Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 14th January

In this Bulletin…
- Iran to co-operate with IAEA;
- Greenpeace chases Japanese fleet from whaling ground; and
- China to close 11,000 small mines.

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During talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has agreed to answer remaining questions about its past covert nuclear activities within a month, the U.N. watchdog said on Sunday.

Tehran also provided information about work to develop advanced centrifuges, it said. The IAEA has long sought such data to assess how close Iran is to mastering uranium enrichment technology that could be used to produce fuel for atomic bombs.

Sceptical Western diplomats said there was no sign Iran had budged from its refusal to suspend enrichment or end curbs on IAEA inspections, steps they say would do more to defuse a standoff over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activity.

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After locating the fleet of six Japanese whaling ships conducting so-called scientific whaling in the Southern Ocean, Greenpeace says it has chased the Japanese whaling fleet out of its Southern Ocean hunting grounds near Antarctica.

After a 24-hour chase, covering hundreds of kilometres, Greenpeace now says it has driven the fleet out of the hunting grounds.

Greenpeace said it believed the fleet would soon refuel and offload its whale meat onto the tanker Oriental Bluebird, before returning to the hunting grounds.

Meanwhile, the Australian Government ship, The Oceanic Viking, is yet to locate the fleet.

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According to reports from China’s State Administration of Work Safety, over one hundred thousand people were killed in industrial and road accidents last year, a drop of about ten percent compared to 2006.

Most fatalities occurred on China’s dangerous roads, although there were fewer traffic deaths in 2007 than in 2006.

Fatalities in China’s deadly coalmines in 2007 fell by over 20 percent from the year before, with nearly 3,800 miners dieing in the nation’s mines last year.

Although pleased with the reduction in accidents, the State Administration for Work Safety accepts that there is still much improving to do.

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In related news, China has closed more than 11,000 small coalmines as part of a two-year-old safety crackdown aimed at stemming the industry’s high death toll, the government reported Sunday.

The total represents 45 percent of all small mines slated for closure, according to a report on the central government’s official Web site.

Meanwhile, five people were killed and 32 injured when an explosion ripped through a chemical factory in south-western China’s Yunnan province on Sunday.

Two people remain missing after the early morning explosion at a sulphuric acid plant in the provincial capital of Kunnming ignited a large fire on the factory premises, Xinhua news agency said.

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Employees of the GuangDa Shoe factory in China’s Guang Zhou City have been protesting over the last 2 days demanding payment of overtime wages that have been withheld from them since 2002.

The GuangDa Shoefactory is a Taiwan-funded enterprise, employing over 4000 workers.

Employees have vowed to strike until the factory and the Labour Bureau negotiate a settlement with them.

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According to recent media reports, victims of last years financial collapse of the Power Ant company are facing financial hardship having still received no reimbursement from the company.

Last week around two thousand victims were detained by the Liaoning Public Security Bureau after going to the local Provincial Committee to appeal for intervention.

According to the protestors the police and security officers were there waiting for them after being tipped off about their planned appeal.

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Today the Divine Performing Arts show will give its last performance to audiences in Ottawa, Canada, with another show opening for its one and only performance in Phoenix in the US.

Tomorrow the shows will move on to Montreal in Canada and San Diego in the US.

The Epoch Times reported that an appreciative audience enjoyed the third and final show of the Spectacular at the packed Temple Buell Theatre in Denver.

Many parents seized the opportunity to introduce their children to the richness of Chinese culture by attending the show, and were treated to the heavenly visions of 5,000 years of Chinese culture.
For show information please visit www.bestchineseshows.com

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