AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 29th April

In this Bulletin

- Zimbabwe’s presidential election results to start today
- Massive train accident kills 70 and
- Chinese communist regime strengthens internet blockade

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Results are due to start later today for verification of Zimbabwe’s presidential Election a month after the vote, now that a partial recount has ended, an election official says.

The wait for the March 29 election result has led to a tense stand-off that has raised fears of bloodshed and drawn Opposition accusations that President Robert Mugabe is trying to rig the outcome to keep his 28-year hold on power.

A win for Mr Mugabe, whose ruling party lost control of parliament in the election, would deepen the economic collapse of the once prosperous country, political analysts say.

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Leading figures from the United Nations met in Switzerland on Monday to chart a solution to dramatic food price increases that have caused hunger, riots and hoarding in poor countries around the world.

Vietnam acted to quell panic over rice supplies on Monday, banning speculation in the market after a “chaotic” buying binge in the Southeast Asian nation highlighted growing global fears about food security.

The move by the world’s second-biggest rice exporter came as protests continued in some states in Africa over soaring costs for food and fuel which aid experts say threaten to push 100 million people worldwide into hunger.

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More than 70 people have been killed and up to 400 injured, many of them seriously, after two trains collided at dawn in eastern China, state media have said.

A train travelling from Beijing to the summer resort of Qingdao derailed and hit the other, which was going from Yantai to Xuzhou.
Nine coaches of the Qingdao-bound train toppled into a ditch after the crash, outside Zibo city in Shandong province.

Just hours after the crash, an inquiry concluded it was caused by human error.

Two senior railway officials have already been sacked, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

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A factory manufacturing Free Tibet flags, has been discovered in China media reports say.

The factory in Guangdong had been completing overseas orders for the flag of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Workers said they thought they were just making colourful flags and did not realise their meaning.

But then some of them saw TV images of protesters holding the emblem and they alerted the authorities, according to Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper.

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And now for our original SOH news direct from China
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According to sources from China, with the upcoming Olympic Games, the Chinese Communist regime has stepped up its surveillance of the internet.

Many users within mainland China are unable to access overseas websites. According to a report by Free Asia Radio, internet users from regions including Beijing, Hubei, Zhejiang and Shanxi have reporter that they are unable to access external websites, and even with various softwares to bypass the censorship, they are unable to view news hosted on overseas websites.

Despite the International Olympic Committee specifically requesting the Chinese government not to block the internet during the Olympics, Chinese officials have only strengthened its great firewall of China in the lead up to the Games.

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According to news from Zhejiang, human rights activist Zhou Wei were interfered by public security personnel on April 26 whilst having tea with around 50 people.

Up to 80 police surrounded the tea house and took Zhou and 2 others, Tao Henliang and Mr Liu by force to the Yuquang Police Station in Xihu for questioning.

They were warned by the security authorities to not drink tea, as it was a dangerous activity and they risked being arrested.

All those at the tea gathering were inspected, recorded and video taped. Amongst them were other human rights activists and those who were forcibly removed from their homes.

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“Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”