AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Friday 22nd February

In this Bulletin…
- Pakistan to have a coalition Government;
- Protestors storm US embassy in Belgrade; and
- Jose Ramos-Horta emerges from coma.

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Pakistan’s two main opposition parties have confirmed that they will form a coalition government after they won the most seats in Monday’s general election.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he had agreed “a common agenda” with the Pakistan People’s Party, the party of assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, led by Bhutto’s widower, Asif Zardari.

Experts say such a government could put renewed pressure on President Pervez Musharraf to step down or even by removed from office.

Doubts remain about who will emerge as a possible prime minister with Mr Zardari ruling himself out for the role.

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Hundreds of protestors smashed their way into the U.S. embassy in Belgrade yesterday in protest of Kosovo’s newly announced independence, ransacking rooms and setting fires before riot police dispersed the crowd.

The violence—which spilled over to other embassies and included widespread vandalising of shops and banks—marred a mass state-backed rally by up to 200,000 Serbs refusing to accept the loss of their religious heartland Kosovo.

Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, condemned the protest and said he would ask the U.N. Security Council to unanimously denounce the protestor’s behaviour.

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East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta has awoken from an induced coma and spoken to family members following an assassination attempt.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres his first words were to relatives asking them to look after the people of East Timor.

Ramos-Horta slowly woke up on Wednesday at the Australian hospital where he is recuperating. But it may be another month before he is discharged and several more months for him to fully recover, Guterres said.

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For many human rights groups and activists, the term “Beijing 2008″ is as synonymous with “human rights abuses” as it is with “Olympic Games.”

Public sentiment against China’s human rights records has grown as the Olympic Games draws closer, and China’s Communist Party has found itself defending an ever-increasing call for action against human rights abuses in the country.

The list of high profile figures voicing their opposition to China’s rights abuses is also growing with celebrities such as Steven Spielberg, Prince Charles, numerous actors, actresses, and even a number of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates all voicing their opposition.

Numerous politicians have also been lobbying for change including EU Vice President Edward McMillan Scott who has been calling for outright boycott of the games since he conducted his investigation into the Chinese regime’s practice of harvesting organs from unwilling Falun Gong meditation practitioners.

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Over one hundred households on China’s Wutai Mountain may have to move away from this famous Chinese Buddhist Mountain if it receives World Heritage status.

To ensure the success of application for “heritage listing”, six thousand residents will be forced to relocate.

However, many residents are not happy with the compensation offered by the local authority, so they are refusing to move away.

Wutai Mountain is the most famous of the four well know Buddhist Mountains. If it is put on the World Heritage Register it will become an even more popular tourist destination.

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A number of disgruntled former employees of the former Yilishen Company are planning to present another petition to Wen Jiabao in Beijing, seeking compensation for unpaid wages after the company went bankrupt.

Earlier this week a number of employees went to Yilishen’s former headquarters to find out the latest status of the administrating process but were driven away by police and security forces.

The fact that they are not being updated on the bankruptcy process and whether they will receive unpaid wages is frustrating the former employees who are accusing local authorities of the Communist Party of collusion with the company’s management.

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Today the Spectacular shows will open in Seoul, South Korea, and London in the UK. They will perform at these venues for the next three days before continuing on their world tour.

The show closed in Osaka, Japan, and The Hague in the Netherlands on Wednesday to standing ovations from the audience.

Audience members reported to Epoch Times journalists that the show was fantastic, with many saying the show makes them want to now travel to China to enjoy the traditional Chinese culture.

One audience member, Mrs. Ramblacan said he had had never heard Chinese opera before and thought it was simply beautiful.

Through an array of costumes inspired by ancient Chinese scrolls, and through a unique blend of classical Chinese dance and ballet the show portrayed the true culture of China’s ancient civilization, some of which had been all but lost in recent years.

For more information about the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: www.divineperformingarts.org

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