into space.
Television
footage
showed the 33-foot pencil
rocket lifted only slightly
from its launch pad before
dropping to the ground,
disappearing in a fireball.
Footage on NHK public
television
showed
a
charred rocket lying on the
ground.
The incident caused no
injuries.
Interstellar
Technolo-
gies president Takahiro
Inagawa said he believes
the rocket suffered a glitch
in its main engine.
He apologized for the
failure and said his team
would collect the debris to
analyze the problem and
improve the rocket.
The failure was the
second after the rocket’s
first launch last July.
The project was started
Continued on page 9
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