Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Wednesday 28th May

In this Bulletin…

- Agreement to ban cluster bombs very close ;
- Amnesty International report highlights problems in US, China and Russia; and
- Beijing air quality at its worst ahead of Olympic Games.

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An international treaty banning the use of cluster bombs is “very close” to being agreed upon by diplomats, according to Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Mr Brown said the bombs caused “unacceptable harm to civilians” and that he would now work “to encourage the widest possible international support” for the treaty.

The proposed ban has the support of more than 100 countries and many humanitarian organisations. However, some of the main producers and stockpilers of cluster bombs, including the US, Russia and China, oppose the move.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said negotiations could result in a deal by the end of the week, possibly sooner.

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Amnesty International has highlighted human rights and freedom of the press in China, the detention of terrorist suspects by the United States and the treatment of political dissents by Russia in its annual report, which is released today.

The group said, the report, “reveals a world riven by inequality, scarred by discrimination and distorted by political repression.”

In it Amnesty says governments still need to act on the promises made 60 years ago when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“The biggest threat to the future of human rights is the absence of a shared vision and collective leadership,” the organization said in a statement.

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Yasuo Fukuda, the Prime Minister of Japan promised to double their aid to Africa within five years.

The pledge was made in front of leaders from more than 50 African countries at a conference in Yokohama, Japan. Mr Fukuda also called on Africa to work together on measures to try to combat climate change.

This is the fourth time Japan has hosted a major conference involving African leaders. It is competing with other countries like China and India for influence on the continent.

Japan wants access to Africa’s markets and natural resources, but it also wants to offer help to the region.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network

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Indonesia’s energy minister has announced the country’s exit from OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the move will be made at the end of the year and follows declining oil production levels in Indonesia that have left the country a net importer of oil.

“In the future, if our production (comes) back again to the level that gives us a status as a net oil exporter, then I think we can go back to OPEC again,” he said.

The move was not unexpected and it is not immediately clear what effect Indonesia’s decision will have on global oil prices.

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Wu Poh-hsiung, the Chairman of Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang party, has met with Chinese head of state Hu Jintao during a landmark visit to China.

The trip is being seen as another sign of warming ties between the two sides.

Mr Hu made reference to the potential for improved relations under Taiwan’s new leadership, and also expressed his gratitude for aid from Taiwan following the devastating earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province.

China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory, although the two have been separately governed since 1949. Beijing has previously threatened to attack Taiwan if the self-ruled island ever proclaimed independence.

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And now for our original SOH news direct from China

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Parents of about 300 children killed when their school collapsed in the Sichan earthquake have protested to the Shifang City Government according to the China Justice Net Centre.

They are demanding that the state compensates the families of the victims and punishes the officials responsible for the sub-standard construction of the school.

It is reported that one building of Jiandi High School in Shifang City collapsed, burying several hundred students in the rubble, while other buildings around the school had remained standing.

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Floods triggered by wide scale rains have killed at least 18 people and injured 166 to the south of Sichuan, in Guizhou Province.

The floods have affected over half-a-million people and more than 4,600 people had to be evacuated in emergency operations. The floods have damaged nearly 6,000 homes and caused almost 800 to collapse across 17 counties and cities within the province.

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With just over ten weeks to go before the opening of the Olympic Games, Beijing’s air pollution has reached dangerous levels. The authorities issued a public warning yesterday, stating that people with respiratory problems should stay inside and not go out.

The Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau categorised the air quality as being at “dangerous” levels of Grade 5, the worst possible grade.

An Environmental Protection Agent said: “People with sensitive health should avoid going out.” The main source of the pollution was suspended particles that are usually caused by the burning of coal and vehicle emissions.

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