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Japan Cracks Down on Use of Ridable Electric Suitcases

A passenger using an electric suitcase at Bangkok airport, Thailand. Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
A passenger using an electric suitcase at Bangkok airport, Thailand. Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
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Japan Cracks Down on Use of Ridable Electric Suitcases

A passenger using an electric suitcase at Bangkok airport, Thailand. Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
A passenger using an electric suitcase at Bangkok airport, Thailand. Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Two major Japanese airports have asked travelers not to ride motorized suitcases within their facilities, according to Kyodo news agency, while police are urging domestic retailers to warn customers of the strict laws concerning their use, Britain’s The Guardian reported.

In recent years motorized luggage, similar to children’s scooters but powered by lithium-ion batteries, have become more common among travelers, it said.

According to Kyodo, Japan currently classifies the electric suitcases as “motorized vehicles that can be ridden on roads only with the required safety equipment and a driving license.”

According to Takeru Shibayama, a senior scientist at the Vienna University of Technology’s Institute for Transportation, Japan’s broad range of vehicles – which fall under the category of motorized bicycles – may force the country to discuss “whether a new classification should be established” to deal with electric suitcases.

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Hundreds Living in Floodwater in Vietnam

A man rowing a boat through floodwaters in Ben Voi village on the outskirts of Hanoi on July 28. Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
A man rowing a boat through floodwaters in Ben Voi village on the outskirts of Hanoi on July 28. Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
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Hundreds Living in Floodwater in Vietnam

A man rowing a boat through floodwaters in Ben Voi village on the outskirts of Hanoi on July 28. Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
A man rowing a boat through floodwaters in Ben Voi village on the outskirts of Hanoi on July 28. Nhac NGUYEN / AFP

Hundreds of people are living submerged in floodwater in the suburbs of Hanoi, a week after torrential rains in northern Vietnam caused rivers to overflow their banks.
Residents of Ben Voi village -- around 40 kilometers (25 miles) from central Hanoi –- are traveling through the streets by boat and sleeping in homes partially inundated by muddy water.
"I cannot go anywhere, and neighbors are finding it difficult to come to my shop to buy things," Tran Thi Ly, who runs a convenience store from the ground floor of her home, told AFP on Sunday.
The 70-year-old waded through water almost knee-high as she tried to keep her food supplies dry, moving her instant noodles and soft drinks onto higher shelves.
All her furniture was sitting in the dirty water.
Since early July, flooding and landslides have killed at least 18 people in the country's northern mountainous areas.
Ben Voi village is a low-lying area prone to flooding after heavy rain, according to authorities.
It usually experiences two or three days of high water a year, particularly if Hoa Binh hydropower plant -- located in a neighboring province -- needs to discharge water.
When that happens, "the water level of the Red river and the Day river passing Hanoi will rise quickly... affecting communities lower down the river," a report in Saigon Giai Phong newspaper said.
But around 500 people in Ben Voi have been living in floods for a week now, with no signs of the water receding.
"We have been traveling by boat," said resident Hoang Van Su, adding that the floodwater in the village reached 1.5 meters (5 feet) in places.
"It's hard for us as we struggle to find a dry place to grind rice husks for our daily meal," the 51-year-old told AFP.
Weather forecasters said more heavy rain will fall in northern Vietnam between Monday and Wednesday.
The country is often struck by heavy downpours, triggering flooding and landslides.
But scientists have warned that extreme weather events globally are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.
Natural disasters left 169 people dead or missing in Vietnam last year.