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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2019)
Page 2 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC December 2, 2019 Pakistani man killed journalist wife for not quitting job LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — An international trade association says a Pakistani female journalist was shot and killed by her husband in the eastern city of Lahore after he demanded she quit her job. In a statement, the International Federation of Journalists urged Pakistan to conduct a probe into the murder of Urooj Iqbal, who was a reporter at a local newspaper. It says Iqbal was killed by Dilawar Ali on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Iqbal’s family says she had alerted police that her husband was harassing her, but no action was taken. Police have arrested Ali and charged him with murder. Pakistani women often face harassment at the workplace, but many offenders escape punishment as victims don’t report such incidents to avoid further social stigma. Tibetans say the Dalai Lama should choose his successor DHARMSALA, India (AP) — More than 150 Tibetan religious leaders say their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, should have the sole authority to choose his successor. A resolution adopted by the leaders at a conference says the Tibetan people will not recognize a candidate chosen by the Chinese government for political ends. The spat over the Dalai Lama’s successor — and its implications for who will lead Tibetan Buddhism — is one of the biggest points of contention in the long-running feud between the exiled spiritual leader and Beijing. The 84-year-old Dalai Lama fled to India during a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. He has been living in Dharmsala in northern India. The Dalai Lama’s successor is traditionally located by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions. Huawei sells folding smartphone with no Google after ban BEIJING (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei is selling a folding smartphone without Google apps or U.S.-made processor chips following sanctions imposed by Washington. The Mate X went on sale on Huawei’s online store in China priced at 16,999 yuan ($2,422) and competes with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold which launched in September. Huawei Technologies Ltd. is scrambling to preserve its business following U.S. controls imposed in May on sales of American components and technology to the company, which Washington says is a security risk. The Mate X uses Huawei’s Kirin 980 and Balong 5000 chipset and Chinese alternatives to Google music, maps, and other services. Huawei has yet to announce plans for sales outside China. 22 farmers arrested in India for causing air pollution LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A government official says 22 farmers in northern India have been arrested for burning stubbles and causing some of the worst air pollution in the country. Spokesman Awanish Awasthi says those arrested in Uttar Pradesh state’s Pilibhit district face charges of disobeying a ban on stubble burning and making the atmosphere noxious. India’s Supreme Court ordered a fine of up to 100,000 rupees ($1,420) for those polluting air. Air pollution in northern India peaks in the winter due to smoke from agricultural fires. The smoke mixes with vehicle emissions and construction dust. The air quality index in New Delhi exceeded 500, about 10 times the recommended maximum, but strong winds ended up bringing the level down to 250. Malaysian court frees Australian grandmother in drug case PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s top appeals court has acquitted an Australian grandmother who faced the death penalty in a drug case, her lawyer said. Defense lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Australian national Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was immediately taken into immigration custody because her visa had expired. Exposto was first exonerated by the High Court in 2017 on grounds that she didn’t know there were 3.3 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in her bag when she was arrested in December 2014 at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport. But the appeals court last year overturned the court’s acquittal. Her lawyer said he is now applying for her release and will fight plans to deport her. Her defense lawyers said that Exposto, a 54-year-old mother of four from Sydney and also a grandmother, was the victim of an internet romance scam. Exposto has said that she went to Shanghai to meet a U.S. serviceman with whom she had an online romance and had been asked to carry a bag full of clothes. She said she was unaware that the bag also contained drugs. Exposto arrived from Shanghai and was to catch a connecting flight to the Australian city of Melbourne when she was detained in Malaysia. Malaysia has a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of carrying more than 50 grams of a prohibited drug. Three Australians have been hanged for drug offenses in Malaysia since 1986. RARE RHINO. Sabah deputy chief minister Christina Liew, left, looks at rhino “Iman” in Sabah state, in this August 18, 2019 file photo. The Sumatran rhinoceros has become extinct in Malaysia after the last of the species in the country suc- cumbed to cancer. The Wildlife Department in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island says the rhino died of natural causes due to shock in her system. (Sabah Deputy Chief Minister’s Office via AP, File) Sumatran rhino is extinct in Malaysia as lone survivor dies KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Sumatran rhinoceros has become extinct in Malaysia, after the last of the species in the country succumbed to cancer. The Wildlife Department in eastern Sabah state on Borneo island said the rhino, named Iman, died of natural causes due to shock in her system. She’d had uterine tumors since her capture in March 2014. Department director Augustine Tuuga said in a statement that Iman, who reportedly was 25 years old, was suffering significant pain from growing pressure of the tumors to her bladder but that her death came sooner than expected. It came six months after the death of the country’s only male rhino in Sabah. Another female rhino also died in captivity in 2017 in the state. Efforts to breed them have been futile but Sabah authorities have harvested their cells for possible reproduction. “Despite us knowing that this would happen sooner rather than later, we are so very saddened by this news,” said Sabah deputy chief minister Christina Liew, who is also environment minister. Liew said Iman had escaped death several times over the past few years due to sudden massive blood loss, but that wildlife officials managed to nurse her back to health and obtained her egg cells for a possible collaboration with Indonesia to reproduce the critically endangered species through artificial insemination. PORTLAND’S LEADER IN NATURAL BURIAL & AQUA CREMATION Cambodian leader sings praises of U.S. after Trump letter PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sun has signalled he would welcome better relations with the United States after a conciliatory letter from President Donald Trump and a meeting with Washington’s new envoy. Hun Sen posted on his Facebook page a summary of the November 1 letter from Trump, along with an account of how he told ambassador Patrick Murphy of Cambodia’s goodwill toward the United States. Washington has long been critical of Hun Sen’s poor record on human rights and democracy. Trump’s letter assured Hun Sen that the United States does not seek regime change but counselled that he should “put Cambodia back on the path of democratic governance.” He suggested reevaluating decisions that could threaten Cambodia’s “long-term sovereignty, stability, and economic develop- ment.” Please call us for a complimentary pre-planning guide River View Cemetery (503) 246-4251 River View Cemetery Funeral Home (503) 246-6488 - 24 hours 8421 S.W. Macadam Avenue Portland, OR 97219 www.riverviewcemetery.org www.riverviewcemeteryfuneralhome.com The Sumatran rhino, the smallest of five rhinoceros species, once roamed across Asia as far as India, but its numbers have shrunk drastically due to deforestation and poaching. The WWF conservation group estimates that there are only about 80 left, mostly living in the wild in Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. The International Union for the Conserva- tion of Nature (IUCN) identifies the Sumatran as well as the Black and Javan rhinoceros as being critically endangered. Both African and Sumatran rhinoceros have two horns, while the others have a single horn. Only about 24,500 rhinos survive in the wild with another 1,250 in captivity worldwide, the IUCN says. Of these, more than two-thirds are white rhinos. Rhinos are killed for their horns, which consist of keratin similar to human hair and nails and are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia. q Taiwanese-Canadian model- actor Godfrey Gao dies on set HONG KONG (AP) — Taiwanese-Canadian model-actor Godfrey Gao has died after suffering an apparent heart attack while on set in China. Gao was filming a sports reality show in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo when he died. His agency, JetStar Entertainment, confirmed his death on its official Facebook page. Continued on page 5 Asian Currency Exchange Rates Units per U.S. dollar as of 11/29 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 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 84.89 4055.0 7.0308 2.151 7.8268 71.746 14090 42025 109.46 8858.5 4.175 115.41 155.05 3.4 50.85 64.251 3.7498 1.3674 1181.1 180.77 30.515 30.22 23314