AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Wednesday 16th January

In this bulletin ….
-Japanese detain whaling activists
-Landslide kills 10 in Indonesia and
-Australia bans India uranium sale

Two protesters who boarded a Japanese whaling vessel in the Antarctic claim they were tied up and assaulted.

Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane boarded the Yushin Maru 2 from the Sea Shepherd vessel, the Steve Irwin.

The pair had intended to deliver a message informing the Japanese that it was now illegal to kill whales, because an Australian court had outlawed the practice.

Minoru Morimoto, of the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), admitted the pair had been detained but denied they had been assaulted or harmed.

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At least 10 people have been killed including a six-month-old baby in a landslide in the Indonesian province of Papua.

The landslide was triggered by heavy rain and engulfed a hospital housing complex in the regional capital, Jayapura.

Five survivors are being treated in the hospital itself, which was not damaged, even though it was only 50metres away.

Environmentalists say deforestation caused by uncontrolled logging has left hillsides more vulnerable to collapse.

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Australia has prohibited uranium sales to India because Delhi has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the move fulfilled the new Labor government’s election promise.

The move reverses the policy of former Prime Minister John Howard, who was voted out late last year.

In 2007, Mr. Howard’s government overturned a long-standing policy of not selling uranium to countries outside the NPT when it made a deal with India.

Mr. Howard defended the move at the time by saying that it would bring India into the nuclear mainstream and curb its fossil fuel emissions.

But Mr. Smith told India’s nuclear envoy Shyam Saran, who had negotiated the deal with Mr. Howard, that the original policy had now been reinstated.

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And now for our original SOH news direct from China
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From the 12th of January employees from the bus company in Shiyan City of Hubei Province went on a collective strike.

Hundreds of public transport vehicles stopped working and the entire cities traffic has come to a standstill for three consecutive days.

The reason for the strike is because the employer deducted the staff’s wages, and also due to poor management of the company that has lead to successive losses.

Some of the employees only receive 30 RMB Yuan in wages for the month and are unable to support their families on this income.

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On January the 14th because of a school diploma problem, about 300 students from Hezefu health school in Shandong Province protested to the Hezefu City Government for dialogue with the leader of the municipal government.

The two sides were in a bitter conflict leaving two students injured and sent to hospital.

Voice of America reported that the school had originally promised students an Associate Degree diploma upon graduation. But the school violated its pledge and awarded only students of higher vocational school a diploma.

This will affect the future employment of the students.

The students said that if the Hezefu government did not reply, they will go to the provincial government to seek an explanation.

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And now for our daily update on the NTDTV Divine Performing Arts “New Year Spectacular” show.
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The Chinese New Year Spectacular, presented by Divine Performing Arts, drew a full house and a standing ovation at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa last night.

Among the dignitaries who took in the show was Ontario Member of the Provincial Parliament Lisa MacLeod.

Mrs. Macleod commented on what an inspiring message the performance gave and thought it was a great way to start the New Year with. She said it was a great message of truth, divinity, and a sense of purpose.

Mrs. Macleod has a small child and says she can’t wait to bring her next year when she’s old enough to attend. She said the dancers and the music, is something every child should see and if anyone has the opportunity to see it, should.