AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 27th November

In this Bulletin…
- New Government to apologise to Aborigines
- Blooming Udumbara flowers found in Jinan, Shandong and
- Iraq Agree on Talks for Future Relationship

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Kevin Rudd has announced the new government will issue a formal apology to Aborigines for the abuses they suffered in the past, prime minister-elect Kevin Rudd has promised.

Mr Rudd, whose Labor Party swept to power in an election on Saturday, said the apology would come early in his first parliamentary term.

Outgoing Prime Minister John Howard had repeatedly refused to say sorry.

Votes are still being counted in Mr Howard’s constituency, where he faces losing his seat to a former TV host.

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It has been months since the Japanese coastal city of Kashiwazaki was hit by an 6.8-magnitude earthquake.

The massive tremor damaged more than 80% of the homes and caused damage to the nearby nuclear plant which has since shut down.

The quake made headlines around the world because of the fire at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant and a leak of radioactive material into the sea.

But for the local people, many of whom rely on the plant for their livelihoods, the aftermath of the quake is still causing serious disruption.

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A resident in Jinan, Shandong discovered a small bunch of tiny white flowers on his window when he drew the curtains in the evening of November 16.

He has seen many reports online about the blooming of Udumbara flowers and after comparing what he had found to the pictures he verified that the tiny white flowers were indeed the Udumbara flowers.

Legend has it that this mysterious flower blooms once every 3000 years. The resident counted that there were 23 Udumbara flowers in total with their stems as thin as silk and the snow white flowers shaped like tiny bells.

According to Buddhist scriptures, Udumbara is an auspicious flower from heaven but not the mundane world.

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According to sources in Shanghai, on November 25th, after attorney Zhen Enlong and his wife left church after their Sunday Service, Attorney Zhen was taken away by police for questioning.

Attorney Zhen is representing shanghai resident Dong Guoching in a lawsuit against former Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang.

Dong has filed an appeal after his case was dismissed by the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court and the submission was exclusively published on the Epoch Times website.

The Epoch Times believes that this publication, which has sparked a sensational wave among Shanghai petitioners, lead to the agitated Shanghai authorities to summon attorney Zhen as the mastermind of the lawsuit vs Zhou.

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Pervez Musharraf has announced he will take an oath of office as civilian president on Thursday after quitting as army chief, his spokesman said.

Musharraf, who has ruled Pakistan since seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, will hang up his army uniform a day before being sworn in for a second five-year presidential term, the military added.

The United States has welcomed the move, saying the government had taken “some encouraging steps”, but again urged Mr Musharraf to lift a state of emergency that has outraged the international community.

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Three Hindu activists, arrested for supposedly being involved in seditious before a rally in Malaysia’s capital, have been freed.
The charges were dropped as prosecutors could not provide a translation of their allegedly seditious comments.

The men said their release was a “small step” towards justice for the Indian community in Malaysia.

They were detained before a march in Kuala Lumpur on the weekend, where thousands of ethnic Indians sought to draw attention to a host of grievances.

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The United States and Iraq have agreed to start formal negotiations next year about the future relationship of the two countries, including the size and role of American forces, the White House said Monday.

The non-binding pact, agreed to by President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister, lays out a “common sheet of music with which to begin the negotiations,” said Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, White House deputy national security adviser.

The State Department would take the lead in the talks, which aim to reach agreement on the nature of the U.S.-Iraqi relationship after the U.N. Security Council mandate expires, he said. The talks are expected to begin early next year and conclude in July.

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This is …………………………………. from the SOH Radio Network.