AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Friday 24th August

Pakistan’s embattled leader, General Pervez Musharraf, could face a key challenge to his rule in the coming months following the expected return of two major opposition leaders.On Thursday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court lifted the exile imposed on former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, ousted from power eight years ago by Musharraf in a bloodless coup.

In addition, opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto also plans to return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile and take part in the upcoming elections.

While Bhutto has said she would consider a role in Musharraf’s government if he abandons his post as army chief, Sharif ruled out that possibility at a news conference in London.

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The European Union has relaxed a ban on exports of British livestock, meat and dairy products after previously imposing a full ban after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in south-eastern England earlier this month.

The ban will remain in effect in a special zone around the infected farms in the county of Surrey, but products from elsewhere in Britain can be exported under strict conditions as of Saturday, the EU executive said.

Farmers have said the trade ban was costing them close to $4 million a day in lost income.

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Australia¡¯s NSW government has ordered a clear-out of jail cells in anticipation of mass arrests during the APEC summit in Sydney next month.

About 200 criminals serving periodic detention will be spared prison for two weeks so jail beds can be set aside for those arrested during expected violent clashes with police, News Limited reports.

About 200 periodic detainees are serving sentences for offences including drugs, violence and driving breaches.

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Nepal’s multi-party transitional government has decided to nationalise major royal properties, including the Royal Palace in Kathmandu and 6 other historic places, that were inherited by King Gyanendra.

It is the latest setback for the king, who has already been stripped of most of his powers and prerogatives.

He is no longer head of state or army chief, following a historic peace pact with rebel Maoists and political parties earlier this year.

The future of the 238-year-old Shah dynasty will be decided in November in elections to vote for a body to rewrite Nepal’s constitution.

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US media have reported that eight US Congressmen have written a letter to the mayor of Beijing demanding the release of an employee of the Asian Foundation.
Mr Dongwei Pu was arrested in May last year for practicing Falun Gong, a peaceful meditation and cultivation practice.

Mr Pu is one of estimated tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who have been detained and arrested by the Communist Party, with many observers alleging that the rate of arrests is increasing as China prepares for the Olympic Games next year.

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NTDTV has reported that a report released in China by Chinese intellectuals and academic professionals says that five out of eight people agree that job discrimination exists in China, and that the situation is getting worse.

Research also shows that more than 85 percent of people think job discrimination exists, with more than 50 percent saying it’s very severe. AIDS patients, the disabled, women, and peasants are the most likely to be affected.

The research is the result of a year-long study by 24 Chinese intellectuals and academic professionals.

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A recent report from Hong Kong confirmed that at one of the islands many information centres helping Mainland Chinese to quit the Communist Party, more than 5000 people quit the Party in the first half of this year.

There are more than 10 of these information centres across Hong Kong and they are reporting record rates of mainland Chinese quitting the country¡¯s Communist Party.

According to their website, since the Epoch Times published an account of the Communist Party¡¯s atrocities, called the Nine Commentaries, in April 2004, over 25 million Chinese citizens have publicly renounced their membership in the Chinese Communist Party, with the number growing by up to 40,000 more people each day.